Croak and Dagger: A Wildwood Witch Mystery Book 4 (Paperback)

If anyone had told me that the trickiest part of being Head Witch would be flying on a broomstick while carrying a sceptre, I’d have been sceptical to say the least. Yet the weight of the long, pointed stick made my flight path lopsided, and steering one-handed meant that if anyone hit me with a spell from behind, I’d be in for a humiliating tumble to the ground.

Luckily, nobody was foolish enough to sneak up on the Head Witch and the leader of the Wildwood Coven at the same time, let alone above the expanse of the Wildwood itself. As our broomsticks touched down on the hillside, my squirrel familiar, Tansy, leapt onto the grass and launched into a joyful sprint towards the forest. Mum and Ramsey followed, along with their own familiars—Horace the orange-and-white cat and Prickles the hedgehog—at a more sedate pace. As for me, my brief rush of relief at seeing the cluster of houses that comprised Wildwood Heath was immediately followed by surprise that I’d felt any relief at all.

I’d never in my life thought I’d be relieved, even glad, to see my childhood home, but my reaction said volumes about how my life had turned on its head in recent weeks.

“See?” I gestured at the rooftops visible through the trees ahead of us. “Nothing’s caught on fire while we were gone. It’s all fine.”

“We have less than a day to prepare for our guests’ arrival,” Mum reprimanded me. “It’s not fine, Robin. If we’re not careful, the guests will show up without us having adequate time to prepare.”

“You spent weeks arranging everything before we left,” I pointed out. “As well as preparing for a dozen other impossible scenarios.”

From the way Mum had reacted to our departure, you’d think we’d been embarking on a year-long round trip to the moon, not a week-long holiday a couple of hours away in the south of England. Admittedly, we’d returned several days later than planned due to a side quest of sorts on our way home in the form of a baby dragon who’d been separated from its parents, but as far as I was concerned, that was a valid enough reason to deviate from the planned schedule. At the time, Mum and Ramsey had agreed, but their agitation had grown in the past day, and I could understand why they’d become concerned about how the town had fared in our absence.

“I had to,” Mum said. “With the coven leader and the head of the police out of town at the same time, the chances were high that someone would seize the opportunity to make trouble.”

I glanced at my brother, whose usually impeccable blond hair was windswept from his flight and who wore jeans and a jacket that were utterly unlike the neat uniform he wore ninety-nine percent of the time. “You didn’t both have to come, I told you.”

“Ramsey needed the holiday more than you did.”

She wasn’t wrong, but the notion that I could have ever persuaded my notoriously workaholic brother to take a single day off was laughable. “He volunteered. As did you.”

As the head of Wildwood Heath’s police force, Ramsey had been in dire need of a break after a draining murder investigation had taken over the police’s resources for a week, and Mum had flat-out refused to stay behind. As a result, we’d set off on a family holiday for the first time since Ramsey and I had been kids. Frankly, the real miracle was that we’d lasted a full week in each other’s company without someone ending up cursed.

“I did,” Ramsey said stiffly. “But we’re home now, and it’s time to put the past week behind us. We have work to do.”

No surprise that he’d want to get back to his routine as swiftly as possible. He and Mum had come up with so many contingency plans before we’d left that I’d started to worry we would return to find the town on fire, but the forests surrounding the small village of Wildwood Heath were as pristine as ever. Tansy scampered around, chasing birds and the local grey squirrels—it was a point of pride that she was the only red squirrel in the region—and generally reminding everyone who was boss.

I, however, felt my good mood deflating with every step I took. The past week had been the most fun I’d had since before my return to Wildwood Heath had put sceptre-shaped handcuffs around my wrists, and it was completely worth the panic of coming back and realising that we had less than a day to prepare for the other four Head Witches of the Midlands to arrive. 

As we made our way down the winding path through the woodland, Mum’s manner grew more agitated.

“The others are due to arrive tomorrow afternoon, but I expect at least one of them will show up early,” she said. “Isadora and Acacia have a habit of trying to outdo one another.”

“See, that’s where we differ,” I said. “I’d say the person who arrives last is the real winner, because they got to waste less time waiting for everyone else.”

Mum gave me a sideways look. “You’ll be doing more than just waiting, Robin. It won’t be a regular day at the office.”

