Whom the Crystal Ball Chooses: A Murder, She Witches Mystery by Kat McGee

Author:Kat McGee [McGee, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Towering Pines Publishing
Published: 2023-11-27T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Back at the bookstore, after we’d eaten our lunch minus the extra container I’d dropped, Blanche, Violet, Elzadora, and I gathered in the open event area, cordoned off for supposed maintenance.

With its inner swirls and ancient glyphs on the base, the crystal ball throbbed in golden pulses as if it had a life of its own atop the event area. As I carefully shoved aside the books off to the side, Violet, our resident crystal expert, leaned in close, her fingers almost touching the glassy surface. Her eyes, usually so composed, widened.

“It’s ancient, Octavia. And these markings on the silver base,” she whispered, her voice tinged with wonder, “are not just decorative. They’re symbolic. This could be a key to understanding Nathaniel’s last days.”

Elzadora, comfortably nestled in her favorite sunlit spot atop a nearby bookcase, let out a soft, amused snort. “Ancient, mystical, and now part of our collection. Should we charge admission for viewing?”

Ignoring her, I handed Violet the hourglass I’d found in my satchel. “And there’s this. I don’t know how it got into my bag.”

Violet’s inquisitive gaze shifted to the hourglass, examining it with the same intensity. “This is no ordinary hourglass. Just like at the crime scene, the sands are stuck. It’s as if time itself is holding its breath.”

Blanche, ever the potion master, sidled up to us, a vial of shimmering green liquid in a small clear bottle in her hand. “Let’s see what happens when I add a drop of my latest concoction. It’s designed to reveal hidden truths.”

Violet and I exchanged a glance. We both remembered the last time one of Blanche’s potions went awry, turning the bookstore into a jungle of sorts.

“Are we sure about this?” I asked, my voice laced with curiosity and caution.

Elzadora’s tail flicked with anticipation. “Oh, go on. It’s not like we can make things any more complicated.”

I watched, holding my breath, as Violet’s hands hovered over the crystal ball. Her eyes, usually a soft shade of green, seemed to deepen in color as she focused on the mysterious artifact. “There’s a resonance here,” she said softly, “a vibration that speaks of power and secrets long buried.”

Blanche, unable to contain her excitement any longer, stepped forward with her potion vial. The liquid inside shimmered with an iridescent glow, casting tiny rainbows around the room as she uncorked the bottle. “This should reveal the ball’s true nature.”

As a single drop of the potion fell onto the crystal ball’s surface, the air in the room seemed to shift. A faint, barely audible hum filled the space, emanating from the ball. The symbols on the ball’s base glowed a soft light that pulsed in time with some unseen heartbeat.

Beside the crystal ball, the hourglass reacted to the potion’s presence. The sands within, previously frozen in place, swirled slowly, as if waking from a long slumber. Violet gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. “It’s reacting to the potion. Fascinating.”

Elzadora, her interest now thoroughly piqued, used the shelves as a ladder and climbed down.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.