Page 8 of The Witches Catalogue of Wanderlust Essentials (Natural Magic #2)

Chapter 4

An Open and Shut Case

I t was dangerously close to dawn by the time Zanfira and Cosimo reached the station. The station was empty. Zani had changed into her Boundless Boots, which added almost two inches to her petite frame. She was almost, but not quite, as tall as Cosimo’s shoulder.

His eyes glowed a feral shade of amber, reflecting the dim lamplight as he scanned the platform, watchful for danger. Zani kept one hand in her wand pocket, only withdrawing it when she saw his sigh, and observed his shoulders relax.

The letters on the sign began to click and flap, rearranging themselves to announce the imminent arrival of the train bound for Paris.

“So I guess this is where we part?” Zani knew the vampire would not be traveling with her on the train. Cosimo had clarified that he had other business of his own to attend to once the stone was secured. And, she suspected, he wouldn’t want to risk traveling on public transportation during daylight hours.

“Be very careful. But most of all, be safe.” Cosimo leaned forward, kissing Zanfira on the forehead again, with lips as cold as ice. The gesture sent fever-like chills through her body. She couldn’t quite decide whether they were pleasant. She wanted the chance to find out. This couldn’t be the end, could it? She knew she’d see him again in a little over two weeks time, but that suddenly felt like a long time to wait. She tipped her head backward and closed her eyes, meaning to brush her lips against his.

Her lips met with a different sort of cold. The emptiness of air, which was a frozen nothingness. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to realize she was standing alone on the platform. Her satchel was slung over one shoulder. The lead-lined train case that she’d brought along to transport the stone was resting on the ground between her feet.

It took a moment to process his absence. She still clung to his presence like one clings to a dream upon waking. Realizing he’d slipped through her fingers so easily infuriated her.

In the distance, a train whistle sounded. The PA system came to life with a screech and clatter, a sleepy voice on the staticky line announcing the imminent arrival of the early morning train. Zani reached with both hands to hoist the heavy case. She didn’t dare spell it to be lighter. The sheer unexpected weight of it was another layer of protection on top of the multiple wards she’d cast. It weighed at least ten kilos.

Besides the weighty case and the wards, she’d outfitted the bag with an Aura Eraser charm to mitigate any leaked magic from the stone, and a Lugubrious Luggage Tag designed to instill immediate, near crippling remorse in any soul who even dared to consider stealing the item. Zani wasn’t taking any chances. Because it was so unique and important, she’d done everything she could to keep it safe. Sore muscles were a small price to pay.

Once aboard and ensconced in her private first-class compartment, she leaned back into the plush velvet seat and perused the breakfast menu. She realized she was starving! She hadn’t had dinner last night, and slaying vampires was a lot like going ice skating on a frozen pond, in that both activities always left her famished and craving sweets.

Thank goodness she’d booked herself into first class. This was an excellent menu, complete with photos of the items, a touch she always appreciated. It was nice to get a visual of what you were ordering. There were omelettes with cheese and mushrooms served in tiny cast iron skillets. Baskets of croissants came with jam and honey. And charming little glass pots of fresh yogurt were served with bowls of berries and muesli. Zani decided she’d order all three, and a steaming hot pot of coffee as well. Her stomach gurgled approvingly. She was looking forward to eating.

Outside the windows, the sky was turning orange around the edges. She wondered where Cosimo had gone. She hadn’t expected him to simply vanish like that. That wasn’t fair. They had unfinished business. It wasn’t just her curiosity that needed satisfaction. She still owed him for his help in obtaining the stone. As much as he insisted she needn’t pay him, because she’d agreed to lend him the stone to perform his own ritual, she wasn’t comfortable with that arrangement. She didn’t enjoy accepting help from supernatural strangers without an immediate clearance of the debt. It was her experience that one-sided transactions were most often proffered by two-faced perpetrators. And as much as she didn’t wish to be prejudiced, because she knew Cosimo hadn’t chosen to be a vampire, she couldn’t help her creeping feelings of unease. She didn’t like being indebted. When she thought of him, wariness and desire twined around each other like twin snakes.

One thing she knew for sure, however: There was something very different about Cosimo. He was a different breed than all the other vampires she’d encountered, and there had been plenty. He was mature. Wiser. So much more in control of himself. And he was infuriatingly immune to her charms.

Perhaps that was why she was so attracted to him. Hadn’t she fallen for every handsome professor in college and at the academy? Her friend Maida had teased her about this. Zani knew she was a cliche. It was so much easier to be attracted to men she couldn’t have than the ones who would try to tether her and force her to settle down.

She finished filling out the menu and ran a hand over the lead-lined case to check the wards one more time before allowing her eyes to fall half closed. But she resisted falling asleep entirely. She couldn’t risk it. She’d need that coffee soon if she was going to stay awake until she reached Boston and the safety of the Arcana Archives in Primrose Court.

