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The shop was dark and slightly ominous as Wynona and Rascal pulled up. “Pull around back,” she said softly.
Rascal followed orders. His large truck took up nearly the entire alley. There was barely enough room to open their doors and climb out. Celia’s motorcycle was right next to the kitchen door and she was waiting, leaning casually against the building.
As Wynona and Rascal approached, an unsettled feeling came into Wynona’s stomach. It was strong enough that she paused and put a hand on her belly.
“What is it?” Rascal asked, stopping with her.
“I don’t know,” Wynona responded honestly. “I just...I have kind of a bad feeling about all this.”
Rascal’s eyes began to glow and he took a hard look around the alley, sniffing the air as he went.
Celia’s footsteps joined them. “What’s the hold up?”
“Wynona has a feeling,” Rascal said, still searching the area. “I don’t see or smell anything.”
“There’s no one here,” Celia scoffed. “Nothing has moved since I got here. Now unlock the door and let’s see if we can set up something.”
“You’re right,” Wynona said, rubbing her forehead. “I just... Sorry...I guess I’m still overly tired.”
“Which is completely understandable, but you’ll sleep much better if we get this finished once and for all,” Celia pressed. “Come on.”
Wynona followed her sister back to the building, then unlocked the door and let everyone inside. “Should we get Lusgu?” Wynona asked Violet. She hadn’t managed to see the brownie since he’d been knocked unconscious from the grimoires. Wynona was worried about him, but she also couldn’t force him to answer when she called. His portal seemed to be safe enough from what happened inside the shop, but she didn’t want to risk him getting hurt if she didn’t have to.
Violet poked her nose up from Rascal’s pocket. I’ll go talk to him.
Rascal took her out of his pocket and carefully set the mouse on the ground, where Violet promptly raced across the floor and disappeared into the corner.
Wynona took a deep breath, then turned to walk toward the dining room, but nearly ran into Celia, who was standing watching the corner with a shocked look on her face.
Celia pointed to the spot. “What in all of purgatory just happened?”
“Lusgu, my janitor lives there.”
“He has a permanent portal?”
Wynona nodded.
“Can you go in?”
Wynona shook her head. “No. I’ve tried knocking and entering a couple times, but only Violet seems immune to whatever wards he has up.”
Celia’s eyes narrowed and she was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “You’re surrounded by some of the oddest things and you don’t even know it.”
“You have no idea,” Wynona murmured. She pushed open the door to the dining room and flipped on the light. “So now what?” she asked as she walked to the center. When no one answered, Wynona spun around, but she was alone. “Rascal? Celia?”
“I’m afraid they aren’t coming, dear.”
That sinking feeling was back and Wynona felt as if she might be sick. They had come to set a trap, but it appeared they had walked into one instead. Slowly, Wynona spun. “Hello, Mrs. Pearlily.”
The fairy’s usual ingratiating smile was gone and now it was as sharp and calculated as any villain Wynona had ever run into. Rascal? Can you hear me?
That sinister smile grew. “I’m afraid he can’t.”
Wynona’s eyes bugged out of her head. “How can you hear me?”
Mrs. Pearlily tapped her temple. “I’m not quite an ordinary fairy,” she said simply, then clasped her hands in front of her. “Though, no one but my daughter knows. She...inherited...a few of my family gifts that tend to run through the female line, so there was no way to hide it.”
“Mr. Pearlily has no idea, does he?” Wynona asked. She needed to keep the fairy talking. Wynona wasn’t the least bit prepared for this and had no idea how to handle it. What extra powers did Mrs. Pearlily have? And how could Wynona protect herself against them?
Apparently, she could read thoughts and she had also kept Celia and Rascal from following Wynona into the dining room. Maybe I just need to address her as another witch until I know more.
“I had plans for you and I, you know,” Mrs. Pearlily said as she slowly began to walk across the room.
Wynona immediately brought her magic to her fingers, purple sparks falling to the carpet as she moved to counter the woman’s movements. “I’m sure you did. They went awry, didn’t they?”
Mrs. Pearlily rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t actually trying to kill you last night,” she argued. “Sometimes my...powers...get a little out of control.” She smirked. “I’m sure you know all about that, don’t you?”
Wynona tilted her head. “I’m far more in control than I used to be,” she defended. Maybe if she could intimidate Mrs. Pearlily, it would hold her off long enough for Chief Ligurio and the rest of the precinct to arrive. She brought her hands up and rested them on a chair, showing off the dancing current. “Are you sure you want to do this? It doesn’t have to be a fight, Sequoia. Someone’s bound to get hurt.” Wynona hoped that using Mrs. Pearlily’s first name would help put them on more even ground. Obviously, the fairy had a false sense of connection and Wynona was absolutely going to exploit that.
