The Bounty Hunters Part 2 - Family Reunion free porn video

Author note 1: A special thanks to Eric and BobH for reading this in beta and offering their advice. Author note 2: If you haven't read Bounty Hunters, I recommend that you read it first, since it sets the stage for this story. An Urban Fantasy Bounty Hunters Part 2 "Family Reunions" Magic has always existed and is now openly acknowledged. 10% of the population is magically sensitive and 5% can actually be taught to cast spells. Only about 1% of the population has the ability to earn a Magic-User 3rd Class license. In a country of 300 million, that means there are potentially 3 million professional practitioners. However, it takes hard work and training to develop that raw talent. There are currently about 1 million licensed practitioners in the United States. Of that amount, about a hundred thousand are rated as Magic-User 2nd Class, with ten thousand certified as Magic-User 1st Class, and there are approximately three hundred Master Magic-Users. The Guild of Magic-Users is ancient and, from its earliest days, has been dedicated to the principle of peaceful coexistence with the mundane population. It exists officially or unofficially in every country and it upholds the laws of the host nation. The Guild works hard to identify magical talent and to train and educate the magical population. Despite the Guild's best efforts to eliminate them there remain several ancient private schools of magic. The most infamous of these are the schools of; Assassins, Thieves, Sorcerers, Necromancers, Psionic's, and Demonologists. Each of these institutions specializes in unique types of magic that are considered unethical, immoral, or illegal. There are also schools of magic that teach types of magic considered "inferior" to the curriculum offered by the Guild of Magic-Users. They are tolerated because they focus on teaching those of "lesser" talent and because they keep the "lesser" talents pacified. As long as these schools pay a fee, the Guild is willing to license them. These schools include institutions dedicated to; Alchemy, Artifice, Witchcraft, Shape-Shifting, and the Physical Adepts. The lesser talents are growing in power, wealth, and numbers. As they've become more influential, they've become resentful of the second class status the Guild has assigned them. The power of magic is rising. How humanity reacts will chart the course of civilization for the next millennia. An Age has come to an end, a new Age has arrived, and as yet no one has noticed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Prolog ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The classroom at the St. Louis Guild Hall felt like any other classroom to the twenty recent high school graduates and hopeful new freshman at the St. Louis Academy of Magic-Users. Each of them had spent the morning being tested by instructors from the academy. The Academy and the Guild, although separate institutions, worked together to select new students accepted into the Academy. Katie, sitting in the second row, was a petite blonde who was a classic "late bloomer." At eighteen she was just starting to develop the curves she was destined to inherit from her mother. Katie glanced over at Dustin sitting next to her. They were neighbors and had known each other their whole lives. Dustin's dad was a warlock and Katie's mother was a witch. In fact they were both descended from one of the original thirteen witch families that settled in St. Louis. Their ancestors had formed what was to become known as the St. Louis Great Coven. Katie and Dustin were thrown together at meetings and social events and soon found that they had a lot in common. Before they knew it they'd become best friends. Dustin was tall and thin with dark brown hair and wasn't much of an athlete. When Katie glanced at him she couldn't help seeing the dreamy blue eyes and the laughter that seemed to play at the corners of his mouth. Katie wished again, as she often did lately, that Dustin would see her as more than just his best friend. Her day dreaming was interrupted by the return of the two Guild instructors who'd been testing the twenty students. "Paul Thompson and David Adams, please come with me," the tall Guild instructor said summoning the two of the boys. When the three of them left the remaining guild instructor, a short slightly overweight woman, cleared her throat. "Each of you is magically gifted, but not enough for admittance into the St. Louis Academy of Magic-Users." At this announcement the kids in the classroom started talking each clearly disappointed that they hadn't been called forward. "Quite down please," the woman said raising her voice to be heard over the students, "This doesn't mean you can't study the Art, there are other schools each of you can attend. In fact the Guild encourages you to pursue some magical training even if you ultimately have mundane careers." With this the woman gestured to the figures who'd been sitting quietly at the back of the classroom, "We are fortunate here in St. Louis to have several fine schools of magic you could attend. There is the School of Alchemy, the Institute of Artificers, the Academy of Physical Adepts, the College of Shape-shifters, and the Institute of Witchcraft," she said. As the Guild instructor spoke the name of a school its representative stood up. "Thank you for applying to the Academy of Magic-Users, have a nice day." She said and with that left the room. A very tall, thin, older man with a long white beard, and a kind face made his way slowly to the front of the room and introduced himself. Katie wasn't really listening at this point. She was familiar with each of the schools and while she was disappointed that she hadn't been accepted into the Academy, she wasn't really surprised. Katie was already a little stronger than her mom in magic and had hoped that this would be enough to be accepted. Apparently not, she glanced at Dustin and could tell he was disappointed as well although you had to know him to see the signs. Katie's attention returned to the front of the room when the man with the beard pulled out a small glass bottle and held it up for everyone to see. "As a master at the School of Alchemy I brewed this potion before coming over." With that he drank it and said, "Invoke," and held out his hand. After a second a dot of light appeared above the Alchemists hand. With a gesture the light floated up hovering just above his head. Once there it started to glow brighter and brighter. "A simple light spell, but it shows the power and versatility of magical alchemy. If you choose to attend our school, you will learn this spell and much, much, more over the next four years." The man standing next to the master alchemist couldn't have been more different. He was short, fat, and wore thick glasses, he pulled out a crystal and said, "Invoke." With that the crystal started to glow with a light blue radiance. "As a master artificer you will learn how to take an ordinary item." At this he held up the crystal. "And make it a receptacle for magic! You will learn the spells that can be bound into crystal, metal, wood, and stone. You will have the opportunity to work closely with the Guild assisting some of the most powerful Magic-Users in the country. Together you and a Magic-User will be able to craft items of tremendous power!" Katie looked around the room at the students who, at this display of magic, were now all sitting up and paying attention. Standing next to the artificer was an athletic looking young woman. She had short dark hair and was wearing a dark business suit and looked dangerous. "I represent one of the seven schools of physical adepts located in the United States." She said stepping forward, "Unlike the artificers and alchemists physical adepts take magic from the world around us and focus it internally. We