Witch in Exile (A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Book 7) Read online

“Gaps,” Lexie said.

  “What about them?”

  “You left gaps.”

  “No, I didn’t. Did I?”

  Both Jonathan and Lexie nodded.

  Luna screeched and took off. “There’s a memory demon on the loose.”

  Jonathan picked up a purple crayon and tapped it on the table. “This is bad. Very bad.”

  Chapter Four

  Lexie stood by the fireplace gazing at the flames and tapping her boot on the stone floor. Cat had curled up on a window seat surrounded by embroidered plump cushions and was running her finger through a Titian red curl, tugging it at intervals, her eyes unblinking, her lips moving in a silent murmur. Out of the three, Jonathan appeared to be the most productive, sitting at the table, taking his frustration out on paper.

  Luna sauntered into the sitting room, looked from one to the other and then sauntered right out again, her tail flicking in the air.

  Snapping out of her reverie, Lexie followed her along the long hallway that led who knew where. She found Luna around the corner staring at a wall, her tail swaying from side to side.

  “Where’s Smidgen?” Lexie asked.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care. She’s not much of a hostess, leaving me to entertain myself,” Luna complained, her attention still fixed on the wall. Luna’s shoulder twitched. “Must you watch me staring at the wall?”

  “I’ll stop if you tell me what you’re hoping to see.”

  “I’m not permitted to divulge that information,” Luna murmured.

  “It’s a cat secret?”

  Sighing, Luna swung away from the wall. “Have you remembered anything yet?”

  “Nope. I was hoping you’d come up with something.”

  “I can hear some ideas bouncing around your mind. Come on. Let’s go find somewhere quiet and hash this out.” Luna poked her head inside one room. It didn’t seem to meet with her approval. Moving onto the next one, she again surveyed it. “This will do. It has a chaise lounge like mine.”

  In fact, there were two. A normal sized one and a kitty sized one.

  “Great. All we need now is Dr. Shrink,” Lexie chortled.

  “We haven’t seen her in weeks,” Luna said and leaped onto the little chaise. “There’s a clue. We must have been too busy to see our shrink.”

  They’d been having regular… sometimes irregular sessions with a therapist only because the Coven’s Disciplinary Board had insisted on it after someone had lodged a complaint about them squabbling, or some such nonsense.

  Lexie inspected the room. It had a large fireplace with an ornate mantelpiece and a collection of ornamental cauldrons displayed around it. “I’ve been thinking. I appear to remember going through the fairy tale door in Jonathan’s inner sanctum.”

  Had she visited the Crone? They’d recently met the ancient witch when she’d had a potion stolen from her. Lexie cringed as she remembered she’d promised to visit so the Crone could teach her the basics of potion making, something she did only in her own realm because she insisted the ingredients there were purer.

  “This isn’t going to work,” Luna purred. “Now I’m thinking we both went through the door, but I suspect it’s a fake memory brought on by you mentioning it.”

  Luna stretched out on the chaise, while Lexie collapsed on hers face down and moaned.

  “Can you remember learning to make any new potions?” Luna asked. “That would be the only reason for visiting the Crone. Name the first ingredient that comes to mind. Don’t think about it, just name it.”

  “Rosemary,” Lexie mumbled. Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. “Well, that has to mean something. Rosemary is one of the key ingredients in the Memory Potion.” She sprung up. “Hey. How did I know that?”

  “You must have learned how to make it.” Luna’s whiskers twitched. “I believe we are making progress.”

  “What do you think about Cat not remembering her conversations with Mirabelle?”

  “Whatever affected us, also affected her.” Luna gave her ear a vigorous scratch only to stop. “I heard a cat complaining she’d picked up a flea. She was retracing her steps, trying to remember where she’d been so she could avoid going there again. The thing that affected our memory could be in one place.”

  “So we’d need to figure out if any of us have been to the same place.”

  “That’s one possibility. The other one is that whoever or whatever is responsible for meddling with our memories can move around. It could be here right now. Watching and waiting for the right moment to pounce on us and steal the rest of our memories.” Luna fell silent.

