Magic & Mishaps Page 14

  Marley brightened. “Can we go out there now?”

  “How about after tea?” Artemis replied.

  “I’m happy to help, although it's fair to say I'll be learning right there along with Marley.”

  Marley gave me a thoughtful look. “You should probably stay in here, Mom.”

  “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  “Jefferson, fetch me my Scrabble tiles, please,” Artemis said.

  “I don’t think we have enough time to play if we’re going in the herb garden,” Marley said. “Mrs. Babcock and I play Scrabble sometimes and it can take hours.”

  “We’re not going to play.” Artemis held out her hand to retrieve the floating maroon bag. “I thought perhaps I’d have you practice reading runes while we wait for the tea to brew.”

  Marley laughed as Artemis shook the bag. “These aren’t runes. They’re letters of the English alphabet.”

  The elderly witch winked. “Anything can be used for predictions if you know what you’re doing.” She loosened the drawstring and held out the bag. “Choose five.”

  Marley hesitated briefly before reaching in and pulling out five of the small blocks. Artemis spread the Scrabble tiles facedown across the coffee table.

  “Do I flip them?” Marley asked.

  “Not yet,” Artemis said. “We need to perform our little ritual first.” Artemis smiled encouragingly at her. “Would you like to help me?”

  Marley withdrew. “No, thank you. You should do it.”

  Artemis’s gaze flickered to me before resting on Marley again. “That’s fine, my dear. I’ll show you how it’s done and you can try it another time. You’ll be studying Latin at the academy soon enough.”

  I had no idea how to help Marley get her groove back. I’d been far too spoiled with a confident, overachieving daughter.

  “Marley, why don’t you check on Jefferson’s progress with the tea?” Artemis suggested.

  “That I can do,” Marley said. She hopped off the loveseat and skipped toward the kitchen with Clementine hot on her heels.

  “I thought her magic was unblocked now,” Artemis said, once Marley was out of earshot.

  “Something else is going on,” I said. “It’s possible that it’s her wand.”

  The old witch’s brow developed a few more wrinkles. “Her wand? How could that be the culprit? It’s merely a tool through which magic flows, not the source.”

  “Marley received a family heirloom from Aunt Hyacinth,” I said. “I did a psychometry lesson with Marigold and the wand had a lot of energy attached to it. I tried to cleanse it with Lee, but Marley still seems to be having trouble at school, so it didn’t seem to work. The wand belonged to a witch in our family named Ivy and…”

  Artemis sucked in her cheeks. “Oh, dear. I see.”

  I leaned forward. “Do you know something about her?”

  “I certainly recall the name, although she was before my time,” Artemis said. “There’s a portrait of her in the academy.”

  “Yes, I saw it.”

  “Have you discussed her with your aunt?”

  “It’s on the list,” I said. “To be honest, I’ve been trying to handle this without involving Aunt Hyacinth.”

  Artemis produced her wand from between the sofa cushions as though she’d located the television remote. “I can understand that. Your family has tried to stamp out any negativity…”

  Marley skipped back into the parlor, following by a floating tray with a teapot and cups. Jefferson placed the tray on a nearby console table so as not to interfere with the Scrabble tiles. Marley settled beside me and Clementine jumped onto Marley’s lap and curled into a ball. The presence of the mangy cat seemed to relax my daughter.

  “Thank you, Jefferson,” Artemis said. The elderly witch winked at her ghostly paramour and set her wand on the coffee table. “Ember, we’ll finish our conversation another time.”

  An unseen hand tipped the teapot and filled the cups.

  “I’m making a Book of Shadows,” I said. “Lee says that you’ll be making one soon, too, Marley.”

  “How wonderful.” Artemis placed a hand flat against her chest. “I can still remember making my Book of Shadows. I have it upstairs in my bedroom. I like to look through it every so often and reminisce.”

  “I’ll probably mess it up,” Marley mumbled.

  “It’s a very personal object of power,” Artemis said. “It’s basically impossible to mess up.” She paused. “Speaking of personal objects of power, how about showing me that gorgeous wand of yours?”