learn to bring our bodies into harmony with magic. We place one hundred percent of our graduates, who wish to work, in lucrative jobs. Generally as personal security or as agents working for the mundane government and recently even the Guild has been hiring our graduates." Katie could tell that the students were a little disappointed that the physical adept hadn't demonstrated her magic. But Katie knew that the school's reputation was enough. If any of the students in the classroom wanted to go into the security field they'd be signing up with or without a demonstration. The young man who spoke next was the least well-dressed of the school recruiters. He wore sweat pants and a loose St. Louis Ram's jersey. He stepped forward and as he did his features changed. His dark brown hair lightened to a strawberry blonde and his dark skin turned creamy. He lost several inches in height and a set of bumps pushed out from his chest. In a matter of seconds the good looking young man had turned into a stunning blonde woman. "At the college of shape shifters you will be assigned a mentor who will have primary responsibility for your education. We also focus our magic on our bodies using the chaotic forces of magic to shape and re- shape our physical forms. Would you like to learn to fly like a bird? Or breathe water like a fish? A master shape shifter can do all of that and much more." Last up was a slightly chunky middle aged woman with long dark hair also wearing a business suit. "Does anyone know the three types of magic?" the woman, Katie assumed was a witch, asked. Dustin raised his hand and when the witch nodded at him said, "The three types of magic are: physical magic, spiritual magic, and mind magic." "Correct! Witchcraft unlike the arts practiced by my friends and colleagues here," she indicated the other four representatives with a wave of her hand, "is spiritual magic," the witch said, "I'm a water witch, I'm bound to a water spirit, his name is Gurgite." The witch opened a small flask and sat it on the floor. She then started muttering too softly for Katie to hear and abruptly Katie felt a presence in the room. Then the water leapt from the flask spinning into a tight slender column that arc toward the witch. The witch held out her hand and Gurgite wound his way along her arm like a snake until it poked its head up above her shoulder next to the witch's head. When the water spirit turned to look at the students Katie saw that Gurgite's head now resembled that of a bird. A girl in front of Katie raised her hand and when the witch nodded toward her said, "Do you keep your water spirit in that flask?" At this the witch laughed. "No the flask just held water. I summoned Gurgite into the flask as a demonstration of what a witch can do." With that the oldest of the representatives, the alchemist, said, "This concludes our demonstration. Each school has a booth set up in the gym, please stop by and ask us any questions and pick up a brochure or an application if you're interested in pursuing an education in magic." At this the class broke up and Katie looked at Dustin. "So which school are you going to pick?" she asked. "They all look like they could be interesting but I'll probably go for witchcraft. Dad said that the Coven will cover half of the tuition. But I'm going to move into the dorms. Are you still planning to live at home?" "Yeah, mom really wants me to stay home the first year. She's already started to teach me some of the basics." As they were walking out Dustin noticed that there were a couple of student witches manning the Institute's booth along with a pair of professors. "Hey, isn't that Professor O'Connor?" Dustin asked. Katie trailed along behind Dustin as he made his way through the prospective students to the booth on witchcraft. Dustin moved to stand in front of Professor O'Connor towering over the short, overweight professor. "Hi, professor." "Hello, young man, are you interested in witchcraft?" "Professor, it's me, Dustin Whelan," Dustin said looking confused at the professor. "Whelan you say? ... ... Oh, I'm sorry son. My mind must have been elsewhere. How are you?" "I'm fine, are you still coming over to the house for the fourth of July? You and Dad put on the best display in the neighborhood." "Yes, of course I wouldn't miss it for the world," O'Connor replied. "I'll let my mom know as well. She'll want to be there to put out any fires you and Mr. Whelan start!" Katie said with a laugh. With that the two moved away since there were plenty of kids waiting to talk to the professors. "That was weird," Dustin said. "What? Not recognizing you at first?" "Yeah, I mean he's been over to the house every 4th of July for the last ten years." "Maybe he's just getting old?" Katie replied. "I guess." With that the two of them headed to the parking lot and Dustin's truck. ++++ "Come on Katie, are you scared?" Dustin teased. "No, of course not," Katie said lying. Dusk had just fallen into true night in East St. Louis, creating a romantic feel for the pair of teenagers on their first date. Although Katie had to admit that technically it wasn't a date, date. It was early fall and she and Dustin had just finished their first week of classes at the Institute of Witchcraft. As Dustin pulled her along the side walk toward a shop that sold magical items Katie looked around. This wasn't one of the better neighborhoods, even for East St. Louis, and apparently Dustin was oblivious because he just kept on walking. Katie wondered if they were being stupid. "Where are we going again?" Katie asked feeling sweat start to run down her back, St. Louis was still hot and humid in late August. Katie was ready for the cool weather that came with fall to start cooling things down. "Professor O'Connor was over at the house and he told me about this shop that sells really cool and powerful magical artifacts. It's called the Crooked Wand and since I've got money left over from graduation and I want to check it out." Katie was a little worried about Dustin. He'd normally have picked up on her teasing since she knew very well why they were here. Dustin had been talking about visiting this store for two days. It was almost like an obsession but what really made it strange was that he was keeping the visit from his parents. He'd even made Katie promise not to tell her mom. If Katie hadn't known better she'd have said Dustin was under some kind of magical influence. But then she dismissed the idea, this was Dustin Whalen, why would anyone put a geas on him? "Remind me again why I'M here?" Katie asked both amused and annoyed at the eager tone in Dustin's voice. "You're here because you're my best friend and I promised to buy us a pizza to split on the way home," Dustin said with a laugh, "Hey, there it is!" The Crooked Wand was an old brick house that had been converted into a magic shop. It was slightly better looking than most of the buildings in the area but had no parking. This was why Dustin had parked his truck a block up the street forcing them to walk back. The tinkle of a bell ringing as they opened the door caused the owner of the shop to look up. As soon as Katie saw him she didn't like him. He had greasy yellow hair that matched the color of his teeth and beard. His sallow skin and deep sunken eyes caused Katie to suppress a shiver when their eyes meet. "Welcome to my shop, I'm called Fix. I see you're right on time," His voice was rough like he'd spent too much time shouting. "Hi," Dustin said, "ugh, on time for what? Uh,...hhm,... Where am I?" Dustin asked shaking his head and sounding confused. "You're at the Crooked Wand, and unless I'm wrong you're Dustin Whelan and Katharine McDonnel. I've been expecting you," Fix said reaching under the counter. Katie clutched Dustin's arm frightened, "How do you know our names and what do you mean expecting us?" "A friend at the Institute