“I was never under the impression that it would be.” The location of each meeting of the Head Witches varied, but the coven had collectively agreed it was better to choose a familiar setting for my first major council meeting. Five Head Witches would attend, including me, and Mum was the one who’d taken it upon herself to arrange the accommodations for our guests, since she was the head of the Wildwood Coven and therefore their host, despite my holding the title of Head Witch.

At one time, both titles had belonged to my grandmother, but her untimely death a few weeks prior had seen a mad scramble to find a replacement. Unlike the title of coven leader, which went to a vote, the Head Witch was chosen directly by the magical sceptre she wielded. I still had no idea why the sceptre had picked me out of all the other available options, considering Mum was the one with the contacts and the years of experience in helping to run a coven. I was the family screwup who’d struck out alone and had barely any experience to speak of, but the sceptre’s word was law, and so we’d prepared the best we could.

In the end, there was nothing to worry about except not making a fool of myself in front of all the distinguished magical representatives of the region. No pressure.

“You’ve already met Jemima,” Mum said. “That ought to help with the adjustment.”

True. That had been one reason for our trip—so I could meet at least one other Head Witch in a slightly less intimidating environment—but the short time I’d had to prepare for this first summit didn’t feel like enough.

Granted, Mum had pointed out that most Head Witches learned through experience, and being an unconventional Head Witch didn’t mean that I couldn’t do the same. Her comment was supposed to be a compliment on how well I’d adapted to the unexpected role thrust upon my head, but my life for the next few months would consist of meeting after tedious meeting, and the real challenge would be pretending to give a crap about coven budgets and other joyless drama that I’d wanted no part in. Fun times.

All too soon, we reached the end of the path which led to the enclave where the leading members of our coven lived. As our group approached my childhood home, movement stirred behind the curtains of the house next to ours, as if someone had their eye on our return. I had no doubt that Aunt Shannon was eagerly waiting to find out if we’d learned why the sceptre had picked me as Head Witch and not her, but that question remained unanswered despite our visit to a magical library that contained resources beyond most other places in the paranormal world. I’d read countless accounts of past Head Witches and the challenges they’d faced, but none of those, to my knowledge, would rather play Pokémon Go than sit through a meeting on coven budgeting woes.

There was a first time for everything, I supposed.

Mum cast an unreadable look at her sister’s house before unlocking the door to her own. Meanwhile, I pointed my wand at my suitcase, transporting it up to my room to unpack later. “I’m heading out for a bit.”

Mum paused with one hand on the doorframe. “Yes, you should get your office ready for tomorrow. Good idea.”

“I’m not going to the office now,” I said flatly. “I won’t drag poor Chloe back to work on a weekend. She can wait until tomorrow morning.”

“And what is your priority, exactly?” Mum rotated on her heel, eyes narrowing at me. “Seeing that… Harvey Walton?”

“Seeing my dad,” I corrected, though I had every intention of meeting up with Harvey later. Mentioning my dad shut down Mum’s questions though, which was the plan.

Her expression blanked out. “Of course. Don’t get back too late, will you?”

Mum continued into the house, followed by her familiar, while Tansy scampered up to sit on my shoulder. My parents’ split had been amicable enough, though Dad had drawn the short straw as usual thanks to the local tabloid press’s habit of gleefully reporting on every streak of misfortune that fell upon my family. Dad seemed much happier away from the spotlight with his new partner, Jessica, who had two kids of her own. Mum claimed not to envy him his newly stress-free life, but she kept her interactions with him to a minimum. As for Ramsey, I was still waiting for my brother to get over his stubbornness and initiate contact with Dad again. For a brief moment, I wondered if our recent holiday might have softened him up a little, but when I cast him a hopeful glance, he averted his gaze and went into the house. Ah well. It was worth a shot.

Tansy and I headed down the woodland trail towards the cottage where Dad lived with his wife and her two werewolf kids from her previous marriage, Jake and Spike. This would be my last chance to visit him before our guests showed up, and while I hoped to meet up with Harvey later that evening, giving my friends an update on my holiday would have to wait. Granted, I might be able to sneak in a visit to Rowan at lunchtime tomorrow, since she worked full-time at the werewolf-run cafe, Were’s My Coffee?, and even my mother wouldn’t deny me the chance to get a last caffeine fix before the other Head Witches arrived.

