Witch rose, p.13
Witch Rose, page 13
“There’s nothing more stressful than being told you're on a poisoner's hit list,” said Bryony. “I should go and see if she’s okay.”
“Definitely don’t,” said Jane as she placed the phone down. “When Samara asks to be alone she means it. I made the mistake once of making her a herbal poultice for her headache and she threw it at me so hard I had a bruise on my arm for a week.”
“Why do you put up with her?” asked Ivy. “Surely you can get a better job?”
“Sometimes she can be nice.” Jane pushed her glasses up her nose. “And I like being around all of the pageantry. The glitz and glamor make me think I’m working with movie stars.”
“And the entrants most likely have egos the size of movie stars,” said Ivy. “Can you print out a few copies of the list you’ve made?”
“No problem.” Jane hit the print button and several pages of paper spat out of the printer. She stapled them together and handed them to Ivy.
“We’ve got a lot of people to speak to,” said Ivy as she read through the list.
“We should get this information to the Charm Police,” said Bryony. “Although Angelica didn’t think much of my pageant theory. She dismissed it immediately.”
“She was probably jealous that she didn’t think of it first,” said Ivy. “She’s got us at the top of the suspect list, after all.”
“You aren’t involved in this are you?” asked Jane.
“In a way. We had a poisoned rose delivered to our store,” said Bryony. “Fortunately neither of us touched it, but Gabriel at the Charm Police wasn’t so lucky.”
“Neither of you have been involved with the pageants, though,” said Jane.
“Which makes me think my theory could be wrong,” said Bryony. “We could be about to waste a lot of our time.”
“We have to start somewhere,” said Ivy. “Let’s get started on these names.”
They said goodbye to Jane and left the house, walking back towards the village, studying the list of names as they did so.
Ivy tutted and grunted as she flipped through the names.
“What’s wrong?” asked Bryony.
“Half of these are talentless nobodies,” said Ivy. “Yet Miss Fake Lips back there thinks I’m not good enough to enter her stupid pageants.”
“Not that you’d want to enter them anyway,” said Bryony. “But you’d be amazing if you did. Your magical talent would blast everybody off stage.”
“Yes, probably literally.” Ivy slowed down and looked at her sister. “Do you think I’m unattractive?”
Bryony grabbed her arm. “You’re beautiful. You look like Snow White.”
Ivy snorted. “I do not. You’re beautiful. You’ve got everything going for you.”
“And so have you,” said Bryony. “You may not fit Samara’s idea of beauty, but you fit mine. I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
“Not that I care what Samara thinks of me.” Ivy waved the pages in front of her. “But when she compared me to these idiots, it didn’t feel great.”
“You’re the most beautiful, amazing sister in the world,” said Bryony. “Don’t even think about changing. And definitely don’t think about getting your assets enhanced like Samara suggested.”
“So long as you decide not to lose any weight, I’ll keep a firm grip on my perfect flat chest,” said Ivy.
Bryony laughed. “It’s a deal.”
Ivy’s gaze returned to the list of names. “This is going to take too long.”
“We could always get the Charm Police involved.”
“They are hopeless.”
“What if we asked just Gabriel?” suggested Bryony. “He’d keep things discreet.”
“If we go to the station, Angelica will arrest us,” said Ivy.
“He will help us,” said Bryony. “And I’d like to see how he’s feeling.”
Ivy groaned but then nodded. “You’re right, using his resources will get through this list faster. Let’s go and see Mr. Wonderful.”
Chapter 18
Gabriel’s eyes flicked open and he let out a sigh. He’d fallen asleep, again. He’d been trying to finish a report for Angelica, but every time he focused on the screen, the words became blurry and jumbled in front of him.
“Come in,” said Gabriel as a knock sounded on his office door.
Chad opened the door. “I thought you were supposed to be resting?”
“This is resting,” said Gabriel. “All I’ve done is shuffle pieces of paper around and stare at this screen. I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“How are things with the old poison?” Chad sat down at the desk opposite Gabriel.
