Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(39)
He flew into the room, flipped upside down, and took hold of the curtain rod, hanging there.
“Uh-oh.” Sandy glanced at Aegis, then back at me. “Stuck in that form?”
“Twenty points to the woman with the burned hand.” I sat down, staring at Aegis. Slowly, I began to explain everything that had happened. “So, Thornton’s dead. Sandy and I are both hurt. But Bubba’s okay. I’m going to leave him over at Sandy’s if the house itself was cursed.”
Aegis let out a loud screech, then a series of chattering noises. He spread his wings a couple times, flapping them loudly. Obviously, he wasn’t thrilled about the situation.
We waited, staring at the dish of powder, until twenty minutes passed. The powder remained white. Another five minutes and I let out a loud sigh of relief.
“Okay, the house itself is all right. The hex must have been aimed at me, and unfortunately it sideswiped everybody else who was here that night. It’s probably been radiating out from me to affect others.” At least one thing had gone right today, which—given the extent of things that had gone wrong—was actually a relief.
“Now what?” Sandy asked as I brought Bubba in and let him out of his carrier. He scampered around, then raced over to his food dish, letting out a plaintive yowl.
“Thank gods for electric can openers,” I said, managing to position the can properly so that I could open it without hurting my thumb. As I shook out the food into a dish and put it down for Bubba, along with clean water, I ran over various options in my mind.
“We have to find someone who can reverse Dirt Magic hexes, which means we either find a very powerful multi-elemental witch, or we find a Dirt Witch. I still think Auntie Tautau is the best one to ask.”
“You know, there’s somebody else who might know how to deal with this. Remember Garret James? He’s a snakeshifter and I think he has a background in Dirt Magic.”
“It’s too late to call him now, but tomorrow, I’ll contact him. Since the house is clear, but we’re both infected, it won’t matter if Bubba stays here or goes with you. I guess I’ll just keep him here tonight.”
“All right,” Sandy said. “But be careful. We know that Essie’s on the warpath. Don’t trigger her into trying anything worse. I love you, woman, but sometimes you can really pull stupid stunts. It’s that impetuous, fiery nature of yours.”
I gave her a long look. “Oh, really?” But my bark had no bite. I knew she was right.
She snorted. “I know you. And I know what I’d be tempted to do. Together, we’ve gotten ourselves in more trouble than a pack of hyenas in a room full of laughing gas.” With that pithy advice ringing in my ears, she headed out for home, and I turned to face my boyfriend the bat.
Chapter 11
THE NIGHT PASSED fairly quietly. Having a bat hang over my bed watching me was a weird experience, but Aegis seemed intent on keeping an eye on me. Come early morning, I made sure he was back downstairs in the basement. He didn’t want to go into his coffin, and given that, in bat form, he wouldn’t be able to open it when he woke up, I understood. He settled down on top of it and fell asleep as soon as sunrise hit. Given there were no windows in his lair, I figured it would be safe to leave him there.
I slowly returned upstairs, thinking about the coming day.
By eight a.m., I stood at the door of my closet, wondering how the hell I was going to make it through the day. Today was Ostara, so tonight I’d be leading the town ritual. That meant making sure the Moonrise Coven had everything covered.
With Thornton dead, I was out another housekeeper, which entailed taking out another classified ad and explaining to prospective applicants why my turnover rate was sky high.
And I needed to find a Dirt Witch to break the hex. I also decided I should draw up a detailed plan so that my house and land weren’t ever this vulnerable again, and that meant scheduling regular sessions to ward the house and everyone in it.
I finally shimmied into a pair of jeans and a tank top and brushed my hair back into a high ponytail. I slapped on some makeup and then dashed downstairs.
Damn it. No Thornton meant no coffee. Aegis in bat form meant no breakfast. I grumbled my way over to the refrigerator and pulled out ham and bread and mayo, slapping together a quick ham sandwich. I didn’t bother wrestling with the espresso machine. I’d pick up a mocha on my way to the sheriff’s office. Finally, I warned Bubba to keep an eye on things and hide if anything bad happened, and then once again, I headed out the door, on my way to see Delia.
AFTER A QUICK stop at Bouncing Goats Espresso Shack, where Gillymack greeted me again, I had my quint-shot mocha. I hightailed it over to Bedlam Town Hall.
The sheriff’s office was part of a large building on the other side of Bedlam. The massive brick structure housed not only Delia’s department, but the county clerk, the courthouse, the fire department, the utilities office, the mayor’s office, and the library. Over a hundred years old, the Bedlam City Hall had been a mammoth undertaking of stonework and masonry. Outside, the building looked like a grave, stern structure, but inside, everything was all updated and calm. The halls might as well have formed a labyrinth, but signs directing visitors to where they wanted to go were clear and unmistakable.
As I strode past the library and City Hall, I realized that the hallways were so empty because most of the offices were closed for Ostara, which was a government holiday in Bedlam. The library was still open, but it looked like most people were out enjoying the sudden bout of balmy weather that had greeted me when I left the house. It was already in the low sixties, and while the sky was overcast, rain wasn’t predicted for another twenty-four hours.