The Wrong Witch Read online

  “Potions has started a few minutes early, due to lack of interest,” said Eleanor. “You better hurry, or they may not let you in.”

  I figured there was no point in apologizing anymore and turned to leave. The conference was not off to a good start for me.

  Chapter 4

  “I’m sorry I’m late!” I said, pushing open the door to the potions class.

  This room was filled with chairs all around, except for at the front, where a large, bubbling cauldron and a table stood. A woman was at the front, next to the cauldron, watching me with interest. The only other person in the room was a young girl, who sat in the front row of chairs.

  I poked my head back outside to make sure I was at the right place. I was.

  “Another witch interested in potions? Wonderful!” squealed the woman at the front. “Please, please, come in!”

  “Thanks,” I said, moving up to the front row. I would’ve preferred to sit in the back of a large class and just listen anonymously, but it looked like that wasn’t going to be happening today. I took a seat next to the girl, who was staring down at Bart.

  “We hadn’t gotten very far, so I’m going to restart and mix some things up. Since there’s only three of us, let’s start off getting to know one another a little better, hmm?” suggested the woman by the cauldron, who I took to be the lecturer. She had blonde, curly hair that was very unkempt. Her thick rimmed glasses made her eyes look huge and wild.

  The young girl and I nodded noncommittally.

  “Wonderful! I’ll start. My name is Samantha Burki, and I’ve been a lecturer for the conference for about a dozen years now. My favorite potion is the Sleeping Spruce, as I suffer from terrible insomnia. Who’s next?”

  The young girl and I both looked at the floor, neither of us wanting to speak.

  “How about the newcomer?” offered Samantha.

  “Okay,” I said, clearing my throat. “My name is Zoey Foster. This is my first conference, and my first time meeting other witches, actually.”

  “Wonderful!” exclaimed Samantha. “And your favorite potion?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t have a favorite potion, as I’ve never made or used one,” I said.

  “Oh, a novice? How fun! I wish I could go back and learn everything I know about potions all over again,” said Samantha, shaking in excitement. “And finally you, my dear?”

  The girl next to me straightened up, clearing her throat as well. “M-My name is Claire Hawthorn. I-I just graduated from Twistchapel High School, and this is my first conference too.”

  “I went to Twistchapel High back in the day,” I smiled. I had no idea there was another witch in my hometown, and a young one at that. “Did you ever have Mrs. Donahue? She was the worst!”

  Claire’s eyes widened as she nodded enthusiastically. “She is! I guess she’s always been that way!”

  “Look at the connections!” said Samantha. “What are the odds? It’s so… so…”

  “Wonderful?” offered Bart.

  “Exactly!” she squealed.

  “Can I ask you something?” Claire asked me. I nodded. “Why is your familiar a cat? Mine always had a human shape.”

  “To be honest, I have no idea,” I said. “He’s never told me. Where’s your familiar?”

  “Oh, he left a few months ago. I didn’t need him anymore,” she said. Bart glanced over at her as she spoke, and she briefly panicked. “N-Not that familiar’s aren’t useful, or anything!”

  “Some aren’t,” chuckled Bart. “Not all familiars are created equal, you know. One of my colleagues has never successfully taught a witch how to summon light.”

  “Really?” I asked. That would’ve been horrible to get a familiar that couldn’t teach me anything. How would I learn anything?

  “And what would be your favorite potion, Claire?” asked Samantha, getting us back on track.

  “Um…” stalled Claire, her face turning a bright shade of pink. “I, uh…”

  “Ah, I think I know where this is going,” smiled Samantha. “A love potion, isn’t it?”

  Claire nodded, her face as red as a beet.

  “Cupid’s Arrow? Lover’s Shade? Naked Truth?” asked Samantha.

  “Cupid’s Arrow,” mumbled Claire.

  “I had no idea there were so many types of the same potion,” I said, trying to alleviate some of Claire’s embarrassment.

  “Oh, but they aren’t the same potion at all,” said Samantha, holding a finger up. “This brings me to the first rule in potion making: Never assume!”

  “Never assume?” I asked. Seemed like a strange first rule.

  “In order to counter the effects of a potion, you must quickly identify the correct one that was used on the target if you want any chance of reversing the effects. Take for example, the love potions. Claire, what happened when your target had some of Cupid’s Arrow?”

  “H-He fell in love with me?” said Claire, unsure of what the lecturer was going for.

  “Yes, at least, in a sense he did,” nodded Samantha. “But what were the things he did because of that?”

  “Well,” said the girl, thinking back. “I guess he started writing a lot of poems and songs for me… he would just start reciting them in the middle of class. At first it was flattering but… it started to get worrisome.”

  “Poetry and music,” nodded Samantha. “You see, to the untrained eye, a witch would just assume the boy had taken a love potion. Let’s say all they know about is Naked Truth, so they consort a book on the cure for it. They would then make Clothed Abundance to counter it.”

  “Okay,” I said, unsure of where she was going with this. “Why is that a problem?”

  “Because the next day, regardless of the temperature outside, Claire’s young gentleman would come to class to serenade her once more, this time covered from head to toe in thick clothing!” said Samantha, breaking out into a cackle of laughter.