“Still on the move,” said Gabriel. “And getting closer to my heart.”
“The magic our lab guys used on you keeping things in slow motion?” asked Chad.
“It’s helped,” said Gabriel. “But I’ve not seen anyone from the lab in a while. Any updates?”
“They've been pulling double shifts to identify the final element of the poison,” said Chad. “Last time I saw Jacob, he was downing a double espresso in the staff room and talking about chemical elements I don’t understand.”
“That doesn’t sound promising,” said Gabriel.
“We’ve got the best team working on it,” said Chad. “If anyone’s going to discover what the poison is, it will be them.”
“I trust them,” said Gabriel. A wave of sickness swept over him and he leaned back in his chair. Time was running out. He could feel it ticking down inside his veins.
“You should lie down,” said Chad. “You’ve just turned a hideous shade of grey.”
The desk phone rang before Gabriel could answer Chad, and he picked it up. “Gabriel Galbraith.” He nodded and a small smile crossed his face. “Show them in.”
“Good news?” asked Chad.
“I’m getting a visit from the Thornheart sisters,” said Gabriel.
“Bryony and Ivy are coming to see you,” said Chad. “They must think things are serious if they’re both here.”
“I expect Ivy is here under duress,” said Gabriel.
Chad stood up. “I’ll make myself scarce. Unless you want me to entertain Ivy for you.”
Gabriel waved him away. “I won’t make you do that. I like you too much.”
Chad chuckled as he opened the door. He stepped into the corridor and smiled as he saw Bryony and Ivy. “Welcome, ladies. We were just talking about you. Gabriel is thrilled you’re here.”
“Enough of that, Chad,” said Gabriel as he made a discreet attempt to smooth his hair.
Bryony walked into the room first, followed by a sullen looking Ivy. “We’ve got some information we want to share with you about the poisonings.”
Gabriel gestured to some seats and both girls sat down. “What is it?”
“I’m not sure it’s a real connection,” said Bryony, “but when I spoke with Angelica, I suggested a link between the beauty and magic pageants and the victims.”
“Go on,” said Gabriel. This was the first he’d heard about the connection.
Bryony paused. “Are you sure you’re up to hearing this? You look a little unwell.”
“He’s been poisoned, of course he’s going to look unwell,” said Ivy. “But he’ll live, for now.”
“Thank you for your concern, Ivy,” said Gabriel. “And yes, as you can see, I am still alive. Tell me your theory.”
“We wondered if a previous pageant entrant had a grudge against winners, or other entrants, and decided to get some revenge,” said Bryony. “We went to visit Samara Renegade and got a list of people who could be vulnerable to being poisoned next.”
“Or they could be the poisoner themselves,” said Ivy. “If it is a disgruntled contestant, out for revenge, they will be on this list.”
“Why would Samara give you this information?” asked Gabriel.
“We distracted her by telling her she was next on the poisoner’s list,” said Ivy with an evil grin. “All she could think about after that was getting in extra security and having a lie down. It was pathetic.”
Gabriel closed his eyes for a second as a wave of pain ran through his arm. The poison was on the move again.
“We shouldn’t be here disturbing you,” said Bryony. “You should be at home in bed.”
“There’s too much to do here to consider that,” said Gabriel. “Although if you were to offer to take me home to bed, I might consider it.”
Bryony blushed. “Well, I mean, I could. If it meant you got some proper rest.”
Gabriel gave her a tired smile. “I’m joking. I don’t want to leave here. We are on the verge of figuring out the final element in the poison and I need to be around for when the antidote is ready.”
“That’s good news,” said Bryony. “Okay, I’ll let you stay here.”
Gabriel's smile broadened. Somehow, having Bryony around made him feel better. “That’s kind of you. Do you want to share the list with me? I can put some of my team onto questioning suspects.”
