Page 61 of Impractical Magic

“Yeah, no shit,” Scarlett injected.

“Right, which makes them a pretty self-defeating weapon. They create chaos instead of control.”

“So, who brought these nasties back? And why’d target us?”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out.” Delilah sighed.

With a sudden jolt, the inn’s wallpaper dissolved into a dizzying swirl of neon graffiti. The overhead lights vanished, replaced by a rotating disco ball that cast fractured shards of light across the room. The air filled with the pulsing beat of perennial roller-rink favorite, “Funkytown.” For a heart-stopping moment, the Melroses found themselves clinging to the edge of their chairs as roller-skaters whizzed past in a blur of neon leg warmers and spandex.

“This is an old one,” Mama Melrose shouted over the din. “I think we conjured this for Earl Twelve’s twelfth birthday.”

Abruptly, the roller rink was gone, and the dining room was just as it had ever been.

Scarlett sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “Okay, as we were saying . . . Who’s unhappy in Oak Haven? Who has a bone to pick with us?”

“What about the town meeting, Scar?” Luna asked. “Did you notice anyone who seemed . . . agitated? Bellicose?”

“Bellicose, wow . . .” The town meeting felt like a lifetime ago. Scarlett racked her brain, trying to recall faces from just the night before. “The Chatterjees were pretty worked up about their missing gnomes, but mostly they seemed grumpy, not vengeful. This one guy was losing his mind over flamingo poop, but that didn’t seem . . . Oh wait. What about that time witch? She was a bit bellicose, maybe?”

“Ehh.” Mama’s face soured. “Louise Demain. I wouldn’t put this past her.”

“Now, Mama,” Delilah said. “Is Louise truly bellicose? Or just French?”

“I don’t know this Louise person,” Luna offered, “but a time witch seems an unlikely culprit. They have far stronger weapons at their disposal than dragonflies. And they aren’t this subtle. I’ve encountered time witches before, and trust me, if they’re mad at you, you know it.”

“True,” Mama conceded. “Still, a conversation couldn’t hurt. Perhaps she’ll have some thoughts about how to solve this problem. It would certainly massage her ego if one of us went to her for help. Scarlett, why don’t you pay her a visit?”

“Me?” exclaimed Scarlett. “Why me?”

“Well, Delilah has the inn to run, and Luna must continue with the Myrmex Arcana translation, and I hate Louise Demain. That leaves you. Besides, what else do you have to do today beyond mooning over Nate Williams?”

Scarlett felt her cheeks flush. “I’m not mooning! In fact, Nate and I aren’t on the best terms at the moment and that’s probably exactly how it should be. As I have plenty of other things to do.”

“Such as?” Mama raised an eyebrow.

“Well.” Scarlett pushed her eggs around her plate. “I thought I’d hike up to the grove, check on things, look for clues. And I was going to stop by the bookstore to see if I could help with the clean-up. And, you know . . .” She looked up to find her family staring at her expectantly. “Fine,” she sighed. “I was going to check on Nate, yes. But not because I’m mooning. He’s got that whole magic storeroom at the hardware store—anything could be going wrong with all that magic, literally anything. It’s quite dangerous. Honestly, Mama, I don’t know why you aren’t taking that particular situation more seriously. And as a Melrose, I feel like it’s our duty to—”

The Melrose women exchanged amused glances. Delilah snickered openly.

“Oh shut up, all of you.” Scarlett’s face was as pink as the grapefruit on her mother’s plate.

“Louise first,” Mama said reasonably. “Nate Williams can wait.”

“Fine,” Scarlett agreed. “I’ll do it. But there’s something else.” She leaned forward, her voice barely a whisper. “Last night, when I was heading to bed, I heard noises coming from Maximillian’s room.”

Luna’s eyes widened with interest. “Really? What was it?”

“Music, conversation, ice clinking in glasses. It sounded like he was having a little gathering.”

“Err, he’s allowed to have company, isn’t he?” Luna smiled. “In fact, I think it’s lovely that Maximillian is making friends. He seems like such a lonely soul.”

“Lonely?” Delilah scoffed. “He’s as lonely as a peacock in a mirror factory.”

Scarlett shook her head. “It’s not just that. It seemed more like a secret meeting than a party.”

“Oh, please.” Delilah shot back. “Secret meeting to do what?”

But Scarlett pressed on. “And it’s not just Max. I saw a bunch of magicians at the coffee shop, and I just—”