Page 94 of No Charm Done

“Polly’s students are falling in love with furniture,” Scarlett reported. “But she assures us she’s making progress.”

“Good to hear.” Aphra grinned. “All right, girls—let’s run it again. And someone please explain to me who Trent Alexander-Arnold is, because apparently I’m a fossil.”

As they left the yarn store behind, Luna felt another small spark of hope. Maybe they could actually pull this off.

* * *

“I’m going to duck in and say hi to Nate,” Scarlett said as they approached his family’s store, Williams Hardware. “You okay waiting out here for a minute?”

“No problem.” She was grateful to have a few minutes alone.

Scarlett disappeared into the store, her purposeful stride suggested that “saying hi” was a euphemism for something Luna tried not to picture. She wandered up to the porch where the Earls were looking very busy indeed. Nine and Ten were cleaning weapons that probably belonged in a museum. Eleven had laid out an array of wicked-looking daggers, and Twelve was doing something complicated with a length of rope that looked suspiciously like he was practicing making a noose.

“Gentlemen,” Luna said carefully. “What, uh . . . what’s happening here?”

“Preparing for battle!” Nine announced cheerfully. “Can’t be too careful when dealing with enemy forces.”

“There won’t be a literal battle this time.” Luna strongly suspected this wasn’t the first time someone had tried to explain this. “It’s going to be a demonstration of magic. No actual violence.”

“That’s what they always say,” Ten muttered darkly. “Right up until the cannons start firing.”

“There won’t be any cannons firing⁠—”

“Not with that attitude,” Twelve replied.

Luna decided to let it go. If the Earls wanted to polish their antique weaponry while the witches practiced magic, who was she to stop them? She leaned against the porch railing, letting the summer sun warm her face. She listened to the distant hum of Main Street, birds singing in the trees. Peaceful.

Then, of course, her brain decided to ruin it by picturing Elias.

She wondered whether he’d gotten out of Oklahoma. Whether he thought about her. Or if she’d just been a convenient ally until something better came along. The worst part was, she missed him. His dry commentary, his old-timey expressions. The way he’d looked at her like she was the most fascinating person he’d ever met.

Maybe that had been a glamour of sorts. Maybe everything about Elias Shaw had been an illusion, carefully crafted to get what he wanted.

Stop it, she told herself again. Stop torturing yourself.

“You all right there, missy?” Nine had stopped polishing his cutlass and was watching her with surprising gentleness, given his armory.

She could only shrug.

Scarlett exited the hardware store looking significantly more cheerful than when she’d entered. Her hair was slightly mussed and her lipstick was smudged, and Luna decided not to comment.

“Ready?” Scarlett asked brightly.

“Ready,” Luna confirmed.

As they walked away, she heard Twelve say, “Think we should bring the blunderbuss?”

“Absolutely,” Ten replied. “Can’t be too prepared.”

* * *

The town travel agency, All Who Wander, looked like a portal had exploded in it. Probably because a portal had exploded in it.

Kelly stood in the middle of the office, arm raised, looking at something that made Luna’s brain hurt to perceive. It was like someone had folded space in half, then only partially unfolded it again.

“Mama?” she ventured. “Is everything okay?”

“Define ‘okay.’ Catherine here was practicing breaking portal spells, and she broke this one approximately three seconds too late, which meant Margaret was halfway through when it collapsed.”