“Only if you’re certain it’s a genuine lead,” said Bryony as she handed over a copy of the list of names. “Angelica wasn’t convinced it was worth pursuing.”
“She’s focused on another line of inquiry at this moment.” In fact, Gabriel was looking at the line of inquiry she was interested in. Angelica was convinced that either Bryony or Ivy were involved in these poisonings, and no matter how much he argued with her, she wouldn’t let the matter drop.
“There’s no need to be discreet, she’s focused on us,” said Ivy. “Hardly a surprise after the way she treated you.” She glanced at Bryony.
“How did Angelica treat you?” Gabriel felt a rush of anger run through him. He hated the idea that someone was mistreating Bryony.
“She was fine,” said Bryony with a wave of her hand. “She’s a tough questioner, that’s all.”
“If I can give her some solid leads to pursue, she will leave you alone,” said Gabriel. “These names could throw up something useful.”
“We should leave.” Ivy stood up and moved towards the door. “You do look terrible, Gabriel.”
“I heard the pale and interesting look is in,” said Gabriel.
“It is,” said Ivy. “But the half dead angel look has never taken off.”
Bryony reluctantly stood up. “Yes, we should leave you to your work. But please do get some rest. Let us know if you get any useful information from those names, though.”
“I will,” said Gabriel. “And thanks for coming in. It’s good to see you.”
“You too,” said Ivy in a falsely bright voice. “Let’s get out of here.” She grabbed Bryony's arm and pulled her from the room.
Gabriel watched the two sisters leave and shook his head. It had taken all of his energy to keep his eyes open while they were in the room. Bryony was right, he did need to take a break. But he didn’t want to risk missing anything. The poisoner was out there and he would find them no matter what.
***
“Why the rush?” asked Bryony as she chased Ivy along the corridor and out the front door of the Charm Police.
“I've had an idea,” said Ivy. “There's someone who is powerful enough to draw the poison out of Gabriel, not get himself killed, and protect the others at risk of future poisonings.”
“That sounds dangerous,” said Bryony. “Who is it?”
“Kristoff,” said Ivy.
“Kristoff Dash can draw poison out of people?”
“I don’t know for certain,” said Ivy. “I know some demons can do that. But my idea isn’t that Kristoff does it on his own.”
“Who will help him?”
“We will,” said Ivy. “Kristoff can siphon some of our powers and use them to remove the poison from Gabriel and not get his stupid demon butt destroyed in the process.”
“How will this help the others at risk from the poisoner?” asked Bryony.
“With our combined powers, Kristoff will be able to place a circle of protection around all of the women. It won’t make them immune, but it will alert them when they get near to the poison. It will be as if they have an early detection system in place. If the poisoner comes near them and has a poisoned rose or box of chocolates, or whatever item they decide to poison next, they will know about it.”
“That’s a clever idea,” said Bryony. “But it will require a lot of power.”
“Which is why we need Kristoff’s help,” said Ivy.
“Do you think he’ll do it?” asked Bryony. “It sounds risky.”
“It is,” said Ivy. “And I’m sure Kristoff will extract his pound of flesh for assisting us. But you saw the state of Gabriel.”
“He didn’t look good,” said Bryony. “But why do you want to help him? You don’t even like Gabriel.”
“I don’t like Gabriel, but you do,” said Ivy. “I know how hard you’ve been desperately trying not to fall in love with him. I want to be the one to destroy Gabriel, not some stupid poison.”
“If you really meant that, you’d let the poison do its work,” said Bryony. “Then he would be out of our lives for good.”
“I won’t let some sordid poisoner dictate what happens in our lives,” said Ivy. She looked over at Bryony. “Besides, you never know, our crazy aunts could figure out how to remove our curse, then you’d be freed to marry that blond haired loser and have a hundred angel babies with him.”
“That doesn’t sound horrible,” said Bryony. “But I might stop at a dozen angel babies.”
Ivy grabbed Bryony’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Let’s go and see what sort of deal we can make with the devil.”