  “That’s what happened,” moaned Claire, covering her face with her hands.

  “That poor boy!” laughed Samantha. “You see, this is why it is important to know the differences within the same school of potion. Did you eventually find the correct counter potion?”

  “It was called Depression’s Plucking,” she said.

  “Perfect,” nodded Samantha. “The second rule of potion making is that every potion has its opposite. If you ever find that you drank a potion, even a deadly one, you can counter it before any harm is done if you are fast enough.”

  “Wow, that’s good to know,” I nodded. I wasn’t planning on messing with potions anytime soon, but learning more about which ones countered others would probably be a good idea. “What does Naked Truth do?”

  “It makes the target immediately take off all of their clothes when they see the witch that used it,” smiled Samantha. “It’s a very good thing our Claire, here, chose the love potion she did. Things could’ve been much worse for the young man.”

  “And Lover’s Shade?” I asked. “What does that do?”

  “They get quite… frisky.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling my own face turn a little red.

  “Potions can be very powerful,” continued Samantha. “They can change emotions, physical attributes, and even cause death. The third rule of potion making is to never use a potion unless you know for sure what will happen with it.”

  “I found that out the hard way,” nodded Claire. “Patrick won’t even look at me anymore.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, patting Claire on the back. “Maybe next time, just try to get to know a guy better the old fashion way?”

  “For sure,” the girl nodded.

  “And just like that, we come to the fourth and final rule,” said Samantha. “Potions should be used sparingly.”

  Soft chimes suddenly reverberated through the room. Samantha squinted down at her watch, sighing in disappointment. “It looks like that is all we have time for today. We didn’t really get started until late, so we weren’t able to cover very much.”

  “Aw, I was really enjoying this,” I said. I also never got a chance to ask her what was in the cauldron.

  “I’m sorr-huh?” said Samantha, taking a step back in surprise. “What did you say?”

  “I really enjoyed this,” I said, getting up and heading for the door. I didn’t know what was next for the conference, but I knew I didn’t want to be late again.

  “Me too,” smiled Claire, following behind me. “Even if it was a bit embarrassing.”

  “Why, I… I’ve never had positive feedback before,” said Samantha, a smile spreading on her face.

  “Really?” I asked, pausing as I opened the door. “I learned a lot and I thought it was useful.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Claire. “Now I know to always make sure to find a potion’s counter before using another one in the future.”

  “I’m surprised other people haven’t liked this class,” I said.

  “It’s because you two are young,” said Bart. He looked up at me and smirked. “Well, at least young in your powers.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him.

  “What do you mean?” asked Claire.

  “He means that most witches tend to get a hard side to them as they grow in their powers,” said Samantha quietly. “They don’t enjoy the little things anymore, and only care for power. Many look down on potions as only being needed by witches who don’t really know what they’re doing. There are spells that do most of the things potions can do, and you don’t need to spend time looking for the ingredients and brewing it.”

  “So they don’t want to learn about potions?” I asked. “I’ve always thought it was an important part of being a witch. Almost all the old stories of witches talk about them brewing potions.”

  “Right,” nodded Bart. “Many witches think potions are a thing of the past.”

  “He’s correct,” said Samantha. “There have been calls to remove the potion lectures by conference attendees for many years now. They think their time is better used learning things besides what they call ‘ancient history.’”

  “Well, I think that’s dumb,” said Claire. “We still have history class in schools, don’t we? It’s important to learn about the past. And potions are still being used. Look at me!”

  “True,” I nodded. “Besides, who wants to learn about boring legality of stones.”

  “Oh, the Alchymist Stone class? Darla teaches that one.” said Samantha. “That would be good for you to one day learn about as well, especially if you see a future in potions for yourself.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Isn’t that more of a transmutation thing?”

  “It is,” nodded Samantha. “But Alchymist stones can also help with potions. Most people just want to use it to turn things into gold or other precious metals to sell, but that’s technically illegal. Many of the legal uses of the stone involve brewing potions.”

  “Why would people not interested in potions take a class on the legality of the stone, then?” asked Claire.

  “Everyone is always looking for loop holes,” chuckled Samantha. “Having the ability to produce an infinite amount of gold is-”

  A scream echoed down the hall and into our room.

  “W-What was that?” asked Claire.

  “Maybe there is something scary going on in another breakout session?” I offered. Unfortunately, I was getting used to hearing a certain kind of scream, and this one sounded like it.

  “There shouldn’t be…” said Samantha, slowly moving past us and into the hall.

  I glanced down at Bart who had a serious look on his face. We both had the same feeling.

  Gently squeezing by, I jogged down the hall and around the corner, where a group of women stood in a circle. I nudged my way through until I was able to see into the center.

  Judy knelt on the ground, crying loudly as she rocked back and forth with another witch in her arms. Judy’s hair covered the other witch’s face, but I had a feeling I knew who it was.

  “What happened?” I asked, looking down at the hysterical Judy.

  “Can’t you tell?” asked my mom, walking over to stand next to me. “From what I’ve heard, this isn’t the first time you’ve come on a scene like this.”

