Chapter 10
Maggie made her way down the narrow alley squeezed between walls of brick on either side, clasping the paper with the address for the Council of Witches in her hand. She checked the number against the one on the door to her right. She was getting closer it had to be just up ahead.
An ornate sign above the next door in the alley read: Mardella, Melusina and Daire.
She double checked the number beside the door.
This was it. At least she hoped it was. She glanced up and down the alley.
It was quiet. She seemed to be the only one out and about this morning.
She rapped loudly on the door using the claw shaped cast iron knocker.
A small window in the door opened barely a crack.
“Can I help ye?” a woman’s voice asked.
Maggie moved closer to the door, peering into the darkness beyond the sliver of space between the window and the door itself. “I’m Maggie Sinclair. Me aunt is Edna Campbell.”
“Just a moment.” The window closed, leaving Maggie standing alone in the alley.
A shiver went through her as a gust of wind blew down the narrow passage bringing with it the magical sound of tinkling bells.
She bundled her wool shawl closely around her shoulders as she drew them up to her ears and waited for someone to open the door.
A few moments later she heard a bolt slide and then another before the door opened. A tall, thin woman dressed in a long black dress and a beautiful red and gold floor-length kimono-type coat stood assessing her. “Please come in,” she said, after concluding her inspection.
“Thank ye,” Maggie said, entering into a long hallway that had the walls, floor and ceiling completely paneled in highly polished wood. Lantern-like lamps were spaced a few feet apart and hanging all along the ceiling. “Me Aunt Edna sent me…”
“Shhh…” the woman said, turning so that Maggie could see a solitary finger placed on her lips.
Maggie followed along silently from that point, taking in everything with the wonderment of someone who had no idea what to expect next.
She had no idea there was a Witch’s Council.
Her aunt never spoke of it before this. No one would even know it was here without someone telling them.
She imagined that was the way the council wanted it.
At the end of the hall, they entered a round room.
Three individual desks, all distinctly different, faced her.
Two of them had women seated behind them.
The tall, thin woman went to the third desk and sat down.
Silently she waited and so did the others.
She was about to speak, but as she opened her mouth.
A finger silenced her and so she waited once again.
“I am Mardella,” the middle woman said. She was the total opposite of the tall thin one. This woman was rounder and obviously shorter. Her hair was a tousled mess of pink curls.
“I am Melusina,” the woman on the right said. She was a redhead, like Maggie. It was hard to tell her age. They all had an ageless quality to them.
“And I am Daire,” the tall, thin one said. “We are familiar with Edna Campbell. Why did she send ye?”
Maggie cleared her throat and did her best to calm her nerves before she spoke. “Me aunt is missing. She’s been kidnapped and we can no’ find her. She thought ye could help.”
“Ye’ve spoken to her?” Melusina asked.
“I have.”
“And she did no’ tell ye where she is?”
“She doesn’t ken. Only that she’s in a house that can no’ be seen.”
“A house that can no’ be seen,” Mardella said, gazing at the other two witches.
“Hmmm…” Daire scratched her head as she thought.
“Who do we ken who could do that?” Melusina asked.
“Any one of a number of witches could do it,” Daire said.
“I ken who it is,” Maggie said.
The women seemed not to hear her as they continued chatting with each other as if they enjoyed the process of figuring this puzzle out, throwing out name after name and then dismissing them for one reason or another.
“I ken who it is,” Maggie tried again.
This time they heard her.
“Well, why did ye no’ say so,” Daire said.
“I…” she stopped herself. “It’s Evanore.”
“Evanore… Evanore… Evanore…” Mardella repeated. “Oh, aye! I ken who she is. She is Brielle’s sister. I had nae idea she was capable of such a spell.”
“Neither did I,” Melusina said, shaking her head.
“Well, imagine that,” Mardella added.
Maggie watched the three witches go off on another tangent making her feel as if she wasn’t even there. She waited as patiently as she could before losing that patience and shouting. “Hello! I’m still here.”
All three stopped abruptly and turned to look at her. They didn’t say a word, instead staring at her with unreadable expressions.
She hurried on before she lost her nerve. “Aunt Edna sent me here because she needs yer help. Her powers have been stripped from her and she can no’ escape this prison she is in. Evanore is also undoing all of the good me aunt has done over the years.”
“What do ye mean, lass?” Daire asked.
“Aunt Edna is a romantic. She loves love and has spent years uniting couples from the past and the present. Evanore is separating them.”
“And ye want us to undo all of that?” Daire asked.
“Aye.” Maggie sighed, finally they were getting somewhere.