assured me that the two of you would be by tonight and I needed to be ready. You see I've got a special artifact prepared for the two of you," Fix said now moving around the counter toward them holding a long thin wooden case. The two teenagers backed away both clearly frightened. "I think we'd better go," Dustin said still sounding dazed but more alert now. "But you just got here?!" Fix said with an evil grin. "Initiare!" For a second both Katie and Dustin were frozen with shock, this guy was using magic on them! Something caused Katie to look over her shoulder and she saw a pair of dark orbs, each mounted on a pedestal to either side of the door, start to glow with a deep purple color. Then in less than a second a black mist poured out of each orb coalescing into a pair of shadowy humanoid figures. As soon as they started to take form the shadow creatures reached forward and a large pair of rough, ice cold, hands grabbed Katie and Dustin lifting them from the ground. "What the hell?!" Dustin said trying to sound tough. "You'd better let us go! Do you know who our parents are?" Fix smiled his yellow toothed smile and laid the long thin box on the floor in front of him. "Oh, you can trust me when I say; I know exactly who your parents are." Katie, struggling in the monster's grip, managed to get a good look at the creature that held her and let out a scream. It was over seven feet tall and looked like the pictures of werewolves she'd seen in school only it was covered completely in shadows and had glowing red eyes. "Fuck!" Dustin shouted and tried to kick the werewolf holding him without much success. "This is a special item; crafted by the Fae, a powerful warlock, and if the rumors are true, a Psi-Lord before the Guild hunted them all down," Fix said, paying no attention to Dustin and Katie's futile attempts to get free, as he lifted out a long handled silver hand-mirror. "Look mister, I'll give you everything I've got, okay? My truck keys, wallet, just please let Katie go?" Dustin said. "You two misunderstand, I'm not going to rob you. I just need you to look into this mirror," Fix said holding the mirror up so that both Katie and Dustin could see their reflections. Katie tried to close her eyes and look away as she felt tears running down her cheeks. But for some reason she couldn't, then she saw her pale face next to Dustin's frightened looking one, in the mirror. Abruptly their images were replaced by a pair of faces. Male faces, one with a short, well-trimmed, and oiled beard and the other was clean shaved with a long crooked nose. The pair of faces suddenly seemed to focus on Katie and Dustin, seeing them clearly for the first time. Before Katie could scream, Fix shouted, "INVOCAMUS!" Outside the shop the night was briefly lit up by a sudden burst of bright red light that could be seen through the windows of the small magic shop. The light was followed by a low rumble and then all was quiet. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chapter 1 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In that moment of utter stillness and silence, before the first violent clash, there is an ephemeral instant of perfect beauty. Both men stood blunt steel training swords in the ready position weight evenly distributed breathing and heart rate perfectly controlled. They remained frozen for an eternity or a second, Kevin couldn't tell if Jake moved first or if he did to an observer it looked like the two men moved at the same time. The clash of steel on steel was sharp as it rang into the early morning air of the barn. Three blows that sounded like three semi-auto gun shots and then the two men had passed each other and wheeled about. Once more silence filled the barn. The man known as Kevin faced another man, older, better trained, and incredibly deadly. The man, who'd been Kevin's father when Kevin was Bridget, was called Jake Archer and he was a fully trained master physical adept and the chief of security for the St. Louis Great Coven of Witchcraft. When Kevin was a girl she'd trained under her Dad's watchful eye but hadn't really liked or excelled at the training. Since the accident that had placed her in Kevin's body she'd been forced to learn and then re-learn everything she thought she knew about fighting. The original Kevin had been unrelenting in the training, both magical and physical, and once Bridget started anew she'd discovered that she actually enjoyed it. Now being able to spar with her father, like this, filled a place inside of Kevin that he'd never realized had been empty. Before the accident she'd spent most of her time with her mother learning the craft. Learning self-defense had been more about exercise than actually learning how to fight. Both Bridget and her mother had felt if Bridget needed to defend herself her magic would be the best option. Since that time Bridget had learned there were other options. This first clash had been a feeling out. Kevin slowly circled the man he still considered his father when he felt Jake draw on his magical power. There was no visible sign but Kevin was sensitive enough to feel the flow of magic. Kevin drew on his magic as well, increasing his strength, speed, and senses. But Kevin didn't stop there he thickened his bones slightly and hardened his skin so it was as tough as harden leather. Just as Kevin finished he felt the start of the next pass. This time the clash of training blades caused sparks to fly as they fought. By the time they separated they'd traded half dozen blows with blinding speed. Kevin felt a slight welt on his left calf even though he'd hardened his skin. He hadn't come close to touching Jake. Kevin watched as Jake drew on more of his power. Jake's skin turning a metallic color as he channeled the essence of the steel blade in his hand. Then the blade seemed to shiver for a second and Kevin knew that his father was using one of the most advanced Arts a physical adept was capable performing. He'd actually extended his magic beyond his body into the sword he was holding causing it to glow slightly. Kevin focused on his magic shifting his arms and legs only a little making them slightly longer while bending them at the joints to compensate so his height remained constant. This would give Kevin two inches of reach and in a sparring session at this level it might be enough. Kevin moved first this time his lunge a feint and he followed it up with a vertical cut to Jake's head with a speed and precision a mundane person wouldn't have been able to follow. Jake wasn't a mundane, he twisted to the side of the feint and when the real attack slashed in he brought his blade around to block it with a force that shattered Kevin's practice sword sending pieces flying. Jake followed up with a cut toward Kevin's arm but Kevin dove to one side turning the dive into a full front roll that put a dozen feet between the two fighters. Silence returned to the barn and then Kevin brought up the practice sword to show that it now only extended a foot beyond the hilt and the place where it had been shattered was now red hot. Jake brought up his weapon in a salute, not a nick showing on the blade. "Unless you'd like to shift, we should probably call it quits." For a second Kevin thought about it. In the two years he'd been in Kevin's body he'd mastered the first level of shifting. Changing into other human forms was considered the minimum required to graduate. The original Kevin had mastered that and several animal forms. So far Kevin hadn't mastered all of the animal forms that the previous Kevin had learned. After animal forms, the new Bridget in formed the Kevin, they'd start working on hybrids. Hybrid forms were considered the third level of Shape-Shifting and normally the College awarded the rank of Master Shape-Shifter to anyone who'd mastered this skill. Hybrid forms blend human and animal shapes