Page 15 of Black and White, Twice the Might (Cadenbury Town #8)

I laugh as I throw some turnips into the cauldron. I can’t believe how much fun we all seem to be having.

We magicked up the cauldron, the fire to keep it hot, and our outfits. So many pictures have been taken of all of us. The boys and Sly look good dressed up. I can’t wait to print them out and put them on a wall in our new house.

I’d forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by so many others working magic together.

I didn’t come from a large family. There were my brothers, parents and a scattering of relatives.

But after rescuing Xander and Enoch, we distanced ourselves not only from our father, but the other relatives as well, and Sly had distanced himself from all his relatives before we met.

We both had friends we made socially, but none of them were magical.

I’m glad we came to Cadenbury, to be honest. We’ve found our perfect, hopefully forever home, with space for my business. We can settle down and stay in one place, something we are all looking forward to.

We were properly introduced to John and Jodie, Ernest’s parents, earlier. Jodie is cackling around the fire with us, but John isn’t magical and looks like he’d rather be having fun at the fair than watching us make soup.

“You can go and have fun, you know that, right?” I hear Ernest say to his dad.

He nods. “I do, and I’m off.”

“Where are you going, grandpa?” Nora asks him.

He smiles at her. “I’m off to play in the funfair.”

“Can I come with you?” Nora asks.

“If your brother doesn’t mind,” he replies, looking at Nix.

“Nope, if you’re sure, John.”

“I am.”

“Yay,” Nora says, walking over to John and taking his hand. She looks at Xander and Enoch. “You two should come as well.”

Xander looks unsure for a moment.

“I promise to keep you safe,” John says. “I’m not magical, but I know how to throw a punch.”

I hear Jodie gasp. “John!”

“What?” he asks, looking at her and shrugging.

Jodie just shakes her head.

I know the boys really want to go. I’m about to offer to go with them when Sly does. “I can come as well if you want.”

Xander looks at John. “Would you mind if our brother comes as well?”

John smiles. “Not in the least, as long as Sly doesn’t mind following us around the food stalls as well as going on rides.”

“Hot donuts?” Enoch says excitedly.

“I’m sure we can do that. Let’s go quickly before Ebby becomes a killjoy,” Sly says, grabbing Xander and Enoch and pulling them quickly away.

I try to scowl at him but end up laughing. “Healthy food tomorrow,” I call after them.

They just ignore me and rush off.

I hope we didn’t insult anyone. I look at Ernest and Jodie. “Sorry, Sly, going with them is no reflection on your dad.”

“I know. Pa understands as well.”

“Thanks. I would hate to think John was insulted.”

We’re happily handing out soup and chatting to visitors. Out-of-town visitors think we’ve just dressed up for the fun of it, and to add to the event, the locals are laughing at us and wondering why no one has cackled around a cauldron before.

“The decorations around the house are amazing,” someone says. “The way those skeletons are crawling out of the ground looks so real, and those ghosts.”

The decorations are good. There are full skeletons, and some of them look like they are climbing out of the ground.

“Seriously, they’re alive?” Ernest exclaims.

I quickly look and yep, those things are definitely moving.

The skeletons that are actually climbing out of the ground, somehow whole, well as whole as a skeleton can be, and alive and way more than were there earlier. But can a skeleton moving around be classed as alive?

The ghosts that are happily flying above the house and around the grounds start dive bombing those walking towards the house.

“Yes, ghosts and skeletons. You witches are amazing,” someone says, grinning at us.

“So, this is new,” Sal says, looking around.

The ghosts fly through people, and they shriek in surprise before running away or standing still, laughing.

The skeletons start chasing people, and if caught, try to drag them somewhere, where I have no idea. It all reminds me of some kind of children’s cartoon.

“As much fun as this is, witchlings, someone might get hurt,” Molly tells us.

“Pick a ghost or skeleton and have at it,” Titus says, throwing his magic at the closest skeleton.

It falls to the ground in a pile of bones before reforming and coming closer.

“Okay, so that didn’t work,” Sal said, stating the obvious.

“Everything so far needed to be injured before it could be destroyed,” Ernest says and using his magic, blows an arm off the same skeleton.

I send my magic out and hit the injured skeleton. It drops into a pile of bones and doesn’t get back up.

Soon we’re all throwing magic out, and the skeletons are soon piles of bones.

Then I hear a scream from inside.

“I guess the ghosts went into the house,” Titus says. So Temp, Ernest, Justice and I walk into the house, with Adhan, Kean, Elliot and Sly, who come running to join us.

It takes a while, but we stop all the ghosts and murdering dolls. I mean, seriously that Callum has a weird imagination.

We’re chatting about the dark magic and who could be sending their dark magic to the fair.

Sly shakes his head. “I’ve not had contact with my family or other dark witch families since before meeting Ebby.

But the magic isn’t family magic,” he pauses for a moment.

“My father keeps emailing me, asking me to come to a family gathering. I can go if you want me to. I’m the true witch of the family and can protect myself if needed. ”

I grab his hand and give it a squeeze. I am not so happy with his offer, but don’t want to call him out about it now, in front of everyone.

Adhan shakes his head. “No, whoever it is will make themselves known in time, they always do.”

Sly nods. “Well, the offer's there.”

“You would think the dark witches would have given up by now, wouldn’t you?” Temp says. “I mean, it’s not as if they have won any encounter, we’ve had with them.”

“Well, no one said dark witches were very bright,” Nix comments.

I burst out laughing.

“I wasn’t including you in that, only the dark witches trying to kill us,” Nix quickly clarifies, looking at Sly.

Sly grins. “I knew what you meant.”