"You sure you have the right address?" I asked him.
He glared at me. "Hey, I've been a part of this city since its beginning. I don't get lost."
I gestured to the wilderness. "Then where's the old coot?" I challenged him.
The cat nodded at the brush. "Follow that trail and you'll find him."
I squinted at where he nodded. "I don't see anything."
Mo sighed and walked ahead to the first bush. He sidled up to the bush and brushed his tail against the thorny branches. My mouth dropped open when the bush rippled as though a stone was thrown into its reflection. "Now do you see the path?" he asked me.
I knelt where his tail had touched the bush and pressed my hand against the branches. Like his tail, my hand created a ripple, but larger. It vibrated over the entire bush and I could see that a path lay beyond the bush. "Whoa," I whispered.
"No, giddy-up, which is what you need to be doing before night falls. Getting through that cemetery isn't safe for you during the day, and it sure as hell is dangerous at night," he warned me.
"All right, all right," I replied.
Chapter 8
I slipped into the rippling mirage and found the path disappeared into the depths of the woods. The bushes brushed against my legs and arms, and caught on my clothes. I pushed and pulled my way along the trail, and eighty feet into the woods the path turned a corner. The trees parted to reveal a small clearing. In the center of the clearing sat a hut made of uneven plank boards hammered to the old frame with rusted nails. The windows were small bathroom windows that were clouded to obscure the interior. A cinder block was the step, and I stepped onto it and stood before the door. A Marley knocker stood at face-level, and I gave it a good knock.
I heard a shuffling noise on the other side of the door, and the entrance opened an inch. A large, blood-shot eye stared back at me. "Whadda ya want?" an old man's voice growled.
"Um, I'm looking for-um, for someone who can help me." I still didn't have the old coot's name. "Madam Curie said someone would be here who could help me out of a curse," I replied.
The eye narrowed. "Did she put it on you?"
"No, an incubus did. He's trying to turn me into a succubus," I told him.
The door flung open and revealed a man of seventy. His skeletal frame was covered in a cow hide with a sheep skin tossed over his bony shoulders. He had a few scraggly gray hairs on his head and a smell on his person that could have stunned a skunk. The inside of the hut was of the same four-star quality, complete with a bearskin rug on the floor in front of the rock chimney place. A three-legged table sat near a counter with a large, rusted sink. To the right was a cot covered in skins and dirty clothes. A shelf of small, fur-covered dolls was attached to the wall high above the bed.
The man stepped closer to me and I noticed his bright eyes were eager and his mouth was slightly agape. Those bright brown eyes scrutinized me with a wild, eager look. "A succubus? You're not pulling this old man's leg, are you?"
I took a step back and shook my head. "No, why?"
He gave a wild cackle and dove at me with his bony fingers wiggling like worms. I yelped and jumped to one side. He missed me by a mile and fell head-first into the snow. The man groaned and lifted his head. He had a goofy smile on his face and his head swayed from side to side.
"Did I get her?" he slurred.
I folded my arms and glared at him. "No, you didn't, and you're not going to. I'm having enough trouble with the incubus. I don't need a dirty old man chasing me."
"Especially a witch doctor," a voice spoke up. I looked to the path and saw Mo emerge from the brush. He sauntered over to us and rubbed himself against my legs.
"He's a witch doctor?" I asked the feline.
"And a damn good one!" the old man quipped. He jumped to his feet and bowed low at the waist toward me. "Magnus Magnificent, at your service, milady!"
I cringed away from the foul-smelling, newly-converted gentleman. "Um, nice to-um, meet you. My name's Liz Monroe."
"Elizabeth! What a beautiful name!" The wild man slid over to me, grasped my hand in his and kissed the back of it. I shuddered at the feel of his wrinkly lips on my skin, and for once wished it was David kissing me.
I yanked my hand out of his grasp and wiped it on my jeans. "Yeah, thanks, but I didn't really come here for compliments. I was looking to see if you could get rid of this curse on me."
Magnus blinked at me. "Curse? What curse?"
