Stripped of making decisions at the small local library he works at Dexter is forced to do make work including training an assistant to do many of his old tasks and retrieve overdue books from patron’s houses. In one of these houses, he is faced with a repugnant scene that threatens to reveal his secret magical ability to see ghosts. In the process of escaping with his life, a whole magical community is exposed to Dexter who is co-opped into working in for the magical law enforcement run by his family. Dexter and his young niece and nephews’ are soon threatened by a man seeking a Medium to bring back his dead wife and child.
I looked at the camera slot of the doorbell. How much surveillance did she have? Had she heard our conversation before? I knew it was naïve to assume she couldn’t have; with the right spell she’d have heard. What kind of biological magic did she practice? I imagined my decaying corpse being devoured by flesh-eating scavengers under her control. ‘They’d never find enough evidence’.
Cory walked into my office without knocking and placed a pile of red cardboard boxes on my desk. A careful look in the boxes and I realised they contained filled manila folders. “The higher ups have decided that you’ll learn by doing.”
“Doing what?”
“Cleaning up.” Cory opened the top box.
“These are?”
“Cases given to you, and by extension, me. Mostly manifestations people created with their very own brain boxes. I grabbed the easy ones because neither of us is fully trained to handle this.”
“You mean urban legends people thought into existence?”
Previous “There’s someone coming,” Cory whispered. “How can you tell?” I said. “Close your eyes and focus on the part of you that you use to sense ghosts. Mentally roll it in a ball, understand how it works. How it feels and how your mind and body respond to it.” I closed my eyes and …
As I stood in the dining room doorway, I noticed Eli’s parents’ concerned glances at the bruises on my neck, which peeked out of the top of my tight suit collar. Cynthia kept looking at my face, and I knew she was looking at my nose. I hoped I didn’t have a bruise; I should have snuck off to the bathroom before I sat down.
When she sat back down, she had a hard look on her face. “Do you remember the last time you were here?”
“When I was a kid?”
“Don’t worry.”
Previous CW: References to suicide. After five minutes of staring at the dark green wood panel door, I found the confidence to knock on it. The door opened instantly to an older woman with carefully groomed shoulder-length grey hair and a loose cream pant suit. Her brown eyes were hard behind her wireframed glasses as …
The Southern Magicks Chapter 28: Detective Milton Read More »
Previous Neither Cory nor Eli said a word as Eli grabbed my hand from Kat and led me to his car. Cory took Kat in hers. Eli’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel as he drove from the house, his face set in a hard expression. I pulled down the sunshade and examined my …
The Southern Magicks Chapter 27: Dorian’s Journals Read More »
Previous CW: Implied Attempted Sexual Assault I had to warn Kat. She might get out if she was careful, if it was only an alarm I’d triggered. I slowly slid my phone out of my pocket. I almost let it slip from my sweaty, shaky fingers when I realised that I had no reception. Shit. …
The Southern Magicks Chapter 26: Escape From Thornton House Read More »
Previous I waited until Eli had his hair soaped up in the shower before I closed the bathroom door and yelled that I was going for a walk. I sent Kat a text as I walked through the garden, the moment I was out of sight of the house. Once I crossed into the national …
The Southern Magicks Chapter 25: Alissa Thornton Read More »
Previous Cory was already waiting when we pulled up in front of Kat’s house. He walked out of his car and leaned in the passenger window when I wound it down. “Morning,” Eli greeted from the driver’s seat, with a smirk. “Hey,” Cory responded. He looked out of the corner of his eye, over his …
The Southern Magicks Chapter 24: Postmodern Sleuths Read More »
