Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“Do you think Beau’s at Lucky’s, or working on the new restaurant?” I asked as we cruised in what could be called dinnertime traffic on a Friday night. Luna insisted on having the top down even though the heat was as one would expect for September in Florida. I slid a glance at Luna.
Her face didn’t even glisten with sweat.
I could already feel my curls expanding in the heat, so I punched up the AC and glared at Luna when she glanced over at me.
“Okay, first order of business with this whole magick thing – I want you to write me up a spell that makes me impervious to the heat,” I demanded.
“Oh yeah, like that’s a thing,” Luna scoffed.
“It’s a thing. Look at you. Even your linen dress doesn’t wrinkle and everyone knows that’s virtually impossible. People keep insisting that linen is a great fabric but we all know it wrinkles the minute your butt hits the seat,” I said, glancing down at my already rumpled dress.
Luna shrugged one shoulder and a corner of her mouth quirked up.
“I knew it! You do charm yourself,” I said, slapping my palm down on the dashboard.
“Calm down, Diva. I’ll teach you some glamour spells and whatnot as we get a little deeper into all this,” Luna said.
“Yes!” I shouted, throwing my hand into the air, as we turned down the street with Miss Elva’s house. “Hey, pull to the side and see if Miss Elva’s on her porch.”
Miss Elva is Tequila’s Key’s one and only voodoo priestess. A mountain of a woman, with sun-kissed brown skin, she smells like cookies and can curse a man at twenty paces. I loved Miss Elva just as much as I feared her.
“Think she’s cursed Craig yet?” Luna murmured as she pulled to a stop in front of a weathered shake house with a wide porch.
Miss Elva was sitting in her rocking chair in the corner, a caftan covered in a radiant red hibiscus print floating around her.
She lifted a hand in greeting, a wide smile splitting her face.
Ella Fitzgerald played softly from an old radio plugged into an outlet on her porch.
“Ladies,” she called, her voice surprisingly melodic.
“Hey Miss Elva,” we called, getting out of the car to climb her porch steps and lean against the railing. Miss Elva only had one visitor’s chair on her porch, her message about overstaying your welcome loud and clear.
Miss Elva ran her eyes over my dress.
“What?” I demanded, shifting under her gaze.
“You’re making her go skyclad?” Miss Elva asked, turning with a raised eyebrow to Luna.
“Damn it. I knew people would know I wasn’t wearing any underwear,” I complained to Luna.
“It’s Miss Elva. She knows everything. You’re fine, I promise,” Luna rushed to reassure me, reaching out to run her hand down my arm.
“Child, I hope you know what you’re pulling her into,” Miss Elva warned.
“Miss Elva, come on now. You know she has magick. I’d rather she learned it from me than try something stupid when I’m not around,” Luna said, her hands on her hips as she pleaded her case.
“Hmpf, I suppose so,” Miss Elva said, turning a critical eye on me again. “How strong do you think she is?”
“Stronger than she realizes. She was able to break open cuffs and a door, and she clearly used your magickal pouch just fine, so I’m interested to see what else she’s capable of. First she needs to learn to protect herself, though.”
“You be careful with her. This one doesn’t always like to follow directions,” Miss Elva warned.
“Don’t I know it,” Luna said, huffing out a sigh and crossing her arms over her chest.
“Um, guys, I’m right here,” I said, annoyed that they were acting like I was a small child.
They both ignored me.
“Will you be going to the Mabon Festival?” Miss Elva asked.
“I plan on it. I’ll take Althea with me too,” Luna said.
“I’ll come with you as well. I’m not sure you two should walk into that alone.”
“Why?” I demanded, “Aren’t Pagans supposed to be peaceful?”
“Most Pagan groups are peaceful. Much of what they practice is kindness, harnessing the earth’s energies, and honoring Gods and Goddesses. I have no quarrels with the Pagans. However, I don’t like this Horace character.”
“You know him?” Luna asked.
“I know of him. This is your warning, girls. Tread carefully with that man,” Miss Elva turned her eyes on me. I swear she gave me an extra doubting look.
“I can handle myself, jeez,” I muttered.
“And who didn’t heed my warning last time something bad happened around here?” Miss Elva’s voice rose. I hunched my shoulders and couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes.
“That would be me. But blame Luna, she got us into that mess,” I said.
“Hey!” Luna said, smacking me lightly on the back of the head. We both snorted and laughter bubbled up.
“Speaking of, did you take care of Craig?” Craig was the reporter who had written that nasty article about Luna when she’d been accused of murdering her lover.
“He won’t be working around here anymore,” Miss Elva said, a small smile playing across her face, changing her expression from welcoming to sinister.
“Do I want to ask?”
“Let’s just say that every time he tries to write an article, he can only type cuss words.”
I was shocked – I had suspected something far nastier. And yet the curse was simple in its brilliance.
“So he can only write an article of swear words?”
“So long as he stays in Tequila Key,” Miss Elva amended.
“I love you, Miss Elva,” Luna said with a smile, bending over to wrap her arms around Miss Elva.
“I love you too, girl. But you need to come to me. We have some things to discuss. October is arriving soon,” Miss Elva said.
Halloween. A big night for the undead. I wondered what Miss Elva and Luna might need to work on together, and then decided to push that thought from my mind. I had enough things to worry about.
“We’ll come pick you up tomorrow?” Luna asked.
“Yes, let’s go in the early evening, please,” Miss Elva shifted in her chair and began to hum as the music changed to Howlin’ Wolf.
“We’ll be here,” Luna said, bending over to kiss Miss Elva’s cheek.
“Bye, Miss Elva,” I said, wrapping an arm around her and inhaling her vanilla scent.
“You listen to Luna tonight, child. I don’t have a good feeling about this,” she murmured in my ear.
I pulled back to meet her eyes.
“Are you warning me?” I asked, searching her face.
“I’m telling you to listen to Luna.” She clamped her lips together and began to rock in earnest.
“Everyone’s always so damn cryptic around here,” I muttered as I followed Luna off the porch.
“I heard that,” Miss Elva called after me.
“I said I could use a damn beer!” I shouted over my shoulder.
“Child, I ain’t raised yesterday,” Miss Elva hooted with laughter and I couldn’t help but grin as I climbed into Luna’s car.
As I said, Miss Elva is a favorite of mine.