A smile blossomed from cheek to cheek.“Well, I guess I—”
“Wait,” I cried, reaching over to the bottle and giving it a good squeeze. “Take a deep breath first,” I instructed, wanting to be sure she breathed it all in.
I watched as Kelley sucked in the invisible gaseous potion, waiting nervously to hear what she would say next.
But she knew exactly what she wanted.“I want to honor my dad’s legacy by making Harold’s House of Coffee the most successful coffee shop this town has ever seen,” she said with a firm-set jaw.
“You will,” I promised her.
After all, I’d just passed on my ask-for-anything familiar spell. Merlin had told me I shouldn’t, because he wouldn’t be able to make another one. And, yeah, now I could never get to be Lady Gaga, or King Arthur, or someone else crazy famous…
But Kelley needed this more than I did, and giving her this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity felt right, considering all she’d lost because of us.
I couldn’t bring Harold back, but I could make sure his daughter was well taken care of in his absence, and that’s exactly what I planned to do.
30
When I came home, I showed both cats the empty bottle I’d used to pass my wish on to Kelley.
“Yup, it’s gone,” Merlin whined, rolling onto his side dramatically. “I can’t believe you gave that away.”
“She’s a good one,” Luna told Merlin as she pressed her body against the side of my leg and shook her sleek white tail. “My familiar destroyed herself by craving power. Yours freely gave it away. You’re a lucky witch.”
“That, I am,” Merlin admitted with a wink. “Even if she is a little bit crazy.”
“What’s done is done,” I said with a shrug. Before I’d gone to see Kelley, Merlin had whipped up an anti-pain potion, taking the hurt out of both my shoulders and my cheek, which meant I could move freely now. “Let’s focus on what we can still hope to change.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to enter Nocturna?” Merlin asked me tersely. “It’s rather overwhelming for a first-timer, especially one so new to magic as you are.”
“I’m sure,” I said, pressing my lips into a tight line. “I’d rather have the knowledge than not.”
“The sun is setting,” Luna said, and we both stared at Merlin, waiting for him to speak.
“Then let’s go,” he acquiesced.
I followed Merlin as he slowly stalked toward the door.
He ran through, but Luna waited for me to open the big door.“Remember, you can do this,” she assured me with a simple smile.
I took in a deep breath and stepped outside into the evening twilight.
Merlin had already seated himself upon the bird bath.“The moment the sun disappears over the horizon, we’ll be able to use the cauldron as a doorway to Nocturna. Shouldn’t be long now.”
“How am I going to fit through that?” I squeaked, studying the small stone fountain.
“Magic, duh!” Luna answered with a laugh and then hopped up beside Merlin.
“Step forward,” he said as he splashed in the water and placed a wet paw on Luna’s forehead.
“Lean in close,” he instructed. When I did, he dipped his paw again and touched it to my head. “Luna will go through first, and I’ll go in last to make sure nothing goes awry.”
“Goes awry? Wait. Does that mean this is dangerous?”
“Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” Luna cooed.
In the distance the sun finished its descent. The cauldron glowed a bright mint green, swallowing Luna whole.
“Whoa, I don’t want to do this!” I whined and took a giant leap back.
“Too late,” Merlin said, then summoned a gust of wind that sent me stumbling right into the fountain. I closed my eyes as I braced for impact, and I screamed and screamed and screamed, until I noticed that everything was absolutely fine.
When I opened my eyes again, I stood on a dark stone path. Both cats were at my side. The surrounding buildings had been built in a Bavarian style, white with dark crossbeams.
Luna nudged me forward.“What do you think?”
“It looks like something out of a fairytale,” I said, instantly falling in love with the quaint magical city.
“This area was settled during peak popularity of the Brothers Grimm. Everyone wanted the German village look, and Nocturna was no different,” she explained with obvious pride.
“Where is everybody?” I asked.
“Just waking up, no doubt. Remember, we cats tend to keep evening hours,” Luna reminded me, and of course she was right.
“Follow me,” Merlin commanded, and Luna and I both fell into step beside him. He led us to what appeared to be a covered wagon, although it had nothing hooked up to pull it.
“We need a reading,” Merlin shouted from outside.
A moment later, a flame point Siamese popped its head out from the wagon. Its eyes grew wide as it caught sight of Merlin.“And what will you be offering in trade?”
“Anything but lightning,” Merlin responded, standing tall as he waited.
“How about a rainstorm?” the Siamese asked greedily.
“Done,” Merlin answered with a nod.
“Excellent. Now let’s see what we have here.”
Luna guided me toward the wagon.“Go on, sit down.”
“But doesn’t Merlin have to pay first?” I whispered to her.
“They have a spoken contract bound by magic,” she explained. “Don’t worry, everything will be taken care of.”
“Is this going to hurt?” I asked the flame point who’d popped up beside me on the bench seat.
He scoffed.“I’m insulted. What kind of blood witch do you take me for?”
I fell silent, preferring not to discuss how badly Dash had hurt me when she took my blood. The Siamese blood witch moved to my lap, then held his paw to my neck. I felt nothing, but when he pulled away, blood tipped each of his claws, shimmering in the night sky.
He stared down at his paw with wide eyes.“Well, I’ll be.”
“What? What is it?” Merlin demanded, sounding even more nervous than I felt.
“This is your familiar?” the blood witch asked, glancing from his paw to me and then back again.
“Yes, she is. Is everything okay?”
“More than okay!” the Siamese crooned, as if hysterically happy. “Her blood is especially powerful. She’s a descendant of the original dutiful familiar.”
“Arthur?” Luna asked with a gasp.
“King Arthur, the Great Merlin’s true companion,” the Siamese verified.
“And you’re descended from Merlin?” I asked him, recalling the story he’d told me when we first spoke.
My cat nodded but continued to stare blankly ahead.
“What does this mean?” I asked weakly, still unsure of how to take the news.
“It means that you have the most powerful bond of any witch and familiar living today,” Luna supplied in a hushed whisper.
“No wonder we bonded so fast,” Merlin murmured.
“We already knew about the bond,” I pointed out.
“Yes,” the Siamese said. “But keep it a carefully guarded secret, for there will be many who wish to separate you.”
I nodded dumbly, terrified of what I’d just learned.
Dash already knew…
And she’d definitely be back.
2. MERLIN FIGHTS A GHOST
1
Hello, I’m Gracie Springs. I used to be a pretty normal girl, until about a week ago. You see, my boss got murdered by magic, then an evil witch and her accomplice tried to frame me for it.
As it turns out, I’m descended from King Arthur. I’ve also been chosen to serve as my witchy cat’s familiar. I used to call him Fluffy, but now I know he much prefers to go by Merlin. He has a famous lineage, too. He’s descended from the original Merlin.
No, not the human imposter everyone thinks they know. The real wizard, who just so happened to be a cat.
Because of our intertwined ancestry, Merlin and I have an almost unbreakable bond. Almost.