“Good.” Holling nodded. “But this test won’t be easy.”
“What is it?” Would it be today? Panic squeezed his heart hard. He wasn’t ready.
“You’re to go to Mercy South in Colorado to find and stop the creature that’s mutilating cattle,” she said.
“What? How do you know it isn’t a wolf or a bear or something?” This wasn’t the kind of test an electro-mage should be given. He didn’t know anything about animals.
“It’s not. It’s a paranormal creature of some kind.”
A paranormal creature. They were making him actually protect the paranormal community by policing it. “How do I stop it?”
“That depends on what it is.”
“Don’t you have investigators for this kind of thing?” He didn’t even know where to start looking.
“Do you want to quit already?” Something about the way Landstrom spoke sent a warning shiver down Jude’s spine.
Tomlins glared at Landstrom. “We do have investigators. We are giving you this chance. Perhaps you would like to become one and put your magic to use for us.”
He wanted to laugh. His magic had no use. But they were offering him a place with the Coven as though he could be useful.
“I’m not quitting.” But he didn’t sound as sure as he wanted to, and he felt even less certain. This was some kind of trap if Landstrom was happy. “But what if I don’t want to be an investigator?”
Tomlins tilted her head. “Electro-mages are rare. Your skills would be valued.”
Landstrom looked like he’d swallowed a frog and it was stuck in his throat.
What could he do that other witches couldn’t? He was rare…how rare? No, he was going to travel, not get into bed with the Coven.
“We will send an investigator in two weeks. That is all the time we can give you,” Holling said.
Jude frowned. “If I pass, I get to be an investigator?”
He wasn’t entirely sure if that was what he wanted. Part of him never wanted to have anything to do with the Coven after this. The rest of him wanted to believe that he was a good witch and did have a place in the paranormal community. He’d never belonged anywhere.
Holling nodded. Landstrom scowled.
“And what happens if I fail?” If this was a test, there had to be consequences. What if he wasn’t any good and he couldn’t solve problems?
Landstrom’s smile returned. “You will be stripped of your magic.”
Chapter One
Jude gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. He was the wrong witch for this job. He knew it, and the Coven knew it, but he had no other options. No good ones anyway. And while he didn’t want to be an investigator for the Coven, he wanted to fail even less. He could always turn down the job—if he passed.
No matter what he’d done, he didn’t deserve to have his magic stripped and be turned into a magicless human. He didn’t want to be human, but right now he didn’t want to be a witch either. He probably shouldn’t have gone for the jackpot, but there had to be a use for his magic, and it had seemed like a good idea. It didn’t seem worthy of the punishment.
The odds of him succeeding were smaller than someone winning big without using magic. The Coven, Landstrom in particular, wanted him to fail. Jude was going to enjoy it if, when, he succeeded. He could do this. How hard could it be to find the creature? It couldn’t be that difficult…stopping it was another problem that he’d cross when he knew what he was dealing with.
He checked the map on his phone again. He wasn’t that far away from Mercy South, but the ever so helpful voice on his phone had gone silent a few miles ago. He checked the screen. Another fifteen miles to go on this road. Already he’d seen more cows that he’d had steaks. He preferred to see cows on a plate with a nice salad and some fries.
Maybe that was what he’d have for dinner.
He pressed the gas pedal on the two-door hatch he’d hired—it wasn’t electric, so he was actually going to have to pay for gas. He’d send the Coven a bill for his expenses after, if he wasn’t fleeing the country so they couldn’t take his magic—assuming his passport showed up.
What happened to magic that was stripped from witches? Was it stored in a bottle? Did it evaporate? What happened to the ex-witches? He should probably do a little research into that, too, just in case, so he was prepared. He’d already lost two days traveling down here. Twelve to go.
He sped past the sign that read ‘Ten Miles to Mercy South’. “Ten miles and a million cows.”
A crooked sign warned him that the Mercy North turnoff was in a mile. He had no interest in seeing the old mining town, although if anyone asked, that was exactly why he was here. He couldn’t go around talking about magic and monsters to humans, that would just give the Coven another reason to strip his magic.
The creature killing the cows might move on to people next, or worse, the people might realize that things from their horror movies did exist. Then there’d be panic, and that would be bad for all the paranormals. He understood the danger, but he wasn’t the problem…anymore. His magic was under control and carefully controlled. He barely even used magic.
If the Coven was really worried about the creature, they should’ve sent a nature witch, someone who could talk to animals not electrons. Maybe the problem wasn’t that bad. However, he was going to have to talk to people and ask questions, or at least listen to the local gossip.
The sun was setting, casting the sky in shades of pink and red. Any other day and he’d have thought it pretty, but the closer he got to Mercy South, the tighter the knots in his belly drew. He drove over the bridge,