Sequoia’s smile was confident and not the least bit intimidated. “I’m afraid that someone is going to be you and your friends, but I wanted to speak to you by yourself before I had to take care of you.”
Wynona spread the purple up her arms. “Why? We hardly know each other.”
“But we could have,” Sequoia insisted. She sidestepped again. “Between our powers and our connections to the right people, you and I could have ruled beyond the borders of Hex Haven.”
“You really think you’re a match for my father?”
Sequoia scoffed. “Your father. He has no idea what’s going on right under his nose.” Sequoia began to walk away from Wynona, waving a careless hand in the air. “He thinks we don’t know about his secret meetings or his plans, but anyone with any sense and an ear in the underworld knows exactly what’s happening.” She spun. “And he won’t succeed.”
Wynona folded her arms over her chest. “You’re so sure? How do you plan to stop him?” Wynona had no idea what Mrs. Pearlily was referring to, but it gave them a direction in the conversation and if Wynona managed to survive this ambush, it might help them figure out what to do about President Le Doux.
Mrs. Pearlily opened her mouth, then stopped and her face lit up. “You have no idea, do you?” Her laugh was shrill and painful, like claws on a chalkboard. “You don’t know what your father is doing!” Sequoia leaned forward in her amusement and Wynona took the opportunity to put more distance between them. “STOP!” Mrs. Pearlily shouted and Wynona obeyed. She didn’t want to anger the insane woman...yet.
“Alright,” Wynona admitted carefully. “I don’t know what he’s planning. Would you care to enlighten me?”
Mrs. Pearlily shook her head, her smile back. “No. I don’t think I will.” She shrugged. “After all, what would be the point? You won’t survive our little meeting here, so I’m not going to waste my time explaining it all.” She made a face. “It’s very tedious, after all.”
“But you also have plans,” Wynona urged. “Tell me, why did you want me to be a part of them? Was Thallia also part of them? You worked so hard to keep her from making a stupid mistake with her life when it came to Dralo. What part is she supposed to play?”
“Like I said,” Mrs. Pearlily responded, “she inherited some family powers. They would have been useful.” Her face darkened. “But her shallow stupidity is making it difficult to keep her useful. She’ll ruin herself in the media before I can make my move and while my reputation is spotless, hers will be too tarnished to have her at my side.” Mrs. Pearlily gave a beleaguered sigh. “I suppose with you and her out of the picture, I’ll simply have to find other help. It’s so difficult these days.”
“Your reputation won’t stay untarnished if you kill me,” Wynona added. “The police know it was you. They know you killed Dralo because your husband hadn’t caught on to Thallia’s antics. They know you killed Edana because you thought she knew too much.”
“Yes...” Mrs. Pearlily pursed her lips. “That one was unfortunate. Her family could have been useful, but only if they all believed my public persona. I was sure Thallia had shared her suspicions, but apparently, I acted in haste.” Mrs. Pearlily tilted her head in a careless gesture. “I’ll take better care next time.”
“How will you manage to do anything after this spectacle?” Wynona pressed. “The whole paranormal world will know your involvement. Killing me won’t stop the rest of the police station from taking you in or declaring your activities to the public.”
“I won’t be able to stay in Hex Haven, that’s for sure,” Mrs. Pearlily said with a shake of her head. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t start over somewhere else. A new name, a new hairdo.” She grinned. “And maybe even a new husband. This one has gotten difficult.”
“And what about Thallia?” Wynona asked softly. “She’s your daughter.”
Mrs. Pearlily dropped her gaze and shrugged. It was clear she was trying to pretend she didn’t care, but even an evil mother apparently loved her child. “She made her choices,” Mrs. Pearlily defended. “I tried to help, but she’s continued to push me away.” Her eyes came up and hardened in a way that let Wynona know their time of chatting was coming to an end. “Besides, the police have her. I can’t save her and myself, so...”
The implication was clear. Mrs. Pearlily was going to do what she needed to do in order to keep herself free and above the nasty fallout of the killing spree.
The fairy put one hand in the air and snapped her fingers. “Now...I think we’ve chatted enough, dear. I’m terribly sorry that you felt so compelled to search for answers, but at least now you have them.”
Wynona’s eyes kept darting around, her senses on high alert. What had happened when Mrs. Pearlily snapped? It had to mean something, but she couldn't figure it out.
Mrs. Pearlily simply stayed still, smiling as if this had all been a lark.
Wynona’s nose twitched. She could smell...something. She took in a deep sniff, frantically racking her brain for recognition. The smell grew stronger and her head snapped toward the kitchen. “No...” she breathed.
Mrs. Pearlily laughed again, sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard.
“What did you do?” Wynona demanded, her body surging with emotional magic.
“What do you think I did?” Mrs. Pearlily taunted.
Wynona fought the desire to scream. “Fire...” she whimpered. “You started a fire.”