Witch rose, p.5
Witch Rose, page 5
“That guy is such a sleaze.” Ivy slammed the door.
“Kristoff knows a lot about our curse,” said Bryony. “He must be interested because of you.”
“He’s interested because he thinks he’ll be able to make some money out of it,” said Ivy. “I bet he thinks if he can figure out how to break the curse he can hold us to ransom over it.”
“I’d pay a lot to have this curse broken,” said Bryony. “But I think it’s because he likes you, and wants to figure out how to break the curse so you can date.”
“I’d never date Kristoff,” said Ivy. “I’m more likely to agree to go on a date with Mr. Tall, Blond and Handsome out there.” She pointed to the front of the store where Gabriel stood gazing down the road.
“He is very handsome.” Bryony blushed again. “I just said that a loud, didn’t I?”
“You’re such an idiot.” Ivy tweaked a strand of her sister’s hair. “Right now, we can’t think about relationships and who we can and can’t date. We have a dead body on our sofa and a poisoner to find.”
Chapter 7
Gabriel turned back to the store and saw Ivy and Bryony watching. He had a feeling they’d been talking about him. He gritted his teeth as his black hand tingled and ached; a sign the poison was edging through his system.
Taking a steadying breath, Gabriel walked into the store. “I’ve requested backup. They’re sending a van for Josie. I'll need statements from the two of you and Kristoff.”
“You think we’re involved?” asked Ivy.
“I’m not saying you’re suspects, but you were the last to see Josie alive.”
“That’s fine,” said Bryony. “We're happy to help.”
“You’ll have to go looking for Kristoff,” said Ivy. “He snuck away when your back was turned.”
Gabriel shook his head. “Not a surprise. But I know where to find him. He’s never far from the Demon’s Den.”
“And although we were the last ones to see Josie alive, she was barely functioning when she fell through our door,” said Ivy. “She drew one breath before she keeled over and died.”
“Even so, anything you have to tell me will be welcome,” said Gabriel.
“How are you feeling?” asked Bryony. “The poison isn’t making you feel bad?”
Gabriel ignored a headache that sat uncomfortably behind his eyes and the continuous tingling in his hand. “It’s not a problem. And like I said, I’ll have an antidote as soon as possible. Most likely by the end of the day.”
“You should take it easy all the same,” said Bryony. “I can make you some tea if you’d like.”
Gabriel stomach churned unhappily. “No, better to focus on the job for now, and make sure this poisoner is behind bars and cannot hurt anybody else. The two of you were lucky today.”
“It was fortunate Aunt Lilith was here,” said Bryony.
“I want a few words with Lilith,” said Gabriel. “Tampering with evidence is a crime.”
“I imagine it won’t go down too well that you left evidence behind in the first place,” said Ivy. “Why did you do that?”
Gabriel’s forehead wrinkled. “Bryony wanted the rose left behind.”
“Hardly the actions of a professional,” said Ivy with a shrug. “I imagine your boss won’t be impressed to learn that the girl you want to date has more control over you than she does.”
“Bryony doesn’t have any control over me.” Gabriel scratched his chin. “And you did say you would bring the rose to the Charm Police headquarters.”
“She has more control over you than you realize,” said Ivy.
“This is not Gabriel’s fault,” said Bryony swiftly. “I was wrong to ask to keep the rose. I’m sorry for that. Our store was almost blown up as a result. We should have let you take it.”
“Then the Charm Police headquarters may have blown up instead,” said Ivy. “That would have been so much better.”
“No, it wouldn’t.” Bryony shot her sister a glare. “Gabriel, I am sorry for keeping the rose. And I’m sure Aunt Lilith will talk to you if you want her to. But I don’t think she’ll have any useful information to pass on. She was simply helping us.”
“I appreciate that,” said Gabriel. “And I don’t blame you or any of your family members for this.” He pointed to Josie. “But I shall be speaking with Kristoff. This is just the kind of underhand tactic he'd use.”
Ivy sighed and shook her head. “As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think Kristoff is involved in this.”