"The curse about becoming a succubus, you fool," Mo spoke up.
Magnus frowned at both of us and he spoke in a clear, serious voice. "I can't help you there."
"What? Why not?" I yelled back.
He straightened and placed his hand over his heart. "Because it would be against my code of honor as a man to assist in the destruction of a succubus!"
"Were you dropped on your head as a child? A lot?" I asked him.
"Several times, what's your point?" he returned.
"She doesn't want to be a succubus," Mo told him.
Magnus jumped back with his mouth open. "What? Not become a siren of dreams and nightmares? What fool would wish against that?"
I pointed at myself. "This fool, now are you going to help me or not?"
He stood straight and shook his head. "Never!"
My shoulders drooped. "So I came all this way for nothing?"
"Let me handle this," Mo whispered to me. He slid away from me and toward the path. "Come on, Liz. It looks like you'll have to tell Madam Curie she was right."
Magnus' eyes widened and he scurried past us to the entrance of the path. He spread his arms out to further block our way. "What did she say about me?"
"Oh, nothing important. It's not like you want to get involved, anyway," Mo replied as he slipped past Magnus' legs. Magnus grabbed Mo's tail, and the cat let out a screech as the old man flung him back toward me. I caught Mo in my arms, and the cat turned and hissed at the witch doctor. "Did you forget who you're dealing with?" the spiritual feline snarled.
"Tell me of what she spoke, fiendish feline!" Magnus demanded.
Mo straightened and told the tale between licking his tail. "She told Liz here that you were too stupid to help and weren't worth her time coming up here." He paused and a sly smile slipped onto his lips. "Looks like she was right."
Magnus shoved his fist into the air and shook it with all his skinny might. "Curse that witch and her meddling! That's why I don't get as many customers as I should!"
"So does that mean you'll help me?" I spoke up.
He lowered his arm and gave an emphatic nod. "I will, milady, though it be against my code of honor."
"Uh-huh. I thought helping a woman was supposed to be at the top of that code," I commented as I set Mo on the ground at my feet. I pushed him away with my foot. "And what is with you guys? You two act like I'm some sort of a guy magnet or something."
"That's the succubus in you. It tends to attract males, especially we supernatural types," Mo told me.
I threw up my arms. "Great, just what I need, more male trouble."
Magnus walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He turned me toward his house and we strode up to the cinder block porch. "I shall remedy your malady for ye, milady, and all for the small price of a kiss."
My eyes widened and I threw off his arm. "Oh hell no! No deal!" I argued as I backed away from him.
"Magnus," Mo warned as he waltzed up to my legs.
Magnus' shoulders drooped and his lips pressed together in a pout. "Very well. We will deal in money," he grudgingly agreed. Magnus opened the door and led us inside the dingy establishment. He walked over to the shelf of dolls and swept over them until he grabbed one with my color of brown hair and brown eyes. "This one should work for you," he told me as he held out the tiny toy.
I studied the small creature. It was a girl judging by its animal-fur dress, and its face was round and smiled back at me. My eyes slid up to Magnus' face. "What is it?" I asked him.
"
It's you!" He paused and tapped his chin. "Or it will be when I remember the curse to put on you both."
I started back. "Curse? I get another one?"
"It's the only way to combat a curse," Mo explained. "You neutralize the one with the other."
"Yes, and mine are harmless," Magnus added. He paused and tapped his chin with a bony finger. "At least, I think they're harmless."
"But what does it do exactly?" I persisted.
"It'll tamper those succubus scents you're putting off and keep that incubus away from you," Mo told me.
"And all for the low price of fifty dollars," Magnus chimed in as he strode across the room to the table. He grabbed a small box and opened it to reveal needles of all sizes. The man plucked one of the middle sized ones from the assortment and turned to me with a grin. "I just need a bit of your blood and the rest is very simple."
My eyes flickered between his grinning face and the dirty needle. "What exactly is this going to do?"
Magnus wiggled the doll at me. "This will be your protective spirit. It will stifle the curse that grows inside you and keep away the incubus who haunts you."
