pants. It was obvious that Agatha was suspicious of her motives, and she did not have the time to try to win her trust, or make a new friend. “I’m on a time crunch.” She handed Agatha a list. “I need the ingredients on this list, a small cauldron, and a mortar and pestle.” Her eyes darted around the shop. “Do you have any amulets for sale?”
Agatha’s eyes skimmed the paper at the long list of ingredients. “I’ll have this ready for you in a few minutes.” She looked up, pointing to a table. “The amulets are over on that table.”
“Oh.” Desiree put her hand up urgently, trying to catch her attention. “I also need a book on the black arts.”
Agatha’s head whipped around, her eyes widening in surprise. “Are you planning on cursing someone?”
She brought her chin up defiantly. “I can handle myself.”
The woman raked her eyes over her skeptically, trying to judge her character. “Black magic can have dire consequences.”
She rolled her eyes at the woman’s condescending tone, crossing her arms over her chest in an impatient manner. She was old enough to be this woman’s great-great-grandmother. “Agatha, what did Sherry tell you about me?”
The woman mimicked her stance and crossed her arms over her chest as well. Her eyes raked over Desiree again in an appraisal. “Obviously not enough.”
“I am the leader of our coven.” She raised her chin a notch. “I am the senior member.”
Disbelief flickered in her eyes. “Does your entire coven consist of children then?”
She could not help it. She laughed at the look on the woman’s face. “No, not hardly.” She shook her head at the woman’s assumption. “I’m a lot older than you think.”
She eyed Desiree up and down again. “I’d say twenty-five or thirty at the most,” she murmured in calculation.
“Try one hundred and twenty-five.” She smiled at the disbelief flickering across the woman’s face. “I was born in eighteen eighty six.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that with magic anything is possible?” she remarked in her teaching tone.
Agatha sighed, still in indecision as to what to believe. “The book you seek is on the shelf by the register. I’ll be out with your herbs in a couple of minutes.” She brushed behind the curtain out of Desiree’s sight.
Her eyes scanned the room, finding the register. Her fingers skimmed the books on the shelf until she found the one she was looking for. Pulling it off the shelf, she placed it in the crook of her arm. Hurrying to the table with the amulets, she was struck by indecision. She did not usually use trinkets, but she needed to bless something, so she grabbed a handful, placing them on the counter by the register, and set the book down. On impulse, she picked up the stack of tarot cards and placed them with her purchases. She also snatched up several boxes of candles of assorted colors, some incense, and a couple of sage sticks.
Agatha came out of the back room with two large bags crammed with items. Setting them down on the floor next to the counter, she rang everything up. “Will there be anything else?”
“Yes…” She looked around. “I also need a few small pouches, say about ten of them.”
The woman nodded, grabbing the pouches from under the counter, counting them out, and placing them in the bag. “Is that it?”
Desiree looked everything over. “Yes, I believe so.”
The woman added the pouches to the bill. “It will be two hundred and fifty dollars.”
She handed her the money, shoving the rest back into her pocket. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful with the dark magic. I don’t want to be reading about you in the newspapers.”
Grinning at her remark, she knew the woman still had a hard time believing her story. “You won’t… But you may be seeing a missing person’s poster about a Jason Hargrove.”
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
“He’s a witch
Agatha’s eyes skimmed the paper at the long list of ingredients. “I’ll have this ready for you in a few minutes.” She looked up, pointing to a table. “The amulets are over on that table.”
“Oh.” Desiree put her hand up urgently, trying to catch her attention. “I also need a book on the black arts.”
Agatha’s head whipped around, her eyes widening in surprise. “Are you planning on cursing someone?”
She brought her chin up defiantly. “I can handle myself.”
The woman raked her eyes over her skeptically, trying to judge her character. “Black magic can have dire consequences.”
She rolled her eyes at the woman’s condescending tone, crossing her arms over her chest in an impatient manner. She was old enough to be this woman’s great-great-grandmother. “Agatha, what did Sherry tell you about me?”
The woman mimicked her stance and crossed her arms over her chest as well. Her eyes raked over Desiree again in an appraisal. “Obviously not enough.”
“I am the leader of our coven.” She raised her chin a notch. “I am the senior member.”
Disbelief flickered in her eyes. “Does your entire coven consist of children then?”
She could not help it. She laughed at the look on the woman’s face. “No, not hardly.” She shook her head at the woman’s assumption. “I’m a lot older than you think.”
She eyed Desiree up and down again. “I’d say twenty-five or thirty at the most,” she murmured in calculation.
“Try one hundred and twenty-five.” She smiled at the disbelief flickering across the woman’s face. “I was born in eighteen eighty six.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that with magic anything is possible?” she remarked in her teaching tone.
Agatha sighed, still in indecision as to what to believe. “The book you seek is on the shelf by the register. I’ll be out with your herbs in a couple of minutes.” She brushed behind the curtain out of Desiree’s sight.
Her eyes scanned the room, finding the register. Her fingers skimmed the books on the shelf until she found the one she was looking for. Pulling it off the shelf, she placed it in the crook of her arm. Hurrying to the table with the amulets, she was struck by indecision. She did not usually use trinkets, but she needed to bless something, so she grabbed a handful, placing them on the counter by the register, and set the book down. On impulse, she picked up the stack of tarot cards and placed them with her purchases. She also snatched up several boxes of candles of assorted colors, some incense, and a couple of sage sticks.
Agatha came out of the back room with two large bags crammed with items. Setting them down on the floor next to the counter, she rang everything up. “Will there be anything else?”
“Yes…” She looked around. “I also need a few small pouches, say about ten of them.”
The woman nodded, grabbing the pouches from under the counter, counting them out, and placing them in the bag. “Is that it?”
Desiree looked everything over. “Yes, I believe so.”
The woman added the pouches to the bill. “It will be two hundred and fifty dollars.”
She handed her the money, shoving the rest back into her pocket. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful with the dark magic. I don’t want to be reading about you in the newspapers.”
Grinning at her remark, she knew the woman still had a hard time believing her story. “You won’t… But you may be seeing a missing person’s poster about a Jason Hargrove.”
“Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
“He’s a witch
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