She pressed her cheek against the cool glass of the window, listening to the rhythmic clacking of the train as it carried her farther and farther away from that cursed village and its awful bloodlust economy. She could picture the shadows lifting there as the sun rose over the castle, the dawn of a new day and a new era for the Ordinary residents. They would need time to realize it, but the village had so much potential now that it was released from the grip of the preternatural plague. She’d send word to the Society for the Protection of Natural Magic to keep watch over them.

The Society would also be interested in the bloodstone’s recovery. This was big news. It had eluded them for almost fifty years, since it had last disappeared. And though no one was entirely certain about its origin or its use, everyone could agree on one thing. Namely, that it was one of the most powerful and cursed objects at large in the modern magical world. This made it dangerous. There was even a modest fund set aside by the Society to be used as a bounty for its recovery and return to the Archives.

She didn’t really care about the money, though. She cared about making the world a safer place. Perhaps in that regard, the apple hadn’t fallen that far from the tree. And although her aunt didn’t respect her or her chosen profession, surely her family would manage to scrape up some small scrap of appreciation to her for recovering the bloodstone. After all, it was Minodaura’s wards that were breached the last time the stone was stolen from the Arcane Archives.

A part of her couldn’t wait to tell her Auntie Minodaura about her conquest. Not just to “stick it to her.” She wanted to prove her chosen profession had value as well. Surely her family would have to respect her now that she had recovered such a precious, notorious artifact?

Not that she would ever admit to caring about what her aunt and cousins thought. If they wanted to be housebound hermits who spent all their time crafting charms and perfecting wards, far be it from her to tell them to leave their basements once in a while.

But it did irk her how her own relatives looked down their noses at her “fortune hunting” trade. No matter how many lost grimoires she saved and cursed objects she collected, they treated her like some kind of dangerous renegade. As if her globetrotting activities were sure to end in misfortune and ruin the reputation of their entire coven. They all followed Minodaura’s lead, and as far as her great-aunt was concerned, Zani was a disgrace.

So be it. Zani was far more willing to take her chances with thugs at the Ordinary markets and ghosts in dusty dungeons than risk the slow, soul-crushing death of a desk job. She enjoyed nothing more than the thrill of unearthing a significant artifact, even if it meant dusting a few vampires. And she was good at it, too.

She preferred the thought of death by misadventure to the thought of having her spirit broken in an over-warded fortress presided over by her aunties.

A uniformed attendant poked his head into the cabin to retrieve the order sheet. He raised his brows at the number of items checked off.

“You are traveling with friends?” he asked.

“No. It’s all for me.” Zani grinned, her stomach rumbling audibly. The attendant scratched his head and muttered something before stuffing the order in his valise and retreating.

Zani smiled now as she let her mind wander to thoughts of seeing her friends in Primrose Court. There was so much to catch up on. Especially with her college roommate, Maida. Zani wasn’t returning to the same places and people she’d last seen, she knew. Her friend’s worlds had changed as radically as her own in recent years, and with Maida, perhaps even more.

For this reason, Zani intended to stay the week at her friend’s magical home–the Mudpuddle Mansion in Primrose Court. It would give her the chance to decompress and plan her next adventure. It seemed like the perfect transition. Much better than staying with her aunts on Long Island. She could help with the Mudpuddle Bookstore and Cafe. And when it was time to leave, Maida wouldn’t start inventing reasons for her to stay, like her Aunt Minodaura surely would.

Suddenly Zani felt like the train couldn’t carry her there fast enough. She wished she could have used some of her magic to speed the journey, but she didn’t dare to risk it. The stone might be volatile. Using nontrivial magic around it might have unpredictable effects. Aside from the wards, she was loath to cast or conjure in its presence.

She placed a hand on the case. It felt warm, and vibrated with a slight hum. Zani heard a shrill whistle outside, and the train lurched forward and swayed, like a runner whose heel got caught in the starting blocks. She wrapped her arms protectively around the case in order to prevent it from sliding off the table. It collided with her chest, the weight of it stealing her breath and bruising her.

“Snail’s Scum!” Zani muttered under her breath as the train whistle blew again and the train lurched once more.

The case was still warm and thrumming as if it had a heartbeat. She felt uneasy as the train whistle sounded a third time and the sky outside darkened. Wind whipped the trees as they traveled past the squall, and hail pelted the windows.

“It’s just a storm,” Zani muttered to herself and no one else in particular. Though she felt almost as if she were comforting a child as she hugged the heavy case to her breast.

A massive shudder shook the case from the inside. Simultaneously, the train’s wheels seemed to stick again. This time, she saw a bright flash of lightning and heard a sharp crack, followed by the screeching sound of brakes. The lights in the cabin flickered out, pitching the compartment into darkness. Despite the earlier promise of sunrise, it was now almost as dark as night outside as the storm raged. She didn’t think they were near the seaside, but she could hear the crash of waves. Rivulets of water ran down the glass windowpanes.

