Once again, Synthea paced the floor of the room, her high heels making a clicking noise on the marble.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floor, Syn, why don't you sit down?" Alice asked.
"I'm just so nervous about all this." Synthea replied, "If this book can do what it has been claimed it can do, it will put me in such good favor with the master."
"Well, we have Keith to help us." Alice replied. "If anybody can figure out a spell, it's him."
"Why thank you, dear lady." Keith replied, walking into the room. He took Alice's hand and kissed it. Keith Locksley was a wizard whose Potion Club, in reality a drug den, had recently been raided by the police. When Synthea had heard what had happened, she offered to hide him at her house in exchange for doing a spell for her. The wizard quickly agreed and wasted no time in making himself at home, including romancing Alice.
"Well, is the book here yet, Syn?" He asked, sitting down next to Alice. Ignoring Synthea's glare, he put his feet up on the coffee table and an arm around Alice. She snuggled up next to him.
"No, not yet." Synthea grumbled, "I sent three demons last night to go get it, but they failed. Now I'm waiting for Gwen to bring it...and she better bring it soon."
"She will, Syn." Keith soothed, "I'm looking forward to seeing this book too."
"Mistress, I'm here!" Gwen's voice called out.
"In here, Gwen!" Synthea yelled, rolling her eyes. Gwen could never figure out how to appear in the right place.
Gwen ran into the room, holding out a book wrapped in a bundle.
"Here it is, Mistress." Gwen said happily.
"If this state allowed same-sex unions I'd marry you, Gwen." Synthea smiled, grabbing the book and ripping off the paper. Her smile turned to a frown quickly when she looked at the book's cover and flipped through the pages.
"The beginner's guide to Chinese Calligraphy!" She yelled at Gwen, "You idiot! This isn't what I wanted!"
"But...but that was what the spell book was supposed to be mixed in with, Mistress." Gwen replied, shaking. "I thought that was it."
Synthea backhanded Gwen across the face. "You haven't had a thought in that empty head of yours in years!" She shouted, "Go back to that book store and don't come back until you find it!"
"Yes, mistress. Right away, Mistress." Gwen stuttered, and then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
Synthea threw the book onto the coffee table, knocking Alice's goblet onto the floor where it shattered.
"I am surrounded by incompetent fools!" She yelled.
"Getting angry won't make it appear any faster, Synthea." Alice replied, huddling a little closer to Keith.
"Want me to whip you up a little something to calm you down?" Keith asked.
"No thanks." Synthea said shortly, and then walked out of the room.
The witch went downstairs to the cellar where a large glass casket stood on a dais. Lying inside the casket was a figure surrounded by purple gas. Synthea gently touched the top of the casket.
"Soon, my sister, very soon." She whispered.
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
More stories by Lisa
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