Page 14 of Extraordinary Quests for Amateur Witches

Dear Ash,

I don’t know when—or, really, if—I’ll ever send this letter, but I can’t sleep and I figured that I could at least get all this off my chest in the meantime.

I’ll come right out and say it: I miss you.

I miss cuddling on your couch while we listen to the radio.

I miss seeing your smile when you walk through the door of my café every morning.

I miss kissing you as we lie in bed and fall asleep to the city noise.

I may not physically be in Gellingham now, but my heart is still there with you.

I’m on my Calling, which I’ll tell you all about when I’m finished.

since the only way you’ll ever see me again is if I break this curse.

My first task is retrieving the hilt of a magic scepter from a lake.

Easy, right? We’re going to land tomorrow evening, so I’ve been practicing my magic.

I managed to light a candle, which is a great start!

Nothing else really worked, but I’m not overthinking it.

I’m sure it’ll just be a quick in and out before we’re back on the aeroship and coasting to our next stop.

I’ll be home before you know it, Calling complete and you and I back on track!

Who am I kidding? There’s no way I can do this.

We’re over, it’s done, I’m screwed. I’m sure I’ll probably come up with some stupid idea that’ll get me killed at the very first stop because I’m supposed to be the leader of this whole quest and meanwhile I can barely lead myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth every morning.

Sure, it’s great to have Sebastian along, but if I don’t get myself killed doing something stupid, his former boss will likely do it for me.

Verbena should have let that toad monster eat me.

Would have been kinder than letting me fumble my way to an untimely death.

Love Yours,

Kieran

The next morning at breakfast, Sebastian withdrew a map from his pocket and spread it out on the table, much to everyone’s blinking surprise.

“This is a copy of Elias’s intended path to each scepter part’s location,” he explained as he used his teacup, plate, and silverware to hold down the corners of the map.

“I did my best to copy it from memory, so I may have missed a few notes, but it should help us avoid any run-ins with his mercenaries.”

Ariel looked up from adding too many sugar cubes to their coffee. Their narrowed eyes slid over to Sebastian’s side and scanned the map. They took a loud sip of coffee and nodded, fingers drumming on the table.

“These are the most direct routes to each place,” they said. They reached into a vest pocket and withdrew a compass, a protractor, and a pencil and began making marks on the page. “Not much of a surprise that he’d be wanting to reach each location as quickly as possible. Any idea when he left?”

“He’s a half day behind us,” Sebastian said, and pointed to an upscale part of Gellingham on the map.

Kieran had never been there, but he knew that’s where Klaus Hammond lived, along with most of the city’s gentry.

“He was planning to leave his mansion in the evening after he’d met up with the mercenaries.

So we’ve got a head start, but his mercenaries could easily catch up if they have smaller, faster aeroships. ”

“So we have to decide whether to risk attack or to delay our progress by taking a slower, roundabout path,” Kieran realized aloud.

He rubbed his chin, noticing he’d developed a bit of stubble overnight.

He made a mental note to shave before its embarrassing patchiness became more apparent. “What do you think, Ariel?”

“Honestly? I might just stay on the fastest path and see if we can outrun them,” the pilot said, tapping their lower lip with their pencil. They shot Delilah and Briar a look. “How do you feel about fighting some mercs?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve taken my anger out on someone trying to kill me. Might be fun,” Briar said, taking a bite of bacon. She used the strip to point at Sebastian. “How about you? You have any combat training?”

Sebastian’s face didn’t change as he said, much to Kieran’s shock, “Yes.”

Kieran asked, “Er, self-defense, right? You mentioned that on the phone.”

Sebastian shrugged, all nonchalance. “My father wanted to make sure his kids could defend themselves. He taught me and my sisters a few useful things before he passed. I didn’t escape Elias without leaving him with a couple bruises.”

“Ooh!” Briar chuckled, flexing her eyebrows as she took another bite. “I like you.”

“I’d rather not fight anyone if at all possible,” Delilah cut in, shooting a chastising look at Briar, who just snorted. Unfazed, Delilah continued: “But keeping our head start seems more important for now—at least until we know more about what we’re dealing with.”

“I agree,” Ariel said. They met Kieran’s gaze. “You get final say, kid. What do you think?”