“We can no’ undo what another witch has done,” Mardella stated.
Maggie’s brows collided as she tried to wrap her mind around this pronouncement. “What can ye do?”
“We’ll have to discuss this. Come back tomorrow,” Daire said, dismissing her.
“Tomorrow? I was hoping ye could take care of this today.” Maggie hoped her impatience wasn’t coming through in her voice. She didn’t wish to anger them.
“I’m afraid no’. We will look into what ye’ve told us and have an answer for ye tomorrow. Now off with ye.” Melusina shushed her away with her hand.
Maggie took a moment to look each of them in the eye, but she saw nothing there that gave her any hope.
She thought she’d be on her way home to Dylan with the help she needed to free her aunt, but that was not to be the case.
She turned and headed back down the long hallway and out the door into the cold, windy alleyway.
She pulled out her cell phone as she walked and was happy to see she had service. She could call Dylan.
He picked up the phone right away. “Hey, babe. How’d it go?”
“No’ the way I was hoping. I’m going to have to spend the night in Edinburgh tonight. They want me to come back tomorrow.”
“Oh. I thought this would be an open and shut case for them.”
“Me, too. We were wrong. I guess they have to discuss it before they decided what to do.”
“I’m sorry. I know you were hoping this would be easier than it’s turning out. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got everything under control here. You get a good night’s sleep and try again tomorrow.”
“Thanks, hun. I’ll talk to ye tomorrow. I love ye.”
“I love you, too.”
She put the phone back in her pocket and headed to the only hotel she’d ever stayed at in Edinburgh, the one across the street from the cute little bakery where she and Dylan met Alec Sinclair and his wife—Dylan’s many times great grandparents who’d time traveled from the sixteenth century to return a kidnapped baby to her parents.
That mission had been successful. She was hopeful this one would be as well.
Maggie checked herself into the hotel feeling lucky to have a room for the night.
Before she got too comfortable she decided to pay a visit to The Mayflour Bakery and Sweetshop and the proprietress, Mrs. May.
A bowl of warm soup and one of Mrs. May’s famous scones sounded perfect.
It was just the comfort food she needed.
Before crossing the street to the bakery, Maggie waited for a few cars to pass and then hurried across. She opened the door to the bakery and inhaled the intoxicating scent of sugary treats. She spotted Mrs. May behind the bakery cases. “Mrs. May!” she called.
“Aye.” Mrs. May had her back turned to Maggie, busily stacking cookies onto a decorative tray.
“Hello,” Maggie said.
Mrs. May turned and placed the tray atop the counter. She gazed at Maggie appearing unsure at first, but then, “As I live and breathe. Is that ye, Maggie Sinclair?”
“It is. How have ye been?”
“Fine. Fine. What brings ye to Edinburgh and where’s that handsome husband of yers?” She came around the counter to give Maggie a hug that smelled like vanilla and spices.
“Ye smell delicious,” Maggie teased.
“Hazards of the job,” Mrs. May teased back.
“Me aunt sent me to see some… friends of hers. Dylan had to stay back at the inn.”
“I imagine the inn can no’ be without their chef for too long, can they?”
“No. They can no’.”
“Please sit. Are ye hungry?” Mrs. May asked.
Maggie sat at one of the tables and Mrs. May pulled out a chair across from her.
“I’d love some soup and a scone. Maybe some tea, as well.” Maggie could smell all sorts of deliciousness and it made her tummy grumble loudly.
“Good. I’ve got some delicious tattie soup, if ye like.”
“I do like.” Maggie’s eyes lit up. It was one of her favorite soups.
“And a savory scone, I think.”
“Aye, please.”
Mrs. May rose and went behind the counter where she ladled soup into a bowl and then placed a warm scone on a plate, which she carried back to Maggie.
“How are David, Maureen and wee Molly?” she asked as Mrs. May joined her again.
“They are all well. Maureen still comes in to help me on occasion. They’ve moved into a lovely little cottage with a small yard for Molly to play in. She’s getting so big ye wouldn’t recognize her.”
“I’m so happy for them. How old is Molly now?” Maggie asked.
“She’s four. Can ye believe it?” Mrs. May seemed astonished herself.
“Four! Time flies, doesn’t it?” Maggie could hardly believe it had been so long since she’d been here, sitting at this very table.
“Aye. What about ye and yer husband. Have ye any wee ones yet?” Mrs. May asked.
“No’ yet. We’re working on it though,” Maggie giggled. She’d discussed it with Dylan and they were hoping to be pregnant in a month or two if all went to plan.