  Lexie could understand forgetting inconsequential events—thoughts and experiences that slipped in and straight out of her mind. However, most of what she’d been experiencing lately tended to linger. Staring up at the ceiling again, she remembered meeting the Monkey God. Then again, he’d had a monkey tail, a voracious appetite for feasts and music and telling tales. It would take some doing to shove those memories out of her mind.

  Luna snickered.

  “What?”

  “You’re staring at the ceiling.”

  “I’m sure it’s not the same as you staring at walls. I’m onto you. There’s something weird about it. You always look entranced by the experience.”

  “Maybe it’s my way of getting in touch with my inner self.”

  “Is that a hint?”

  Luna flicked her tail. “I’ve already said too much.”

  “Right. You don’t want to risk being ordered to face the Feline Companion Disciplinary Board. Is there such a thing?”

  Luna sighed. “We all have to answer to someone.”

  Lexie bit the edge of her lip. She used to be a free agent, free to come and go and do as she pleased, and then Mirabelle and Cat had shown up.

  “Your animosity toward Mirabelle is almost palpable,” Luna purred.

  “I did not kill Mirabelle.”

  “How do you feel about being accused of killing her?” Luna asked. “Take a deep breath and tell me about it.”

  “Are you trying to psychoanalyze me?”

  Luna’s purr became melodic. Lexie’s eyelids fluttered and grew heavier. “Hey. Stop that.”

  “I can’t go against my nature.”

  “You can poke around and discover hidey holes to your heart’s content but stay out of my head.”

  But it’s such an interesting place to be in.

  Lexie swatted the air around her. “Cut it out.” Lexie fell silent and withdrew inside herself. She had no idea how Luna did it, but it almost felt as if she’d stepped right inside her head. “You’re still in here. Get out.”

  “Hang on. I think I sense something,” Luna purred.

  “Don’t scratch anything.”

  Luna snorted. “You do realize I’m inside your head but I’m not really there.”

  “Yeah, whatever. Just don’t scratch anything. You’ve been leaving scratch marks all over the floor at home.”

  “I’m a cat. It’s what I do. You need to get me a scratch pole.”

  “I thought you were a feline companion and above all those things.”

  “As I said, I can’t go against my nature.”

  “Wow.” Lexie sprung upright and Luna screeched. “What was that?” She opened her eyes and saw Luna staring at her from across the room.

  “I don’t know, but I didn’t like it. What did you see?” Luna asked.

  “Something crossed my field of vision. I had my eyes closed but it felt as if someone walked right past me.”

  Luna strode toward the door, staying as close to the wall as she could. “Right… Well… I think I hear the dinner gong.”

  * * *

  “Where have you two been?” Jonathan asked.

  Lexie strode into the sitting room. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Luna keeping her distance. “Playing around with an idea. What about you? Have you come up with anything?”

  Jonathan pushed a piece of paper toward her.

>   “Wow. You really are good.” He’d drawn her. The image looked familiar enough for Lexie to believe it was the same one she’d seen drawn on the chronicle. “What about the writing?”

  Gesturing to the crayon, he shook his head. “It won’t come to me. I need a quill pen.”

  “Don’t force it,” Lexie suggested. “Just keep drawing.” She turned to Cat. “What about you? Have you remembered anything?”

  “Mirabelle and I discussed a case,” Cat blurted out. “Yes, that’s what we did.”

  “Did you just pluck that out of thin air?” Lexie asked. “How sure are you it’s a real memory?”

  “I’m almost… absolutely…” Cat gestured with her hand. Her shoulders rose and fell. “Uncertain. But it has a ring of truth to it, so… it must be true. It’s what we usually do and then we spring it all on you and send you off to solve the case. Sometimes, we contrive ways to get you wherever we need you to be because we know you won’t go willingly.” Cat clamped her hand over her mouth and mumbled, “I think I just said too much.”

  That had a ring of truth to it.

  “We’re all trying too hard to remember.” Lexie studied the drawing Jonathan had just finished of her. He’d drawn her wearing her chain mail dress and looking like… “A warrior princess? Where did that come from?” She’d only just started wearing the chain mail dress.

