Charmed & Deadly by Candace Havens

left out of the action. It isn’t fair.
    I checked the back door and turned the light off in his office. There are so many cool things back there from orbs, otherworldly vessels, and a bunch of stuff I didn’t recognize. I didn’t want to snoop. Well, I did, but I wouldn’t.
    It was early September and still warm in the city. On the way to my parents’ home I stopped by Fabrelli’s, a cool place for pizza, and brought the box home.
    I’d just moved the three pieces I’d left for Simone on a plate into the fridge when the front door banged open.
    Before I could send my mind to see who it was, Simone yelled. “Bronwyn!”
    I ran.
    There she stood covered in blood. That didn’t surprise me. The fact she had Garnout slung over her right shoulder did.
    I’d never seen her look so worried.
    She took a deep breath. “I think he’s dead.”

Seven
    Saturday
9 p.m.
Witches on the edge: 1
    G arnout is alive, but just barely.
    It took about five seconds for me to move through the shock, but then the take-control bitch inside me stopped by for a visit.
    “Put him on the bed in here.” I threw open the door to my parents’ master suite. I ripped the comforter off the bed, less to save my mother’s misty blue and bronze Contessa bedding and more for Garnout’s comfort.
    While she did what I asked, I grabbed my bags of potions and goodies.
    “Tell me what happened.” I dumped the contents of two healing spells made of cedar, chamomile, angelica, St. John’s wort, and some rosemary oil down his throat. His body shuddered but his breathing wasn’t as shallow.
    “When we left his shop he plopped us down in the front of Macy’s. Three Nork demons were terrorizing the customers in the store. They weren’t hurting anyone, just running around knocking things over. I had the three of them cornered—”
    “Simone! Not you. What happened to Garnout? I need to know fast.”
    She held up her hands in surrender. “I’m trying to tell you that I don’t know. I was busy gathering up demons. I heard Garnout talking to someone, but I didn’t see or hear whom it was. The next thing I know he’s on the ground. The last words he said were, ‘Tell witch Shadow learns.’ Then he passed out.”
    “What does that mean?” I screamed at her, my fists tight by my side.
    Simone shook her head. “I don’t know. It was almost like he was confused or something.”
    He’d been spelled and it could take forever to figure out what someone had done.
    Holding my hands over his body I sought out the spell, poison, or whatever the hell it was that had taken him down. I did feel a sense of confusion as I tried to enter his mind. His thoughts were so jumbled they made no sense.
    The visions I see when I’m delving into minds are usually pictures. It’s not always a straight-on kind of thing. But this was different. Someone had screwed with his mind. All I saw were blasts of red and yellow. There were no voices, words, or pictures. His mind was like a Jackson Pollock painting on crack.
    I sent another healing spell through his body, and then another for clarity. Nothing worked.
    I didn’t find any poison, so it had to be a spell. Confusion mixed with something else, and it had to have come from a massively strong warlock or witch. No. If someone like that had done it I would be able to undo it.
    Another wizard. Holy crap .
    I lifted my hands and turned to Simone.
    “Come here.”
    I’ve never seen that particular look in her eyes. It was almost like fear. She must have thought I might hurt her. As if.
    “I just want to take a look in your brain and rewind a bit. I might see something you wouldn’t be able to.” I could do it without touching her, but the vision would be clearer with contact.
    I grabbed her wrist and focused.
    Men and women were running out of Macy’s, their eyes wide with fear. Simone and Garnout pushed through the mob. The Nork demons, fuzzy, horned beasts with three eyes, ran around on the counters pushing displays