My mouth dropped open. “How did you—”
“As I said, I am a very powerful witch. All witches can detect ghosts when they have acquired enough mana to do so. The Council of Witches just hasn’t seen me at my full strength. I promise you though, I am powerful enough to cast the spell you seek, and I know a little about it myself, through my own research.”
“What’s the name of the spell then?” Katie asked, hovering forward.
“So you nitwits can cast it and blow yourself up? Please. I’m no fool.”
“Then what if we work together?” Samantha said. “To cast the spell, I mean.”
“Interesting.” Frank stroked his chin. “Very well if you can find me what I need, then I will help you decipher the rest of the spell…on one condition.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“In return for my help, you must let me drain a vile of ectoplasm from your ghost friend. It’s very rare, and I am in desperate need of it.”
I looked over at Katie. She shrugged. “We’re literally nowhere now, so I guess we have no choice.”
I turned back to Frank. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter 20
Frank pulled a thick three-ring binder off the shelf behind him and flipped through it, stroking his chin with his free hand as he did. With every turn of the page, his indignation grew, until it boiled over.
“Where is it?” he asked, scratching his head. “I know it’s in here. Unfortunately, the council keeps high level spells on high guard, but I’ve been able to decipher a little bit of the spell from old texts and tall tales.” He stuck his finger on the next page. “Here we are. The first ingredient is a goblin’s toenail.”
“Goblin toenails,” I said. “Gross.”
“No more than any of the other ingredients we witches use for potions, I assure you of that,” Frank said. “Now, I know have a recipe to capture a goblin around here somewhere.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked. “A goblin? Here?”
“And why not?” Frank replied. “Ghosts are real. Why not goblins? I think you will find there are many things that you have taken for fiction truly that exist in this world. Some are innocent while others are so horrible, they would make your hair stand on end.”
“That’s a stretch,” I said. “I mean, I barely believe Katie’s real.”
“Still?” Katie replied.
“I said barely believe. I believe it with my eyes, but my brain still has its doubts.”
“I’m afraid you will have to believe, and soon,” Frank said. “Ah, here we go. Goblins hate humans, but they have been known to be lured by a certain combination of flavors baked into a pie.” He unclipped the binder and pulled out the sheet of paper, then handed it to me. “Here you are.”
“Rhubarb and sweet kidney pie?” I said. “This looks disgusting.”
“I agree,” Frank said, nodding profusely. “I have tried to bake it a dozen times, but no matter what I do, I cannot tempt the goblin to entreat with me.”
“I’m not surprised they avoid you.” Katie wrinkled her nose. “Who would eat this?”
“Goblin palates are very different than ours. This is a delicacy to them.”
“And we should believe you, even though this recipe didn’t work for you?” Katie said.
“Yeah,” I added. “Don’t you think maybe the reason they haven’t come around is because this stuff is putrid?”
“If you have any better ideas, I’d love to hear them,” Frank said. “But right now, this is the only recipe I know to capture a goblin, and the spell says that’s what we need. You’re welcome to walk out any time.”
I didn’t have a better idea, and he knew that I didn’t, and neither did Samantha or Katie. They just looked at me, bewildered. So, we had to try Frank’s disgusting pie.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll do it.”
“Splendid,” Frank said, turning around. “Now, when you’ve baked the pie, make sure to place it inside this cage.” Frank pulled a rusted metal bird cage off the shelf behind him and handed it to Samantha. “This cage is enchanted to ensnare a goblin. They can turn invisible at a moment’s notice and disappear at will. If you don’t catch them in this cage, they will escape. Understand?”
I nodded. “I get it.”
“Good,” Frank said. “Well, this has turned into quite the interesting day, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” Katie said with a smile. “I’m excited about catching a goblin. Sounds fun.”
Samantha led us out of the store and back into her car. She threw the bird cage into the trunk of the hatchback before getting into the driver’s seat.
“Was Frank pretty worthless?” Samantha asked. “Or completely worthless?”
“I liked him,” Katie said.
I rolled my eyes. “You like everybody.”
“That’s because everybody is wonderful. Look, before we went into Frank’s store, we had no way to save the world, and now we have the makings of a quest.”
“Yes, to catch a goblin, not to close a portal.”
“Sounds like a delightful first step. And you know that quests often start with mundane, little tasks before they unfold in front of us into something grander.”
Samantha smiled. “You really do love everything, don’t you?”
“I really do,” Katie said.
Samantha drove us to the nearest Albertson’s and led us inside. “You two handle the giblets and meats. I’ll handle the sweet things.”
“Why do I have to do it?” I made a face. “That stuff is gross.”
“Because I drove.”
“I guess that’s fair,” I said, even though I didn’t like it.
Samantha strolled off toward the bakery, while I walked down the aisle toward the butcher shop in the back of the supermarket.
Katie followed me. “This is fun, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” I grumbled.
“Oh, well that’s probably because you’ve been normal your whole life. Think about it from my perspective though. For the last three months of my life, I couldn’t move from my bed, and now I’m on an adventure.”
I stopped in the middle of