“I, um…I…” A lump rose in Kieran’s throat. Leadership wasn’t something he felt particularly comfortable with, especially when he was in a room with someone like Delilah, who, historically, was great at it. She was fair and rational. Really, she should be the one to—

You’re doing it again, Ash’s voice said in his head. Comparing yourself to other people. Just as you always do.

Much to his surprise, Sebastian cleared his throat beside him. Their arms were only a few inches apart on the table, and he closed the distance to nudge his elbow against Kieran’s.

He said, “I trust your judgment.”

Heat blazed in Kieran’s face. He…trusts me?

“Uh—yes,” Kieran blurted. He coughed, trying to cover up how suddenly he’d spoken.

It’s going to be a miracle if he doesn’t notice how red I am.

“I, um, I think we should stay on this path. We’ll get to the Lake of Whispers tonight and have time to investigate the area and figure out how to get to the Hilt. ”

Agreeing, Ariel pointed to the map. “There’s a town called Raven’s Roost at the edge of the lake. Santiago and I can stay here to refuel while you kids poke around. The locals probably know more about the lake.”

“Right. Let’s do that.” Kieran glanced between Sebastian, Briar, and Delilah. “Ready to do a little investigating?”

While Briar and Delilah just nodded, Sebastian said, in a voice that was all velvet and honey, “Looking forward to it.”

Kieran’s traitorous heart did a backflip in his chest.

I am in serious trouble.

“Is it just me or is the lake…steaming?” Kieran asked.

Kieran, Delilah, Briar, and Sebastian stared out at the small town of Raven’s Roost as the final rays of sun set into the lake.

They’d landed about an hour before, leaving Ariel and Santiago on the aeroship while they explored.

The town was lit by golden streetlamps that scented the air with the aroma of burning oil.

A faint mist hung around them, seeming to rise from the ground, where snow had begun to melt.

The streets themselves were slush-slick cobblestone, and mostly devoid of cars.

There weren’t many people out, but the few who were had their heads down as they made their way down the street.

Beyond them, however, was the looming shadow that Kieran could only assume was the Lake of Whispers.

It was unlike other lakes he’d seen; this one appeared to be situated in a shallow crater, with jagged rock edges that stuck up around it like teeth.

Light from Raven’s Roost bounced off the steam rising from the lake, giving it an almost ghostly glow in the waning light.

“It must be a geothermal spring,” Delilah said, hands on her hips. “They’re a lot more common in the north. Though I’ve never heard of one that size.”

“Fascinating,” Kieran said. He gestured to the town. “Maybe we can ask the locals about it. What do you say we try the pub?”

Everyone nodded in agreement—Briar a bit more enthusiastically than the others, muttering that she’d kill for a drink—and they followed the path before them into town.

As they began their trek down the main street, Kieran let his eyes wander.

The whole town was drenched in a plume of golden mist, obscuring the townsfolk’s faces until they were close enough to reach out and touch.

As they did, Kieran couldn’t help but notice that upon looking at him, each person seemed to bow their head and hurry in the other direction.

After the third time it happened, Kieran subtly checked his reflection in a window. Must be the horrible stubble.

As he tried to meet his own gaze, though, Kieran felt a chill come over him—the shopwindows they were passing were covered in posters featuring sketches of people both young and old. Above the sketches was printed a single word: Missing .

Kieran reached over and tugged Delilah’s sleeve. “Am I hallucinating, or are there at least twenty missing-persons posters on that shopwindow?”

Delilah ground to a halt. She gave Kieran a questioning look before her gaze swept over the window. She took a step closer, hesitantly, as if one of the illustrations might jump out and bite her. Her lips moved as she read each of the names, and the color drained from her face.

“They’re all recent,” she said, gray eyes rounding. “But I can see more tape marks around them, which makes me think there have been more than just these in the window. That…can’t be a good sign.”

Above them on one of the rooftops, a crow let out a sharp caw, and Kieran nearly tackled Delilah in terror. She withheld a laugh while he cursed under his breath.

“Let the record show, I hate it here,” he squeaked.

“Hey!” Briar called from up ahead, waving a hand. “Come on, I see a pub!”

Delilah offered Kieran a sympathetic arm pat before speeding up to reach her girlfriend. He had to jog to catch up, eventually falling into step with Sebastian, who waited a few paces behind Briar and Delilah.