The Teashop Terror by Cate Martin

Author:Cate Martin [Martin, Cate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ratatoskr Press

Chapter

Fourteen

I was startled when we stepped out into the Square to realize it was noon already, the sun blazing down hotly from the very top of the sky. How had I lost an entire morning?

And no wonder my stomach was grumbling so loudly.

"Ritual magic," Audrey said grumpily. I thought she was talking to me, but when I looked over at her, she was looking up at the sun with the same confusion as I was feeling.

"That wasn't ritual magic, though," I said. "It was just a spell."

"Sorry," she flushed. "I was drawing on my training more than I thought. It distorts the perception of the flow of time, among other things. Well, for instance, how much time do you think passed after you left the nook and before you came back again?"

I wracked my brain. "Maybe fifteen minutes? Tops?"

"And for me, it was more like two hours," she said with a smile.

"But that doesn't make sense," I complained. "Time was passing faster out here than inside the area of your spellwork." I pointed up at the sun like it proved my point. "I should've felt like it was hours while you felt like it was fifteen minutes. Right?" I finished lamely. I was very tired. Too tired for math around time paradoxes.

But Audrey just shrugged, her smile lingering still. "I said it distorts the perception of time, not the actual passage of time. And I didn't say it did that consistently. Clearly, you've never tried to plan a meetup with other postgraduate ritual magic students."

"Clearly," I agreed.

"Are we doing this or not doing this?" Houdini grumbled from down by our feet. "Because I certainly vote for not doing this."

"We're doing this," I said, and bent to pick him up. I thought he would struggle indignantly, but after a moment's hesitation, he just burrowed his head in under my chin and leaned his whole weight against my chest. Like he was starving for cuddles.

I stroked down the length of his spine, careful not to get too close to his ears. If he were a cat, he would've been purring.

"He's on the second level," I said. "Almost directly over the teashop."

"Interesting," Audrey said as she led the way to the nearest stairwell. "If he acquired the teashop, he would be living right over the store."

"Is that a motive, though?" I pondered. "He never showed any interest in Agatha's business. Besides what she provided for him as a customer, I mean."

We reached the door to his apartment, and Audrey knocked briskly. We could hear movement within almost at once. Then the door swung open and Barnardo Daley was standing there, Miss Snooty Cat in his arms. He was dressed as always, like a prosaic in business casual for his workday in some anonymous office somewhere. Only he was home at noon on… I think it was a Wednesday?

"Tabitha," he said. He looked like he wanted to reach out to give me a hug, but Miss Snooty Cat gave a warning growling sound. This was quickly echoed by an even louder growling sound from Houdini in my own arms.

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