Midlife Witch Hunter (The Forty Proof Series Book 6) Page 7

  “And just who are you?” Lucas asked.

  Roderick’s jaw clenched. “He is an old friend of mine actually. From the first uprising.”

  “I am not an old friend of yours, jackass,” Robert snapped out. “Robert. That is my name, and I am Bree’s friend. Not yours.”

  My friend.

  Funny how that one word could make my heart swell ten sizes and tighten up my throat. Yup, just a little bit squishy there. Or maybe totally exhausted and needing a good swig of caffeine. Or whiskey. Preferably both.

  Stark stared at Robert. “You look familiar, though the name is different from the one I know. Fine. Go with Bree, Robert. Be her friend and help her with this task, because despite her objections, I know she will go. Her sense of justice and devotion to protecting the town she loves are too ingrained in her for her to do otherwise.”

  I wanted to argue with him, but he was right. If nothing else, Corb was out there, likely hurt and in need of rescue. I refused to think that he was dead. “Fine. But I’ll take whoever I want with me.”

  “I’m going,” Kinkly said.

  “Me too.” Feish put a hand on my shoulder.

  Missy sniffed. “Neither I nor Penny can go. The first witch would smell us out, and she could steal our souls from miles away.”

  I smiled at her. “Then you would be the perfect person to go.”

  Missy was dumb enough to ask, “Why? So she can capture me? Because you hate me?”

  “No soul to steal. Like zombies going after brains. Come to think of it, half the council here would be safe.” I winked.

  Penny snorted. Missy’s eyes widened and then narrowed as her mouth pursed. A few council members muttered.

  “You little—”

  “Enough.” Roderick’s one word bounced through the chamber, and there was some solid power behind it. In fact, everyone seemed to slump—everyone except for Robert, Stark, and me. When I narrowed my eyes, I saw a slight light emanating from Roderick, like a pale mist out of his fingertips. It circled around the room, covering everyone’s eyes.

  Roderick stared at me. “Bree, this is an incredibly dangerous thing that they ask of you. The first witch . . . she is not to be trifled with. Even for Corb. Robert is right, there is a high probability that he has been killed.”

  My guts twisted up. “Nope, his story isn’t ending like that. Sure, he’s a dick, but he’s family too. Besides, I like trifle.” I smiled, but my smile slipped as he continued to stare at me. “That bad, really?”

  “I did not want to ask you,” he said. “I think she will kill you on sight, even should you make it through all three challenges.”

  Robert stiffened beside me. “Then tell them to fu—”

  “I do not run the council, Robert,” Roderick snapped. “Listen, if you will. I have a moment to explain this to you, no more or less. If you go, go with the utmost caution. She is beyond cagey. She will have traps and spells lying in wait for any who would find her. Are we clear? If you must run to save yourself, then do it. I would rather have you here than dead. There are other things we can do to try and stop the spell.”

  I nodded slowly. “Is there a time limit?”

  Roderick spread his hands wide. “You have to find her before the Dark Council does. They have sent two parties that Missy knows of. One is Bruce and another companion of his kind.”

  Gross. I wanted to groan but managed to keep my mouth shut. How was I not surprised that I was in a race with No-face Bruce? “I thought you were buddies. He hung out with you!”

  “I was keeping tabs on him,” Roderick said. “Not very well, obviously.” The fatigue in the vampire’s voice was heavy.

  “And the other team?” Robert asked, pulling us back on track.

  “They have sent the blacksmith. He is charming enough that they believe she might fall for his fae abilities. Which is exactly what our council thought about Corb. Obviously, it did not work.”

  My guts churned. The Dark Council had sent Crash to find the first witch. I’d be pitted against him again.

  “Let me guess. They are already ahead of us?” I put my hands on my hips.

  “They are. I suggest you find your way to Paris as expediently as possible. Death Row is on notice that you may purchase anything you like, and the council will cover the bill.” He paused and produced a piece of paper. “One of my homes is on the Seine. Stay here, as there are protections in place that you will not find elsewhere.” He shoved the piece of paper into my hands, then clapped his hands together. Everyone else pulled out of their stupor. I wondered if they’d noticed.

