Page 49 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
“Well, thank you, Kit. We’re finally meeting with the Crowned Witch.” She sank down next to him, and Roxy hopped to the other side of the couch to sit near her. Since Inferno had been taken, she’d asked Roxy to stay inside with her or go next door to Lucia’s, at least until they learned more. “Any luck finding your horse?”
“No sign of him. I know that bastard has him,” he ground out.
“We can try this. Lucia made a spell.” Stevie uncorked the vial that she’d left on the coffee table and pricked her finger. She squeezed out a drop of blood into the contents. “Drink it and we’ll see if Inferno comes here.”
Kit tossed back the liquid as Stevie rubbed the healing ointment on her finger. He released a whistle and they waited and waited, but Inferno never came.
Stevie let out a heavy breath and explained to him what Lucia had said about the earth, how it didn’t feel right. “We know it’s dark magic, and that he’s planning something evil.”
Maybe it had something to do with the ghosts not having to return to being separate from the living, but why? Stevie furrowed her brow and checked her phone. It wastime. Forgoing her backpack, she tucked Kit’s bone into a small satchel she’d used as part of herLord of the Ringscostume three years ago.
As they stepped outside into the light fog, Lucia was locking up her door. “Gideon said he’s on standby in case we need him, which makes him feel important.” She arched a brow at Stevie’s feet. “Mary Janes? Really?”
Stevie placed a hand on her hip. “Would you rather I wear my Converse?” She hadn’t thought about shoes when they’d been out and about, but she figured the Mary Janes would be fine since they were black.
Lucia waved a hand in the air and leather heeled boots with pointy toes and thin laces replaced her shoes. “Thank you, Fairy Godmother,” Stevie cooed.
“Those will do, and I don’t think Adelia will be paying enough attention to know I spelled them.”
They piled into Lucia’s car, and Stevie told her that the brew was a no-go for returning Kit’s horse.
Lucia scowled. “Sneaky warlock. I don’t like him. I promise on my life as a witch, we’re going to find him, and I’m going to do worse than turn him into a cat.” She looked in the rearview mirror toward Kit. “So, how was the Crowned Witch during your time? Was she bitchy? I heard that most of them before Adelia were.”
“She was never there.” He shrugged. “Always taking care of things outside our village, and Levi was the head of the council during those days.”
Stevie repeated Kit’s words to Lucia and how although the witches of the council’s magic had dwindled, they were at least a step above that one. But the first thing she would do if she oversaw the town would be to have Lucia put a spell on the cemetery to make sure bones weren’t so easily taken.
Lucia drove into the woods, the car jostling them. She held up a hand, making the trees part for them until they reached a dirt road leading to two iron gates. The area was hidden and protected from tourists, but even while Adelia was away, there were always servants keeping watch to make sure no one entered. Since the home was first built, every Crowned Witch had lived there, and with the help of spells, not once had it ever looked deteriorated.
A middle-aged bald man lifted his hand as they approached. Lucia rolled down her window, showing him the Crowned Witch’s letter. “Hello, Julian, Adelia invited us today.”
Julian’s face remained neutral. “Give me a strand of your hair. You and your guest.”
They both plucked their hair, then Lucia passed them to Julian. He dropped them into a liquid jar he drew out from his pocket. The strands dissipated as the color of the contents turned yellow.
“You may proceed.” Julian flicked his hand and the gate opened, the creaking reverberating through the woods.
Lucia drove down the cobbled path toward the black and pink gothic home. Stevie’s gaze swept from the obsidian roof with its cone-shaped towers to the large oval and rectangular windows decorating the front. Various black flowers filled the gardens, blooming to their fullest. Pansies, tulips, dahlias, petunias, irises, and roses, all peeking out from emerald bushes.
Once Lucia parked the car, she walked ahead with Stevie and Kit close behind her. A man dressed in a light gray suit straight from the 1700s opened the door for them to a maid, her hair tucked beneath a white cap.
Golden sconces were lit against the beige wall, and portraits of every past Crowned Witch hung down the hallway, not a single speck of dust anywhere. Antique pieces sprawled the tables and shelves, making Stevie’s fingers itch to tuck one inside her satchel.
The maid led them down an ornate carpeted hallway into the dining area where a regal woman sat at the head of a long glass table that could easily fit twenty. A bowl of grapes and a golden goblet lingered in front of her. Adelia wore her gray hair in a curled style, her bright pink gown making her dark skin practically glow. At any angle the witch looked ageless, both young and old at the same time.
“Darling Lucia. Come here. It’s been too long.” Adelia held out an elegant hand and Lucia knelt at the witch’s side, grasping it. “Your powers have grown much quicker than I expected. I feel the strength of your magic.”
“I practice as much as I can.” Lucia bowed her head, then smiled. “And I have an excellent assistant who makes it possible.”
Adelia tipped up Lucia’s chin. “There’s another reason I wanted to meet with you. A little over a year from now, my time will come to an end, and that means I will need a replacement. I’ve sent word to the council today that you will be my successor.”
“Me?” Lucia gasped. “Not Ginger?”
“Even when you were a child, your aunt always knew it would be you.” She batted Lucia away. “Now, let’s get on to other important matters. This is your assistant, I presume. But is the otherguesthere too?”
Stevie took a hesitant step forward after Lucia gave her the go-ahead to tell her what had been happening. “The Headless Horseman, Kit, is with us, and he isn’t a demon ghost or anything close. A warlock named Levi Brom Bonham murdered him, then spread lies about him to their village. If Kit doesn’t find his head before the Eyes seal shut, he’ll be cursed to live eternity inside the Hollow.”
Adelia tilted her head to the side, her expression neutral. “And this is important to me why?”
