Page 56 of Impractical Magic

Just then, a voice shattered the spell like a bucket of icy water thrown over their writhing limbs.

“What the hell is going on?” Polly stood in the doorway, eyes wider than ever, staring in outrage at the disheveled pair. “What in the hell are you people doing here? What have you done to my store?!”

Scarlett gasped, her face flushing crimson as she scrambled upright, hastily pulling her blouse back into place.

Nate, though sheepish, held a flicker of defiance in his eyes. The wreckage, the burning embers, Polly’s fury . . . none of it could change what had just happened. He reached for Scarlett’s hand.

“I’m so sorry, Polly,” he said, a half-smile playing on his lips. “But please believe this is all my fault.”

Chapter 21: Emergency Management

As the bookstore smoldered, Scarlett, Nate, and Polly convened awkwardly on the corner outside, awaiting the emergency team. None of the three spoke; none of the three so much as glanced at the others. Scarlett knew she ought to ask Polly if there was a copy of Myrmex Arcana in the store . . . But hell, she thought, I can’t even look her in the eye. How can I ask for a favor after all this?

So the three just stood there together, silently waiting. It took the emergency services van about ten minutes to arrive, and it was the longest ten minutes of their lives.

Normally the fine ladies of the Oak Haven Emergency Magic Service (EMS) strode into any calamity with full confidence that there was no trouble so dire that magic couldn’t fix it. But in the course of this very long day, they’d been run ragged on a seemingly endless number of confusing and intractable problems. The quartet of uniformed witches tumbled out of their van looking weary and very much in need of a few hours’ rest. It hurt Scarlett’s heart to know she was the one keeping them busy.

The EMS team leader was Priti Chatterjee, adult daughter of the angry gnome-owners from the town meeting. She greeted Polly and Nate with reassuring smiles. Scarlett, on the other hand, received a whoop and a big hug. “Scarlett, you’re back! Look at you! Aw, man, so great to see you.”

“You too, Priti! Sorry, it’s under these circumstances.”

“Oh bah.” She waved off Scarlett’s apology. “It’s the job. Hey, Ellen,” she said to one of the other women, “would you unload the gear, please?” Priti flung an arm around Scarlett’s shoulder and guided her away from the others. “So, how are you doing these days, anyway?”

“I’m all right. Today has been a little hardcore, that’s for sure.”

“You can say that again. Been rough all over, due to that grove situation.”

Oh, you mean, my complete and utter fuck-up that could destroy the whole town, Scarlett thought. That old thing?

To change the subject, she said, “Hey, congratulations on your wedding. Mama told me you had it at the Stargazer. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Thanks! His name is Raj. Handsome, funny, makes a bad-ass cheesecake—you know, all the important stuff. We started dating when I was working in Boston. When he proposed, I told him I’d only say yes if he gave up the city and moved back here.”

“And how is he taking to his new life as a non-powered spouse in Oak Haven?”

“You kidding?” Priti laughed. “Fucking thrilled. Back in Boston, Raj worked fourteen-hour days at a law firm. Now he reads two books a week, builds model airplanes, and hangs out with the Earls over at the hardware store.”

“Living the Life of Raj, sounds like.”

“You know it. So Scar, listen . . .” Priti’s tone turned serious as she directed her attention to the bookstore window. “This is quite a mess, huh? Can you tell me what happened?”

“Sure, I came into the store looking for a book, and instead, one attacked me. A couple, actually.”

Priti nodded. “I think there was a Dracula situation recently, wasn’t there?”

“That’s what I heard, that a copy of Dracula bit someone. But this was different: a squid physically left the pages of a book to come after me. And we struggled, and then I realized it was made of paper, and then . . .” she gestured helplessly at the charred store “. . . that.”

“Gotcha. Well, we’re going to head inside and check things out, and make sure they’re safe.” Priti strode back to her colleagues at the van. “Squad, let’s gear up.”

“Hang on, Priti? Can I ask you a favor?”

“Uh, sure? I’ve only been on duty for fifteen hours with no break, but yeah, please let me do you a favor.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, it’s just . . . I came here to pick up a book called Myrmex Arcana. Aphra says it might have information about the dragonflies infesting the grove. But then the squid happened, and everything got a bit crazy—” she forced herself not to glance at Nate “—and I never found the book. I can’t ask Polly because . . . well, I can’t.”

“Right, too embarrassed to speak to the owner of the bookstore you’ve nearly burned down. Got it.” Priti hoisted her pack over one shoulder. “You want me, EMS team leader and certified emergency response volunteer, to play librarian for you.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. I mean, I could go in myself if you’d prefer that I—”