Chapter 2
Chapter two
Ms. Vine and Cosmo both stared at me in expectant silence. I took a knife and slit open the envelope. Inside was a single sheet.
My dear, it began. Naturally, since my aunt hadn't been aware who in the family would inherit her powers, she hadn't added my name.
When you read this letter, the time has come for you to recover an important spell-book.
I can't tell you where and when, only that it is imperative that you secure it.
I wish you all the best in your endeavors.
I know that the task of guarding Willowmere can feel like a heavy burden at times, but believe me, it will always, always be worth it.
Safe travels, my dear. Bless you. Violet Merriweather
I put the letter down. A tear had formed in my eye. While I was reading, I’d seen her so closely in my mind's eye, with her purple hair that matched her first name. I hadn't realized how much I missed her.
I knew Cosmo was still grieving too, although he did his best not to show it too much. I suspected that it was more for my benefit than to preserve his dignity.
“I assume you have a couple of questions.” Ms. Vine refilled my coffee.
A couple? That was an understatement. “How did you know when to give me this letter?” I asked.
She opened her purse again and took out an auction catalog. “Your aunt made me subscribe to a number of publications, so whenever an important item came up or will come up, now that you've taken over, you know where to go and what to do.”
“How can you tell which object is meant?” I opened the brochure. At first glance, it didn't show anything out of the ordinary, and I especially did not see any words like “Witchcraft”, “spell-book”, “magic”, anything that might have triggered a response.
“It’s simply a feeling,” Ms. Vine said, "It's the same thing I used to know when a student had plagiarized his essay or cheated.”
“Right.” I looked again at the catalog. “Crystal Springs? Where on earth is that?”
“It's about a two-hour drive from here. A small town close to the coast.”
“I see.” I pushed the catalog over to her. “Can you mark for me which item I’m supposed to buy?”
“That’s the tricky part and the reason why it has to be you.
All I can say for sure is that an item of interest will be up for sale, but I can't tell you what. It could be an old school notebook, still sitting in a drawer, or a diary. It can be anything, from a single benign spell to a grimoire full of dark magic. You’re the witch.
You have to go there, identify it, and then purchase it and bring it back home.
" She gave me a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine.
Your aunt's done that half a dozen times without a problem. "
I touched the letter again. The witchfire wave did not return.
That could be a good sign. Or maybe not. I had no idea what was expecting me, and the unsettling description of a grimoire did not inspire confidence.
“The auction is in two days,” Ms. Vine said. "Tomorrow afternoon there will be a first viewing. Your aunt always used to utilize that to locate the treasure.”
I sputtered. “But that would mean I have to leave pretty much straight away.”
“Early tomorrow morning will do, but yes, my dear, you have no time to lose.”
Suspicion rose in me. “When did you receive this catalog?”
“Last week.”
“And you didn't tell me straight away?"
“I wish I could have but that's not how it works! I didn't feel the urgency until about an hour ago.”
“And my aunt’s letter?” I asked.
“I've been safeguarding that for two years. Your aunt wanted to be prepared for the future when she started having serious heart issues.” We both fell silent.
Cosmo emitted a plaintive meow. I was tempted to howl as well.
“I'll be here tomorrow morning at 8 am,” she said, in a return to the brisk, efficient manner honed over decades as a teacher. “That should give you enough time to get ready, and I'll take care of the library as long as you need me to.”
“Okay.” Since I didn’t appear to have a choice, there seemed nothing left to be said at this stage. I saw her to the door.
Cosmo followed me, swishing his tail. “Just you and me, hunting down an artifact.”
“You're coming along?”
“Of course. What are you thinking? That I’ll be here, sitting idly on my paws, while you deal with who knows what?”
“No, that's fine.” A sense of relief washed over me. With Cosmo by my side, I felt a lot more secure.
On the other hand, it also meant I had to hunt down a room in Crystal Springs straight away, one that allowed me to bring a cat.
To my delight, there were two establishments to choose from: A quaint B&B with only six guest rooms, next to a bakery and café, and an imposing hotel with 20 guest rooms and a pool.
