Chapter 38 Danni
DANNI
The next morning dawned bright and cold—the kind of autumn day that would normally make me feel like the world was full of magic and promise.
But today, all I could see was gray.
Outside my windows, Hidden Hollow had transformed overnight. Shops and houses were draped in shimmering magical lights—flickering pumpkins and glowing ghosts that bobbed gently in the air like fireflies.
Across the street, The General store was wrapped in garlands of crimson and gold leaves that sparkled faintly, each one inscribed with a blessing or a charm.
The Lost Lamb Bakery had conjured a parade of tiny sugar golems that marched in step along their windowsill, hoisting candy corn pennants and singing in piping voices.
Above Kreeches Emporium in a scene that reminded me of the old Disney movie, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a spectral parade of antique costumes floated through the air.
Victorian capes, flapper dresses, and pirate boots danced in a line as enchanted candelabras floated above the sidewalk, dripping wax that vanished before it could hit the ground.
Clearly the town was dressed for Halloween—or All Hallow’s Eve, as they called it here. It was festive…joyful…whimsical.
It made me want to scream.
I hadn’t slept at all. I’d spent the entire night crying—curled up on the floor beside my bed, then in the bed, then under it again, hoping against hope that Shadow would reappear. But he never did.
My eyes were swollen slits, my head ached, my hair looked like something a bird might try to nest in, and I hadn’t even bothered to look in a single one of the boxes crowding my living room. The things I’d asked for—the things I thought would help me start a new life—were all useless now.
What was the point of any of it, if Shadow was gone?
I didn’t know where else to go, or what else to do. So I pulled on my coat, shoved my feet into boots, and made my way across Main Street, past costumed people and Creatures, to the one person in town who might be able to help.
The Red Lion’s porch was wreathed in garlands of glowing orange gourds. Magical animated black cats winked at me from beneath the railing, their arched backs rippling with a purple shimmer. A floating sign over the door read:
WELCOME TO ALL on ALL HALLOWS EVE.
I stepped inside, blinking against the warmth and spicy scent of mulled cider. Jack-o'-lanterns leered from every corner, enchanted to change their expressions every few seconds. One near the host stand drooped into a frown as I passed as though mirroring my mood.
“I’d like to speak to Goody Albright,” I said hoarsely. “Tell her it’s Danni, please.”
The hostess, a bubbly brunette wearing bat-winged glasses and a dress covered in tiny broomsticks, nodded and waved me through.
“Of course, I’ll let her know.”
Goody Albright met me in the back hallway, dressed in a gown made of swirling purple velvet with golden stars stitched along the hem. Her cat-eye glasses gleamed as she took me in.
“Oh, Danni, sweetheart,” she murmured, pressing a hand to my shoulder as she looked me up and down. “Come on, let’s get you some tea.”
She led me through a maze of corridors and out to the back porch, which overlooked a charming garden filled with silver-leaved herbs, ripe vegetables, blooming flowers, and pumpkins carved with cheerful faces.
A pair of skeleton flamingos sipped from a tiny bubbling cauldron fountain near the hedge.
A moment after we were seated, a brownie girl with long, leaf-like hair came out carrying a tea service which she put down in front of Goody Albright.
“Thank you, Kalinda,” Goody Albright nodded at her and then poured a steaming cup of tea and handed it to me. “Now tell me, Danni,” she murmured. “Whatever is going on with you?”
I wrapped my hands around the mug and stared into it.
“I fell in love with him,” I whispered. “With Shadow.”
“I see—would that be the monster under your bed? I heard some of the other girls speaking about him,” she said.
I nodded.
“Yes. I was frightened of him at first, but he only wanted to protect me. He…he’d been with me since I was a kid, only I had forgotten about him. Your tea helped me remember.”
Goody nodded gently, not interrupting.
“I was going to bond with him—to make it permanent. A Heartmate bond.” I blinked rapidly, trying hard not to cry. “But then I went to the Wishing Tree last night. I thought I could get the things I needed for my shop—for the knitting shop I want to open. But I…he…”
My voice broke and I had to take a sip of tea to keep myself from bawling. I ended up drinking half the cup before I could go on.
I told her everything—about the corpse hanging in the tree…about the chant it sang—the warning. I told her about the black thing that clawed its way out of the corpse and then chased me, promising to eat my soul.
Goody Allbright’s expression darkened.
“That sounds like a soul-eater,” she said grimly. “Some call them a ‘soul-sucker.’”
I nodded, my throat thick.
“It came after me,” I said. “But then Shadow rescued me. He fought it. He fought so hard. But the whole time, he was turning see-through. He wasn’t even supposed to leave the cottage yet. Not until we bonded. I don’t even know how he got outside or held his shape for as long as he did.”
Goody reached over and patted my hand.
“Love gives us strength we didn’t know we had sometimes,” she said softly.
Fresh tears burned my eyes.
“He died protecting me—he’s dead now and I’ll never get him back!”
“I do not believe the soul-sucker killed him,” Goody said firmly. “I think it’s far more likely that he faded and was banished back to his point of origin.”
I blinked at her, stunned.
“Really? You don’t think he’s… he’s dead?”
“From your description of what happened, no I don’t. If the soul-sucker had swallowed him, I would think he was gone. But since you say he faded out of existence, I think it’s probable that he was unable to hold his corporeal shape and returned to the Shadow Lands.”
I clutched my mug tighter, afraid to hope.
“It doesn’t matter,” I whispered. “Even if he’s not dead, I’ll never see him again.”
Goody patted my hand again.
“Now, my dear, don’t despair just yet. If this had happened any other time of the year, I would have no hope for your plight. But since tonight is All Hallows Eve, we may be able to help you.”
I looked at her hopefully.
“What do you mean?”
“The Veil that separates the Mortal Realm from the Shadow Lands is thin tonight,” she explained. “And we’ll have all the witches of the town gathered in order to restore the bubble. We could conceivably conjure a door between here and the Shadow Lands at the same time.”
My heart gave a painful little jump.
“Of course,” she continued, “it will be up to you to open it. Your magic alone can break the seal and allow your Shadow lover to return to you.”
“But I don’t have any magic!” I cried. “If I did, don’t you think I would have tried to fight that thing that killed Shadow?”
“You weren’t thinking about trying to use your magic—you were concentrating on getting away from the evil that was seeking your life,” Goody Albright said gently.
“Tonight, when we call a doorway to the Shadow Lands, you must reach inside yourself and concentrate on your love for Shadow. Call him back to you. I’m certain you can do it—you’re a powerful witch—you just haven’t had much time to practice your magic yet. ”
She squeezed my arm.
“Now don’t fret. Go home and try to eat something and get some rest. Get ready for tonight.
We’ll be calling the circle in the middle of Main Street, which is the center of town, when the moon rises.
And remember—if you are able to get your monster under the bed back, you must bind him to you quickly.
For the magic we cast won’t last forever. ”
I swallowed hard.
“I understand. I know it won’t be easy.”
But for the first time since last night, I felt something stirring in my chest.
Hope—real hope.
I stood, setting my mug down carefully.
“I’m going to do my best to bring him through that door,” I said quietly. “And if I get him back, I’m never letting go of him again.”