Gabriel ran his hands through his hair. “Josie worked at the Demon’s Den. She could have done something to anger Kristoff.”
“Then he would have sacked her,” said Ivy. “Isn’t poisoning extreme?”
“You're defending Kristoff!” said Bryony. “Are you feeling quite well?”
“I’m fine,” growled Ivy. “I’m just saying, she must have done something dreadful if Kristoff decided to pull out the poison on her. And if it was him, why did he also send one of us a poisoned rose?”
“You did try to burn his club down not so long ago,” said Bryony.
“You did what?” Gabriel stared at Ivy. “When did that happen?”
Ivy shot an evil glare at her sister. “Bryony’s joking. We haven’t been near the Demon’s Den for ages.”
Bryony blushed. “That’s right, I was just messing about.”
Gabriel studied Bryony. She was a terrible liar, and he knew the girls were involved in Kristoff’s club being damaged recently. But he had no proof, and Kristoff had refused to talk about what happened.
“So, the rose,” said Ivy. “Kristoff didn't send it.”
“It is a strange gift to send to someone he is in love with.” Bryony grinned at Ivy.
“Kristoff is in love with you?” Gabriel asked Bryony, hating the idea that Kristoff had dark designs on her.
“Not me,” said Bryony with a laugh. “He likes Ivy.”
“He does not,” muttered Ivy.
“Kristoff is always dropping by the store,” said Bryony. “It’s not because of the amazing spells we make.”
“He comes in here because he knows it annoys me,” said Ivy.
“He comes in here because he is truly madly deeply in love with you.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should focus on the poisonings for now?”
“Good idea,” said Ivy, shooting her sister a dark look.
“You’re no fun,” said Bryony to Ivy. “But okay, what about Belinda? She was our second customer with a black finger.”
“Belinda is still under observation,” said Gabriel.
“The poison acts over a few days,” said Ivy. “Josie had symptoms for a couple of days before coming to see us. Which gives Belinda only about a day to live if it acts on her as quickly.”
Bryony’s gaze went to Gabriel’s black hand, a look of concern crossing her face. “It’s not going to act as quickly on you, is it?”
“It’s not causing me any problems at the moment.” Gabriel continued to ignore the strange tingling in his fingers.
“Perhaps Belinda won’t be as badly affected as Josie,” said Bryony. “The poison could act on people differently, depending on how strong they are.”
“Magical poison acts on everybody the same way,” said Ivy. “They end up dead if it isn’t reversed quickly enough.”
“That’s not reassuring,” grumbled Gabriel.
“You being an angel isn’t going to save you this time,” said Ivy
“It might,” said Bryony. “Angels are special.” She smiled at Gabriel.
“We may be special, but we aren’t immune to all magic.” He reached forward and squeezed Bryony’s hand. “But don’t worry about me. Focus on coming up with suspects who may want either you or your sister poisoned. That’s what interests me the most.”
“I bet it wouldn’t if it was only me under the poison radar,” said Ivy.
“I would protect both of you equally.” Gabriel released his hold on Bryony’s hand, wanting nothing more than to stroke the soft skin and kiss her palm. He shook his head, maybe the poison was affecting his brain already.
A black van with a white halo painted on the side pulled up outside the store.
“That will be the team to take away Josie’s body,” said Gabriel. “Once we get her back to headquarters, we can conduct a thorough investigation and find out what poisoned her.”
The store door opened, and Eddie Meyer and Theo Cinder walked through. They worked as part of the lab team at the Charm Police. Eddie was a warlock and a specialist in magical poisons. Theo was a combination of elf and water nymph, giving him a delicate appearance, along with a pair of fine pointed ears.
“Evening, boss,” said Eddie, dressed in a lab issued black work suit that went well with the mess of curly dark hair on his head. “We’ve got somebody to collect?”
“Josie Spicer,” said Gabriel. “She’s over there on the sofa.”
“And it’s a poisoning case?” Eddie’s black eyes lit up with interest. “The same as you?”
