The Mayhem Sisters (6 page)

Vivi woke early, threw on a sweater and a jacket, and headed out, but before leaving, she popped out back and gathered a small bouquet from the flower garden that grew in her yard. The shop didn’t open until ten, giving her about an hour to pay a visit to the old witch in the healer ward. She knew it was a long shot the woman would be able to help her, but she had to start somewhere. The healer ward was on the other side of town, so she took the closest portal gate, which dropped her off a block away.

The ward was quiet when she entered. She approached the receptionist’s desk and asked to speak to the healer in charge, hoping to check on the witch and express her sympathies. A gentle-looking witch dressed in a simple tunic and slacks led her into a waiting room. Vivi explained that she had been working with the sheriff and found the witch yesterday in the woods. The healer nodded and gave her a kind smile. “Yes, Sheriff Gardener was in last night with her and gave you all the credit for finding the poor dear. You should be proud.”

Really? That was nice of him.
“Is she speaking? Do you know who she is?” Vivi asked.

“She hasn’t said a word. We did a blood test and looked her up in the Everland registry. That’s how we got her name and address. She lives alone on the edge of Willow Realm near the Meadowlands and has no family. We’re still searching. So far we haven’t found anyone.”

All witches and wizards were recorded in the public registry when they were born, and it contained a birth certificate and known addresses, although it wasn’t always kept up to date with witches moving from place to place. They were lucky to have found her current residence.

“How’s she doing, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Not bad for the state she was in last night. She’s suffering from dehydration, exhaustion, and is very weak. I shouldn’t say more about what was done to her.” Her brow furrowed. “What she endured was terrible.”

Vivi nodded. “I understand. May I sit with her for a few minutes? I won’t disturb her. I just wanted to bring her these and make sure she was okay.” She held out the small bouquet.

“I don’t see why not. There’s been a healer with her all night, who’s with her now. Normally, we wouldn’t let anyone see a patient, but the poor woman has no one.”

“May I ask her name?”

“Sure, it’s Clarissa Taylor. Right this way.” The healer showed her to a small room with a bed surrounded by curtains. Another healer stood and nodded to Vivi. She walked quietly out of the room, only to return a few seconds later with a small glass vase for the flowers.

“We’ll be right outside if you need us.”

“One more thing. Did the registry happen to mention what her
persuasion
is?”

“Yes, it did. Fascinatingly enough, the witch is an empath. But I guess it didn’t help her stop whoever did this.”

Vivi sat in a chair next to the bed. The witch lay on white sheets and was propped up on pillows, her long gray hair fanned out around her shoulders. Her skin was papery and had a gray tinge. Both of her wrists were covered in gauze.

This was a talented witch with a strong
persuasion
. Empaths intuitively felt another witch’s or wizard’s true feelings and emotions. While she sat with the witch, Vivi pulled out her notebook and recorded the details of what she had just learned. Having no family and living in an isolated area of town made the witch a perfect target, but it was strange that she had been unable to sense deception from her attacker, especially being empathic. The attacker must have hid his true nature well, and that didn’t bode well for her catching him.

A
fter her early visit to the healer ward, a mix of feelings battled inside her—sadness, anger, and frustration. But a new desire was rising to the top of the heap of emotions: resolve. She wanted to get this guy. Vivi opened the shop on time and enjoyed an onslaught of eager customers before Pepper arrived after taking a well-deserved morning off.

Once her assistant was settled, Vivi darted out for her lunch break, but she had no intention of eating. Having not gathered much information from the injured witch, save her name and
persuasion
, Vivi realized her vision was the key, and the only other witch who could help her was Esmeralda. Now all she had to do was find the elusive seer, and she knew just where to go—The Evil Queen.

Technically, the owner of the clairvoyant shop, Scarlet Card, wasn’t evil, nor was she a queen, but the name she chose suited her perfectly. Crisp leaves skidded across the sidewalk as Vivi hurried down Main Street and cut across to a narrow alley. The rich smoky scent of autumn hung in the air. This was usually her favorite time of year—the harvest time, a time for reaping what had been sown all summer, a time of reward and relaxation.

Not this year.

