Witching Time (The Wild Hunt #14) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,28

pretty sure I could rig something up.”

Again, the thought of him moving made my stomach knot up, but I said nothing, merely gave him a hug and hustled to the door. I was wearing my favorite autumn dress—a black lace overlay covering a black undersheath beneath, and the sheath was embellished with brilliant autumn leaves. The lace made it look like I was wearing a dress covered with spiderwebs.

Beneath the dress, I wore sheer black tights and black leather granny boots. I fastened a black cloak with a rust-colored lining around my shoulders. It was raining, but at least the booth was covered with a waterproof awning. Slipping my dagger into my inner cloak pocket, I picked up my tote bag containing my cards, a battery-operated candle, and the cloth for the table.

“I’m ready,” I said. “You want to drive?”

Kipa nodded. “Sure. Give me the keys.”

I tossed him my car keys and we headed out.

The parking lot was still mostly empty by the time we got there, but the fair didn’t open until eleven and we had made good time, arriving at nine forty-five. Given it was a Saturday and the rain was intermittent, I expected the grounds to be packed by noon.

Llew was already arranging his charms and incenses and oils on the long folding table. He waved as Kipa and I wandered up.

“Hey, you got here on time.”

“Traffic was light.” I glanced around. The fairgrounds felt…expectant. The fairway was empty but other vendors were bustling around, setting up. I spotted Marigold and Rain peeking in the tents containing the exhibits and contests. Part of me wanted to go over and talk to Marigold about what had happened the night before, but I forced myself to hold off and see how things shook out during the day.

I pointed out the ravine to Kipa and he excused himself, heading over to check it out. Llew watched him go.

“You brought reinforcements, I see.” He nodded toward where Rain and Marigold were standing. “I saw Marigold arguing with Evie this morning. I’m not sure what it was over, but Evie looked really frustrated.”

“Could be a mother–daughter thing, or maybe something to do with whatever that thing was last night. The more I thought about it, the more I decided we should really look into it, so I asked Kipa to come with me. He can poke around while I’m working here.”

“What will you tell Marigold if she asks why he’s snooping around their land?”

I shrugged. “I’ll deal with that if it happens.”

I finished setting up, then glanced at the clock on the table. Neither Llew nor I could wear a watch—they broke the moment we put them on, thanks to our respective magical energies. It was only ten-twenty.

“I think I’ll go take a walk through the corn maze to see what I can find.” I pulled my hood up to cover my hair. The cloak was velveteen, but I had found a good waterproof spray. It altered the soft feel of the material some, but the benefits outweighed the downside.

“Just be careful,” Llew said. “I’d come with you, but I still have a few things to set out.”

“If Kipa comes over and asks where I am, tell him.” I took off then, glancing at the booths as I walked along the path leading to the maze. Two thick ropes tied to portable posts ran parallel to the path, creating a walkway. Gravel was spread out along the path to keep it from turning to mud.

“Raven! Can you wait up?” Evie ran up, carrying an umbrella and looking mildly perturbed.

“Am I not supposed to try out the maze yet? I’m sorry if—”

“No,” she said, “That’s not it. I wanted to talk to you, if you don’t mind. We can talk on the way into the maze.”

I nodded. “Sure.” The path was only a hundred yards long or so, leading into the corn patch. They had created a maze out of it, selling the corn they cut away. “So, will you be able to sell the rest of the corn?”

She nodded. “Once the fair is over, yes. That’s the plan. Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Dray told me what happened last night.”

I worried my lip, wondering what to say. “Yeah, it was disconcerting to say the least. I keep feeling like I should talk to your mothers about it, but Dray told me Marigold got after him about mentioning other things that happened.”

Evie nodded. “Yeah, she did. Rain isn’t nearly so freaked