Chapter 19
“Through here.” Ivy spotted an open delivery door at the back of the Demon’s Den. “It will be shut around the front.”
“Perhaps we should have called ahead.” Bryony peered into the gloom of the corridor which was littered with open boxes and barrels of beer.
“Don’t be a wimp. Kristoff’s always pleased to see us,” said Ivy.
“He’s always pleased to see you,” said Bryony. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re still wearing the pendant he gave you.”
“I don’t wear it because he gave it to me,” said Ivy. “I wear it because it’s an exquisite stone that allows me to store power in it.”
“If you say so,” said Bryony. “How are we going to handle this?”
“Ask him to be a siphon. He’s hardly going to refuse the chance to take some of our abilities.” Ivy led the way along the corridor, shoving boxes out of their way as she did so.
“It’s only a temporary exchange, though, isn’t it?” asked Bryony. “He’s not going to take our abilities permanently?”
“I’ll make sure it’s just temporary. But if Kristoff uses his abilities, and a combination of ours, he will be able to draw the poison from Gabriel and help the others. It will make him sick, but it won’t kill him.”
“Won’t it cause him harm?”
“Nothing permanent,” said Ivy. “And you never know, he might like having a black hand.” She pushed through a door and they entered one of the main bars in the club. It was eerily quiet, with no music playing or staff present.
“It’s peaceful in here,” said Bryony. “I prefer it like this.”
“It gives me the creeps no matter what it’s like,” said Ivy. “It’s got that dark feel to it.”
“That’s exactly how I like it.” Kristoff emerged from behind one of the bars.
“It’s rude to listen into people’s conversations.” Ivy glared at Kristoff, hating the fact her heart beat a tiny bit faster.
“It’s also not polite to break into someone’s establishment.” Kristoff walked towards Bryony and Ivy. “However I like these particular intruders, so you may stay.”
“We need your help,” said Bryony.
Ivy held up her hand. “You can siphon magic,” she said to Kristoff.
“I can,” said Kristoff. “I don’t need to do it often. I have enough power of my own.”
“And you can siphon poison as well,” said Ivy, not certain as to the extent of Kristoff's abilities.
Kristoff nodded his head slowly. “I know where this is going. And the answer is no. I am a powerful demon, but I cannot remove the poison currently making the rounds in the village.”
“You could, if you had our combined abilities as well,” said Ivy.
Kristoff’s dark eyes widened a fraction as he stared at her. “Are you saying we do a magical exchange?”
“We don’t want any of your powers,” said Ivy. “But you can take some of ours. It would make you powerful enough to siphon the poison and help other people at risk.”
“That’s an interesting proposal,” said Kristoff. “And it may work.”
“It will work,” said Ivy. “You know how powerful I am. And Bryony has skills as well.”
“It would put me in considerable danger,” said Kristoff. “I have heard the Charm Police have been unsuccessful in identifying all of the poisons infesting Gabriel’s system.”
“They’ve almost figured it out,” said Bryony. “We met Gabriel earlier and he seemed sure they would find an antidote soon.”
“Then he lied to you,” said Kristoff. “My contact within the Charm Police assured me they are no closer to discovering the final poison element. Gabriel is not getting an antidote any time soon.”
“Gabriel wouldn't lie to me,” said Bryony.
Ivy looked over at Bryony. “He only did that to stop you from worrying. But we have this option which will help him.”
“If I agree to it,” said Kristoff. “And I haven’t done so.”
“You’re getting a great deal,” said Ivy. “You get the chance to test out Thornheart witches’ abilities. You will have almost triple the amount of power you currently do.”
“But I put myself at risk of a foul poison.”
“You also get to save the life of someone popular in the community, and you'll be protecting others from coming into contact with the magical poison.” Bryony’s eyes shone with unshed tears as her worry for Gabriel overwhelmed her. “People will love you for helping Gabriel.”