to take advantage of aspects of both. The original Kevin hadn't mastered hybrid forms and couldn't teach the Kevin anything about the highest level of shifting. Legendary forms. For that Kevin would have to return to a school for physical adepts and he'd have to test for master status and once attaining that rank petition to learn how to shift into legendary forms. Kevin shook his head to clear the distracting thoughts and tell Jake that he was done. "I yield the match, sir." "You did well, Kevin. I've fought physical adepts with less skill. You forced me to harden my blade or we'd have been at this for much longer," Jake said returning his practice blade to the rack. At this Kevin glanced to the wall with the clock. They'd been sparing for almost thirty minutes. As he looked around the barn Kevin couldn't help feeling nostalgic. The barn had hard wood floors with a section of tatami mats. There was a complete weight set, several exercise machines, and a heavy bag and a speed bag for working on. "Let's go up to the house and see how the women are doing," Jake said with a comfortable smile. At this Kevin had to hide a small smile. He wanted to laugh at the thought of Kevin, now Bridget, sitting at his mother's kitchen table answering her questions. At the restaurant last night they'd had drinks with Kevin's former parents before leaving. They'd explained they were working together as bounty hunters and Kevin had let slip that he'd studied Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu knowing his father well enough to know there would be an invitation to practice. Bridget had wanted to force Kevin to meet with Jake and Maebh and Kevin had delivered. Once they had returned their hotel Bridget had asked what that was all about and realized that she'd been set up. She'd been forced to spend some quality time alone with her new mom and sisters. Bridget had been in a near panic and had forced Kevin to spend half the night talking about his life as Bridget. Kevin feeling guilty had tried to pass on over twenty years of personal history. Well it served Bridget right, Kevin thought, she was the one who'd wanted to force this meeting. Now as Kevin walked with his former dad up to the house, the chilly November air causing his breath to mist, he felt bad about putting Bridget in this situation. Kevin drew on the link he had to Bridget to see how she was doing. Ever since they'd swapped bodies they'd had a type of spiritual link that allowed them to know where the other person was and to some degree how they were feeling. It also allowed Bridget to send messages via the link to Kevin although she did this very rarely since it was a type of magic that the Institute of Witchcraft frowned on. Right now the link was telling Kevin that Bridget was in a good mood. Interesting. They entered the kitchen of the old farm house through the back door to the sound of women laughing. Sitting at the kitchen table Kevin spotted his former mother Maebh, his sister Deirdre, and Bridget. All three were blonde and the family resemblance was very strong between the three women. Maebh was a water witch and was probably strong enough in magic to have passed for a Magic User. Deirdre was an earth witch and only a little weaker than Maebh. Of the types of witchcraft earth and water witches were the two most common with metal and air the least. This was one of the reasons why Maebh had been so upset when Bridget had left home. "I can't believe you found him hiding in a closet in women's clothes, no less!" Deirdre laughed. "I see you've been telling your mother and sister stories about our work," Kevin said annoyed at being the source of the amusement. "Well, mom wanted to know what I've been up too. When I told her that you and I are Guild licensed Bounty Hunters, Deirdre, wanted to know what it was like," Bridget said with a small smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "So you felt the need to tell the story about me going undercover as a waitress in the Penthouse Club to catch Carl Greenstone?" Kevin said annoyance coloring his response. "Oh, don't be mad at Bridget," Deirdre said, "I begged her to tell me a story. Although, I don't understand why you shifted into a woman instead of just having Bridget go under cover." "You would if saw the outfits they made the waitresses wear! Talk about perverts!" Bridget said laughing, "There was no way I was going to wear one of those outfits!" At this all three woman burst into another round of laughter as they pictured the big powerful man in front of them as a sexy little waitress at a gentlemen's club. Even Jake chuckled although he clapped Kevin on the shoulder. "You can use the bathroom off the guest bedroom down the hall to shower and change," Jake said coming to Kevin's rescue. Kevin headed down the hallway his gym bag in hand not needing any directions from Jake, to find the guest bedroom, since he'd grown up in this house. Once he got the shower going Kevin stripped and looked into the mirror. He was 6' 2" with shoulder length light brown hair his face was strong with smooth planes and he had piercing blue eyes. His body sculpted through daily exercise and the physical fitness routine designed by the college of Shape-Shifters. Kevin thought back to the days that followed the accident that had placed him in Kevin's body. At the time he'd thought there wasn't any reason to train this body since he could just shift it into physical perfection. This was true Bridget had pointed out; except that he could only maintain the shifted form for a few hours until, exhausted, he was forced to shift back to his original form. This time limit was a combined factor of magical strength and skill. After the experience where he'd been forced to hide in a closet in nothing but what amounted to woman's lingerie, well, he'd worked diligently to increase his magical strength and skill. That particular incident had been their first hunt together. They had caught Carl Greenstone, who as it turned out was a member of the thieves' guild, and had received a substantial reward. As Kevin stepped into the shower he grudgingly realized that the experience, being a man stuck in woman's underwear and forced to hide until Bridget rescued him with a duffel bag of men's clothes, had spurred him to work harder than he'd ever worked before. Now if Kevin needed to he could maintain a shifted human form for up to ten hours. He'd thought about shifting and coming over by himself to visit his parents as Bridget. But if his mom asked him to do something with witchcraft, and that would have been just like her, he'd have been unable too. This testing and probing his mom always did with her daughters was the main reason why Bridget had been forced to spend most of the night memorizing details of the former Bridget's early life. Kevin was out of the shower and had just pulled on his jeans when Bridget knocked on the door. Not waiting for an answer she came in closing the door behind her. "You were right." "Oh," Kevin's reply was muffled as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Yes, she started out asking what I've been doing. I was able to tell enough stories to control the conversation until you got up to the house. Once you were in the shower she asked me if I was still practicing every day. When I said I was she asked me to summon Boreas, I could tell she was testing my strength when I did." "And?" Kevin asked. With a smile Bridget answered, "She said I'm stronger than ever. She then wanted to know if we were lovers." Kevin made a choking noise and turned to face Bridget who'd folded her arms beneath her breasts. "What did you tell her?" "The truth. She caught me off guard and if I'd have tried to lie she'd have sensed it. She is a water witch after all." "What did she say?" "That she always thought I had good taste in men." "She's always hated my boyfriends, she