Enchantress Undercover by A C Spahn

Author:A C Spahn [Spahn, A C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sealook Press
Published: 2019-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

“YOU SHOULD TELL DESMOND,” Kendall said, studying the bracelet on my crafting table. She sat on the empty counter in the darkened store. The only light came from the lamp over my table and a string of Christmas lights strung from the overhead wooden beams where I displayed my work.

I leaned against the wall, arms folded, glaring at the black plastic band. It had no embellishments, but there was a subtle brushwork effect texturing the shiny surface. “If I tell Desmond, he’ll tell the Union.”

“You don’t know that.”

“He’ll have to. He’s under their thumb. They know where he lives, where he works, what his social security number is, how much money he has and where he keeps it. Groups like this invade every aspect of your life, so they can better control you. If he hides something like this from them, they’ll make his life a living hell.” I could see doubt lingering in Kendall’s face. “Trust me. I know about this sort of thing.”

She shrugged. “Okay. Top secret mission Creepy Bracelet is now under way. What do we do?”

“I’m going to take the magic out.”

“And I’m here so you don’t blow yourself up in the process?”

“Basically.” I pushed off from the wall and stood over the crafting table. My tools were here, my crafting supplies organized and accessible. And if I didn’t have what I needed in my toolboxes, Kendall could probably find it in the store. This was as safe a way to disenchant the bracelet as possible.

It didn’t make my stomach flutter any less.

“All right,” I said. “Let’s do this.”

Letting my fingers rest on the bracelet, I sucked in a breath, and with it, the magic inside.

KADUMKADUMKADUMKADUM

Skittish, the magic fluttered in me, skipping aside when I tried to take hold of it. It was fearful magic, tense and flighty, the magic of running away. At least the enchantment was actually doing what Sam thought it was, and not something more sinister. But it was going to be a pain to channel. I tried to take hold of it, to gather all the magic back together and sift through the impressions left on it. Only flashes came to me. The barn, the bracelet, Sam’s frightened face. I struggled to contain the magic, to force it to stand still and show me something more concrete. The enchantress’s face, I thought. Show me her face. Her face, her face.

Feet on a dirt floor.

Bracelet in the cellar.

Running, running, running, running.

My head ached. The magic bounced around inside it like hot fumes. I gritted my teeth and clung to it, straining for one more visual, one more hint.

Fear. Running.

Bracelet in the cellar.

Glowing screen. Reply. Clattering keys. New. Red letters. Black borders. Refresh.

With a gasp, I clutched the edge of the table. An ache threaded through the not-quite-closed cut on my shoulder, but the pain felt distant. “Wood. Ribbon. Pinwheel.”

Kendall ran off into the aisles.

While I waited for her, I fought the urge to sprint away myself. The magic pushed me, urgent, begging me to flee invisible dangers.

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