Page 38 of Blue Moon Mistress

Dolls have always had their place in magic… corn husk, voodoo, poppets…

But this one doesn’t feel like any I’ve encountered before, because it’s something else in the shape of a doll.

It’s the wrong kind of magic tied up into a form it wasn’t meant to take.

“What is that?”

“It’s a warnaway.”

“Is that a kind of voodoo doll or something?”

“Not quite.”

I turn the doll over in my hands, looking for any sign of who, specifically, put it there and why. But there’s nothing familiar. It’s not the sea witch—her magic is strong enough she doesn’t need these kinds of tools… The hedge witches in the area steer clear of town as much as they possibly can…

“They’re not usually shaped like dolls.”

“So, what do they do?”

“They’re meant to be placed in plain sight. A sort of ill omen that makes certain people or things stay away. Usually you can tell what they’re warding off by what they’re made of.”

“Do you think it’s Wexxon’s?”

“No. If he’d made this, it would have been with materials from his shop, and it would have been sloppy. The man lacks all finesse.”

“Another mark against him.”

I look up and try not to smile as I give him a sharp gaze. “There are no marks when you’re not in the competition.”

“I’ll be honest… witches felt like a storybook fantasy until you showed up on our door…” His lips twist in a smirk. “And now they feel like a different kind of fantasy.”

“Most things are real, to one extent or another.”

His brows lift. “Vampires?”

“Yes, though they’re not like the ones you’ll find in romantic novels.”

“Mermaids?” He glances at the gray water.

“Yep, but they’re vicious creatures who’ll eat you if they get half a chance. A lot of the negative press for Sharks is actually because of Mermaids.”

“Unicorns?”

That makes me laugh. “Sadly, to my knowledge, they are not real. But we can always hope.”

I let out a small sigh as I pinch a strand of the grass skirt between my fingers. “This is… powerful.”

But it’s not the initial magic that gave it its power. That is building. A slow magic gathering from the elements around it.

“Should you get rid of it?”

I turn the thing over in my hand again,feelingit.

“No.” If I do that, the witch that put it here would notice. And it might be the same one who placed that tracking spell around the town too. I need to figure out who they are before I do anything that might draw more attention. “It’s powerful, but it’s also pretty harmless. A protection spell by any other name…” I don’t think it’s anything more.

I look at the old tug boat the scaffolds hold up. “It’s probably meant for one of the fishermen who dock on the other side of this pier.”

Not quite sure it’s the right thing to do, I tuck the warnaway back into its place and lace my fingers in Joshua’s. “I think our time is almost up.”

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