was testing you." "I know, and I asked her since when. That shut her up and I pretended to leave in a huff. Thus the reason for my presence, oh, Deirdre was giving mom an earful when I left," Bridget said, "I think, I like Deirdre, we could be friends." "I think I've had all the family I want for now. Are you ready to leave?" Kevin asked. "Sure." By the time the two returned to the kitchen Jake was sitting at the table drinking a Gatorade and Maebh was looking a little subdued. Deirdre was standing by the sink looking out the window into the yard. "Thanks for workout," Kevin said to Jake. "My pleasure, son." "I think it's time for us to go," Bridget announced. "You just got here," Maebh said looking up at the woman she thought was her daughter. "Mom, I'm not a little girl, you can't push me and test me anymore. I'm my own woman," Bridget said using the words that Kevin had told her too. Maebh stood up and came around the table. "I know. I shouldn't pry but you'll always be my little girl. You know it's hard for me to let go." "You haven't asked about Molly," Deirdre said turning around to face Bridget. "I assumed that when mom didn't write back that she was okay." "She's in a coma and no one can figure out why." The Bridget glared at Maebh. "Why didn't you tell me? We've spent the morning talking about me and my life on the west coast and Molly's hurt?" "She's been in a coma since the riots last month. There's nothing you can do and I didn't want you to worry, since you were all the way out in Portland. Besides you ran out on your family and Coven, I wasn't sure if you cared about what happened back here!" Maebh said not sounding apologetic. For a moment there was a stunned silence. "Ma'am, I may be a stranger to you, but I know your daughter and she cares vary much about her family. I think you're being a little unfair," Then without waiting for a reply the Kevin turned to Bridget, "Why don't we stop in at the hospital and see your sister before we leave?" Kevin said sliding an arm around Bridget's waist and then glanced back at Deirdre. "Is she in the Guild hospital?" "No, they said because she's a witch and not a Magic-User and because they couldn't find any indication of a magical medical problem, they couldn't admit her to the Guild hospital," Deirdre said sounding angry, "They sent us to St. Louis University Hospital, instead. If you want to visit I'll go with you." "Why don't we meet there at ten?" Kevin suggested, "That way we can go back to the hotel first." Once this was agreed to Kevin and Bridget headed out to their rental car. Just before she left the house Maebh grabbed Bridget's elbow. When she turned around Maebh hugged Bridget. "I've really missed you. Please don't be angry with me." "I'm not upset, mom." "I've got to go into the Institute today to teach a class. After you visit Molly why don't you and Kevin stop by and visit." On impulse Bridget nodded, "I'd like that." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chapter 2 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ As they drove back into St. Louis from Bridget's parent's house the new Bridget couldn't help remembering their first few days after the accident that had caused them to switch bodies. They'd reported into the Guild with the broken staff and Bob Wilson in tow and had gotten an official reprimand from the Guild. The Special Agent who'd been working the desk when they'd checked in had told them that they were lucky they'd been licensed by the Guild otherwise Megan DeUmbra (Xavier DeUmbra's daughter and heir) could have taken them to Guild court and forced them to reimburse the value of the staff. Bridget and Kevin had made their official statements and Bob had been charged with assault for using the staff's magic to try to stop them. Both Bridget and Kevin hadn't wanted the Guild to know that they were in each other's body. Right after the swap they'd just started at each other. Bob was unconscious and they ignored him. It was the most surreal thing, to see your body from an outside perspective. Kevin had instinctively pulled Bridget's panties and jeans back up and now she walked over to where Bridget stood looking down at her. "Och," Kevin said, suddenly jumping up and down, holding a bare foot. "Are you alright," Bridget in Kevin's body had asked moving forward and extending a hand to steady her. "No, I stepped on a stone and it hurt!" Kevin said startled by the pain. "What did you expect?" Bridget asked, sounding confused. "I always use my magic to harden the bottoms of my feet when I don't have shoes on, but nothing happened," Kevin looked up, stunned. Suddenly Bridget understood. "You're a Shape-shifter aren't you?" "Yeah, and that's why I don't understand. I saw you use magic and I can feel the magic around us. But it doesn't want to flow properly. It's resisting me, like it doesn't want to do what I want it too." "That's because I'm a witch. My body, well the body you're in, is trained in witchcraft. I don't know what they taught you, but I was taught that one of the differences between us "lesser" talents and a Magic-User is that we can learn only one discipline. Once we pick a school we become sort of "locked" into it. My mother used to say, we are like an empty canvas that can hold only one picture, if that picture is witchcraft then we can't fill it with another picture. Like shape-shifting, for example, without ruining the original picture. Magic-Users simply have a larger canvas, they can hold several pictures." As Bridget had been talking Kevin started to nod. "We're taught the same thing. That must be why I can feel the magic but it isn't responding like it should." Kevin glanced at Bob, the broken staff, and then back at Bridget. "Oh, god,.... ... We're in trouble." He looked down at the pieces of the broken staff. "I was supposed to arrest Bob and bring this artifact in, we've got Bob but the staff is destroyed." Bridget nodded looking over at the unconscious Bob not feeling much sympathy for the rapist. "I was given the same commission. Why don't we bring Bob in together and explain that he used the staff to hold us immobile. He then tried to rape Bridget and while he was distracted I managed to break free of the spell. I then used the staff to knock him off you and in the process broke it. We're allowed to protect ourselves, so Bob will take the blame." "What do we tell the Guild about this," he said gesturing down at his breasts. "This is a bigger problem for the Guild than it is for us." "I seriously doubt that," Kevin said looking confused. "That staff moved our souls or spirits, or whatever you want to call it, out of our bodies. It then locked them out and forced me to take over your body to try to break the spell. That kind of magic is sorcery and is illegal." "All the more reason to tell the Guild!" "No, you're missing the point," Bridget said and then continued before Kevin could interrupt, "If Xavier DeUmbra, Magic-User 1st Class, Portland Guild Hall Guild Elder in good standing gave his apprentice a Sorcerer's staff what does that say about Magic-User DeUmbra?" As the look of comprehension appeared on her former face Bridget nodded. "You see it now? It would mean that DeUmbra was practicing illegal magic. It would mean an Elder of the Portland Guild was practicing sorcery and the Guild didn't know or looked the other way. This means they're either incompetent or corrupt. So what do you think would happen to a couple of lesser practitioners who brought this evidence forward?" "They'd discredit our story and maybe put us in the Guild Brig for defamation of DeUmbra's reputation." "Exactly, besides even if we told them, and they believed our story, what would they do? Our souls have been swapped. This kind of magic is illegal. I doubt there is a Magic-User in the Portland Guild who knows a spell to put us back into our proper bodies and