Page 40 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
Kit didn’t need any nudging as he stepped over the red barrier. At this point takinganyrisk was worth the alternative.
“He’s in the circle,” Stevie said.
“Take out his bone and keep it in your left hand.” Ginger grabbed a wooden ladle hanging on a chain and stirred the iridescent liquid inside the middle cauldron while Stevie slipped the bone from her purse. “Over the years, I’ve had dozens of clients pay me to locate the Horseman’s head. But I’ve never had his hollow body here to help lead the way, nor a bone of his. You’re a seer, so through you, let me attempt something since you two have formed a connection.” She poured the liquid into a glass printed with cows wearing bowties.
Stevie inhaled the brew, and sweet strawberries tickled her senses. As she drank it, the liquid tasted just as it smelled.Heavenly. Until a second wave of flavor caressed her tongue, becoming bitter, then rotten. She gagged, bringing a hand to cup her mouth before she puked all over the floor.
“Don’t lose your stomach, or it won’t work,” Ginger warned. “Now pass it to Kit.”
Kit took the cup from her and drank the remainder down. She couldn’t tell he was affected by it until he said, “That tasted of horse shit.”
“You know what that tastes like?” Stevie grinned.
“Silence,” Ginger reprimanded. “Both of you close your eyes. Stevie, I need you to place your right hand in Kit’s.”
Stevie reached for Kit, his bare hand brushing hers. He hadn’t put his gloves back on, and she couldn’t fault herself for liking that he hadn’t. Ginger’s palm then came down on top of theirs and Lucia’s aunt gasped. “Both his heads are here in Sleepy Hollow. His ghost one and the skull from when he was living, but I can’t feel their precise locations. Another spell, much stronger,darker, is placing them in murky shadows I can’t see past.” She fell silent, then grunted and released her hand from theirs. “You can open your eyes now. The Crowned Witch is who we need. Adelia might be able to do more.” She tapped her chin. “But, until Lucia receives a response, there might be someone else you can try. Let me text you later to see if he’ll allow a meeting.”
“Who?” Stevie asked, perking up.
“An old vampire flame who I dated years ago.”
Chapter Fifteen
The text from Ginger had come just before dawn. The vampire, Rainier, could meet Stevie at her house after dusk if she agreed to it. He apparently only let lovers come into his home. She gave the go-ahead for Ginger to pass on her address to him.
Stevie then took Kit to Lucia’s basement to try a few brews her sister-in-law had made for him. Stevie added a drop of blood to the four of them, and each one provided zero effect. So after that she dug more into Sleepy Hollow’s past while Kit did the same on her tablet. Lucia had swiped two books from the council library along with the password for their online archive which could be beneficial. Roxy stayed attached to Kit’s side, and Stevie caught him every so often rubbing the back of the fox’s neck.
Stevie opened the second book after the first one was a flop. A light scent of vanilla wafted up from the yellowed pages. There were paragraphs and paragraphs of the history of Sleepy Hollow which she glanced over until she came across something that caught her attention. “Look what I found!” she shouted, leaping next to Kit on the floor. “A connection!”
He set the tablet down beside him and leaned against the baseboard of the bed. “What is it?” Interest and intrigue filled his voice.
She placed the weathered book between them and pointed at the faded drawing of the family tree, followed by pages and pages of ancestry. “These date back from 1700 to 1940 for the relatives of the author of theLegend of Sleepy HollowAKA Washington Irving. I didn’t recognize any of the names until I reached a second cousin of his who was married to a Walter Bonham.” She tapped at the name rapidly. “Walter was the son of Albert who was one of the two children of Levi and Clara. AndWalter was aseer.” She grinned, satisfied with herself for this discovery.
“What does that mean? That Washington knew something because of Walter?” Kit asked, running a hand along his invisible chin.
“I’m not really sure. But I have a suspicion that Albert could’ve. I’m sure Albert had heard the rumors of what happened between you and Levi, then maybe because Walter was a seer he was able to put together that you were the Headless Horseman. Walter then might’ve passed the story on to Washington.” She shrugged.
“Not passed it on very well,” he muttered.
“This is true. Either Walter or Washington must’ve spun it to make it more friendly. Also, someone split you into two people for the story like you’re doppelgängers or something.” Stevie looked at Levi and Clara’s children’s date of births. “Albert and Oscar weren’t that old either when Levi and Clara died. Five and four.”
“Hmm, I’m certain neither of them would’ve known what their father did with my head if Clara didn’t.”
“Well, for now, at least we have the mystery solved of how the story came about,” she sang, bumping her shoulder through his.
“You’re…” Kit trailed off, his voice low.
“What?” She smiled. “If you’re going to say I’m frustrating, then I’m sure you can think of a better adjective.”
“No, it’s nothing. Never mind.” He cleared his throat.
Stevie closed the book and set it on the bed behind her. “Keep going. You can’t leave me hanging like that.”
“You’re … adorable, Pumpkin.”
“Adorable?” She blinked.
“Mm-hmm.” He lifted the tablet and started to scroll down a page.