  Marley looked at me. “I left it in the car.”

  “Jefferson will get it,” Artemis said. “You stay right here and enjoy your tea.”

  A burst of air told us that Jefferson was on the case. Marley’s wand floated into the parlor a minute later and landed in Artemis’s outstretched hand.

  “You and Raoul would make an unstoppable crime team,” I told the ghost.

  “Now don’t give him any ideas,” Artemis said. “He’s mischievous enough as it is. You should see the shenanigans he gets up to when no one’s around.”

  I’d really rather not.

  Artemis studied the wand from end to end. “It’s a beauty. Such craftsmanship.”

  “Thank you,” Marley said. “Aunt Hyacinth says it’s very special.”

  “No doubt,” the elderly witch said. “Would you mind if I use it for my Scrabble spell?”

  Marley seemed delighted by the prospect. “Yes, go ahead.”

  Artemis aimed the wand at each tile and spoke softly in Latin. Once she’d finished the final tile, she addressed Marley. “Go ahead and turn over the tiles, my dear.”

  Marley flipped over the first tile to reveal a Z. “What does that mean?” she asked.

  “Keep going,” Artemis urged.

  Marley flipped over the next tile and then the next one. All five tiles were of the letter Z. “Do you have multiple games mixed together?” Marley asked. “There’s only one Z per game.”

  Artemis frowned at the coffee table. “How odd.” She forced a smile so as not to alarm Marley. “Jefferson must’ve put all the tiles together in one bag.” She clucked her tongue at the air. “Now Jefferson, you know better than that.”

  “So we’re not going to get a prediction today?” Marley asked, her disappointment evident.

  “We’ll get something even better,” Artemis said. “A collection of herbs from my garden for your organizer.”

  Marley perked up. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Here, Ember,” Artemis said. “Why don’t you keep hold off this special wand while Marley and I take a tour of the garden.”

  I didn’t need a reading to understand the elderly witch’s implication. Something was amiss and it may not be Marley’s magic after all.

  “How about I run a few errands and come back for you?” I asked Marley. “You don’t mind, do you, Artemis?”

  “Not at all,” she replied. “Marley is welcome here as often as she likes.”

  “Great, thanks.” I tucked Marley’s wand in the back of my waistband and hoped she didn’t notice. The sooner I took the wand to Wren, the sooner I might wash away the negative energy interfering with my daughter’s magic.

  The double doors to Wren’s workshop were wide open, so I took the liberty of walking in without warning to find the wizard dancing and prancing around his work table while Frank Sinatra crooned in the background. I managed to reach the middle of the workshop without being noticed. Wren seemed highly enthusiastic about being flown to the moon in the midst of making a…

  “Is that a chess set?” I blurted.

  Wren jolted. “Ember! I didn’t realize anyone was here.” He picked up his wand and twirled it once, bringing the music to a halt.

  “Too bad you don’t know how to conjure a protective ward around your property to prevent such a thing from happening.” I held up a finger. “Oh wait. You do.”

  He smiled wryly. “My workshop isn’t off li
mits. I just wasn’t expecting a visitor.”

  I took the opportunity to study the interior of the workshop. It was a decent-sized building—about a thousand square feet—filled with tools I couldn’t name if my life depended on it and random pieces of furniture. The chess set on the main work table was only partially finished.

  “Are you making a magical chess set?” I asked. I plucked a chessman from the table. I wasn’t exactly a chess aficionado, but I knew that regular sets didn’t include wizards and unicorns.

  Wren broke into a broad grin. “I am. I carve the pieces myself and then imbue them with magic for the game.”

  “This is amazing,” I said. “Marley would go nuts.” If only her birthday hadn’t just passed.

  “I’m making this one for Camille’s nephew,” Wren said. Camille Poppywick was the Coven Bard. Suffice it to say, you generally heard her coming.

  “How much do you charge?” I asked. With each piece handcrafted, it had to be pricey.

