Page 46 of Bewitched By the Wicked Witch
As we descended to my underground sanctuary, I found myself sliding into darker thoughts than usual. Well, if they wanted a villain, I'd certainly give them one. Let's see how they enjoyed it when their precious pumpkin patches withered on the vine and their prize-winning goats started performing interpretive dance on their rooftops. A few harmless hexes ought to teach them not to mess with a Blackstone.
Though realistically, it would probably just give them exactly the ammunition they needed to justify their persecution. At this point, I was beyond caring about the political ramifications.
I was contemplating which spell books contained the most satisfying revenge magic when frantic pounding echoed from above. My security cameras flickered to life, revealing Paige's face twisted with panic and urgency. I immediately activated the entry sequence, allowing her past my wards and security systems while my mind raced through worst-case scenarios.
Had the mob tracked me down already? Were they planning to drag me off to face their improvised justice, or worse, force me to attend one of those interminable town council meetings where they'd debate my fate with parliamentary procedure? I'd known this day would eventually arrive; it was precisely why I'd constructed my home underground, secretly hiring construction crews and bringing them in without the council's knowledge.
The elevator chimed as Paige stumbled out, her faceflushed and eyes wide with the kind of panic that suggested very bad news was incoming. Her bright blue eyes locked onto mine with desperate intensity.
"They're coming for you," she gasped, clutching at a stitch in her side like she'd run a marathon through hostile territory. "The whole town has worked themselves into a frenzy. They've got torches and pitchforks and everything. It's like a medieval cosplay convention gone horribly wrong!"
"Why did you come here, Paige?" I demanded, feeling genuine alarm cut through my anger. "They'll blame you by association. You'll end up burned right alongside me in their little bonfire of righteousness."
"Because you're innocent and you're the closest thing to a sister I have," she said fiercely, leaning forward to hug me with surprising strength. "We'll get through this nightmare together. Gran already left to contact the High Council before they could call first. She said she still has friends there and told us to hang on until help arrives."
Paige turned toward my monitors just as a loud bang resonated from above. Tommy Bishop's twisted face filled the camera's view, and I could see the gathered mob behind him looking like something from a particularly unpleasant historical documentary.
I grimaced, running a hand through my increasingly disheveled curls. "How wonderfully medieval of them. Just what I needed, an old-fashioned witch hunt complete with torches and moral superiority complexes."
Glancing around my cluttered living space, I tried to think strategically rather than reactively. "Okay, let's not panic unnecessarily. We just need to lie low temporarily, letthis blow over. They can't maintain this level of outrage forever, right? Maybe they'll get bored and go home to their ordinary lives of quiet desperation?"
Paige shot me a look that suggested I was being optimistic to the point of delusion. "Have you actually met these people? They've been holding grudges since the Great Pumpkin Pie Debacle of '73. And Tommy has very personal reasons to hate you specifically."
"Turn a guy into a frog once and he holds a grudge for decades," I muttered, though the memory still brought me some satisfaction. "To be fair, Great Aunt Hilda's attempt at a self-slicing pie really did get out of hand. Those pumpkins fought back with surprising tactical intelligence.”
Then reality reasserted itself, and I sobered as the gravity of the situation sank in. "But you're absolutely right. We need an actual plan rather than wishful thinking."
At that moment, Cosmo sauntered into the room with his characteristic feline arrogance, his starry eyes glinting with mischief. "Might I suggest a strategic retreat via the underground escape tunnel? It's fully stocked with essentials, has excellent Wi-Fi connectivity, and most importantly, is completely mob-proof. Though you might want to bring that battery-powered device you keep?—"
"Shut up!" I growled, tired of his persistent commentary on my personal belongings. "I'm throwing that thing away the moment we survive this crisis!"
"About time. It makes quite an unseemly racket, far more noise than you do when you actually use it," he observed with clinical detachment.
"I legitimately hate you sometimes."
"No, you don't. You love me desperately and wouldn't know how to function without my superior guidance," he replied, sashaying with his tail held high as he jumped onto my favorite sitting chair and began grooming his paw with elaborate indifference. "They'll eventually realize you're not actually upstairs, you know."
"I was hoping the wards and security technology required to access the lower levels would keep us safe," I admitted, though as I said it, I realized the fundamental flaw in that reasoning. We could easily become trapped down here like rats in a very comfortable but ultimately finite maze.
Cosmo performed the cat equivalent of a smirk. "Fortunately, you entrusted me with escape route knowledge, then used a memory spell to wipe your own recollection in case someone with particular abilities tried to extract the information." He meant someone with powers like Callum's truth-seeing, though such abilities were rare enough that I'd considered it a reasonable precaution.
I planted my hands on my hips and glared at him with all the authority I could muster. "I appreciate the suggestion, but I refuse to hide from these narrow-minded theatrical rejects. A Blackstone never backs down from a fight, even when facing a mob of superstitious simpletons with an unhealthy obsession with agricultural implements."
Paige bit her lip, worry etching itself across her delicate features like unwelcome graffiti. "Sage, I know you're brave and everything, but maybe Cosmo has a valid point.Those people out there seem genuinely serious about this whole 'burn the witch' agenda."
As if summoned by her words, another resounding bang echoed from above, followed by muffled shouts from the angry villagers. Tommy's grating voice rose above the general din, demanding that I show myself and face justice for my supposed crimes against their precious community.
I rolled my eyes so dramatically I nearly gave myself a migraine. "Justice, my posterior. More like a kangaroo court presided over by someone who learned legal procedure from daytime television." I began pacing, my mind churning through possibilities. "No, we need to confront this situation directly. Show them they can't intimidate us with their discount Halloween props and misplaced sense of moral authority."
Cosmo stretched with elaborate languor, his tail flicking with amusement. "And how exactly do you propose we accomplish that, oh fearless leader? Challenge them to a broomstick joust? Engage in spirited philosophical debate about the finer points of potion brewing ethics?"
I shot him a withering look that could have curdled milk. "No, you overgrown fur ball with delusions of wisdom. We're going to beat them at their own pompous game. Fight fire with fire, metaphorically speaking." A slow, deviously delighted grin spread across my face as a brilliantly ingenious plan took shape in my mind.
Paige eyed me with the wariness of someone who'd learned to recognize my more dangerous inspirations. "Why do I get the distinct feeling I'm not going to approve of whatever you're plotting?"
"Oh, ye of little faith!" I crowed, rubbing my hands together with genuine glee. "This plan is absolutely brilliant, if I do say so myself. We're going to give the good people of Old Hollows exactly what they claim to want, a real, live black magic witch in all her terrifying, magnificent glory."
I rushed to my wardrobe, flinging open the doors and rummaging through the eclectic contents with focused determination. "Now, where did I store that black leather corset? And those thigh-high boots with the intimidating heels? If I'm going to embody the role of evil enchantress, I need to look the part with absolute conviction."