Rowan’s new job was the reason she hadn’t been able to come on our trip. She had to pay all her own bills since she’d left her family’s home, and while I was glad she’d been able to get away from Aunt Shannon’s influence, it would have been nice to have someone to back me up during the many arguments I’d had with my mum and brother over the past week. When they teamed up against me, it was like trying to break down a wall with my bare hands.

Of course, I always had Tansy. Her fluffy tail flickered in and out of sight as she chased blackbirds out of trees while I walked down the woodland path which curved around the northern side of town, savouring the peacefulness of the moment. I had an inkling such interludes would be in short supply over the next week.

Upon reaching the neat cottage where my dad lived, I rapped on the door. He answered a moment later, a wide smile on his round face.

“Hey, Robin.” Dad wrapped me in a hug. “How was your trip?”

“Eventful.” That was a mild way of putting it, really. “Tansy, want to go outside and play with the kids? I bet they’ll be happy to see you.”

Tansy had already lived through the mayhem of the past week once, so she amused herself playing with the two werewolf kids outside, supervised by Jessica, while I gave Dad the rundown.

“I’m glad you were able to get away for a bit, at least,” Dad said when I’d finished. “Back to work tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, and the other Head Witches are arriving in the afternoon.”

“Right, that’s it,” said Dad. “Nervous?”

“A little, but I know what to expect.” 

My phone buzzed with a text message from Harvey, and a smile came to my mouth. He and I had messaged frequently over the past week—mostly him updating me on what I was missing at home while I vented about my family—and as I’d hoped, he was free that evening to meet me at the Fox’s Den, the local pub.

“Who’s that?” asked Dad. “New boyfriend, right?”

“Yep.” The thought brought me out in happy tingles since our relationship was shiny and new and fresh out of the box. It was the sole pleasant surprise in a sea of upheavals since my return to Wildwood Heath, and our week apart had only heightened the anticipation of seeing him again.

“Go on,” said Dad. “You want to go and meet him now, right?”

“Yeah… this is going to be my last night off for a while,” I acknowledged. “It’s been great seeing you again though. I’ll drop by for a longer visit when our esteemed guests have left.”

I went outside to pick up Tansy and say hi to Jessica and the kids before leaving the cottage and heading back down the woodland path. Since I was still wearing the clothes I’d flown home in, I wanted to change before my date with Harvey, though I’d rather have avoided the inevitable conversation with my family about my choice in romantic partners.

Unlike the other members of my close family, Dad didn’t judge me for wanting to date someone ordinary and would accept me no matter what choices I made. Mum and Ramsey were trickier, though we’d reached a compromise: Mum had agreed to stay out of my romantic life on the condition that I did my job as Head Witch without fail. Yet another reason I had to get through this week without any major screwups.

Mum reacted to news of my plans for the evening with the usual long-suffering look, but she didn’t argue, so I went upstairs to change into a fresh outfit before heading for the Fox’s Den. The shifter-owned pub was one of my favourite places in town. Possibly for that reason, my family members were not fans of the place, but we’d agreed that they wouldn’t attempt to control what I did in my free time as long as I complied with the demands of being Head Witch. So far, it was working out well.

I picked out a worn wooden table near the window to wait for Harvey and ordered both of us our favourite drinks. Not long after, he entered the pub. Tall, broad, and as handsome with his feet on the ground as he was in the sky, Harvey had been the one unexpected perk of my return to Wildwood Heath. Of course, the fact that he’d known me before the Head Witch title had been affixed to my head didn’t hurt either.

Harvey smiled at me. “Hey, Robin.”

“Hey.” I greeted him with a kiss—brief since we were in public—and sat down at the table. “I managed to wrangle the evening off, but it’s back to the usual tomorrow.”

“So, how was your trip?” he asked. “Relaxing?”

“Try ‘hectic,’” I said. “My family doesn’t know how to relax, but even if they did, this was never just a holiday. You heard most of it already when I messaged you.”

“Yes, but I’ve missed hearing your voice.”

I grinned. “Then I’ll oblige. Which part did you want to hear about? The bit when we got lost in the middle of nowhere and I had to ask a pigeon for directions, or when my mother decided to reprimand the owner of the library, who was nice enough to let us borrow their books, for supposed breaches of magical law?”