  “For you or in general?” he asked.

  I laughed. “You’d charge me extra, wouldn’t you? The incompetence tax.” I glanced at a small bright green machine at the end of the table. “What’s that gizmo there?”

  Wren followed my gaze. “A lathe. I use it to make the chess pieces. It turns them and helps make nice, clean cuts. It’s a woodturning technique.” He pointed to another, larger machine behind him. “I have another one here that I use for bowls. Four speeds.”

  “I have no idea what that means, but sounds impressive.” I investigated the larger lathe. “Hanging out with you is like stepping back in time. No wonder you and Delphine hit it off.”

  He chuckled. “And here I thought we were a closely guarded secret.”

  “She told me that you’d been out a handful of times, but that’s it.” The town librarian wanted to be sure the relationship with Wren was headed somewhere before going public—something she wished she’d done with Florian.

  “Delphine and I are enjoying our time together. That’s all I’m willing to say.” Wren leaned one hand on the table and focused on me. “I know you’re not here for a woodturning lesson and we’re not scheduled for an incantation lesson today, so what’s up?”

  I slipped Marley’s wand from my pocket and placed it on the table. “I want to clean this.”

  He picked up the wand and examined it. “Doesn’t look too dirty to me. Since when did you become OCD? Your cottage usually looks like the barn animals staged a rebellion.”

  I snatched back the wand. “Hey!”

  He suppressed a laugh. “Sorry.”

  “I don’t mean clean it with soap and water, goofball. I mean clean away the negative energy.”

  Wren held out his hand. “Oops. My mistake.”

  I placed the wand back in his palm. “Aunt Hyacinth bequeathed it to Marley for her eleventh birthday.”

  His eyebrow lifted. “Bequeathed?”

  “It’s an ancient wand,” I said. “‘Bequeathed’ sounds more fitting than ‘gave.’”

  “Why do you think it has negative energy?” he asked.

  “I felt it,” I said. “When Marigold made me do one of those psychotic lessons.”

  “You mean psychometry?”

  “Not the way she does it.”

  He ran his finger along the runes. “Definitely looks ancient and pretty darn perfect. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.”

  “I can’t take credit for it. It belonged to a witch in our family named Ivy. She’s got a portrait hanging on the wall at the Black Cloak Academy.”

  “Ivy, huh? Doesn’t ring a bell.”

  “All I know is that she was a Rose and once owned this wand, which my aunt kept locked away until she decided to bequeath it to Marley. There’s a grimoire, too.”

  Wren cut a glance at me. “Why not give it to her own kids?”

  “I had the same thought. Maybe so they didn’t argue over an heirloom? I don’t know. Anyway, when I felt the emotional energy of this wand, it was pretty potent.”

  “And why is that a problem?” Wren asked. “Power is generally a good thing in a wand.”

  “Not when Ivy was stripped of her magic and forced to step down as High Priestess.”

  Wren looked at me askance.

  “And Marley’s been struggling with her magic and I wonder if the negative energy is blocking her.”

  “Hmm.” Wren held the wand up to the light. “It’s a strong possibility. Energy like that has a power all its own.”

  “Lee already tried to clean it with one of his spells.”

  “Cleanse it.”

  I waved a hand. “Potato. Tomato.”

  “It didn’t work?” Wren asked.

  “Nope. I can still feel the same energy lingering and Artemis just tried to use it for a prediction and it didn’t work.”

  “Hmm. So you think I might succeed where the Master-of-Ritual Toolcraft has failed?”

  “Oh, boy. I have no intention of starting a pissing contest.”

  “The Master-of-Incantation never fails,” he proclaimed.

  “Okay, I guess you’re pissing anyway. I won’t stop you midstream.”

  He set the wand on the table. “Let me gather a few materials and we can get started.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to interrupt your woodturning.”

  He looked at me. “When anyone else says that, it sounds genuine. When you say it, it sounds like you’re mocking me.”

  “I swear I’m not mocking. It’s the New Jersey accent.”