  Jonathan brushed his hand across his brow. “I don’t know. I only include your deeds and or misdeeds.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t really a question but I guess now it is.”

  “He must have the gift of foresight,” Cat murmured, her tone slightly awestruck.

  Jonathan erupted from his chair. “Great. That’s just great. Not only do I get to experience everything Lexie gets up to, I also get a preview of what’s to come.”

  “Huh? You see everything?” Lexie screeched. “Are you some sort of wannabe oracle?”

  “I only get to see the most significant events. Otherwise, I’d go stir crazy.” He threw his head back and laughed. “Imagine if I had to bear witness to absolutely everything that goes on between you and Luna. I’d have to hear you arguing about her cat food, and the position of her chaise lounge and… I’d know every time you cheat at cards.”

  “Who cheats at cards?” Lexie asked.

  “You both do.”

  “Hang on. You just said you don’t hear and see everything. That suggests you only focus on important events. How do you know Luna cheats at cards?”

  “He said we both do,” Luna grumbled.

  “Sometimes I hear whispers or I look at you and I know,” Jonathan said.

  “Wow.” Lexie pointed an accusing finger at him. “We’ve played cards together. If you know I cheat, and I’m not saying I do, then you know what cards I’m holding.”

  Jonathan grinned. “I let you win… Sometimes.”

  Cat stood between them. “Children, this is not the time to argue.”

  Luna strode up to Jonathan and looked over her shoulder at Lexie. “Would you like me to bite him?”

  “Let me think about it.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Cat exclaimed. “How could I have been exposed to whatever has taken a hold of you and made you forget everything you’ve been up to?” When she swung away from them, a trail of bright sparkles followed her around. “I appeared in your apartment as an orb.”

  “Calm down, Cat. You’re making me dizzy.” Lexie slammed her hands on her hips and tried to fight off the overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

  Luna sniffed Jonathan and then moved on to Cat and smelled her too. “Pull yourselves together.” Luna had clearly found her voice, projecting it to everyone loud and clear. “You all reek of desperation and hopelessness.”

  They looked at each other and, one by one, shook their heads.

  “I’ve never felt hopeless in my life,” Cat declared. “There’s always hope.”

  “Yes,” Jonathan agreed.

  Lexie nodded. “I’m feeling a little helpless, but not hopeless. There’s a difference.”

  They all agreed.

  Luna leaped up onto the table. “Good. Now we’ve sorted that out, let’s come up with a plan of action.” She looked around the room. “I suggest we do nothing.”

  Lexie harrumphed. “That’s your bright idea?”

  “Luna might have a point.” Cat tapped her chin. “We could chill out. Worrying hasn’t yielded any results. In fact, worrying tends to block the way to solutions.”

  “Chill out?” Lexie frowned. “I hope you’re not about to suggest we play a game of cards.”

  Cat pirouetted around the room. “I suggest we go outside and soak in some sunshine. You haven’t seen my garden. It has magnificent flowers.”

  “You have a green thumb?”

  Cat inspected her thumb. “No, I have a garden gnome. He’s been with the family since… well, since always. Mr. Ellsworth. He lives on the grounds with his wife, Mrs. Ellsworth. If you’re lucky, they might show themselves. Gnomes are very shy creatures.”

  “Do you have any rosemary in your garden?” Lexie wouldn’t know what to do with it, but she supposed it might come to her… by osmosis. She knew it served as the main ingredient for memory potions. Smelling it might trigger something significant. “Which phase of the moon are we at?”

  “The first quarter,” Cat said.

  They still had a month to go before they could return home? She’d go stir crazy…

  Chapter Five

  “Is it safe to be out here?” Lexie couldn’t help asking. The cottage glimmered in the afternoon light, and the further away she moved from it, the smaller it appeared to be. She looked up and saw a single cloud meandering its way across the clear blue sky. She imagined at night time it would fill up with more stars than it could possibly hold.

  Cat extended her arms. “The forest is enchanted. No one comes in without me knowing about it.”