In the reflection of the dark window, Zani glimpsed herself. She was stunned to see her hair floating all around her head, almost as if she were floating underwater. The case glowed, an eerie blue-green, casting watery shadows on the walls and ceiling.

The train jerked to a stop and Zani immediately heard the shouts of outraged passengers farther down the train corridor. Someone threw their door open, called for the attendant, and demanded to know what was going on. But the lights flickering back on and an announcement over the loudspeakers immediately silenced the passengers.

“Mesdames et Messieurs, we apologize for the unplanned stop. We were not aware of the storm in the area and it appears the tracks were hit by lightning. Fortunately, the storm is passing, and we have been informed that it is safe to proceed.”

With this, the train cranked back into motion, lurching forward slowly at first, then coming back up to speed, resuming its smooth and steady rhythm.

“What the devil?” Zani heard a man exclaim as he strode past.

“I told you we should have flown,” complained his female companion.

“Not to worry,” the conductor reassured them. “You are perfectly safe. Please return to your compartment. We will serve breakfast shortly.”

Tentatively, she unwound her arms from the case and poked her head out into the corridor. The couple was still arguing and beyond them, in the space between train compartments, another couple appeared to be passionately kissing.

Zani thought it was a little too early for that. But then again, hadn’t she been hoping for a kiss on the train platform an hour ago?

She ducked back into her compartment and stared out the window. The sky was clearing now, lightening and brightening with each passing moment. Pink and orange streaks crept out from the purple and gray smudges of storm clouds behind them. It was shaping up to be a beautiful dawn.

“Here is your breakfast, Madame.” The attendant paused outside her door with his heavily laden cart. It took him a moment to hand her the pot of coffee and the three plates of food. She squeezed them onto the tabletop, arranging them around the case. They barely fit.

“Can I help you with moving that out of the way?” He gestured to the case and glanced up at the overhead rack.

“No, thanks.” She smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll manage.”

She laid a hand on the case again. It had suddenly gone cool.

“Is this all you want? Can I bring anything else?” the attendant offered, suppressing a smile at the quantity of food crammed onto her tiny table. “There’s a switch there if you need anything. Hopefully, we won’t experience any more delays. You should arrive in Paris in…” He checked his watch. “Approximately twenty-six hours.”

Something didn’t feel right. She placed a second hand on the chest. The wards were still in place. She could feel their buzz. It was probably just her nerves. The lightning and the sudden stop had taken her by surprise. But it was just a thunderstorm. No more, no less.

“This is all… great. Looks delicious. Thanks!” Zani replied, suddenly eager to shoo him away so she could pull the shades and check the box.

She knew she shouldn’t gaze for too long at the stone, lest she risk the stone’s bad luck attaching to her. Nobody was entirely curse-proof. But she also needed to be sure it was still there, intact. Which it would be, of course. There was no way it was going to disappear from a lead-lined and warded case aboard a moving train. She was just being silly. Superstitious even.

She still felt compelled to look. Just one quick glance before she ate her breakfast. It would only take the briefest moment. She could undo the wards, open the case, peek inside, and have it closed back up and protected in under sixty seconds.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and sipped it black, forcing herself to wait until after she heard the attendant make his delivery to the next two cabins. All the while, she smelled the wonderful smells of her mushroom omelette and imagined popping one of the plump raspberries into her mouth. She could hardly wait to spread the creamy butter onto the flaky croissant that was peeking out from the white linen napkin swaddled around the basket.

Finally, she heard the second compartment door close and the rattle of the cart moving on. She pulled her wand from her pocket and whispered the Severum Sigillum Spell for undoing the locks and wards simultaneously.

By oath unbound and binding broke,

Let lock and ward release their yoke.

The lock fell open and she used the tip of the wand to crack the lid.

She saw nothing, not even a glow. But still, she remained calm. The stone had probably been jostled back into the corner of the case. It must have slipped down into a corner. She flung back the lid so she could see the entire padded interior. White quilted satin, stitched in silver thread with a delicate wave pattern, lined the case. She saw the familiar small pillow in the middle; she herself had placed the stone on it just hours before.

The pillow was empty now, save for a faint glow of blue lingering in the indentation atop it.

Trying not to panic, Zani lit the tip of her wand to cast more light, and used it like a probe to nudge the pillow aside. She hoped to find the stone nestled beneath it, even as her heart told her it was gone.

Growing frantic, she poked her wand into every corner and crevice, and pulled out all the stuffing, all to no avail. She no longer cared that her breakfast had gone cold.

Her wards were intact. The case had been unharmed. She hadn’t been spelled and nobody had come into the cabin. Unless somehow it had been Cosimo? Had he tampered with the case before he left?

White hot anger surged through her at the thought of being duped by the vampire who she had trusted so blithely. It was the only explanation she could think of. But then, how had he gotten past her wards?

There was no explanation for this. It was simply impossible. It would be all she could think about for the next twenty-six hours, and much, much longer.