"So I have to keep it around me all the time?" I guessed.
"Yes, but this size is purse and pocket-friendly, and comes with other clothes if you don't like this dress. Accessories cost extra, of course," he told me.
I stretched a smile across my lips. "Um, of course. So just one little drop of my blood and that's it?"
"That's it," he assured me.
I folded my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow. "That's easy for you to say. What guarantee do I have that this bloodletting is actually going to do anything for me?"
Magnus stood tall in all his skinny glory and frowned down upon me. "You have my word as a gentleman and a witch doctor."
Beside me I heard Mo snort. "That doesn't mean much," he muttered.
Magnus glared at him. "It means much to me, fiendish foe, and I will stick to my word. It's my oath to myself and my customers that if anything should fail they shall receive a complete refund or trade. Only up to the price of the original purchase, of course."
I sighed and reluctantly held out a hand. "All right, prick me."
Magnus smiled, bowed his head, and placed the doll on the kitchen table. The three-legged table teetered, but stayed up. He took my hand in his and turned so my fingers and palm pointed upward. Magnus dangled the needle over my middle finger and his eyes flitted to my face. "Are you sure you are prepared for this?" he asked me.
I glared at him. "I said I-ouch!" He'd pricked my finger and in a thrice a spot of blood appeared on the end joint.
Magnus chuckled as he scooped the drop onto the end of the needle and released my hand. "A bit of distraction so you wouldn't flinch," he explained.
"Thanks," I muttered as I caressed my injured hand.
Magnus took the doll from the table and held that and the needle in his hands. He positioned them so they faced each other, and he himself faced me. "This may sting a little bit more than the needle," he warned me.
I furrowed my brow. "What do you-ah!"
Magnus jabbed the needle into the doll where the heart would be placed. At the same time the needle penetrated the surface I felt a jab of something sharp stick into my own chest. I crumpled to the floor with my hands clutched to my chest. My heart beat a million miles a minute and the pain shot through my body like tiny pinpricks that tapped and teased my skin and bones.
Magnus removed the needle, and in an instant the jabbing pain was gone. I raised myself to a sitting position and looked down at myself. Nothing showed my horrible pain. I turned my gaze to Magnus. "What the hell was that?" I questioned him.
"Merely a bonding of sorts. Your blood into the doll. It does sting a little, but there's no lasting effects once the blood has been inserted and the needle removed," he told me.
I jumped to my feet and glared at him. "You could have done a better job of warning me!" I growled.
"It's best not to warn the client. Some of them might get cold feet," he countered.
"Geez, I wonder why!" I quipped.
Magnus paused and tapped a bony finger against his chin. "I, too, wonder about that, but there are some mysteries in life that will remain unsolved." He shrugged and set about cleaning the needle and placing it back in its box.
My mouth dropped open and I looked to Mo who sat nearby. "Is this guy for real?" I whispered to the talking cat.
"Unfortunately, yes," he admitted.
Magnus turned back to us and held the doll in one hand and the other hand was held out palm-upward. "Now we will trade money for the doll," he told me.
Money passed hands, and I was left with an empty wallet and a funny-looking doll. I scrutinized her appearance and my eyes widened when I beheld small eyelashes and little curls at the end of her brown-haired bangs. I didn't recall those features from earlier. "Does the doll change when this whole connection thing happens?" I asked Magnus.
The witch doctor finished the money counting and pocketed his payment. "Yes, that is common if the connection is strong. Sometimes even the clothes will change."
I held out my doll to him. "So how strong is this connection?"
He leaned forward and squinted. "The doll has your eyes and hair, so I would call it average. We can try again with a new doll, but it will cost extra."
"Um, no. I don't have any more money left and I'd rather keep the rest of my blood," I replied.
Magnus sidled up to me and wrapped a thin arm over my shoulders. I looked up into his face and he wagged his bushy eyebrows. "There are other ways you can pay me. You see, I haven't been with a succubus in a good-ah!" Magnus hopped away on one foot and fell into the table. The three legs buckled and both the table and he crashed to the floor. He sat up from the devastation and glared at Mo who slunk his body around my legs. "Fiendish knave! Why did you bite my foot?"