  “Are you sure? You sound a little dazzled.” Actually, she sounded impressed by her own statement, almost as if she didn’t quite believe it, Lexie thought.

  “It still mystifies me. I have no idea how it all happened. One day I moved into my cottage, planted a few seeds, cast a few spells and suddenly, it all appeared.”

  If Cat didn’t know exactly how it had happened, did she know ‘what’ had happened? What if she’d conjured other things besides pretty flowers and majestic trees? Lexie didn’t want to cast aspersions on Catherine’s ability to cast spells. However, Lexie still remembered spending a couple of days spurting rhymes and tongue twisters after a spell had gone awry.

  “I hope you’re not about to complain,” Jonathan said, almost as if he’d read her thoughts. “If something goes wrong, you can conjure a fireball at will. What exactly are you afraid of?”

  She studied the palm of her hand. The balm Cat had given her had worked wonders. “It’s not that easy. And, for the sake of public safety, I think I should slow down until I’ve mastered the skills I have acquired.” She still landed in closets. She could levitate and she could also float around but she still had trouble steering. As for the elements… She had no idea how far she could take that.

  Jonathan leaned in to look at her hand. “You were supposed to do something with the fireball, not hold it.”

  “I’ll try to remember that next time.”

  A flurry of brightly colored butterflies swept around her a couple of times and then dispersed. She’d never seen so many flowers in bloom, and all so different.

  “This is my English cottage garden.” Cat proudly pointed at her favorite flowers, naming each one as if they were old friends.

  “Very pretty,” Lexie offered, “Can you point me to your rosemary bush?”

  “Which one do you want? I have Blue Boy around borders. Spice Islands. That one has a wonderful flavor and aroma, Pink. Upright. Santa Barbara...”

  “Cat.”

  “Yes?”

  “Any rosemary will do so long as it smells like rosemary.”

  Cat seem
ed intent on finding her the perfect one. Finally, she retrieved a small pair of garden scissors from her pocket and snipped off a twig.

  Lexie was about to inhale its fragrance when Cat said, “Don’t look now, I spotted Mr. Ellsworth at the bottom of the garden. He’s heading our way.”

  Lexie couldn’t help it and looked in time to see a blur come to a sudden halt. “It’s a statue.”

  Cat yelped. “It is now. I told you not to look. You’ve startled him. Stay here. I’ll go have a word with him.” Cat hurried toward him.

  Before Cat reached him, another blur rushed out of the bushes.

  “Mr. Ellsworth. Why are you dawdling?” a homey looking woman with bright red curls peeking out from under her cap asked.

  “I guess that’s his wife.” Luna pranced over.

  Seeing her approaching Mrs. Ellsworth produced a broomstick and swung it at Luna. “Keep away. Keep away. Go catch yourself a mouse. We’re not your dinner.”

  Luna cowered back.

  Cat bent down and had a whispered chat with Mr. Ellsworth. She then straightened and explained to his wife she had visitors. The stout looking gnome quivered and came back to life. Mrs. Ellsworth patted him and straightened his clothes and then tugged him away.

  “For goodness’ sake, stop fussing Mrs. Ellsworth. They merely caught me by surprise.” The gnome peered at them from between Cat’s feet. “I hope your visitors know not to trample on the plants. That’s all I’ve got to say on the matter.” He swung on his feet and, looking over his shoulder at them, he stomped off with his wife by his side.

  “I guess they didn’t want to meet you,” Cat said.

  Lexie laughed. “I can’t believe those things are real.”

  “Well, that’s rude. Calling us things...”

  Cat nudged her. “They heard you.”

  “Sorry,” Lexie called out. “You’ll have to excuse my rudeness. I’m… I’m not from around here.”

  Jonathan and Cat rolled their eyes.

  “Come on, I want to show you my favorite spot. It’s the oldest tree in the garden and said to be magical. For some reason, it hasn’t shown me anything, but I always feel refreshed when I spend a while sitting under its shade. I shouldn’t doubt its abilities because one day it wasn’t there and the next day, it was.”