  Most had not. But some had. Penny knew for sure. And Sarge bristled at my back.

  “I don’t like this,” he grumbled. I reached back and he took my hand. “Bree, I am coming with you.”

  I looked at my friends, knowing that we were going to have to leave most of them behind. I mean, how in the world could I get passports for everyone?

  Chapter

  Eight

  Death Row was quiet, with most of the vendors not even open. I went straight to Gerry, grateful that she at least was there. She was a master of leather clothing that acted as protective gear, and I knew I wouldn’t have survived a lot of what I’d been through without her skill set. Penny walked beside me. The others had stayed at the house, arguing about who was going to Paris with me.

  “Had an undead alligator bite down on my leg,” I said as I reached Gerry.

  Yes, that was the first thing I said to her. Not hello, not how are you. But check out my war wounds.

  Gerry’s eyes went wide. “And the pants?”

  “Not a single tear. I still got bruised up, but it was a hell of a lot better than it should have been.” I showed her the faded bruises. “And a zombie gnawed on my shoulder.” I touched the short shoulder bolster that Gerry had given me on my last trip through Death Row.

  She touched the spot. “Excellent.”

  “You can bill the council for anything you give me today.” I smiled. “So maybe mark things up some.”

  She laughed. “I don’t have much left to give you from my stash. Where are you headed? On a job for them?”

  I nodded. “Paris. On the hunt for the first witch.”

  Gerry didn’t slow. “Dangerous stuff, that. Not the first person lately to go looking for her.”

  Penny looked through Gerry’s wares and then through the tiny snuff boxes that Bob-John had on a rickety table next to her. “A few of these might be good, but you need to pick them, Bree.” Her hands trembled as she pointed to the boxes. She had been exceptionally quiet for such an outspoken old lady. I knew she’d come with me to Death Row so she could tell me what she knew about the first witch. So she could help me prepare to face down yet another monster from the shadow world.

  I put a hand gently on her shoulder. “Okay. I’ll pick some.”

  Gerry rummaged through her leather stuff. “I think a pair of forearm bracers would go well with the gloves I gave you last time. They’ll deflect a lot of spells and, like the rest of your gear, they’ll adjust to fit you.”

  She held out a pair of leather cuffs, and I slid them onto my forearms. Soft as butter, they hardened as they settled over my arms. I pulled my gloves out. They were thicker leather on top, thinner across my palms. Everything Gerry made was smart, very smart. “I love these.”

  “You can still use your cell phone too.” Gerry winked. “And here, take an extra pair of pants. Different color, and it’s nice to have clean ones.”

  These leathers were a smoky black. I held them up, and as they hit the light, they kind of . . . shimmered. “Camouflage?”

  “Yes, something like that.” Gerry tossed me a slithery velvet bundle. “If you need to hide, use that with them.”

  The velvet bundle turned out to be a long cloak with a deep hood and cutouts for my arms to go through. Even though it was velvet, it had the same look as the pants. “Amazing. How am I ever going to go back to jeans after this?”

  “Yes, my most expensive items. You’ve pretty much cleaned me out.” Gerry laughed. “But I could go on vacation now. Maybe I will after the council pays me.”

  I grinned at her. “You should. Take a break, go to Mexico.” On impulse, I gave her a hug. “Be safe, okay? Wherever you go, be safe.”

  Startled, she took a beat before she hugged me back. “Okay. You too. Maybe you more than me if you’re going after the first witch.”

  Penny pointed at the snuff boxes, and I scooped up three that looked interesting. Bob-John shrugged and said nothing—no pointers from him today. The three boxes that had drawn my eye were simply made rectangular boxes about the size of a pack of gum. One red, one blue, and one shimmering white. I tucked them into my hip bag. “Wish me luck.”

  He sneezed and shivered. “You need all the luck, crazy girl. First witch is bad mojo.”

  Close enough. The rest of Death Row was simple. A few small knives that I tucked inside my boots from Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the blond twins, and then . . .