Vivi pushed open the door to The Evil Queen and was immediately enveloped into a lush room filled with flickering candles. Velvet fabrics draped every surface, pillows crowded chaise lounges, and spicy-scented incense curled upward, pooling on the ceiling in smoky wafts. Wooden shelves were filled with worn-edged tarot decks hundreds of years old, crystal balls of all sizes, and stacks of porcelain teacups littered every nook and cranny. Vivi got a little shiver of excitement, seeing all the traditional tools of the fortune-telling trade displayed in the shop.

A striking woman with a long sheet of cherry red hair that hung past her waist pushed through a beaded curtain from the back room. “I knew you would come see me sooner or later,” Scarlet said, slinking up to the counter like a lynx. Dark kohl rimmed her almond-shaped eyes.

Vivi should have told Honora before coming here, but she needed help fast and didn’t have time to be picky. Scarlet and Honora had been best friends all through Haven Academy. They had been like sisters, sharing every secret, dreaming of their futures, before their wild ways got them into trouble and their friendship ended in a full-blown fight. Over the years, Vivi had seen less and less of Scarlet, who’d once been a fixture in their house, glued to Honora’s hip.

Since Scarlet opened her shop, Vivi saw her in town occasionally, but had never taken the time to stop in and look around. She gave Scarlet a warm smile, hoping she would help her for old times’ sake.

“Looks like sooner.” Vivi leaned against the glass counter and admired an antique crystal ball on a carved silver pedestal displayed inside. “How’ve you been, Scarlet?”

“Better than you.” The sultry witch eyed Vivi up and down. “Your aura is cloudy, kind of murky around the edges. I’m guessing you aren’t sleeping much. You’ve been having bad dreams. Headaches, too. Am I right?”

Great, her troubles were so transparent it was as if she were wearing them around like a gaudy cloak. “I was hoping you could help me find Esmeralda Westbourne? I ran into her two nights ago out by the Meadowland old oak portal. She said a few things that I need clarified, to say the least.”

“Sure, I’ve seen Esmeralda.”

“Great.”
Now I’m getting somewhere.
“Where can I reach her? It’s really important.”

“Well, then, you’re out of luck. She’s gone, and from what she told me, she’ll be gone for a long time. She’s headed out on a retreat. Needed to get away and do some meditating, releasing.”

Panic sparked in Vivi. “But where? I have to find her.”

“Sorry, she didn’t tell me.”

Scarlet motioned to a low table surrounded by cushions. “Maybe I can help you. Sit. We’ll have a look, shall we?” A thumbed, worn stack of tarot cards rested on the table. Scarlet scooped them up and shuffled them lazily with her long fingers.

“I just wanted to talk to her.”

Scarlet smirked. “I hear that lie every day of my life. Everyone says they just want to talk. Does anyone saunter up to a bar to chitchat with the bartender? No, paying customers want a drink. And since I’m not selling cocktails, the only reason anyone walks through my door is to see the future and get some answers. Just like you.” She wore a blouse of black lace and a necklace of twisted metal and leather around her slender neck. She reminded Vivi of her sister—tough, beautiful, and brutally honest.

Scarlet’s
persuasion
was a seer, but her
persuasion
wasn’t strong and she used magical tools like tarot cards, tea leaves, auras, and palm reading to get a better bead on the future. She also turned her talent into a lucrative business. Scarlet’s mother had been a powerful psychic, not unlike Esmeralda, but Scarlet hadn’t inherit her mother’s power, so she dabbled at the edge of dark magic, pushing her talents to the limits, earning her a slightly shady reputation within the witching community. Prissy witches loved to gossip about Scarlet, who relished giving them juicy stories to cluck about. But it had also isolated her; witches and wizards of their small town feared she was a dark witch.

Vivi refused to believe Scarlet had gone bad. She sat on one of the cushions and crossed her legs. “I do want to talk. I need your help with something I’ve been struggling with.” Might as well get right to the point.

“Finally, the great and powerful Mayhem sister has decided to come out of the closet.” Scarlet set the deck of cards down in front of Vivi. “You should never have been ashamed of being an oracle girl.”

