Page 33 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman (The Bewitching Hour #1)
Clara wanted Stevie’s eyes so that the witch could open the six other gates? Stevie struck the glass in horror, whistling and screaming for Roxy, but her voice remained gone. Her sidekick would never hear her.
Stevie whirled around, finding Levi and Kit no longer in the room. But then Levi sauntered out from the shadows of the hallway, a ruthless smirk on his face. “The Horseman is confined now.”
With a vicious laugh, Clara placed a lid over the box and carried Stevie down the hallway, the glass prison jostling her the entire way to an antique table in the middle of the library.
The table wasn’t empty though—a large snake rested inside a bare terrarium atop it.
The reptile’s head perked up, hisses escaping its two-fanged mouth while Stevie’s box was lowered into the terrarium.
The snake’s red gaze remained latched on Stevie, and her heart rocketed when Clara replaced the lid on the snake’s home and left without so much as a glance back at her.
Stevie stood, waiting for the dizzy feeling to subside. Her hand flew to her mouth as she focused on what rested before her.
Across the room were two more glass prisons just like her own, only much larger.
In the first, Kit sat on his knees, chained at the wrists, his fists banging against the clear wall.
And in the second, Kit’s horse stomped his hooves, his glowing eyes glazed over with fear.
Stevie imagined Inferno’s distressed whinnies, but no noises escaped either prison.
Shelves of books from floor to ceiling surrounded them. Nothing else.
A set of heavy boots sounded before Julian entered the room. Stevie backed into a corner as he lifted the terrarium lid, then hers, and tossed breadcrumbs at her. She cursed silent words at him while he thrust a thimble of water in the opposite corner, the liquid sloshing over the sides.
Once he left, Stevie ran up to the wall, attempting to spell out words to Kit until her fingers grew numb.
The next day was no different than the last—Stevie was still trapped in a stuffy glass nightmare that allowed claustrophobia to set in. Time had crept by at a snail’s pace, and no matter how persistent she was to not nod off, it was unavoidable.
Stevie held her hand up to the clear wall as Kit continued to relentlessly pound his fists against his clear prison.
“It’s all right,” she called out, but knowing he couldn’t read her itty-bitty mouth.
“We’ll escape these death traps.” They had way less than twenty-four hours to Houdini their way out of there.
They knew where Levi was—she just needed to somehow get to Lucia, to warn her that Clara would try and possess her sometime after the Hollow opened.
Except now Stevie’s family would think she was running errands for the Crowned Witch.
And then there was Reese… Or Levi… How long had the warlock been inside Reese?
The door burst open and Clara stormed toward her, lifting the lid off the terrarium. She took Stevie’s box out and removed that lid too. “Where are Kit’s bones, pet?” she snapped. “They are no longer in the house where Levi hid them, and I know you broke the spell with your blood.”
Stevie shrugged and mimed her hands in front of her, signaling she couldn’t speak.
“If you whistle for your precious fox, there will be a new wall mount in Kit’s room down in the Hollow, understand?” Clara’s face turned smug.
Stevie swallowed deeply and nodded. Clara snapped and Stevie opened her mouth to speak. “Levi can’t hide bones himself,” she chirped, her voice coming out squeakier than a mouse’s.
Clara hovered above her, her smile growing wicked. “After seeing Reese tonight, I think you know how it’s been possible to do things over the years.” He had taken possession of people for decades, centuries … That was why he hadn’t been found so easily.
“It doesn’t matter since I don’t know where any bones are.” Stevie shrugged. If they also needed Kit’s bones for something, she wouldn’t give away the secret location, not with what would happen if she did.
“Don’t forget you’re the one shrunken inside the box,” Clara seethed. “I can end your life and remove your eyes sooner if you wish.”
Stevie folded her arms and scowled. “If you believe I know where they are, then how would you find them if I’m dead?”
“I can still torture your ghost. I see you’re taken by the Headless Horseman, or is he taken by you?
You were always pathetic weren’t you, Kit?
” Clara exchanged a glance between Kit and Stevie.
“I had a lovely time getting him to fall in love with me, letting him believe I could return his affections.”
“Why do you need Kit’s ghost if you have his real head?” Stevie asked, attempting to collect any information she could if she managed to escape.
“Figure out the answer yourself.”
“He’s the sacrifice,” Stevie whispered.
“Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps you’re not.” Clara shook the box and Stevie fell hard against the floor. Her gaze met Kit’s, and his bound hands slammed hard against the glass. “Now, where are the bones?”
“I never touched them, you lunatic!” Stevie shouted, staying crouched on the floor in case the witch shook the box again.