  At the very end of the row was a familiar face. He hadn’t been at the council meeting earlier, or if he’d gone, he’d stayed hidden.

  “Oster Boon.” I strode toward the leprechaun who sat on a stool, precariously balanced on a stack of books, a massive tome splayed open on his lap. He lifted his bright eyes to me, a definite twinkle in them, his hands gripping the edges of the huge book.

  “Ah, Ms. O’Rylee. Fancy to be meeting you here on this lovely day.” He smiled and, with some effort, closed the book. His seat wobbled, but he didn’t fall over.

  “Oster Boon, are you ever going to call in your favor?” I looked at the few books scattered around the pint-sized book seller.

  He shrugged. “Perhaps. One day, when you least expect it and when I need it the most, I’ll call in me favor.” With a spry hop, he jumped off his precarious stool and landed at my feet. “But you’re here for something? A new spell book? Something to read before bed?”

  I shook my head and started to turn away. “No, not really.”

  Penny tapped a smaller book that lay at Oster Boon’s feet. Red leather cover, tightly bound with a metal clasp. It was the size of a Harlequin novel, not big at all. “This one. I think you should take this one.”

  The leprechaun grinned and shook his head, then pushed the book Penny had suggested aside. “Nah, that one be a dime a dozen. Now this one, this one here comes with something extra.”

  He nudged his toe under another book, then kicked up so it landed neatly in the palm of his hand. He held the small book out to me, and I took it from him. He flipped the book open, and a bracelet sat inside of it. Made of what looked like real wood, etched with leaves and a few brilliant blue blossoms, it was stunning. I ran my fingers over it. Three bracelets actually, woven together. “Why would I need these?”

  “Call it a hunch.” He winked at me. I slid the bracelet on, and it sat between the gloves and the forearm bracer—a perfect fit.

  “Charge it to the council, they’re covering my costs today,” I said.

  He rubbed his hands together. “Yes, I know, I heard that through the grapevine. Of course, I’ll charge them double then.”

  “Why weren’t you there? Or did you just hide in the shadows?” Penny asked him.

  “Thought me brother might come with you. Didn’t much feel like seeing him.” Oster Boon shrugged. Then, barking a laugh at something only he found funny, he turned away and snapped the fingers on one hand. The remaining books floated up and around him, shrunk in size, and flew into his hands. “Best way to pack.” He winked and touched his nose.

  I looked at the tiny books, wishing I could do that. “Is it?”

  “You get to take everything you want with you if your things are no bigger than a thimble.”

  Penny snorted and then grabbed my arm, fingers digging in hard. I winced. “Penny?”

  “We have to go. Right now. I’ve just thought of something!”

  Which was how we ended up racing all the way back to the house where everyone else waited.

  And by racing I mean we took a cab and got ourselves there almost as quickly as if Penny were driving. Penny all but ran up the stairs, impressive with her cane and age, leaving me to pay the driver, which was fine. I followed more slowly. Something had gotten her knickers in a twist, but what? Was it what Oster Boon had said, or what he’d done with the books?

  By the time I got into the house, Penny was at her work desk, herbs scenting the air, a fire lit under one of her spelling pots. “Penny, what are you—?”

  “Oster Boon reminded me of something,” she said as she threw a vial of pale yellow liquid into the pot. “You heard him. If you make things small enough, you can take them with you anywhere. That’s something you need. Most of your friends don’t have passports, but we all bring you different strengths. I have a spell that can make us small. For a time. We can all come.”

  I wasn’t so sure that my other friends would want to get shrunken down, just to go with me. Besides, I remembered how the shapeshifting spell had turned out, and how its effects had faded at a most inopportune time. What if they all popped back to normal size mid-flight? How would we explain that away? “Penny, I don’t think—”

  “No, they want to go with you, Bree. They know how dangerous this is. They were already discussing booking a private flight. Easier to magic our way around the passport problem that way. But those arrangements will take time, and leaving you alone in Paris for even a couple of days is—”

  “It’s fine.” I put my hand over the spell pot, stopping her from throwing in the brown chunk of muck dripping through her fingers. “Penny, it’s fine. I’m going to take Kinkly. And I was going to ask Jinx if she wanted to come too. No one will see them.”

