Southern Charms

Accusations

The healers didn't mince words. Daddy's chances of survival were slim to none. But it was the words they weren't saying that concerned me. I could see them swimming behind their passive expressions, and it took everything inside of me to not scream at them to spill what they knew. Thankfully, I didn't have to resort to hysterics because their lips became a lot looser when the authorities entered the room.

"Officer Pilgrim," Mama said, her face twisted in confusion as she continued to rub Alma's back in an attempt to soothe the sobbing woman. "Is there more news about the cause of the accident?"

Peter Pilgrim was the chief of Black Brier's police force, and everyone in town knew he had the hots for Alizon Wych. He made up excuses to stop by Southern Charms or by the house. She never talked about it, but I'd seen how she smiled and blushed when his name was mentioned.

But today there was no flirtatious note to his voice or stars in his eyes. And the red spreading across her cheeks as he spoke was from anger, not bashfulness.

"Alizon, what charm did Polly Hamlin purchase in your store?"

"She bought a pair of earrings. Clear quartz and garnet. She'd been having some issues with memory and inspiration."

"Why not get a memory or muse charm?" Officer Pilgrim asked, his eyes hard and flat as he waited for Mama's response.

"Polly wanted to take a more holistic approach. Clear quartz aids in purifying your physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. It offers balance. Garnet helps you utilize creative energy."

"Is it true these were a special order? Earrings designed specifically for her?"

"Most of the charms bought by the people in this town are special order," Mama snapped. "The ready made charms are the basic sort, and only the tourists purchase them."

He jotted something down in his notebook, and Clemmy stepped forward. "Why don't you go ahead and tell us what you're accusing my daughter of?"

Caly and Harmony went bug eyed and shuffled closer to me- as if I could help them if things went south magically speaking. I might have my own protection charms, but they wouldn't do my sisters much good.

"No one is accusing anyone of anything, but we do have to investigate every angle."

"I call bullshit," Clemmy said.

Officer Pilgrim swallowed and rubbed the back of his head. Even the healers shifted from foot to foot. Clemmy was a double threat- Council leader and an all around bad A witch. No one wanted to make her angry.

"Basil's physical injuries from the blast were extensive, but nothing our healers couldn't handle," the head healer said, lifting her hand to ward off further comments. "But it's the dark magic that's killing him. Dark magic we found in the shards of garnet we pulled from his skin."

Mama turned white as a sheet, and she dropped into the chair next to Alma. My step-mother shook her head in denial, threading her fingers through Mama's as she admonished the healer. "There's no way Alizon would use her magic like that."

"I don't understand," I whispered to my sisters, "I thought garnet was a good stone."

Officer Pilgrim must've overheard me because he answered, "The stones aren't inherently good or bad. It's the magic we put in them, and what happens when dark magic is fed to garnet, Mrs. Wych?"

"P-Peter, you know I wouldn't do that."

"Answer the question, please."

"Garnet fed with dark magic pulls energy from the one wearing it. We call it a Vampire stone because it feeds the energy back to the one who enchanted the stone."