When I finished the spell, I released it, watching it closely for any sign that it had found a target. The spell rippled through the air and slowly faded away. If there were any other magicked deer, they were well out of my range, which meant they were more than three miles away. From what I knew of deer, I didn’t think it was likely that any of this group had gotten that far, so I ended the spell.

  I’d sensed enough of the magic on them to know that shrinking them back down to size was going to be the hard part. Sending out a tendril of magic to probe the deer, I hoped to find a simple growth spell. Instead, my probe encountered a tangle of magic so thick I couldn’t separate one spell from another.

  Taking a deep breath, I began to go over the mass of spells more carefully. They simply didn’t make sense. A toddler wouldn’t have the power and discipline to create this many spells. There was more to this than the story the parents had told, and I knew the answer was in these spells.

  After separating myself from the magic attached to the deer, I turned to Rodriguez. “Can you link with me? You should see what I’m seeing.”

  He glanced around. There were a couple of officers on the outside of the fence, but no one was close enough to hear us. “Is it bad?”

  I considered how to answer. “It’s strange, especially considering the series of events you outlined.”

  “All right. I need to see it.” He offered me his hand.

  I took it, and a moment later felt the tickle in my mind that let me know he could see what I could see. Focusing on the deer, I probed them again, slowly showing him the knot of magic. At the same time, I continued searching for a way to reverse the damage.

  On the third examination I was able to identify one spell, an illusion. I worked on dismantling that one, and along the way a few other spells became apparent. There was some type of healing magic, as well as a fire-retardant spell. That didn’t make much sense, but it was hardly alone. A moment later I found a spell for sharpening, like one I would use on a knife or sword.

  Now that I knew what types of spells I was looking for, I quickly separated spells for strength, persuasion, romance, and a host of other things that were simply tangled in the magic, not actually having much influence on the poor deer. All the spells were held together with another spell, one that I couldn’t readily identify.

  Focusing on untangling the spells, I was able to unmake nearly a dozen oddball magicks. Every one of those spells was formed in a way that made me think they’d been charms that had been activated and applied to the deer. The only spell that felt cast was the one binding them together. That particular spell was more like a badly controlled blast of magic than a true spell. It lacked any real form, and what little it did have was unfocused.

  As I unmade the spells, I found that each one I worked on was a little easier to disassemble than the last. Unsure of why that was the case—because as I fatigued, working on the spells should be more difficult—I took a moment to look over what was left. Everything had deteriorated—well, everything but the spell holding them all together. It reminded me strongly of the way a lot of the black market goods I’d been disenchanting had some type of flaw. Pushing aside that thought, I got back to work.

  I finally pulled apart the last of the spells and opened my eyes. The deer looked positively ordinary. It was impossible to tell exactly what had caused their transformations, but they were magic-free and normal-sized. I looked over them one more time, checking for any spells that had lingered or been hidden. The only remaining spells were the calming and tranquilizing spells Rodriguez had used to keep them contained. When I didn’t find anything abnormal, I broke the link with Rodriguez. He’d seen what he needed to see.

  “A child didn’t do that by accident.” Rodriguez sounded troubled.

  I heaved a sigh. “Yes and no. I don’t think the child did most of the spells, but I think she activated all of them and focused them on the deer.”

  His eyes widened. “The spell that was holding everything together, you think she did that?”

  Nodding, I moved on to the next pertinent point. “Which means the rest of those were charms that she had access to. Aside from the fact that parents are supposed to keep those things out of reach, who takes that many charms with them on vacation?”

  “Someone up to no good.” Rodriguez frowned. “Could you help animal control get the deer in the trailer while I question the parents?”

  As much as I wanted to be there for that, I was the hired help, and unless there was a magical reason for me to object, my job was to do what I was told. “If that’s what you want, but have them searched and make sure there are a couple of other officers with you. I’d hate for them to try something.”

  “Got it.” He spoke into the radio on his shoulder.

  “Oh, and could you have someone retrieve my car?”

  He relayed the information, and the voice that came back assured us that my car would be moved to the house. That handled, Rodriguez went inside, and I greeted the two animal control officers. It didn’t take us long to make a plan, and in a few minutes they’d backed the trailer right up to the gate. The three of us got the deer into the trailer without much trouble, and I released the spells. They assured me an expert would examine the deer to ensure that they were back to normal. I suspected the expert was a fey or an elf, maybe even someone on staff with the police department. Witches had a lot of talents, but they weren’t as in touch with nature as some other species. I applauded their caution. I didn’t want to be responsible for introducing a new magical species into the wild.

  When the animal control officers drove off, I walked around the house and sat on the front steps. I could see Rodriguez talking to the family through the window. He knew where to find me. While I was waiting for him, I started to search the area for magic.