  Of course, if Robert had still been able to change into a single finger bone that would have meant I got to take four friends. I sighed. “Sarge will come with me. He’s got a nose on him that could help us track the first witch.” Plus he, at least, had a passport. He stepped into the room as I said his name, an undeniable look of relief sliding across his face. “Kinkly can hide under my hair, and if Jinx comes in her spider form, she can ride along with Sarge.”

  I’d already pulled out my phone to look up flights. The next one was soon. We were going to have to make some moves quickly. I was back scrolling through the options when Robert, who’d been sitting quietly in the far corner of the room, seemingly asleep, roused at my words. He sat up, his face tight with worry. “You can’t just leave us all behind.”

  I noted that he was being careful with his mouth. As if he didn’t want to show off his teeth. No, my imagination was running away with me. Whatever was wrong with Robert, it had nothing to do with vampires. Even if he’d wanted to bite me. More than likely, he was just hungry. He hadn’t eaten anything in a long time, after all. Or maybe the whole being risen from the dead thing had scrambled his mind.

  I shook my head, bending to the phone again. My finger hovered over the final purchase. Damn it. I clicked the button and the autofill put my information in. I quickly filled in Sarge’s info. “I have the check that Roderick gave me. You cash it and get flights for whoever else wants to come help in Paris.”

  He snorted. “Whoever else? You mean all of us? No one’s going to willingly stay behind.”

  I took note that Eammon had shown back up. “You too, old man?”

  The leprechaun pointed a finger at me. “You need all the help you can get. I’ve been to Paris. I know it like the back of my hands!”

  Penny snorted. “And I will come too.”

  “What about the witch?” I asked. “I don’t care if she takes Missy’s soul, but I rather like yours where it is.”

  Penny smiled. “I won’t go hunting for her with you. I’ll hold down the fort. I will stay near Roderick’s house as much as possible, and keep a low profile. I can help if there are injuries or questions.”

  “And where will that be, exactly? Our future fort, that is.” Suze came into the room, dusting her hands. Kinkly fluttered around her head. Her flight pattern was still a little off after the damage done to her wing.

  I reached into my bag and pulled out the piece of paper Roderick had given me. “I have the address.” I showed it to the others. “563 Rue Merce, Paris.”

  Eammon gave a grunt. “I know that area. That’s just outside the city, near the river like Penny said. Good situation, close enough to get to things, far enough out for privacy. River runs along that area too, so if we’re lucky it will back onto the property. Very good.”

  Sarge gave me a look. “You think it’s safe to stay at Roderick’s house?”

  I stared at the paper. “I don’t think he’d hurt me. Not intentionally. And he wants to stop the Dark Council as much as we do. He stopped his own brother, didn’t he?” I looked at the clock. “Damn it. I have to get to the airport. Kinkly, will you come with me?”

  She shot over to my shoulder as quickly as she could. “Of course! I have cousins in Paris. I’ll look them up, and they can help us.”

  Then I looked at Sarge. “Jinx. Will you come?”

  She scuttled up over Sarge’s shoulder. “You would . . . trust me?”

  “Look, I know you can be a trickster, I get it, but you’ve saved my bacon more than once. And you’re part of the group now whether you like it or not.” I shrugged. Whether any of us liked it or not. “So, yes, I would like you to come. Just don’t turn into an elephant on the plane.”

  She waved her tiny legs in the air.

  I deliberately didn’t look at Robert. He was my friend, but he was being . . . weird. “We’ll call when we get there.”

  A quiet burbling cry in the corner drew everyone’s eyes to Feish. Yeah, this was going to be tough.

  “Feish, don’t cry.”

  “You don’t want me there!” She covered her face with her hands. “I thought we were friends!”

  “Girls gotta look out for their bitches’ cats, right?” I said.

  She lifted her head. “Yeah.”