"Because you've never been with a succubus, and you don't need to start now. She's too new to know what she's doing, anyway," Mo shot back.
"What I'm doing is trying to get out of being a succubus," I reminded them. I tucked the doll under my arm and walked to the door.
Magnus climbed out of his kitchen table and brushed off bits of wood from his hides. "Then that doll will help, but you just remember that 30-day guarantee. If it doesn't work bring it back and we'll see what we can do."
I gave him a shaky smile and a stiff wave goodbye. "Um, sure. Hopefully I won't need it, but thanks."
Chapter 9
"Please work. Please work," I quietly chanted as I exited the hut and out into the snowy world.
Mo followed beside me to the path. "Don't worry so much. That quack doctor may be a perverted old man, but he does know his voodoo dolls," he assured me.
"So you think it'll really work?" I asked him.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. You have a powerful curse on you and it won't be easy getting it off," Mo admitted. He tilted his head up to look me in the eyes. "Who was it that put the curse on you, anyway?"
I shrugged. "Some incubus by the name of David, or that's-"
Mo stopped and his fur stood on end and he arched his back. "David?" he hissed.
I stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's what he said his name was. Why? Do you know him?"
Mo spat and growled. "Everyone this side of the supernatural knows that troublemaker. If there was ever a supernatural creature who'd reveal to the world our existence it would be that self-absorbed, narcissistic incubus."
"So what you're saying is he's all bluster and no power, right?" I asked him.
My heart sank when Mo shook his head. The cat settled his fur, sat down, and scowled. "No, that's what makes it worse. He's as powerful as they come, and that's saying something."
I gulped and lifted the doll to my face. "So this thing isn't really going to help me, is it?"
Mo's face fell and he rubbed himself against my leg. "What you need is to cool down and try out that doll. If it doesn't work then y
ou just come back and ask us for help."
I smiled and knelt down to stroke his back. "Thanks. It really means a lot to me to have somebody to talk to. My. . .one of my human friend didn't really believe me when I told her about David being an incubus," I admitted. I laughed when a purr erupted from Mo's throat. "Are you sure you're a city spirit, or were you just lying to me?" I teased.
Mo rubbed his face into my hand and meowed. "Oh, I'm sure, and I'm sure you'd have one lucky cat if you owned one," he replied.
I stood and brushed the fur off my legs. "Well, if you ever need somebody feel free to come by for a visit. My apartment doesn't allow pets, but I could say you were a roommate."
Mo sat down and his eyes glowed yellow in the dimming light. "Maybe I will, but you'd better get along before the ghosts wake up."
"Well, be seeing you then." I waved goodbye to him and hurried down the path.
Night was just falling when I reached my car. I paused at the door and caught one last glance at the hill. The last weak rays of the sun glistened on the snow-covered slope and cast its light on the stone shadows at the top. The silhouette of a cat sat atop one of the gravestones, and I swore I could see its yellow eyes look down upon me with kindness. I slid into my car and drove home with my doll and my doubts.
Clouds covered the darkening sky and by the time I reached my apartment building a light snow was falling. I slipped inside and hurried to my apartment door.
"Hey, Liz!" I heard Tiffany yell. I stuffed the doll deeper into my pocket, and turned to see Tiffany close her door and hurry over to me. She leaned one shoulder on the wall and smiled at me. "Long time no see, Lizzy."
"Um, I think we saw each other this morning," I reminded her.
"Well, yeah, but it has been a long time since we went out for fun," she countered.
I sighed. "That's because the last time we went out I ended up seeing that guy and running out on you."
She shrugged, and the smile remained on her lips. "Well, then, you owe it to both of us to go out tonight and have a good time. What do you say? You only live once."
"I-" My hand brushed against my coat pocket where lay the doll. I needed to test the abilities of the doll, whatever those abilities were. "Sure, I guess I could go out," I told her.