  I didn’t respond, but she was right. I could put two and two together.

  Some witches off to my side separated as Eleanor pushed through them.

  “What is going on?” she asked, looking around. “Who screamed?”

  “She did,” said one of the witches, pointing down to Judy.

  “S-S-S-She…” sobbed Judy, holding Margot in her arms. “She’s been murdered!”

  Chapter 5

  I watched as Allen and several other vampires talked to Judy and some of the witches that were first on the scene. Darius was talking to Eleanor, who was demanding to know why there wasn’t better security in place.

  “What do you think happened?” asked Claire.

  “I have no idea,” I said, walking over and looking down at Margot’s body as a vampire was examining it. I looked all over for what might have been the cause of death, but there were no markings whatsoever. It then occurred to me that a group of witches would probably use a spell over using a physical weapon.

  The only difference I could tell was that he body was a slightly darker color than when I first saw her back at Foster’s Market.

  “Is her skin… blue?” I asked.

  Claire looked closer, hand over her mouth.

  “It looks like it might be,” she nodded. “Just a little, though.”

  “Do you know any spells that would turn someone blue?” I asked.

  Claire shook her head, so I looked at Bart.

  “Not that I know of,” he said.

  “This is all bad,” said Allen, walking up to me and shaking his head. “A witch is dead, and we are partially to blame. There hadn’t been a death at a witch’s conference for years, so we assumed we didn’t have to interfere very much. Looks like we were wrong.”

  “I’m sorry, Allen,” I said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  A slight smile spread on the vampire’s face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Allen took a few steps back and raised his voice. “Everyone, if I may have your attention, please!” He waited until the side conversations stopped, and all eyes were on him. “Unfortunately, we have confirmed that the witch called Margot Belzhar is dead. The death does not appear to be natural, and for that reason, we will need to be asking you all some questions. To save time, if you are the one that killed her and would like to step forward, we’d all appreciate it very much.”

  The crowd stared back at him in silence.

  “He didn’t really think that would work, did he?” whispered Bart.

  “Very well,” continued Allen. “Since no one is stepping forward, we will have to put the rest of the conference on hold until this matter is closed. The investigation will be a dual effort between the vampires and witches. I will be leading it, along with the help of a witch who just offered her services.”

  Oh no.

  “Zoey Foster, please come over here,” said Allen, waving me over and beginning to clap.

  I awkwardly walked up and stood next to him as he clapped. Everyone else in the room stared silently, watching the two of us. I glanced over to my mom, who looked away.

  “Why are you trusting her?” demanded an angry voice.

  Judy took a few steps forward and glared at me. Her demeanor from when we first met had completely changed, and she looked like she wanted to attack me.

  “Zoey has helped us solve a murder before,” explained Allen. “We also have two people backing up her alibi. She, Samantha, and Claire were all in the potions room at the same time.”

  “I didn’t see her at the opening ceremonies,” said Judy, glaring at me. “Maybe she was hiding, waiting to attack Margot when she least expected it.”

  “She did show up late,” nodded my mom. “It’s possible that she killed Margot while on her way to the potions session. Or, perhaps, all three of them conspired to kill Margot, and cover each other’s tracks.”

  “Yikes, even your mom is trying to throw you under the bus?” mumbled Allen.

  “That didn’t happen,” said Eleanor, stepping forward and standing next to me.

  I blushed a little at having the head of the conference standing up for me. We only had a brief interaction, but did she respect my character already?

  “And how do you know that?” asked Judy.

  “I cast a scrying eye spell on Zoey when she left to go to the class,” said Eleanor. “She was invited by Warren Locke, so naturally I thought she was up to no good. However, she went straight to the classroom.”

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t feel super honored she was getting my back.

  “Surely you didn’t keep the eye on her the whole time,” said my mom. “Maybe she turned back around after you dismissed it and went for Margot.”

  “Impossible,” said Eleanor, shaking her head. “Zoey is easily the weakest, least knowledgeable witch here. Even Claire could best her in combat, even if caught by surprise.”

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t feel any sort of honor whatsoever at Eleanor standing up for me.

  “That’s a good point,” conceded my mom.

  Judy nodded as well. “That’s fair. Zoey is way too weak to have pulled this off. I withdraw my concern.”

  Allen smiled nervously, looking around the room. “Well, that didn’t quite go the way I thought it would… no matter! As I was saying, the two of us will go around and ask you all some questions about what you were doing at that time. While the conference is on hold, you may wander around as you wish.”

  Witches in the crowd went back to talking to each other, some casting judging glances my way.

  “Thanks for the help, Eleanor,” smiled Allen.

  “Just figure this out,” she groaned, turning and walking away. “This is the last thing I need.”

  “Very well,” he said, turning back to me. “Who should we talk to first?”

  I thought it over in my head. There were quite a few witches I hadn’t met, plus the girls from my potions class, Judy, and my mom. The only ones I knew for sure didn’t do it were in the class with me, and they were also the only ones I trusted. However, I wanted to learn as much as I could about what happened before discussing the possibilities with my new friends.