“You two are shimmering,” Agnes said bluntly.
Zoey looked over to Polly and then down at herself. “Huh, that’s interesting.”
“I’m ready to fight,” Polly said. “I feel a surge of energy to protect the town.”
“Me too,” Zoey added.
“I do too, but I’m not shimmering,” Slade said.
“Hmm,” Vilma grunted. “I’ll think on it. What do you think about how you’re linked?”
Slade shook his head. “I have no idea. Samuel and I go back to fighting against Alexander.”
“I wasn’t even born when Alexander turned traitor,” Zoey pointed out.
“I’m ready,” Jane called out, joining them with her husband.
“You’re shimmering too,” Slade said to her. It wasn’t as noticeable as Polly or Zoey because her powers still weren’t back to normal levels, but Jane had an undeniable shimmer of her own.
“Huh,” Vilma grunted again and looked over to Agnes who was similarly staring at the three ladies.
“Your men aren’t shimmering though,” Agnes said absently as if thinking it over.
“Men don’t shimmer,” Slade said as she crossed his arms over his chest. “We sweat.”
Zoey snickered beside him as Magnus and Lauren joined them. They looked between the three women and their brows furrowed in thought.
“We know. We’re looking into it,” Vilma answered their unspoken question.
“Okay then. Let’s be ready for anything,” Lauren said to them. Together the council formed a circle. “On three. One. Two. Three.” Poof.
“Zoey! Slade!” Slade heard an old lady yell from the front door of their house. The entire council was in their living room. Slade dropped Zoey’s hand and raced for the door.
“Peach? What’s going on?” he asked the sweet old woman who had a mischievous streak when it came to fights with her husband, Otis. They were the town’s entertainment for the pranks they played on each other.
“We’ve been trying to call you. No one is answering at the sheriff’s department. Oh, it’s horrible!” Tears streaked the wrinkled face of the woman who always brought fresh baked goods to the sheriff’s office just because.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Samuel said, joining Slade at the door. “Polly and I got married.”
Peach’s eyes lit up briefly. “About time!” Then she shook her head. “The cemetery. You have to get to the cemetery.”
Slade wanted to just poof there, but not with Peach following. Instead, the council crammed into cars and took off to the other end of town where the church and cemetery were.
Cars filled the parking lot and street. They didn’t even bother finding spots. Slade had to park a block away and they ran between cars, around the church, and were stopped by a wall of citizens, both human and witch.
“Thank Goddess you’re here,” Fern said. She was the Claritase’s family history expert. “When we couldn’t find the council, we figured you all were away on business. We tried to fix it, but we couldn’t.” Fern nodded to some of the other witches, both Claritase and Tenebris, and then shook her head. “It’s very traumatic for the town.”
Slade could tell. There was the sound of crying all around them. “What is it?”
“See for yourself,” Fern said sadly. “The sheriff is here!” She was loud enough to get the people to part so Slade and the council could walk through.
“It’s horrible,” Fay whimpered. Fay was another member of the Irises, the older married women’s club.
“I’ve never seen something so disrespectful,” Bart, the bartender at the Opossum Lodge, said as he ran his hand over his long beard.
“Who would do something like this?” Maribelle said with tears in her eyes as she clung to her husband, Dale.
Slade finally made it through and stopped dead in his tracks. Every coffin in the cemetery was above ground and open. Loved ones from the funeral last week all the way back to Earnest, the founder of Moonshine Hollow, were exposed.
“We tried to fix it,” Fern said, keeping her voice low to let him know they’d tried magic on it. “We couldn’t. It’s black magic.”
Zoey suddenly gasped next to him. When he turned to look at her, she was grabbing her throat as if she were choking.
“Zoey!” he yelled as she collapsed. She clawed at her throat as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“She’s choking,” Peach cried.
“I got it,” Galen shoved his way forward and they all ignored the surprise at seeing their former town doctor who should be in Scotland. Galen put his hands on Zoey and then froze. “Get her to the clinic. Now.”
Slade was already moving. He had Zoey in his arms and was running. The council formed a wall to stop people from following and the second they had him blocked he transported them to a room in the clinic. A second later Galen was there with Lauren.
“It’s black magic,” Galen said. “It’s killing her.”
A moment later Magnus and Jane ran into the room. “I feel it. It’s like tar is filling her throat,” Magnus said.
“Help me,” Lauren said as she rubbed her hands together pulling all her magic forward.
“Why isn’t it working?” Slade asked as he watched helplessly as his wife struggled to breath.
Suddenly Galen stiffened. “Are you okay?” Slade asked as Galen’s eyes opened wide. He lifted his hands up and white light shot from the palms like a spotlight. It wasn’t the same as Zoey’s. His was more blinding.
“Oh my Goddess,” Jane gasped. “What’s happening?”
“Get back,” Galen ordered. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I know what I have to do.” Everyone stepped back from Zoey even as her lips turned blue. Galen stepped forward and aimed his palms at Zoey’s neck. Her eyes shot open and her body began to shake as Galen began chanting in a language Slade had never heard.
“It’s the old language,” Lauren whispered in disbelief. “The language of the Goddess. No one speaks it anymore and most don’t even remember it. I didn’t know Galen knew it.”
“He doesn’t,” Jane whispered back.
The light from his hands grew brighter and Zoey’s body bowed on the exam table. She let out a cry that had Slade running toward her. Only Magnus stopped him. He wrapped his arms around Slade and held on. “Hold on, son. Let him work. Look, she’s not blue anymore.”
Slade couldn’t see that. All he could see was that his love was in pain. Then the light grew so bright he had to close his eyes. Just as fast as the blinding light had appeared, it was gone.
Slade opened his eyes to find Galen sitting on the floor and Zoey taking deep breaths.
“What in the name of the Goddess was that?” Zoey gasped out between big breaths.
“I don’t know,” Galen said, shaking his head as Magnus helped him up. “As soon as I felt whatever was hurting Zoey, it was like something took over my body and knew what to do. I almost did that light thing at the cemetery.”
The door opened and everyone went quiet. Doris Bleacher, the most rigid and forbidding receptionist you’ve ever met, glared at them. Her face was pinched and her style was still stuck in the 1960s. “What are you doing here? How did you get by me?”