Page 13 of Hexes and Hiccups
“You think some of them are?”
Tessa held out her hand. “Believe us when we say: one hundred percent.”
Ethan rested his hand against his chin thoughtfully. “Obviously this had to have come from someone who has a grudge against Riven, right?”
Daisy and Tessa eyed each other before shrugging in time with each other.
“Well, if that Book of Gossip belonged to Riven,” Ethan explained, “it proves one thing that most people already speculate about.”
“And what would that be?” Daisy asked, her curiosity grabbed.
“That Riven’s a lousy person who prefers to spend his time being arrogant and anobviousgossip,” Ethan replied matter-of-factly. “There’s no way he doesn’t have any enemies lurking around, after everything he’s done to piss off a lot of people.”
Daisy nodded slowly as she leaned back against the booth. “Like a punishment.”
“Good lord,” Tessa mused. “That’s a lot of punishment for one dragon.”
“You’ve handled him yourself, haven’t you?” Ethan asked with a shrug. “Would you blame them?”
Tessa thought about it for a moment, but spoke with great confidence when she came to her answer. “No,” she said. “I don’t think I would.”
“This is much more than anyone deserves,” Daisy argued. “And besides, who is that gossip hurting the most? I wouldn’t say it’s Riven. Not unless…not unless people knew where the rumors were coming from.”
Tessa pressed her lips together. “Maybe they do.”
“You think so?”
“We can assume it by this point.”
Daisy considered everything Ethan had said as a waiter came by to deliver their food. It was much more than either one of them could eat, which worked out well for Ethan, who hadyet to order anything. The smells silenced their conversation and pulled Ethan and Tessa into a loud discussion about their favorite college football teams. While they playfully argued, Daisy leaned back against the booth, staring down at the steaming plates of food. Her stomach grumbled and ached from hunger, but she almost felt stuck in place, her mind racing far too much for her to even consider lifting her fork.
Perhaps Riven had managed to land himself in that mess from no fault of his own. After her first meeting with him in their efforts to lift the curse off of Willowbrook and protect the secret of magic, Daisy could believe it. But would it end up being that simple? How could it be that all it took was a chance encounter with Ethan to unwind the tangled conflict they currently found themselves in? As her companions chattered on, Daisy couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder, the eerie feeling of being watched unable to leave her, even in a comforting place like The Buttered Biscuit.
Daisy began to chew on some toast, and her stomach thanked her instantly. She drifted in and out of the surrounding conversation, but was more occupied with the idea of a very vengeful magic user lingering in Willowbrook. If there was one thing that was far more powerful than a spell, it happened to be the need for revenge. Daisy had encountered it one too many times before, and the idea of trying to conquer it again only drove her nerves up higher.
“Are you alright?” Ethan asked, his head leaning forward to get a good look at her face. “You look a little flushed.” He pushed her plate closer to her. “Eating might help.”
Daisy gave him the most reassuring nod and smile she could muster, and forced herself to stay staring forward, though something deep inside kept telling her to turn around.
6
Daisy
Mourning doves and robins littered the ground in front of Daisy’s house early the next morning. The robins ran around speedily, stopping to poke their heads into the soil before continuing on their wild journey. The doves remained together as much as they possibly could, following blindly where the others went. Daisy watched them mingle and forage from her front porch, a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. She was dressed for movement, wearing her work boots after the marching she had done through the tall grass the day before. Tessa had called a few minutes prior to say that she was walking over from her house, ready to start their investigation once more.
Daisy allowed her mind to settle as she watched the birds. For the first time in a little while, she felt at ease. There was no frightening need to look over her shoulder or glance down the street with paranoia. Though she wasn’t entirely sure where that feeling had come from, Daisy had no doubt that the feeling was related to the case at hand. Perhaps it was the need to repair her loved one’s reputations that were on the verge of being selfishlytarnished, or the growing worry that another townsperson might be rendered to stone sometime soon.
She stepped inside to slip her coffee cup back on the counter, her roaming thoughts making the drink swirl unpleasantly in her stomach. She snatched the pouch that had the beads from her tracking potion, along with the few strips of torn paper they had already found. Tucking them carefully within her pocket, Daisy stepped back outside to see Tessa curving up her driveway, the flock of birds taking refuge on the power lines above their heads. Tessa had a look of determination on her face, her lips pressed together in a hard line.
“You alright?” Daisy called out to her as she locked the door behind her.
Tessa sighed. “Steve heard about the rumor.”
“How?”
“Beats me,” she murmured. “You know how people are: gossipers through and through.”
Daisy walked slowly up to her friend, standing beside her quietly. She grabbed onto her hand, giving her a tight, reassuring squeeze. “I know Steve couldn’t be upset with you from a rumor, right?”