Blue powder rained down on Stevie and she sneezed.
“The bones are in a safe in my closet. Combination code is 13, 7, 4, 2. A protection Lucia made is also on the safe.” A truth spell!
“Thank you, pet. I’ll see you after the Hollow opens.
Then it will be your turn. I think I’ll cut out your eyes before ending your life.
” Clara flicked the glass with her finger, the noise like a bomb in her ears.
Stevie screamed at Clara when she placed the lid over her box and lowered it back into the terrarium, but once again she was soundless.
Clara’s heels clicked against the wooden floor as she left, and a second later Levi strutted in.
He arched a brow at Stevie and chuckled darkly before opening the door to Kit’s glass prison.
Kit lunged forward and his fists went through Reese to get to Levi.
The warlock lifted his hand and Kit dropped to the floor, a collar with a leash appearing around his throat.
“Come on, be a good boy,” Levi said as his ghostly hands slipped out from Reese’s arms and he yanked on the leash, easily dragging Kit across the floor.
Kit writhed, but magic must’ve prevented him from rushing at Levi again.
A ghost inside a living person was more dangerous than she could’ve imagined.
“Kit,” Stevie tried to scream as she banged against the glass.
Levi didn’t once glance back in her direction while hauling Kit out of the room.
And why would he? She was the size of a Polly Pocket.
Maybe the size of a few of them put together, but still.
After she got out of this box, she would shove the warlock through a paper shredder.
Inferno wilted in the corner of his prison, lying on the floor, seeming to give up.
Stevie probably should’ve just said that she’d found the bones, then told them a fake location.
But even then, Clara might’ve used the truth powder to confirm her answer anyway.
It was too late now to go back and forth with what-ifs when she had to get out of this box ASAP.
Roxy still wasn’t an option with Stevie’s voice gone again, regardless if the threat from Clara stood.
If she had known these jackasses needed Kit’s bones too, she would’ve had Lucia hide them better.
Stevie kicked the glass, but not even a hairline fracture cracked its surface. She again looked around the library for a clue that could help her. Books and more books.
After maybe almost an hour ticked by, a loud grunt came from outside Stevie’s door and she straightened. If it was Julian coming to sprinkle more breadcrumbs inside her box, she would find a way to latch onto his arm, bite it, and thrust her way out of this glass nightmare.
The door creaked open and Stevie pointed toward her thimble, pleading for more water. And then she stilled, her lips parting. “Lucia!” she shouted.
“Stevie! I can’t hear you! I just turned Julian into a cat!
” Lucia ran to the terrarium and peered in with wide eyes.
“Poisonous snake? Bye-bye.” Holding up her hand, she chanted a few words and the snake curled up, gray fur sprouting across its skin as it shrank.
Two rounded ears slipped out from its head, and the snake transformed further until a tiny mouse appeared, releasing the cutest of squeaks.
Lucia took out her box from the terrarium and opened the lid.
“You’re not safe here. They want your body!” Stevie hollered.
But Lucia still couldn’t hear her, and her sister-in-law chanted another spell. Stevie’s tongue felt thick in her mouth as she moved it.
“Sorry, your voice will take a few seconds to come back. Your text didn’t sound right, and I knew something was up when you didn’t message your mom to check on her at all.
Then there was the fact Adelia had asked me to stop running errands, but then replaced me with you when the Hollow could be opening.
If anything, we would be stronger working together. ”
“It wasn’t Adelia!” Stevie shouted, her voice finally escaping. “Levi has possession of Reese, and Clara didn’t pass on—she’s inside of Adelia! And Clara wants your body!”
“My body ,” Lucia hissed. “The second Eye will be here tonight!”
Stevie then broke down everything that had happened as fast and thoroughly as she could. How not only would Lucia be used soon, but so would Stevie.
“Adelia must not have known that the other gates could be opened,” Lucia whispered.
“Did you see any other servants here besides Julian? He’s on their side.”
“The rest are cats in the garden. I’ll make a brew for them later, but right now we’re going to Ginger’s to break your spell. And then from there, we’ll find Levi and Clara which will be easier after this new information. For the finale, we save your Horseman.”
“What about Inferno?” Stevie yelped as Lucia carried her toward the door. “He’s still in the glass case and will be tagging along with Kit to the Hollow if we don’t help him!”
“At the moment we need to stay focused on the things that could change this town. Helping Kit will help him.” Lucia looked toward the glass, and even though she couldn’t see him, she said, “We’re going to save your master.”
Inferno lifted his head and silently whinnied.
Lucia held up Stevie close to her face. “Let’s get you out of this Thumbelina-like state now, shall we?”