I chose the former. It was a lot easier on my bank account, plus it had the added advantage of being so small that the likelihood of noise disturbing my familiar was a lot less than in the bigger hotel.
The town itself boasted about the same number of inhabitants as Willowmere but it had the name giving natural springs as its main attraction.
Other than that, Crystal Springs appeared to be just as quirky and artistic as Willowmere, with boutique stores and artisans.
Packing my suitcase took less time than assembling all the essentials needed for Cosmo’s comfort.
Apart from his stroller, I packed two of his beds, a thin blanket, a thicker blanket in case the current bad weather continued over in Crystal Springs, a selection of toys, an even bigger selection of cat food and treats, his harness, and in case he felt lonely, one of Aunt Violet’s scarfs.
He used to sleep with it or knead it with his paws whenever he had a sad moment.
The next morning, Ms. Vine arrived, punctual as usual.
She’d taken care of the library often enough to not need any sort of introduction.
I’d already put aside a few books for my favorite customers so they could be handed over without delay.
With a clear conscience regarding my reading clientele, I set off.
The drive took us past Salem, the state capital, and further into the mountainous region and then toward the coast. The sky was a dazzling blue above us, crisply defined clouds drifted across the firmament, and through the open windows I smelled pine firs and all the other trees that made Oregon's wilderness so special.
I assumed that birds were singing to their heart's content, except that I couldn't hear them.
Cosmo insisted on listening to music to distract himself from the occasional pothole that jolted him.
Back home, we only occasionally listened to pop or rock, partly because we tended to be busy with witchcraft lessons, baking, and the lending library, and partly because we both preferred live music.
Listening to Reina on one of the rare occasions that she still performed at the Blue Moon felt like heaven.
The knowledge that some of it was due to her siren blood didn't change that.
She and Harper also regularly hosted young local musicians and acts from around the county to give newcomers a leg up in the business.
Lacking our own private entertainers in the car, we'd settled on a carefully curated playlist. During however many lives he already had had, Cosmo had developed a very select taste in music. To my relief, I’d come to share his taste.
We started with Cole Porter, went on to Queen with Bohemian Rhapsody, a perennial favorite, continued with a little bit of David Bowie, Brian Ferry, The Cure with Love Cats, and a number of contemporary pop musicians.
For a few minutes, Cosmo and I both belted along until I noticed his voice becoming raspy. As beautiful as it was, it seemed that even the most magical of cats was not destined to become an opera singer.
I stopped singing too, and in companionable silence we listened to the music until we reached the outskirts of Crystal Springs. There, just outside the town borders, we stopped.
“We need a game plan,” he said.
“I know.” I'd already figured it out in my head. “We'll check into our B&B, and then, while you take a well-deserved nap after all this traveling, I'll have a quick peek around the auction house to see if anything calls out to me.”
“What about me?” he asked.
“I just told you: you can rest and recover from the drive. You’ve been sitting in your stroller forever.”
He smoothed his whiskers with a paw and entered into a staring contest with me.
“Really, Bex? You want to go without me as a backup to magically discover a spell-book that might well be hidden away?”
“Yes.” I didn’t mention that he was no longer in his youth.
He’d only point out my middle-aged status too.
Neither did I say what we probably both thought.
As wonderful as Cosmo Merlin de Beaufort was, there were places when black cats were not welcome, his status as witch’s familiar nonwithstanding.
A quiet reconnoitre while he took a nap was by far the best option.
He interrupted my train of thoughts. “And how do you plan to sniff out the right object, especially if it’s hidden or masked?”
“My witch radar has become very well developed, thank you very much,” I said, slightly hurt by his lack of trust in my abilities.
“That’s true. Only, what have you learned about witchcraft? A book that calls out to you might as well call out to someone else with occult abilities.”
“And how would your presence change that?”
He heaved a little sigh. “If you think of someone like Ms. Vine as an amplifier of your powers, think of me as a form of soundproofing or a cloaking device custom-made for you.”
“Okay.”
I still didn't quite understand what he was trying to tell me, because if me using magic alerted others with similar abilities, then wouldn't the same go for him if he used his powers?
Then I had another idea. Maybe he only didn't want to be left alone in a strange town, in a strange room, without me. I felt flattered.