  Most of my attention was focused on the house behind me, so it took a moment to realize that there was a sizable stockpile of magical energy coming from the driveway. Getting up, I slowly walked over, checking my position against where I felt the magic until I was standing next to the pickup truck. Everything I was sensing was coming from the toolbox sitting behind the cab; it extended the entire width of the truck bed and could be locked. With the location of the magical items determined, I considered the options.

  I couldn’t think of any reason for a family on vacation to be transporting that many magical items, especially since what I was sensing felt like unused charms. There had to be a lot of them in there for me to feel the magic this strongly, and no one casually hauled around that many charms. In fact, the only explanations I could come up with were that they were illegal. From something small, like violating the Safe Transportation of Magical Goods Act, to something more serious, like being involved in the sale of black market goods.

  I waved over a nearby officer, who happened to be the one who’d called me earlier, though we’d first met a few months ago. “Hey, Officer Kent, could you help me?”

  He nodded and started in my direction. With a slender build, gray-brown skin, and large eyes, he was clearly a dark elf. They weren’t very common in this area, making him an oddity in our community.

  Smiling, he held out his hand. “Ms. Oaks, it is a pleasure.”

  Returning his grin, I shook his hand. “It’s good to see you again, especially under less painful circumstances.”

  “How did you recover from that teacup bite?” He glanced at my hand.

  “Well enough.” Though being bitten by a possessed teacup wasn’t something I wanted to think about. “I was hoping you could help me with something. I discovered a large supply of magical items in this truck. Could you tell me who owns it and perhaps get permission or a warrant to search it?”

  Kent studied me. “Is this connected to the deer?”

  “Yes.” I tried to stay as close to the facts as I could, especially since I hadn’t been there when some of the events transpired. “While examining the deer I discovered some magical evidence that disagreed with Rodriguez’s understanding of the events that led to the deer being magicked. I was searching the area for magic and found traces in this truck that could explain what happened to those deer.”

  He studied me for a moment. “The truck belongs to the family. Now, I’m not an expert in magic, but that sounds like probable cause to me.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Does it?”

  “Yes, Ms. Oaks, it does.” He tipped his head in the direction of the truck bed.

  Grinning, I stepped up onto the bumper, over the tailgate, and then knelt in front of the toolbox. A quick check confirmed that there were magical things inside the box, but no detectable magic was set to go off when the box was opened. The padlock, however, had a couple of spells on it for strength and to prevent lock picking.

  Summoning my wand, I tapped the lock, intending to shrink it down until there wasn’t enough metal for the strength spell to matter. “Jera.”

  The padlock slowly started to shrink, and I fed power into the spell until it was so small that the metal of the box shattered the lock. I picked up the pieces I could find and set them off to the side. Taking a deep breath, I opened the box.

  Behind me I could hear a man shouting, “You don’t have any right to do that. Get out of my truck!”

  Trusting the officers to have my back, I kept my eyes on the treasure trove I’d just discovered. The entire toolbox was filled with charms of every type, neatly stacked and labeled. A quick scan found several that correlated to the spells on the deer, plus others that I knew were illegal. Poison charms, for example, were supposed to be controlled, as were the sexual performance enhancers. Those had some nasty side effects.

  Off to the side was a plastic bag with the handles wrapped around it several times. I didn’t get any sensation of magic from there. I opened the bag and found charms in little bags with labels. Every one of them was inert, and I’d found most of them on the deer. The shouts picked up behind me, and I cast my eyes around, looking for anything else that was important.

  A bit of black leather was peeking out from between two stacks of charms. I dug it out and flipped it open. The very first page was a list of charms with inventory numbers written next to them and a date. I flipped through the pages and near the bookmark found some entries that simply listed a date and the word “transport.”

  I didn’t have to be a seasoned cop to know this was an important piece of evidence.

  “Michelle, duck!”

  I flattened myself onto the bed of the truck as a fireball shot through the air where I’d been. When this was over, I’d have to thank Rodriguez for the warning. I set the bag down in the bed of the truck and summoned my wand. Armed, I shimmied over to the side of the truck bed and propped myself up until I could just see over the edge.

  Kent and another officer had the man from inside the cabin pinned to the ground, but it looked like he was still trying to cast. However, the real trouble was the woman on the stairs. She was shooting spells at everyone as fast as her wand would move, and it was all Rodriguez could do to direct the worst of them away from his colleagues. This was a job for a witch.

  Poking my wand over the edge of the truck, I aimed at the woman. “Fehu.”

  She was instantly encased in a solid block of ice. Knowing it wouldn’t hold her for long, I quickly focused on the man. “Algid.” Magical ropes encased him, turning him into a squirming but not overly threatening lump.

  I jumped out of the truck and ran over. “Get the nullifying cuffs!”

  The ice was starting to melt off the woman, but I was prepared for that. Sketching a few runes in the air, I cast a containment spell that would be highly resistant to magical tampering. That should hold her long enough for us to get a pair of cuffs on her.