His brows rose. “Never a dull moment, is there?”

“No, and a refreshing lack of hours sitting at a desk.” Too bad my family hadn’t appreciated it as much as I had and had tried to strong-arm me into staying indoors to read the library’s accounts of past Head Witches instead of enjoying the nice weather. Needless to say, Tansy and I hadn’t been keen on the idea.

“I’m glad you got a break for a bit,” he said. “You met one Head Witch already though?”

“Yeah, Jemima. She was… fine.” Jemima’s bright clothing and jewels were far from the image in my mind of stuffy witches who were stuck several decades in the past, but she was in her fifties and still closer to my age than most of the others I’d meet at the summit. “The others are arriving tomorrow.”

“That soon? You barely got back.”

“Thanks to our detour. The baby dragon incident threw off our schedule, and now Mum is acting as if the town has turned upside-down in her absence. Never mind that she left everyone with in-depth instructions for the entire week, including what to do in the event of a hundred possible emergency scenarios.”

“I can imagine,” he responded. “It’s what she’s like. She has to be in control.”

“That’s one reason I can’t say I’m looking forwards to this visit,” I admitted. “The other Head Witches will expect me to be in control, and I have to act like I am, no matter what Mum tries to do. If I don’t, they’ll think the town is weak and that the Head Witch is under her mother’s thumb.”

“That sounds like more her problem than yours.”

“You aren’t wrong, but I don’t need any more complications than I already have.” I absently stirred my drink with my straw. “I’m supposed to be more worried someone will send assassins after me. Or worse, the press.”

The latter were a fair possibility, since they’d been waiting on tenterhooks for me to make a public fool of myself ever since I’d taken the title of Head Witch, and the meeting might be the opportune moment for them to slither into my life again. The local tabloids had been a nuisance throughout my childhood, badgering my family and printing outlandish stories about us, but I’d beaten them twice over in the past weeks—first through kicking them out of town after they’d crossed too many lines while reporting on my grandmother’s funeral and secondly by ensuring my first meeting with a fellow Head Witch was low-key and off the grid. That way, any unintentional breaches of etiquette I made wouldn’t end up being headline news.

“They should have more sense than to come back,” Harvey said. “I expect they’ll be sniffing around for news, but they aren’t worth wasting time with.”

“Gotta save all my attention for the potential assassins.” I sipped my drink. “Nah, I’m not too worried about the press. If they can’t get in, they’ll make up some story about me scandalising everyone by not knowing the right way to open a door.”

He arched a brow. “Is that likely to be a concern?”

“Not to anyone who’s worth bothering with.” I shrugged one shoulder, trying to find words to convey my general unease with the situation. “No… it’s more the assumptions that bug me, but I can’t do anything about those.”

It was no secret that I’d walked away from Wildwood Heath as soon as I’d been old enough to leave, and I wasn’t used to being tied down to anything—not a place, a person, or a title. Yes, I’d had to move back in with my family a few times when I’d been between jobs, but that had been temporary. It was hard out there for a witch trying to make it alone, but I hadn’t wanted to fall back on my family’s offer of a job within the coven and resign myself to being trapped in my childhood home for the rest of my life.

Now? The universe had conspired to take that choice away, and with the title of Head Witch resting uncomfortably on my head, I was trapped for the foreseeable future. To an outsider though, it looked more as if I’d finally grown up and seen the sense in being the person my family wanted me to be rather than making decisions for my own sake. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

“It’ll be fine,” he reassured me. “There have been all kinds of Head Witches. There’s no textbook definition.”

“Not all of them have stayed Head Witch though. Some met unpleasant ends or quit or…” I trailed off before I made my own nerves worse than they already were. “Granted, a kid got chosen as Head Witch the other month up north, so it could be far worse.”

“Exactly.” He reached out for my hand. “I’m here for you if you need to vent in the meantime. I know exactly nothing about being Head Witch, so I won’t judge you for anything.”

“That helps.” It did too. The number of people not watching my every move was in short supply, after all, and while not everything was within my control, a lot was riding on this meeting.

Still, as long as I stuck to the plan, everything ought to go smoothly. I hoped.