“I believe so,” said Gabriel. “Get the body preserved and take her to the headquarters. I want an immediate examination of her body. The sooner we find out the constituents of the poison, the sooner we can get an antidote and treat anybody who has been poisoned.” He inspected his black hand for a second.
“We’re on it,” said Theo. He smiled shyly at Bryony as he walked past her.
Ivy stalked after Eddie and Theo. “What do you do to the body?”
“It’s a preservation spell,” said Eddie. “It keeps as much of the evidence as intact as possible, so nothing is disturbed during transportation.”
“It stops decay?” asked Ivy.
“It does that too,” said Eddie. “And there’s a dash of time magic in there. It preserves the body at the exact time we place the magic on it. So you’re right, it does prevent any further decay, but it also locks the body in stasis.”
“That’s complicated magic,” said Ivy.
“We’re up to the task,” said Eddie with a grin. “Want to watch?”
“Sure, it doesn’t sound too boring,” said Ivy with a shrug.
“You’re full of compliments, Thornheart,” said Eddie. “Best if you stand back a few steps, though. Don’t want to accidentally freeze you in time.”
“You definitely don’t want to do that to me.” Ivy took a couple of steps back from Josie’s body.
“Ready, Theo?” Eddie looked at his companion.
Theo moved to stand at Josie’s feet before nodding. “Ready when you are.”
The two of them extended their hands over Josie’s body and a dark green light flowed from their fingers, meeting in the middle. Once the light connected, it slowly descended over Josie.
Eddie gave a grunt and flexed his hands.
“Is something wrong?” asked Ivy.
“The magic doesn’t want to take,” said Eddie. “Theo, can you increase the flow from your side?”
“I’m almost at maximum strength,” said Theo. “I’ll give it another push.” The dark green light glowed vividly as both Theo and Eddie pushed more magic into the spell.
“It’s almost taken,” said Eddie. “One more blast.” The inside of the store was enveloped in a green glow.
“That was harder than it should have been.” Eddie shook out his hands, sweat beading on his forehead. “Must be the way she died that’s causing the trouble. We don’t deal with many poisonings.”
“Toughest one yet,” said Theo. “I’ll open the van.”
Eddie slapped Theo on the back as he left the store. “Impressed?” he asked Ivy.
“Looked like you were struggling.” Ivy bent over Josie and inspected the pale green glow that covered her. “Maybe your magic isn't as good as you think it is.”
Eddie smirked. “My magic is in top form. I might even be able to beat you in some spells.”
“I’ll have to take you up on that challenge,” said Ivy.
Eddie’s grin broadened. “I look forward to it.”
“Mayhew, keep your focus on the job,” said Gabriel sharply, not liking the evil stare Ivy gave Eddie.
“I’m always thinking about the job, boss,” said Eddie. He twisted his fingers in the air and a white light covered Josie, concealing her features from view.
“Is that a veil spell?” asked Ivy.
“Yes. We like to do that, to preserve the deceased’s dignity. Then we won’t have people gawping when we take her outside.”
“That’s thoughtful of you,” said Bryony.
Eddie nodded. “The Charm Police are full of thoughtful men.” His gaze tracked over to Gabriel and he gave him a knowing grin.
Theo poked his head around the store door. “The van is ready.”
“Let’s get out of here,” said Gabriel to Eddie. “And be careful with Josie.”
“I always take the greatest care of our clients.” Eddie turned to Josie’s body and raised his hands. The body rose from the sofa and floated in the air.
“Let me know if you get any more poisoning cases through the door,” said Gabriel to Bryony. “We could have a serial attacker.”
“Let’s hope it’s not that,” said Bryony with a shudder. “But I’ll let you know if we get any more cases. And keep me up to date as to how you’re feeling. I hate to think that you’ve been poisoned because you were trying to save me.”
“He’s a hero,” said Eddie, his hand resting against his forehead.
Gabriel frowned at him and pointed to Josie. “Take her outside.”
“I’m on my way.” Eddie walked forward, keeping his hands raised. Josie’s body floated through the air for a few seconds before dropping a foot and beginning to shake.