  The wizard remained skeptical. “You don’t really have one of those, not the way I’ve heard it in the movies at least.”

  “Wren, I promise I’m not mocking you.”

  “If this is to help Marley with her magic, then I’m willing to put work aside.”

  I offered a grateful smile. “Thanks, Wren.”

  He crossed the workshop to select dried herbs from his shelf. “I think a mix of lavender, sage, catnip, and powdered stars should do the trick.”

  “Powdered stars sounds like something to sprinkle on a cupcake.”

  He shook his head. “Only you, Ember.”

  “Only am I this charming?”

  “Sure, let’s go with that. Can’t forget the moon water.” He retrieved a small bowl and tipped a small beaker of water into it.

  “Is there a way to only cleanse the negative energy and keep the good stuff?” I asked. “If the wand does retain a lot of Ivy’s power, maybe it would be worth hanging on to?”

  “That’s the goal,” he said. “I’m only trying to remove the negative energy.”

  “Good.” Not that I thought Marley needed extra help. I knew once she overcame this obstacle that she’d be up and away all on her own. At least, I hoped.

  Wren brought a white candle over from another table and lit it with a quick spell. He passed the wand over the flame.

  “Don’t set it on fire,” I said quickly, reaching for the wand.

  He shot me a look. “Are you going to micromanage this whole operation? If so, I can see why Lee might have fallen down on the job.”

  I withdrew my hands. “I didn’t micromanage. He did all the heavy lifting.”

  Wren chuckled. “If this fails, we want to be able to lay the blame at my feet, don’t we?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  I stood back with my fingers crossed and let Wren do his thing.

  “There’s a block,” Wren finally said. He took a step back from the table. “I can’t say I’ve encountered this before, certainly not with a wand.”

  “What kind of block? Like a ward?”

  “Sort of.” He squinted at the offending item, still on the table. “Someone has basically locked in the energy so that you can’t remove it.”

  “That’s strange,” I said. “Why would someone want to preserve negative energy?”

  Wren contemplated the mysterious wand. “Good question. What do you know about the owner? Ivy, was it?”

  “
Yes.” I rolled the wand back and forth with the tip of my finger. “Only what I told you.”

  “What about your aunt? Does she know more?”

  “Not sure. Aunt Hyacinth is tightlipped about pretty much everything. Delphine helped me find one book, but I think I’ll see what else is in the library.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t help,” he said. “I hate the thought of Marley having an immediate uphill battle after having all that trouble manifesting her magic in the first place.”

  “I know. I’m having the same reaction. On the one hand, she’s never really struggled academically, so maybe this is a good experience for her. On the other hand, it plain sucks.”

  “Nobody likes watching a loved one struggle with anything,” Wren agreed. “I don’t have kids, but I can imagine how it would feel. I don’t even like watching a stranger trip and fall. I know that’s the highlight of some people’s day, but I cringe.”

  “Me, too,” I said. “It’s not my humor. I worry that someone is really hurt and they’ll have a long road to recovery. I start picturing all the months of pain and discomfort as a result of a single moment.”

  Wren patted my shoulder. “Marley certainly comes by her anxiety honestly.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. “When’s our next lesson? I didn’t notice it in my planner.”

  He regarded me. “Have you actually checked your planner recently?”

  “Maybe,” I mumbled.

  Wren barked a short laugh. “See you on Thursday, Ember.”

  “Right. Thursday.” I tucked the wand away as I left the workshop, making a mental note to write Wren’s name in my planner the minute Marley and I got home.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Welcome to Casa de Kellogg,” Pam greeted me. Her home was small and spotless with shabby chic furniture in pale, soothing colors. We joined the other women at the oval table between the living room and the kitchen. The area wasn’t quite large enough to qualify as a separate dining room, but the table straddled the rooms nicely.

  “Thanks for including me,” I said, seating myself next to Cindy. In addition to the empty cups that littered the table, I immediately noted the absence of Rochelle. “No Rochelle tonight?”