  Rodriguez, who was looking a little worse for wear, hurried over to Kent and the other officer holding down the man. They dug his wrists out of the ropes and snapped a pair of handcuffs on him. I felt the magic activate at the same time. I’d forgotten that Rodriguez always carried a pair of nullifying cuffs. They would do exactly what the name indicated and make it impossible for the wizard to cast any spells.

  Another officer hurried over, a pair of the special cuffs in hand. He tossed them to Rodriguez, who nodded his thanks, and turned to me. “Could you help me cuff her?”

  “My pleasure.” I gave her a good look as we got closer. The ice had started to melt, and lucky for us it was coming off her head and extremities first. I took the cuffs from Rodriguez, tinkered with the containment spell so it would allow my hands to pass through, and was tightening the cuffs around her wrists before she had a chance to finish a spell.

  Now that she wouldn’t be causing any more trouble, I removed the containment spell and the remaining ice. Rodriguez looked satisfied but pained as he walked her to a cruiser. I couldn’t blame him. There were several scorch marks on his uniform, so fireballs must’ve been a specialty of hers.

  Kent waved me over. “Could you remove the ropes? We need to be able to transport him, and he won’t fit in the car like this.”

  I removed the magical ropes. “Done.”

  Kent nodded his thanks before hauling the man to his feet and taking him to a different police car, separating him from his wife. Remembering their child, I looked around but didn’t see her. “Rodriguez, where’s the girl?”

  He tipped his head in the direction of the house. “An officer is watching her. Child services is sending someone out here.”

  I pursed my lips. I felt bad for the girl. She really was innocent in all this. “Hopefully she’s got some family who can take her in.”

  “Out of my hands.” Rodriguez sighed. “What did you find in the truck? They saw you through the window and freaked out.”

  “Lots of charms, including a bag of used ones that correlate to the magic that affected the deer, and a little black book.”

  “Oh?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Oh yes.” I winked. “Would you like to see?”

  Rodriguez motioned for me to lead the way. As we walked over to the truck, I explained what had drawn me to it, my conversation with Kent, and how I’d gotten into the truck box. Since the charms—both the used and unused ones—were fairly self-explanatory, I showed him the book first. “And, if you look here at the bookmark, there are a few entries that just say ‘transport.’ Notice anything interesting about those dates?”

  His eyes narrowed. “One of them is right before the bugbear started making trouble.”

  I nodded and pointed at a different entry. “And that was the day someone tried to steal the fire-breathing cow.”

  “There’s a good chance these two were the ones transporting the bugbear and trying to capture the cow.” Rodriguez set the book to the side and started looking at all the charms.

  Tipping my head to the side, I watched him. “You realize what this is, right?”

  “Part of our black market problem.”

  “Exactly.” I waved the book in the air. “Do you think this is enough to bring down the entire organization?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s a start.”

  That it was. Looking around, I realized it was more than a lead on the black market problem, it was the beginning of a lot of work. “You know what else it is?”

  “A sign to get busy. We need to document everything. I’ll need you here to verify that these charms are what they say they are. We’ve got a full day of work here.”

  “Let me make one phone call and I’m yours for the rest of the day.”

  “Deal.”

  I found my car, got my phone, and called Natalie to tell her I’d pick up my kit during normal business hours the next day. Headed back to the truck, I felt a sense of satisfaction that I hadn’t found in a lot of my recent cases. The evidence we collected today might not be enough to bring down the entire black market ring that was operating in north Georgia, but it was a start. A much-needed start, and I would be a part of freeing my corner of the world from illegal and dangerous magic.

  Also by N. E. Conneely

  To see the most up to date list of works please visit

  neconneely.com/books

  * * *

  A Witch’s Path Series:

  Witch for Hire (Book 1)

  A Witch’s Path (Book 2)

  A Witch’s Trial (Book 3)

  A Witch’s Concern (Book 4)

  A Witch’s Rite (Book 5)

  A Witch’s Demons (Book 6)

  * * *

  The Earth Born Cycle

  Earth Born (Book 1)

  Fire Forged (Book 2)

  Spirit Formed (Book 3)

  * * *

  Witch’s Path World:

  Handyman for Hire

  Oceanside

  Fireball

  The Golden Egg

  * * *

  Michelle’s Case Files:

  Michelle’s Case Files: A Collection of Short Stories

  * * *

  Fey Hearted:

  Fey at Heart (Prequel)

  Fey Hearted (Book 1)

  New Release Newsletter

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  About the Author

  N.E. Conneely lives in northern Georgia with her husband, her dog, and a mountain of books. They sweat through the summer and freeze through the winter, and life as they know it comes to an end when so much as a single snowflake falls out of the sky.

  For fun, N.E. plays with her dog, reads, knits, crochets, paints, and does tie-dyeing and origami. She makes a great pizza and is currently negotiating with her husband about growing a vegetable garden.

  Please visit neconneely.com to find information on her current projects.

  www.neconneely.com

  author@neconneely.com

 

 

  N. E. Conneely, Michelle's Case Files

 

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