“Take it easy,” said Gabriel.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Eddie’s gaze turned intent and he moved his hands upwards again.
Josie rose slowly, but then dropped, and the white light around her faded.
“What’s wrong with Josie?” asked Bryony.
“The magic isn’t holding,” said Eddie. “It’s as if she’s fighting against it.”
Gabriel walked over to Josie’s shuddering body. He ran a hand over the top of her. “Something’s not right.”
“I’ve never had a body behave like this before,” said Eddie. “She seems possessed.”
“Let me do this a different way.” Gabriel placed one hand under Josie’s legs and the other around her waist.
“I don’t understand why it’s not working.” Eddie scratched his hands through his messy curls.
“She feels warm,” said Gabriel as he adjusted his grip on Josie.
“She hasn’t been dead long,” said Bryony.
“No, it’s not that.” Gabriel inhaled deeply. “And she’s emitting a strange smell. Like rotten flowers.”
“Maybe you should put her down,” cautioned Eddie.
“No, we need to get her back to the station,” said Gabriel. “I’ll carry her to the van. Quicker than figuring out what magic is making her behave so strangely.”
“You’re the boss,” said Eddie. “Ladies, as grim as the circumstances are, it’s been a pleasure.”
Bryony smiled at him and Ivy tutted.
Gabriel walked out of the store, still holding onto Josie. He made it to the back of the van before an intense feeling of sickness ran through him and he almost dropped Josie. He staggered backwards a couple of steps, clutching her to his chest.
“Easy there, chief.” Eddie placed a hand on Gabriel’s back. “Is she heavier than she looks?”
“It’s not that,” said Gabriel. “I lost my footing.” A sense of dread settled over him as he wondered if the poison was spreading through him faster than he'd anticipated. If it was already causing him balance problems, he was in trouble.
“Why don’t I take her?” asked Theo from inside the back of the van.
“Good idea.” Gabriel stumbled again and this time lost his hold on Josie. She flew out of his arms and hovered a foot above the ground.
“I don’t think it’s you that’s the problem.” Eddie yanked Gabriel backwards. “It’s Josie who’s doing this.”
“Is everything okay?” Bryony walked out of the store, Ivy behind her.
“Ladies, you’d better get back,” said Eddie. “Josie has still got some life in her. And it’s not too happy.”
“She’s not dead?” Ivy’s gaze narrowed. “She looked dead to me. No pulse, no breath; that means dead.”
A humming sound began from the back of the van and they all looked over to find the source of the noise.
“Boss, that’s not the van making that sound.” Theo jumped from the back and stepped away. “It’s the body.”
They all looked at Josie as the noise intensified.
“Get back everybody,” yelled Gabriel. He ran towards Bryony, determined to protect her from whatever strange magic Josie was radiating. He made it five steps before there was a huge explosion and a blinding flash of flame.
Gabriel found himself sprawled on the cobblestones outside the Love Cauldron. He rolled onto his back and sat up, his eyes scanning the ground to make sure nobody had been hurt. Where was Bryony? Had the explosion injured her? He was relieved to see Ivy had covered her sister with her own body and was squashing Bryony to the ground, only a few strands of her blonde hair visible. If there was one thing he liked about Ivy, it was that she always protected her sister.
Ivy waved her hand in front of her face, clearing away some of the smoke. She stood up, took hold of Bryony’s hand, and pulled her to her feet. “Nothing burned?”
“I’m fine,” choked out Bryony. “What happened?”
Ivy inspected the singed ends of her hair. “Josie happened.” She pointed to the floating embers sizzling in the wind. It was all that was left of Josie Spicer. “She blew up.”
Gabriel clambered to his feet as Theo and Eddie hurried to his side.
“That wasn’t our fault,” said Eddie. “We didn’t put that magic on her.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Gabriel wiped down the charred sleeve of his jacket.
“Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” Ivy walked over to the three of them. “You didn’t seem too sure about the magic when you were inside our store.”