someone did I doubt they'd admit it. It would be admitting practicing illegal magic," Bridget said sounding frustrated, "I think we'll either have figure out how to get back into our proper bodies ourselves or learn to live with our current situation." ++++ Luckily the Guild hadn't asked too many questions although because they'd broken the staff they didn't get paid. This had led to Bridget and Kevin's decision to teach each other as much about the system of magic that fit the body they now wore as well as the practical things related to their new physical forms. The only thing that really surprised them in the next few months was how quickly each was able to grasp the other person's style of magic. Almost like muscle memory, once a concept was explained, casting the spell or doing the exercise came very quickly. After almost a month of working together Kevin and Bridget had decided it was tune to return to Bounty Hunting. By now they'd also decided they'd be much more successful working together as a team. The next two years had been full of lessons both in magic and in coping with their new bodies. Then the riots protesting the Guilds treatment of the lesser practitioners had sweep the country. This had caused a total loss of business for Kevin and Bridget for almost a month. The Guild had had bigger problems to focus on during the riots than some fugitives. Immediately following the riots there had been a Congressional Investigation into the treatment of the lesser practitioners by the Guild. The first indication that things were getting back to normal was when the new Bridget had spotted a fresh wanted posting. Mr. Jason Miller Magic-User 3rd class had been arrested for selling illegal artifacts and potions. Bail had been set and he'd been released just before the riots and he'd fled. Bridget and Kevin needing the money had taken a commission to find Mr. Miller, even if he was a fully licensed Magic-User, and they'd tracked him down to St. Louis. ++++ "We're here," Bridget announced bringing the Kevin to the here and now. Bridget pulled the car into the lot at the Embassy Suites in downtown St. Louis just off Washington Ave and N 7th St. They'd picked the hotel based on its close proximity to the Guild Hall and because it was a nice break from the run down places they usually stayed. "You know, your mother wanted us to move into the guest bedroom in your parents place while we're in town," Bridget said. "I expected as much. You told her no." "Just like you asked me too, what's your problem anyway? They seem nice." Kevin looked away for a few seconds. "You wouldn't understand. You weren't close to your parents. My mother can be very controlling. I had the talent to go to a Guild school and learn to become a Magic-User but she refused to hear of it. She took personal responsibility for my education and controlled almost every second of my life until I'd passed the Coven's tests. At that point I couldn't become a Magic-User even if I wanted too. She took that option from me and never apologized." With that Kevin got out of the van and strode angrily up to the hotel entrance. Bridget followed along more slowly, unwilling to try to keep up with Kevin's longer strides, and was almost glad that she'd had mundane parents who'd only be somewhat interested in her. ++++ Bridget hated hospitals, the antiseptic smell mixing with the smell of illness and death always made her nauseous. Now, in her new body, she noticed that her sense of smell wasn't as acute which made the hospital easier to tolerate. Bridget's high heeled boots clicked a sharp counter point to Kevin's soft footfalls as they followed Deirdre. "She's right through here," Deirdre said leading the way to Molly's room. The room was a single occupancy with windows and a TV mounted on one wall. Around the bed were several vases with flowers and a couple of candles that had been lit filling the room with the sweet scent of pine. This caused Kevin a pang as he remembered that Molly had always loved the smell of pine and being a fire witch the candles should be helping as well. "Remind me again, what happened to Molly?" Bridget said moving to the bedside to stare down for the first time at her biological sister. Unlike Bridget, Deirdre, and Maebh, who were all blonde, Molly had red hair. Molly had inherited her hair nose and cheek bones from Jake's side and even in sleep there was a glint of laughter around her eyes and the hint of a smile at the corners of her lips. Bridget felt Kevin move up next to her as Deirdre moved around to the far side of the bed. "It was during the last night of the demonstrations here in St. Louis. Molly had gone to work her shift at the Witch's Cauldron and Grant heard her scream. He was in back when she screamed and he found her lying on the floor unconscious," At this Deirdre looked over at Bridget who was gazing down at her sister, "When Grant couldn't get Molly to respond, he called an ambulance. They took her first to the Guild hospital and then here." Kevin put a hand over Bridget's and gave it a subtle squeeze. "Grant; why is that name familiar? Didn't you tell me that you had an old boyfriend named Grant Murphy?" At this Bridget looked up at Kevin and then nodded. "They were both working at the Cauldron?" Bridget asked Deirdre. "Yes, Grant's parents have pretty much retired from running the restaurant so Grant now runs it. He asked Molly to set up a counter in the foyer to sell charms." "Did anyone see what happened?" "No they had just closed down and Molly was the only one in the lobby at the time." For several minutes the three of them just looked down at Molly and Kevin couldn't help thinking that his sister looked peaceful like she was simply asleep. "Has the Coven sent a water witch to look at her?" Kevin asked. Deirdre nodded, "my mother is a water witch and is probably the most skilled water witch in St. Louis; she looked at Molly and tried to help her." Suddenly Bridget interrupted, "She's in a healing trance?!" Deirdre glanced over at her younger sister a little surprised, "Yes, but mother didn't put her into it. Something attacked her spirit and she put herself into the trance to defend her essence from the attack." "I can sense it. Her spirit is wounded, but she's not getting better!" Deirdre shook her head. "We just don't understand she should be getting better. But if anything she's getting worse." Kevin looked around the room, "the candles and flowers are just cover, you have several healing charms active in this room don't you?" Deirdre looked surprised. "Yes, how did you know?" "I've been working with Bridget for the last two years; I've learned something of the Craft," Kevin said the slight irony at his twisting of the truth lost on Deirdre. "I'm impressed, with both of you. Bridget when you left home you would never have been able to sense what was going on and your boyfriend has a good nose for witchcraft,..... for a shifter." "Speaking of shifters, has anyone looked at her aura?" Bridget asked. "No, why would we? We know where she is and what difference does her mood make?" Deirdre sounding more amused at the suggestion. "Shifters are experts at reading auras. They're useful for more than just tracking someone or seeing a person's emotional state. Isn't that right Kevin?" Kevin nodded looking a little excited, "Yes, we use them when we are trying to impersonate someone. I extend my aura out until it touches the person and then shift my aura until it matches theirs. The physical shift is far easier than shifting an aura, but when a shifter changes his aura he's actually changing his magical signature. This is what enables a shifter to pass most magical examinations." "I doubt that we need you to impersonate Molly, Kevin." "That's only one aspect of what we can do. You see most of the magical community uses aura magic to see how someone is reacting emotionally. Some