“I don’t know what I am. That’s the problem. How did you know?” Vivi’s stomach jumped. Obviously, she had not been as subtle as she thought. “And don’t say it’s because you’re psychic or you saw it in the cards.”

“My mom told me. She knew it way back when we were kids. Don’t be angry with her. She didn’t mean to tell me. It just slipped out one night when she was in a trance. I never told anyone. I’ve kept your secret all these years.”

“How’s your mom doing?” Last Vivi had heard, Scarlet’s mother was living alone somewhere in the Meadowlands.

“She’s managing it. But I am guessing from your visit to little old me, you aren’t handling it as well.” Scarlet fanned the cards out onto the table.

“No, I’m not. I’ve pretty much ignored my
persuasion,
and now I don’t know how to handle it. I’m overwhelmed with images and dreams, and I don’t know what they mean. Where do I start?”

“Asking for help is a good first step,” Scarlet said. “Since you haven’t been using your magic, images have been building up and are leaking into your consciousness. Your
persuasion
isn’t going to go away. It’ll come out whether you like it or not.”

“Leaking. That’s an interesting way to put it. I’ll have to bottle it up,” Vivi said with levity, but Scarlet didn’t smile.

“I’m guessing something really powerful has happened and the magic wants to be seen. You’re a conduit.” The red-headed witch ran a long nail across the surface of the card deck.

“But why me? Why not you or some other witch who wants to see the future and help people? I don’t want it.” Vivi put her elbow on the table and rested her forehead against her hand.

Scarlet frowned. “You Mayhem sisters have always taken the huge gifts you were given for granted. Witches don’t get to pick and choose their
persuasions
. Magic chooses the witch. The gift picked you and you scoff at it.” She scooped up the cards in one swift motion and stood. “You don’t deserve the power you’ve been given. I would do anything to have your talent.” She shook her head in disgust. “I can’t help you.” Scarlet swept past Vivi and disappeared into the back room.

“No, wait. Please, Scarlet. With Esmeralda gone, you’re the only witch I can turn to who understands.” Vivi parted the glass bead curtain and followed her. The back room was even nicer than the front. Scarlet nodded to two young witches and they gathered up a pair of teacups and went to the front of the shop. “You’re right. I have taken my
persuasion
for granted. But I realize that now, and I’m asking for help. You’ve dealt with seeing and made a real life for yourself.”

“You mean not gone crazy.” Scarlet eased down in a low chair with a high back, looking regal, ready to judge Vivi for herself.

“Yes. I guess.” Vivi plopped down on a golden velvet chaise lounge. She fingered the fringe of a throw pillow. “I’m scared. I’ve seen terrible things and I don’t know what they mean. I’m in trouble.”

Scarlet stared at her, considering something, but Vivi didn’t know what. “If I help you, then you have to do what I say, no questioning. And it’s going to cost you. I don’t hand out professional advice for free.” She seemed to think for a moment. “I get my pick of potions.”

“Deal. I’m in as long as the magic isn’t black,” Vivi said. “I’m not doing anything with blood or sacrifice.”

Scarlet rolled her dark brown eyes. “No kidding. Of all the Mayhem sisters, you’re the squeaky-clean one. I wouldn’t dream of dirtying your hands.”

“What? I can be
edgy
.”

Scarlet threw her head back and laughed. The sound was relaxed and encouraging, the sharpness in her voice dissolving, and for a second Vivi saw the young Scarlet she remembered. “Honey, edgy just isn’t your style.”

“You’ll help?”

“For starters, you need to tell me everything that’s happened. We’ll go from there.”

Over the next two hours, Vivi told Scarlet everything, and in return Scarlet bestowed her soothsaying wisdom. She taught her how to focus her thoughts and how to create a mental trigger for accessing her sight. She also showed her some quick meditation techniques to drop down fast into a quiet state. Vivi learned more in the short time with Scarlet than she had from any other teacher.

“You’re really good at this.”

“Thanks. I have to practice a lot. My gift demands study, practice, and a ton of patience, and I’m probably half as talented as you. You’re a natural.” Scarlet’s lip curled up in an envious smirk.

“A natural at seeing terrible things.” Vivi felt a pang of guilt.

