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She quickly explained everything she’d found to Joy and Gus and watched them turn pale.
The things Frau Perchta did … slitting people open, stuffing them with rubbish, punishing the naughty, there was no denyingthatwas the killer they had here in Agedale. A Christmas spirit, a wicked woman comparable to Krampus. Old and ancient and deadly.
Gus’s phone buzzed, interrupting whatever Joy was going to say.
“Huh?” he said, holding it to his ear. “No. Why? Her mum said she’d locked herself in her room and didn’t want to be bothered.”
Gabi and Joy both stared at Gus with panic when his voice changed, suddenly breathy. “Say that again.”
“Gus?” Joy demanded, her knuckles white around her wand.
“Our flat’s the closest. I can be there in ten minutes. Alright.” Gus was wan when he lowered the phone, his breathing jagged.
He said, “Victoriya’s gone missing. So have the ingredients for a connection spell from the apothecary.”
Joy’s swore. “She wouldn’t do something that stupid.”
“Shewould.”
“What?” Gabi asked urgently, cursing her lack of witchcraft knowledge. “What has she done?”
Gus’s tight eyes darted around the clinic hallway. “She’s gone after the witch. You know, the psycho murderer.”
“We couldn’t do a connection spell because it’s too dangerous,” Joy said quietly.
“She’dseethe killer,” Gus explained, practically vibrating with nerves, “but the killer would see her too. She’d know Victoriya was coming.”
“What?”
They all jumped, stunned to find a very pale Neil gripping the doorframe to his room, slumped against the wood. “Victoriya’s done a connection spell?”
Joy nodded weakly.
“Go get her.”
Gabi swallowed. This was far beyond the realm of dangerous, into suicidal.
“Why are you all juststanding here?” Neil roared. His raised voice drew the attention of the male nurse, who looked momentarily stunned to see him out of bed, and then outraged. “Pride,” Neil pleaded.
“I’mthinking,” Gabi ground out. “If we go charging in there without a plan, we could get her killed.”
“She could already be killed,” he argued, furious. Gabi couldn’tthinkwith him shouting at her.
She walked off without another word, her head pounding She couldn’t do this. She wasn’tenough. It wasn’t doubt telling her that—it was the hard truth. Confronting a witch to arrest her might have been doable, but she couldn’t confront a witch to save someone’s life. She wasn’t a hero or a fighter. She just couldn’tdoit. She’d fuck it all up. Victoriya’s blood would be on her own hands.
“We have to go,” Gus breathed, catching up to her. Joy was at Gabi’s side then, gripping her hand again, her eyes wide and face pale. “I said we’d meet Salma and Eilidh at my flat.”
“Right,” Gabi murmured. It was the only word she had.
“We’ll do a spell to find Victoriya, and then make protection and offensive spells. Then we’ll go in there and get our girl back. It’ll be fine.”
Gus was convincing himself more than Gabi and Joy. But Gabi appreciated the snippet of a plan. She had direction, and a purpose.
“Tell me what you need for the spells.” She drew herself upright, turning to meet Neil’s hard gaze. Telling him without words that she’d get Victoriya back. “I’ll go to the apothecary in town and make sure you have enough.”
* * *
Between them,Joy and Gus scrawled a list for Gabi, and while they ran to Gus and Maisie’s flat to prepare the location spell, Gabi rushed down the road to the stuffy apothecary. It was a serious battle to keep herself together as she marched across the road and into the dim, narrow shop. Even the rich, herbal scent couldn’t calm her.