practitioners can use "aura tracking" to find a person, as long as the trail isn't too cold, since the residual energy of an aura only lasts for a short amount of time. But a shifter who's really mastered Auraology can diagnose illness or injury by examining them," Deirdre still looked skeptical as Kevin continued; "when I shift my aura to match hers I'll be able to examine it from the inside. I can find the sources of her injury and determine if it is mundane or magical," After a pause Kevin said; "with your approval I'll give it a try." "Is there any risk to Molly?" "No, she'll be completely safe. She won't even know I'm doing it." At Deirdre's nod Kevin gently reached down and placed one hand on Molly's head and the other over her chakra right above her stomach. Both Deirdre and Bridget muttered a quick spell that allowed them to view Kevin and Molly's auras as he worked. Molly's aura was a golden-red glow that surrounded her but it was streaked with angry purple lines of energy. When Deirdre looked at Kevin she was surprised to see that his aura was like a semi- transparent white mist surrounding his body. As Deirdre watched the mist seemed to ripple and flow as it moved down Kevin's arms to mingle with Molly's aura. Then in a matter of seconds Kevin's aura started to change, gradually at first and then more quickly started to glow with a golden-red radiance. Then the same angry purple streaks started appearing in Kevin's aura until it was a perfect match for Molly's. "Ugh," Kevin gasped stumbling back from the bed putting a hand to his head. As he did his aura shifted rapidly going back to the semi- transparent mist that normally surrounded a Shape-Shifter when they weren't disguising themselves. "What's wrong" Bridget asked in alarm moving forward to catch Kevin's arm and support him as he recovered his balance. "Molly's not in a healing trance, she's being attacked right this second and she's devoting every bit of her power to fighting it off!" Kevin gasped. "WHAT!? That's impossible! It's just the three of us here. Who could be attacking her?" Deirdre exclaimed. Kevin's eyes seemed to take on a golden glow and he scanned around, "What's in the bedside stand?" "Just Molly's purse and the jewelry she was wearing the night she was attacked." Kevin moved forward and very carefully opened the drawer. There was a small black leather handbag, a pair of rings, earrings, four colorful bracelets, and a chain ankle-bracelet made out of silver. Kevin reached in and picked up the purse and sat it to one side. "Bridget, tell me what you sense when you look at that silver ankle bracelet," Kevin said moving slightly to one side. Bridget moved up extending her senses and let out a gasp. "That anklet, it's got a curse or a charm on it and it's using spirit magic!" "Let me see," Deirdre said jostling Bridget out of the way. Kevin grabbed Deirdre's wrist a she moved to reach into the drawer. "Don't touch it, just look." "OH, MY, GOD!" Deirdre whispered. "How did we miss this!?" "Easily, feel how subtle this magic is?" Bridget said extending a hand above the drawer. "Gentle like cobwebs made of steel! We need to break the spell." "I don't know if we should," Kevin warned, "maybe you should call your mother." "We don't need her do we Bridget?" Deirdre said holding out her hand, "This isn't healing so much as breaking a spell. Bridget and I have always been good at braking things! I'm an Earth Witch so I'll take care of the silver anklet. Bridget, you're an Air Witch so you'll have to sever the connection between the object and the Molly." When Bridget didn't take her had Deirdre looked at her. "Come on Bridget, I know a metal witch would be ideal for countering the silver, but we'd have to try to get one over here from the Institute. I'd rather not wait for one to come over, besides Earth and Metal are very closely related, I know I can do this, don't you trust me?!" Bridget tossed a quick glance at Kevin, Deirdre had misread Bridget's reluctance to help as doubt in Deirdre's ability. The reality was that Bridget had never done anything like this and even though she'd talked to Kevin about it and knew the theory this was different. Using her link to Kevin Bridget sent a silent message. "What do you want me to do? After a moment Kevin nodded almost imperceptibly. Bridget reached out with her right hand and clasped Deirdre's hand tightly. "Of course I trust you." The look of relief on Deirdre face told Bridget that her sister was pleased the she trusted her. Deirdre started murmuring the words to a spell that would establish a link between the two witches and at first Bridget felt jolt of panic. Would Deirdre be able to tell that the spirit within Bridget's body wasn't the original spirit? But then she dismissed the idea. Bridget started murmuring the words to the spell that would link the two witches falling into perfect rhythm with Deirdre. Kevin felt the hairs on his arm stand up as the witches drew on their magical power and then pulled in more power than either could have alone. Kevin remembered the lessons he'd received from Maebh as a young girl. A linked pair of witches could do much more magically than either could accomplish alone. In fact the sum of a linked witch's power was far greater than the total power of the linked witches. Female witches could link with each other forming a circle of up to six. To go beyond six they needed a warlock. A warlock however couldn't link to another warlock without a witch. Suddenly the two women stopped chanting and for a second the silence reminded Kevin of that earlier moment of stillness before a violent clash. Then in one smooth movement each witch thrust a hand out. Deirdre pointed at the anklet in the drawer and shouted "PRAETRUNCO!" Bridget made a slicing motion through the air with her free hand and said in a commanding voice; "SOLVERIS!" There was a crack like the report of a rifle from the night stand and Molly arched her back, her whole body going rigid, every taunt muscle standing out and then she collapsed with a sigh back into her bed. Kevin moved forward to look at Molly and could see that there was now a flush to her cheeks that had been missing. Molly's chest moved up and down breathing deeply and when Kevin switched to view her aura he saw that the purple streaks were fading from the golden-red glow that surrounded Molly. "I think you did it," Kevin said looking at the two sisters. Deirdre and Bridget were still holding hands and there was the faint scent of ozone in the air. Kevin noticed that the digital clock on the night stand was flashing as though it had lost power. The two witches looked up at him with blank surprised looks for a second and then Bridget recovered first. "You think so?" "Her aura is already looking better." "What was that?" Deirdre whispered. "What was what?" Kevin asked. Deirdre looked over at Kevin with wide eyes, "There was something in that anklet. Bridget closed the connection to Molly and for an instant I felt rage, frustration, and fear. Then when I destroyed anklet I felt a soul scream in agony and a spirit fled!" Bridget nodded. "I felt the rage as well just before the spirit departed." "What's going on?" Deirdre wondered in a small voice. "I don't know but I plan to find out! Starting with the person who gave Molly that anklet," Kevin said. He moved to stand in front of Deirdre and lifted her chin up to look into his eyes with one hand, "Tell me the truth. Are Grant and Molly dating? And did he give her that anklet?" "I don't know,.... I mean,... yes, they're dating.... In fact they're engaged," Deirdre whispered. Then she looked around Kevin toward Bridget, "I'm sorry Bridget you shouldn't have found out this way." Kevin turned Deirdre's head back so she was looking up at him, "don't worry about that for now. Did Grant give Molly that anklet?" "I,... think so,.... I don't know, I mean it's likely," Deirdre stammered, "But Grant wouldn't do anything to hurt Molly. You don't think he's responsible for this do you?" "I don't know but I plan to find out," Kevin said turning to the door, "Are you coming Bridget?" Then without waiting for an answer Kevin stalked out. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chapter 3 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The drive out to the Witches Cauldron took about thirty minutes and gave a seething Kevin time to calm down. He had a strange mix of emotions. There had been a time, back when he'd been Bridget, she'd thought they were destined to be together. Then there had been that last fight with her mother and Bridget had decided that she needed to leave home and get out on her own. The west coast had seemed very cool at the time and Oregon had always held a draw for witches. Bridget had a friend living in Portland who'd offered her a place to stay until she got establish. Grant had been angry but had understood that Bridget needed to get away from her family. Their last night together had been amazing and Bridget had had every intention of returning someday. Then the events in Portland had changed everything. Now Grant was dating Molly. Kevin knew himself well enough to realize that he was feeling jealous and using the cursed anklet as an excuse to be angry at Grant. By the time Kevin pulled into the parking lot of the Witches Cauldron it was almost 1 pm and the lunch crowd had thinned out. But Kevin had managed to find a sense of emotional balance. "So what does this Grant guy look like?" Bridget said speaking for the first time during the drive. "Just a little shorter than me with blonde hair," Kevin said getting out of the van. He walked around to meet Bridget on her side of the van and extended a hand. Curiously Bridget took Kevin's hand. They normally didn't do public displays of affection. "When I spot him I'll squeeze your hand. I expect he'll want to give you a hug. Try to avoid a confrontation." "Why, will there be a problem? I've never met the guy," Bridget said with a wide eyed innocent look. "Is there something you're not telling me?" "Don't try vamping me," Kevin said but he couldn't help smiling at how cute Bridget was when she used that innocent look, "Grant and I were lovers before I left St. Louis. Now Grant is engaged to Molly. There should be at a minimum some awkwardness," Kevin said, "He may want an explanation for why you quite writing and stopped taking his calls." "Should I tell him I had a sex change and wasn't interested in him anymore?" "You may think this is funny but we need Grant to cooperate," Kevin said. "I'll try to look a little hurt and jealous if you think that will help." "Just be yourself,.. ...uhm, .... strike that, be me,....er the me I was. God, this is making no sense, just act natural." "Natural?" "Would you stop, this is hard enough as it is!" Bridget couldn't help laughing softly at Kevin's obvious discomfort. This was a fitting pay back for Kevin's having set her up that morning with Maebh and Deirdre for some "girl" talk, while he worked out with Jake. Kevin held the heavy oak door open for Bridget who smiled and stepped into the dim interior. The first thing Bridget noticed was that the floor was made up of a dark unmatched flag stone and that the walls were of a dark wood. The ceiling was crisscrossed with dark wood beams and the entryway was quite large. There was a station where two hostesses were waiting to swoop down on them and take them to a seat. However, further in and to one side in an alcove was what looked like a small magic store. There was a sign over the store that read "Molly's Charms" under the sign in a smaller print was another sign that read "Guild Sanctioned," Beneath this sign was a guild issued license displayed under a piece of glass. "Just the two of you today?" a cheerful sounding brunette said. Kevin noticed that she was wearing a white blouse with a black corset and a knee length skirt and boots. The blouse and corset only served to push up and display her full bosom. "Yes, just the two of us." "Oh, be a dear, and tell Grant Murphy that an old friend is here and I'd like to say hi," Bridget said. The brunette looked Bridget up and down as though evaluating her. "Who shall I tell him is here?" "Bridget Archer" The restaurant was quite large and over half of it appeared to have been shut down for the post lunch crowd. Kevin and Bridget were led to a table with four chairs to one side of the main room. The server showed up almost as soon as they were seated and took a drink order and left them with a set of menus. Before the drinks showed up there was a shout. "Bridget!" Kevin and Bridget looked up to see a blonde man about 5'10" moving between the tables with a surprising agility for a man carrying about a hundred pounds of extra weight. Bridget and Kevin stood up to meet him which was a good thing because Grant swept Bridget up into a hug and lifted her from the ground. "Oh, god, it's good to see you! Deirdre called and said you were on your way over. She also told me what you did at the hospital for Molly," Grant said setting Bridget down and turning to Kevin. "You must be Kevin," Grant said and leaned in like he planned to give Kevin a hug. At the last minute the hard look on Kevin's face caused Grant to stop and extend a pudgy hand instead. "If I must," Kevin replied with a growl and gripped Grant's hand, hard. For a second it seemed like Grant was caught off guard by Kevin's response and winced at the firmness of the grip before Kevin released his hand. "Please sit down, do you mind if I join you for a few minutes?" "We'd like that," Bridget said with an amused glare at Kevin for the macho game he was playing with poor Grant, "Wouldn't we dear?" Kevin just grunted and returned to his seat. Grant pulled out a chair and after sitting down turned to look at Bridget. "Wow, you look good, the west coast must agree with you." "Thanks, I like Portland but I sometimes miss home and family." Just then the server arrived with their drinks interrupting the conversation. "Tiffany, please put their check on the house," Grant said to the server before she left. "Thanks, Grant, so how have you been?" Bridget asked with a glance at Kevin. "I've been going out of my mind with worry about Molly. Other than that business had been bad since the protests, folks are staying home behind their wards most nights, and the economy hasn't helped." "Speaking of the protests, what can you tell us about the night that Molly collapsed?" Kevin asked leaning forward. "Not much really. It was a normal night, well normal for everything that was going on. We'd just closed up, and the staff was cleaning up before going home. I was in back bringing stock up to the bar when I heard Molly scream. I found her on the floor convulsing. After a few seconds she went still and wouldn't respond, so I called 911," Grant said looking down at his hands. Kevin leaned forward and very slowly and deliberately dropped the silver anklet onto the table. "Have you ever seen this?" he growled. Grant picked up the broken anklet and looked at it for a moment. "Yes, this looks like the birthday present I gave Molly two weeks ago. Deirdre said that it had some kind of spell on it." "It was the cause of Molly's coma. Can you tell us where you got it?" Bridget said before Kevin could continue. "I don't understand how this could have happened. I bought it from a shop one of my customers recommended in East St. Louis. He said it was a shop that specialized in magical items for witches." "Who recommended the shop?" Kevin asked and at the same time Bridget said, "what was the name of the shop." Grant looked back and forth between the two for a second and pushed his chair back slightly. "What's going on? Is this the inquisition? You don't think I had anything to do