“The things you see won’t
all
be terrible. You just haven’t given yourself the chance to see the good stuff, the bad stuff, and the simple, everyday life stuff, too, so then you can control your magic and only the most powerful and profound visions come through.”

“I hope you’re right. I couldn’t handle seeing this kind of thing all the time.” Vivi thumbed the edge of a tarot card.

“That’s why you need to learn to control it, so you see when you want to see and don’t end up sprawled on your back-room floor, though I don’t make any promises.”

“Can you help me try and find the witch? I need to see what happened, get some clue as to who she is and how I can find her.” Vivi eyed Scarlet as she glanced at her delicate jeweled watch.

“I have a client coming in twenty minutes. Maybe come back tomorrow.”

Vivi panicked. After the vision she’d had about
him
, she couldn’t wait another day. Desperately, she latched onto Scarlet’s arm. “Please. Just one try. I need a clue, something to go on.”

Scarlet pulled away. “You Mayhem sisters are so pushy.” She drummed the table with her long nails. “Fine, but we make it quick. I have a feeling I’m going to regret this. Close your eyes and sink deep, like I taught you.”

Vivi focused easily enough, but nothing came. She quieted her racing thoughts and meditated. Her mind’s eye sifted through a fog layer. Scarlet’s voice sounded far away as if Vivi were submerged in water, the sounds muffled. She couldn’t get a clear vision of the kidnapped witch no matter how hard she tried, and when she felt an image approaching, it drifted out of sight.

Finally, one image flashed before her—two flat black birds that looked like they had been cut out of black paper were positioned over an arrow. She tried again and again, but the image of the birds kept flashing in her head, hard and sharp, as if pecking at her attention. When she focused on a feeling, she felt someone sewing, which made even less sense. Her head ached. All she saw were those black birds, constantly rising to the surface of her mind, an arrow, and sewing. Weird.

What kind of bird was flat?

She opened her eyes, but no one was there. The room was empty. She got up from her cross-legged position on the floor, wincing from her tight muscles. The sharp sensation of pins and needles raced down her legs, and she hobbled through the bead curtain to the front room, trying to circulate the blood.

“Finally awake, I see?” Scarlet said, standing behind the counter. A group of young witches sheathed in black stared curiously at Vivi as they gathered up their bags and left the shop.

“What do you mean?” Vivi asked, checking her watch. “That can’t be right.”

“You’ve been back there for over an hour. My client has come and gone. Did you get anything on the witch? Any new clue?” Scarlet asked.

“Yes, but it’s stupid. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Nothing’s stupid or meaningless. Sometimes visions come in symbols. Maybe you need help interpreting what you saw.” Scarlet dropped a few gold coins in the cash box that she stashed under the counter. Vivi definitely owed her a couple of potions in trade for the witch’s time.

“I saw two flat black birds and a thin sharp arrow. Oh, and I got a weird feeling about someone sewing, but that can’t be right.” Vivi cringed, her vision sounded childish. “That’s it.” She shrugged. “Basically, I got nothing.”

“Two flat birds with an arrow, huh?” Scarlet drummed her fingers on the glass countertop. “Are you sure?”

“I saw them over and over. They looked strange, not like real feathery birds. Flat as pancakes. Totally lame. What could flat birds mean? Are they dead?” Vivi couldn’t think of any meaning or how it could be connected.

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure this out. There are other uses for symbols.” Scarlet turned around and dug through an old armoire for a few minutes.

“What’re you looking for?” Vivi asked.

“One second, impatient one.” Scarlet pulled out an old scroll of parchment and stretched it out on the counter. “Did the birds look like this?” She tapped a long red nail on an image stamped on the page.

Two black birds in silhouette. “That’s it! Those are the birds I saw in my mind. I thought of the witch and envisioned her in the dank cell with the scumbag lurking in the shadows like a coward, and that’s the image I got.” A rush of excitement filled her. Maybe she could make her
persuasion
work after all. “This is awesome. It worked.”

“Don’t get too excited,” Scarlet said, raising her brow.

“Why? What’s the image? It looks a little familiar now that you show it to me on paper.” Had she seen the image before?