Witcher Upper - Amy Boyles Page 0,47

I waited for Malene to answer. But then that would just let the humidity in, which would be worse.

Finally she spoke and the tension disappeared. “You might as well know. What Norma says is true. We’re more than witches.” Her eyes narrowed. “We’re also spell hunters.”

Chapter 18

“You’re what?” I said, confused.

Urleen patted my hand. “We’re spell hunters, dear. It’s sort of an elevated witch.”

“I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Norma Ray stirred her coffee with her finger. “You’re entitled not to know anything about us. After all, you don’t even want to be a witch.”

I flared out my hands. “Okay, first of all, would everyone stop saying that?”

“If the shoe fits,” Norma Ray said.

“Don’t worry about it, dear,” Urleen replied. “It’s just that some things are obvious.”

I wanted to shout so loudly that I blew off the roof. “Would one of y’all just please explain this without judging me and my own abilities?”

“I’ll go,” Malene said. “The three of us are spell hunters, as we said. In our youth we sought out long-lost spells—the kind that had been forgotten.”

“How?” I asked.

Malene’s tone suggested it was the simplest thing in the world. “Why, we looked for them. You’d be surprised at what you can find in an old field.”

“She means along with arrowheads,” Urleen added.

“You can also find spells,” Norma Ray added.

I squinted, trying to wrap my mind around this. “So you used to hunt for spells.”

“We hunted everywhere,” Malene said whimsically, her eyes glassing up. “There used to be thousands out in the fields here, in fact. Just old spells that had to be raised and then used or left for the next person.”

She meant the orbs. “Why would you hunt them?” I asked.

Urleen rubbed her thumb and fingers together. “People pay good money for the right spell.”

“But can’t anyone read a spell?” I asked, thinking of my own experience with the balls of light. They were easy to decipher.

“No,” Urleen said flatly. “It takes a certain talent. Most witches won’t be able to tell a simple glamour spell from a burping curse.”

Strange.

“Anyway,” Malene continued. “We were great at it until Hannah came along.”

“She ruined our business,” Norma Ray spat. She drained her cup and rose, refilling it. “That woman ruined all of us.”

“Because she hid all the spells and no one could find them anymore?” I asked, piecing it together.

So what Rufus and I had seen were either old spells that Malene and them had hunted, or they were a mixture of the old spells and the ones that Hannah had hidden. My guess was that it was more the latter—a mixture of the old and not so old.

Malene spoke with bite. “When Hannah hid the town’s spells, it did something to our powers.”

“Made it so that we couldn’t see them anymore,” Norma Ray added.

“You probably wouldn’t be able to see them anyway,” Malene replied, “as you won’t wear your glasses.”

Norma Ray sat. “I don’t see how that’s important.”

Urleen spoke with her lips to her coffee mug. “You would if you wore spectacles.”

She harrumphed but said nothing. Norma Ray knew when she’d been beat.

Malene spoke. “Can I continue, please?”

We all nodded.

“Thank you.” Malene directed her words to me. “There were already many spells living outside this town in fields, orchards and the forest, but when Hannah decided in her great wisdom to steal and hide the rest of the town’s spells, it broke something in our magic, and we haven’t been able to spell hunt since—not even outside of Peachwood.”

“Can you imagine taking away a dog’s sense of smell?” Urleen said. “It’s like that for us.”

“Hannah said that she took the spells because people were abusing the power.”

“Phooey,” Norma Ray replied. “Hannah hid those spells because she couldn’t come up with her own. She was jealous, plain and simple.”

“And what about the humans?” I said. “There are humans here, those who don’t know about the magic. You can’t go around showing them magic.”

“Why can’t you?” Malene said.

I sputtered. “Because the government. They’ll want to run tests on you and stuff.”

Malene cackled. “You’re kidding, right? First off, there are already witches and wizards working for the government. Secondly, how do you think witches make most of their money? By selling magical trinkets to humans. Humans are always looking for ways to make themselves more beautiful or even to hex someone.”

“Hex?” I said, shock in my voice.

Malene wagged a finger at me. “I’m not saying that I approve of hexing, because I do not. But ever since the