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I wiggled my fingers and the cloth swept down the hall, wiping the baseboards clean. I waved my hand and my trusty broom began sweeping the marble floor. The dust cloth returned to me, and with a snap of my fingers, the grime disappeared completely.
It had been a week. I tried to be surreptitious. Just a little magic here and a little there. I kept waiting for my coven to storm down my door and lock me up. But, they hadn't. There was a thrill that I was getting away with it. I became a little bolder each time. It was a slippery slope, but one I wanted to slide down. It felt so good to do magic, I thought I might break out in a song like some sort of fairytale princess.
A familiar cackle came from overhead.
A wicked smile crossed my face as I saw the sharp elbows and bug eyes of the goblins.
They had returned.
I, however, had a little bon voyage gift I had been wanting to give them for a long time.
I stretched out my hand and blue lightning flew from my fingertips.
Their purple bodies jolted as I lit them up.
"Get away! Get away!" cried the goblins as the electricity zapped them. I hit them again and reveled in the sight of their smoldering, singed fur. Screeching, they tore out the windows and doors. One's foot was on fire, which I felt was poetic justice.
"And stay out!" I shouted, straightening my blouse with a pleased huff of pride.
"Now, where did you get the kind of magic that could clear out that lot?" asked Ajax, arms folded as he stared at me.
My mouth dried slightly as I realized the moment of truth had arrived. "Oh, this old thing?" I asked, twirling the dust cloth. "Just a little something I picked up at a rummage sale."
"And the blue electricity from your fingertips? And that broom that's clearing out the cobwebs as we speak?"
I glanced over. The broom was battling it out in a corner with a spider who didn't want to be evicted.
Ajax pointed at it, just to make sure I was clear about which broom we were talking about. "The one that magically appeared the night you beheaded the zombies? The broom you said you were going to return to the coven?"
"Yes...?" I replied.
"What are you up to, Elle?"
I bent down and grabbed Ajax's thick hand. I guided him to a pair of armchairs flanking an empty suit of armor. The helmet swiveled to each of us in greeting.
"They haven't done that since your powers were taken away!" Ajax stated accusingly.
The armor gave a shrug.
"Don't you give him more fodder to be mad at me!" I scolded. I took a deep breath and confided in Ajax, "I've got it."
"You've got what?"
"I got it back!"
"What?"
"My magic!"
He seemed shocked, but happy for me. You know, as happy as a dwarf can be. "How? Did the coven reverse their ruling?"
I swallowed nervously. "You know I would never do anything to hurt anyone..."
"Oh no... don't tell me..." He whispered, horrified that he even had to suggest it. "You're not doing dark magic?"
"NO! No..." I paused. "Well, not exactly."
His face paled and then twisted in resolution, ready to put his foot down if it meant saving me from myself. "That's how it always starts. People always talk about only sacrificing thieves and crooks and vigilante justice and pretty soon you're running a nursing home on Earth where all the elderly residents are mysteriously disappearing."
"I would never do that, Ajax!"
"Then explain to me exactly what you're doing."
"I found this," I said, pulling the small stone out of my pocket. I could see Ajax's eyes grow covetous. There's nothing a dwarf loves as much as treasure. It's the reason hundreds of generations of dwarves decided it was worth living in the bowels of the earth.
"What is it?" he asked. His fingers practically itched to hold it.
"That night I killed the zombies?"
"Yes?"
"Their... remains... activated this stone and it restored my powers."
"All the power..." Ajax shifted nervously. "May I... may I examine the stone? Just... hold it for a moment."
I should have known better than to have shown it to him. But he is my partner and who are we if we cannot trust the people in our lives. I handed it over.
"Welcome to the No Spell," he said as he stroked it lovingly.
Suddenly, the broom dropped to the ground, still and lifeless. The spider lifted his front legs in victory and did a happy dance. I snatched the gem out of Ajax's hand. All the magic was gone. It was nothing but a lump of stone.
"Oh no! What did you do!" I exclaimed, rubbing it as if I could somehow bring it back to life.
"What?"
"All the magic is gone."
Ajax looked at his hands and then apologized, embarrassed. "Dwarf. We neutralize magic."
"Oh..." I replied, realizing that I couldn't be mad. Of course the stone failed. His whole being evolved for millennia to be like a metal spike discharging static electricity. "Dwarf."
"We need more dead monsters," mused Ajax. "You have any laying around?"
"Unfortunately, not. I was down to the last of my supply. But the night is still young!" I cheered. It was such a huge relief to have Ajax taking all this news in stride. I headed towards the front door. "I'll put on my dancing shoes and see if I can boogie down to a happening crime scene where I can recharge with a little biological waste no one will be sad to see go."
"Wait!" Ajax called. He held out his open palm. "Give me the gem!"
"Really, Ajax—" I started to say.
He shook his head, trying to assure me. "I'm not adding it to my hoard. I have an idea. Plus, you never know what you might run into out there."
I walked back over and gently placed it in his hand. I wrapped his fingers around it. "Be very careful."
"I promise it'll come back to you even better than new."
I gave him a kiss on the top of his head; took a quick detour to grab my bag and a few empty vials from my office; tucked them in various, easy to reach spots on myself; and then headed off into the night. It was moonless and dark, perfect for the Other Side's most ruthless hunters to be on the prowl. I shivered with the anticipation of recharging my magic. I didn't have to go far.
On Main Street, the flashing lights of the Other Side's finest lit up the street with flashes of green and purple. Witches and monsters in Victorian garb were gathered around, whispering in horror to one another.
I pulled my glasses that were supposed to be able to spot dead and undead monsters from my satchel, and I walked up to the crime scene.
"What happened here?" I asked, pushing the cats-eye frames up my nose.
"Vampire turf war," said the officer, filling out his form. He shook both his heads. "Have to see if he had a permit to hunt or if it was out of bounds. These nests are getting out of control."
"Well, keep up the good work," I said, flashing my most innocuous smile.
One of the heads gave me a nod while the other's attention remained glued to the paperwork.
I kept walking, keeping my eyes on the ground. I caught a flash of a glowing silver liquid between the cobblestones and knew I had found what I was looking for. These glasses were a goddess-send. I wish I could remember where I got them.
I knelt down as if I was tying my boot, but slipped the vial out of the top of my shoe. While the officer was answering questions, I dipped the vial into the cracks between the cobblestones and filled it.
"What are you doing?"
I suddenly turned. There was a young kid, relatively speaking in witch years. She seemed twenty or thirty years old, which is around fourteen or fifteen in human years; black, natural hair about an inch long all around; thick-rimmed glasses. She wore a blue sweater and plaid uniform I recognized from my old alma mater. Her brown knees rebelliously peeked out of the space between her skirt and long, navy blue socks, which would have sent the spellmistress into conniptions back in my day. If she went to my school, that meant she was a witch. I wondered how much power I was dealing with here.
"Just... gathering evidence," I said, trying to act as if this was perfectly normal.
"Oh. You work with the police?"
She was an inquisitive one.
"In a nonofficial capacity," I replied, wanting to wrap up this conversation before the law noticed what I was doing and started asking why I was taking vampire samples.
"You are the owner of the No Spell, right?" she asked.
I marked her sharply. "And how does a sweet young thing like you know something like that? Have you stayed with us?"
"Two zombies were sent to attack you a week ago."
I stood up. She had my full attention now. "They were sent to attack me...?"
"They were my teachers." She took a deep breath. "You killed my teachers."
I waited for the angry words, I waited for her to call over the cops and report me.
Instead, she said, "I need your help to catch the people who did that to them."