Ghost Light

Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.  The movie quote rose unbidden and I stifled a giggle.  Thankfully, the shop wards hadn’t triggered the lock mechanism on the door—or any potentially deadly spell traps, yet.  I cleared my throat and stepped inside.

“Hello?” I asked.

The shop was empty.  I breathed in the pungent smell of leather and tried to remain calm.  Jinx was fine.  I just had to contact the clurichaun, right?  I spun in a slow circle looking around the store’s well-lit interior.  More than once I hesitated, mistaking a display of leather jackets for someone standing in my peripheral vision.  And don’t get me started on the mannequins.  I could swear that their dead eyes followed me as I walked around the room.  The damn things were creepy.

I stifled a shudder and searched for anything out of place.  For a barfly, the clurichaun kept a tidy shop.  Leather goods were displayed artfully around the room.  As far as I could tell, everything was in its place.  Even the boxes and shopping bags I’d dropped to the floor were stacked in an orderly row.

I rifled through the bags, lifting shoe boxes and folded clothing looking for a note or some indication as to where Jinx had gone, but they contained only the remnants of today’s shopping trip.  I thrust the items back into the bags and growled like a barguest.  There were no clues to indicate where the clurichaun had taken Jinx.

I left the main showroom and examined the counter at the rear of the shop.  Something seemed to be missing.  The memory of my previous visit niggled at me.  I tried to conjure up an image of the counter from earlier today, but the memory slipped away like smoke.  I’d been too focused on Melusine and the threat she posed.

I scanned the countertop and stopped to examine the register.  Kaye had a secret button on her till that opened the back door of her shop.  Maybe the clurichaun had a similar setup.  I pressed each button with a gloved finger, but nothing happened.

I risked a glance outside.  The sun was setting and it was getting dark.  The shadows and fog seemed to swallow the city lights, leaving only darkness and the denizens who lurk within.

I spun back to the register and pounded my fist on the counter.  I had to be missing something.  There had to be a way to contact the clurichaun.  I slouched and let my head roll forward, hiding behind the curtain of hair.  If I couldn’t find a way into the faerie’s bolt-hole, I’d have to start seeking visions.  I stared at my gloved fist and did a double take.

I slid my hand back across the counter to reveal a circle scratched into the wood.  The marks were faint, as if from something sitting there for years.  Suddenly, I remembered what was missing from the counter.  When I was here earlier, there had been a shiny silver bell—the type you ring for service.

A slow smile spread across my face.  I knew what to look for.  Where had the clurichaun hidden his bell?  I dug around behind the counter, turning waste baskets and drawers upside down.

“Come on bell, where are you hiding?” I muttered.

I walked back out to the showroom and something shimmered in my second sight.  I focused and the bell appeared, sitting on top of a creepy mannequin head.  I lunged forward and grabbed the bell.  It was solid beneath my gloved fingers.

I hurried to the counter and placed the bell on the circle of scratches.  Raising my hand and holding it out flat, palm side down, I hit the bell.  A loud clang rang throughout the shop.  Should I ring it again, perhaps three times?  Kaye was always explaining how three was a powerful number when it came to magic…

“Hell-o,” a voice hiccup burped behind me.

I spun to see the clurichaun wave his hand and totter toward me.  Jinx was sprawled on the floor behind him.  Jinx.

I rushed to my friend’s side and knelt on the polished wood floor.  I steeled myself to remove my glove and check for a pulse—I’d never touched Jinx before, her secrets were her own business and not something I wanted to plunge into—when a lazy grin spread across her face.  Jinx cracked opened her eyes and smiled even wider.

“Hey, girl,” she said.  “Let’s go, hiccup, dancing!”

“Dancing,” I said.  “Seriously?  I doubt you can even walk.”

I imagined myself stumbling down Joysen Hill carrying my tall friend all the way home.  The Old Port was a long walk from here and if I had to carry Jinx, my arms and legs would be useless in a fight.  Running would also be impossible.  I’d have to stumble down The Hill slow and defenseless.  I grunted and sat back on my heels.

I raked a hand through my hair and pushed it out of my face while examining my friend.  This wasn’t the first time I’d seen Jinx drink too much, but she didn’t usually get this trashed.  Oh shit.

“I asked you to protect her,” I said.  I looked over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes at the clurichaun, and pointed at Jinx.  “What did you give her?”

Turning back to Jinx, I nudged her with my knee.