03. Spying Witches

Late, this time. I’m sorry, I had trouble coaxing the words out a little. To those who are reading this, thank you. It has come to my attention some might be having trouble with commenting, if you do, could you please contact me at moondust @ crowned-meadow.net minus the spaces, with the subject something clear like ‘comment issues’. Thank you.

Raina closed the door and followed them into the lounge room, Cian seemed to know the way and it only confirmed Raina’s suspicion when he started humming, it was the same male voice that had been in here before. He’d sent his voice this way, to find her. Raina shook her head but smiled slightly, it was a lovely voice no matter who it belonged too. She knew full well lovely appearances meant nothing in reality… but there was something about her kin, even distant kin that even after all they had done to her brought forth at least a little cheer. They made Mortals seem so dull.

The Mirror was blank, hiding out of range and seemed normal enough to those who looked at it, watching her guests Raina considered them. On the one hand, they looked normal enough, but Cian was an elf, it seemed and Sophia was something, at least in part. In the warm light of the room, the others showed themselves as normal humans, the woman noticed Raina watching them expectantly first and her smile warmed.

‘I apologise, we should introduce ourselves.’ her voice was like her smile, but a bit rough around the edges as if she’d had a cold recently. ‘I am Katherine, he is Laurie, or Laurent depending on his mood. And little miss, over there is Cassandra.’ Both Laurie and Cassandra looked up when their names were spoken, Laurie smiled slightly but Cassandra blushed and looked away almost as soon as her eyes fell upon Raina.

‘It’s very nice to meet you, I’m sure. However, other than why the middle of the night no one has explained to me why you came. Though I can guess it is not just a welcome to the neighbourhood thing.’ Raina said, and before she could continue Sophia spoke up.

‘We would like to invite you to a meeting in two days time, on the eve of the full moon.’ She looked up at Raina though thick black lashes and then continued. ‘We believe you are… ah, magically inclined.’

Raina crossed her arms, looking at them. Of course she was magically inclined. She was Sidhe. She was fey… someone had been checking up on her.

‘You scry? For magical hotspots?’ Her calm growing almost icy, Cassandra jumped like she had been hit with an Arctic wind. Cian shrugged and looked a little guilty at this and Sophia sighed and nodded.

‘I told you it wasn’t a good idea!’ Cassandra squeaked before Katherine pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her, making soft soothing sounds. Katherine looked apologetically at Raina.

‘Sorry. We meant no harm, you understand - it’s the easiest way to find out who is a practitioner. That or listen too who the townsfolk are warning the young folk against, but that information is iffy. Last week I over heard Olga Mason telling her five grandchildren not to go near any women with green eyes because they’d kidnap them and plant them in the garden. Scary part is, I think she believed it.’ trying to make light of the towns attitude, Katherine smiled a little warmer, but it was strained.  The attitude grated on her, too.

‘You need to leave. Now. All of you.’ Raina closed her eyes and took deep breaths, she could almost hear the Mirror snickering beyond it’s frame. She opened an eye to check, and sure enough the Mirror was peering around the edge of the frame. it caught Cassandra’s eye and she jumped. The other four sets of eyes then followed hers to see what had startled her. They all looked taken aback, even Cian. It took a moment but Raina realized it wasn’t just that she had a mirror with a “person” in it… it was that she had a mirror with a “person” who was naked, and reclining against Goddess knew what and looked like he’d been in a bath.

‘Mirror!’ her voice was scolding, this after he had claimed he was good when she had visitors. ‘Guests, Mirror. Go away!’ the silence was broken by Raina’s shout, which though not particularly loud, seemed to echo around the house. ‘Everyone, out!’

Katherine was blushing and couldn’t seem to get her eyes off Mirror, but Cassandra happily dragged her friend out by the hand, muttering about being right all along. Not disturbing a place, a person with so much magic. Laurie averted his eyes from Mirror, nodded to Raina only to get a scathing look and hurried out after the two women before him. Sophia and Cian were both looking at the Mirror, but not at the Mirror itself.

‘Faery magic.’ Cian said, finally. ‘I should have noticed it.’

‘We should go, Cian. Give her the information anyway. We perhaps shouldn’t have interrupted Ms. Raina’s night like this, she is clearly settling in.’

‘I’m still here, you know. Please leave before I remove you.’ Raina’s temper of late had not been good, but this was pushing it. Even for an elf and… what now occurred to her was probably a half drow. ‘And you might want to knock off the scrying.’

‘We do what we must, Raina. Farewell.’ And just like that, Sophia left the house. She seemed to float when she walked and it seemed to suit her well, perhaps she learnt that to compensate for her seeming lack of vocal trickery, even if it was just another kind of trick.

‘Perhaps you ought to calm down, more. It is reasonable to scry for others.’

‘Yes, and what do your kin feel of you associating with humans?’

‘What do yours feel of you associating with humans?’ he countered, giving her annoying sincere eyes as his voice curled along her skin. She slapped at it with her power, and it disappeared. He flinched visibly like he’d been hit.

‘Don’t push it.’ Raina warned. Something in her eyes might have warned him not to go on, because he stopped. Out of nowhere he pulled out a small card.

‘The address is here, we meet at the twenty second hour. You’ll like it if you come. A glimmer of his smile came back. ‘You’re a very attractive woman, fairy or not.’ but before Raina could reply, he  tucked the card in the back pocket of her trousers and left her house. She stood there, a little stunned. There had been a time when people wouldn’t dare treat her like this. She tried to think what to do with the local…well, Witches. She supposed. More importantly, what to do about that elf.

The Mirror burst out laughing and Raina tried to glare at him, but it the night had been so absurd that Raina couldn’t help herself and also burst out laughing, the pressure and the anger disolving. The kitten wandered in from the kitchen, moth covered in what looked like cold shepards pie. She just kept laughing.