Page 57 of Spell Ya Later

“And Hazel?”

“Yes?”

“I expect to see Noah in the shop this week.”

Chapter 21

The Clearing

The next day, the market smells exactly the same. That nature-y, herby scent that I’ve begun to associate with witches.

Witches like their damn herbs.

There are fewer stalls this week, but not by many. It seems as though some business owners rotate out depending on what they have available.

Unlike last time, I stay by Grandma’s side as we meander past the people going about their days. She walks through and the crowd parts almost unconsciously.

Apparently she acts like a queen everywhere, not just with me and Laura.

A group of kids bowls past us, one rebellious little troublemaker directing at the front. The four of them weave through the crowd with a practiced ease that screams familiarity. They’ve been in these crowds for their entire lives.

“Carter, stay within the barriers!” a woman calls after them from her booth. With that she turns back to her customer, seemingly unbothered.

My heart pangs. Even before Dad died, I don’t remember coming to the market. Would Laura and I have grown uprunning through the legs of other witches if my mother had allowed it?

Grandma swats my hand lightly. “Keep up!”

I divert my gaze from the children and follow her to a stand with a woman selling specialty tea. The two of them duck heads and are instantly cackling like old hags. I roll my eyes with a fond smile.

“Carter?”

I turn back to the woman. Her eyes scan the crowd for the children. They’re nowhere to be seen.

“Give me a moment, Grandma.” I pat her on the shoulder and walk in the direction the children went earlier.

The wind whips hair across my face as I pass through the people, looking for any trace of the group. I run out of stalls soon enough.

I have to be close to the barrier at this point. It’s invisible, but the magic is palpable. The barrier itself is some sort of ancient magic to repel humans and evil intentions.

The field has entirely run out and I’m standing at the edge of a dark forest. The kids wouldn’t leave the barrier, would they? They couldn’t have been older than ten, so not rebellious teenagers looking for danger.

A chill travels down my spine as I watch the darkness underneath the canopy of leaves. There couldn’t be danger out there, could there? I look back toward the market.

I could very easily grab Grandma, tell her that—what? I have afeeling? That something in my gut is screaming at me to find those kids before something awful happens?

I turn back to the trees. The wind whispers through the leaves with an ominous whine.

I step forward.

Where’s the person throwing popcorn at me, telling me to get out of here? I could really use that person.

Leaves crunch underfoot as I walk as softly as I can manage. The world darkens with each step, the air closing in on me until there’s no sound at all.

Not an owl, a squirrel...Hell, I’d take a rat right now.

The silence follows me like a bubble, encasing me in nothingness as I keep moving forward. Can I turn back yet?

No. Not yet.