Tuesday morning Alice woke up with a start. Something was burning, no…tingling against her left wrist. When she glanced down she saw the charm bracelet, the half-moon wresting on her skin. She squinted in confusion. Was it the early morning sun streaming into the bedroom window which made the surface of the charm look blue? Cautiously she reached out her other hand and touched the charm, resting her finger tip on it. It felt warm, and sent prickles through her finger.

What did the half-moon mean?

She’d thought about it before, joking with Azura about it controlling the weather, or telling her when a werewolf was near, but she never really figured it out, and Azura didn’t know either. But now…now something was happening. What was happening and what did it mean?

                She glanced over at Altair, who was nothing more than a snoring lump of bed sheets at this point.  She rolled her eyes and tapped the top of the alarm. Let him sleep a few more hours. He’d had the day off yesterday and worked anyways, so today he could start work a little later. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed over to the closet, grabbing a black cable knit sweater and a grey skirt. Clunky black boots and a pair or striped knee high socks would complete the ensemble and look sufficiently witchy.

                She tucked the clothing under her arm and glanced down at the charm bracelet. The half-moon was plain silver again, and it didn’t make her skin tingle anymore. She’d have a fast shower and then go down and ask Azura what might have caused it.

                Alice stepped under the hot water with a sigh, tipping her head back, enjoying the feeling of the spray running through her hair. As she rubbed shampoo over her scalp she glanced down at the bracelet from time to time, but it seemed the same. Had she simply imagined it? Maybe it had been a dream.

                No. Whatever it was, it woke her up, so it couldn’t have been her imagination.

                She stepped over the lip of the tub carefully and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels from the rack, toweling herself off hurriedly. Alice threw on her clothes and ran a comb through her long hair, amusing herself by looking in the mirror at the striped stockings and boots. She remembered a time where all she’d worn were heavy sweaters and blue jeans.  She’d been too shy to wear what she’d really wanted to, too self conscious. She smiled at herself in the mirror before turning away, glancing down at the charm bracelet one last time before she left the apartment.

                The backroom was empty when she arrived downstairs, which was a little strange. It was Maya and Gabriel’s day off today, but usually Shakra and Azura would be bustling around the back putting out new merchandise, or chatting and laughing over a cup of tea.  Alice flipped the switch on the kettle before she passed by, thinking she would make a pot the three of them. She heard the murmur of voices before she walked into the shop.

                Shakra and Azura were standing beside the front desk, heads bent over something as they talked quietly to one another.

                “What’s so interesting?” Alice said.

                They both looked up, startled, and Alice frowned when she saw how serious they looked,

                “What’s the matter?”

                “You’ve got a mysterious package,” Shakra stepped back and gestured to a small brown package with yellow twine that sat on the desk.

                “Someone left it at the front door,” Azura added, “we didn’t see anyone. We were saying that maybe they left it last night.”

                Shakra’s black brows furrowed in concern, “and we don’t like mysterious midnight packages. In fact, we don’t like any sort of mysterious packages.”

                Alice stepped closer, looking down at the little box. There was nothing on the brown paper except a single sentence scrawled in black felt pen.

                Ms. Alice Cunningham

                “I’m generally against opening random packages,” Azura said firmly, “however, I think we can open this safely with a little effort. Shakra?”

                Shakra nodded, stretching out her hands over the desk, Alice could see the air shimmer between the palms of her hands as she created a flat shield, then she nodded again, and Azura reached up and gathered a handful of pink and green threads, bringing them down and letting them drift over the little box.

                “You can manage both?” She said, and Shakra only smiled.

                Alice watched as the threads began to move on their own, snaking around the package, moving slowly and precisely. When she glanced up at Shakra’s face the sorceress was staring intently down at the package,  forehead creased.

                Alice couldn’t help feeling just a little bit jealous. She’d made progress on moving the threads without her hands. She could even manage a few basic spells without touching them, but the way Shakra moved them, almost effortlessly, all the while holding up a shield, it was…well, it was more than admirable.  Someday, Alice hoped she would learn to manipulate the threads that way, to be as good as Shakra was.

                She watched the threads sink in to package, slicing silently through the paper and the cardboards box beneath it. Slowly the paper fell away, making a faint rustling noise on the desk, then the cardboard box drew back, falling away in pieces as the threads pushed outwards.

                Alice stared down in astonishment at the object that was left on the desk. It was a long, flat glass case with a white scrap of paper taped to the top. She didn’t even glance at the note though, her eyes were drawn to the contents of the case. There, nestled on a bed of blue velvet, was a silver dagger.

                “What is that?” Alice reached out for the case automatically, not even thinking, and Azura caught her wrist, shaking her head violently.

                “No, wait a second. Just…do you feel that?”

                Shakra’s voice was grim, “She’ll feel it, give her a second.”

                Alice paused. What were they talking about?

                Then she glanced down and spotted the threads of magic that Shakra had left floating just above the desk. They were glowing brightly, almost blindingly, and they were drifting towards the glass box, slowly but surely.

                “What…what does that mean?” Alice stammered, “does that…is it magic? The dagger I mean…”

                “Whatever it is, it’s powerful,” Shakra said, “look at the note on top, but don’t open the case.”

                Alice reached out carefully, not even wanting her pinky to brush the glass surface. She eyed the dagger as she peeled the note off the glass, it was about the length of the palm of her hand, and the handle was made of wrapped gold, with a blue stone pommel.  

                She looked back down at the slip of paper in her hands, took a deep gulp of air and unfolded it slowly. She jumped a little when something slipped out of the paper and drifted to the floor. It landed face up, a glossy photograph. Alice glanced over at Shakra and Azura before bending to pick it up.

                The photograph was of a group of men and women in long, deep blue robes. They grouped together, arms linked with one another, posing against a back drop of aqua blue ocean just beyond an iron fence.  It seemed to be an equal mix of men and women, and the photograph was slightly faded but Alice could make out most of them fairly easily. She studied the smiling faces, feeling puzzled.

                “Some kind of wizard group?” She guessed, “a coven….” She stuttered to a halt suddenly as her eyes fell on a familiar face, her heart was beating very fast all of a sudden. There was a picture of the same woman in Azura’s suite, on her side table next to her couch. A picture of Azura and the grey haired woman with soft brown eyes.

                “Azura,” she murmured, “is this…aunt Ruby?”

                Azura leaned over her shoulder, her voice startled, “that’s….yes, why yes it is.”

                “Was she in some kind of club?” Alice handed the picture to her, “like a coven?”

                Azura shook her head, eyes still fastened to the picture, “No, Ruby was against covens. That is to say, she never had any interest in joining one. I can honestly say I have no idea what this group is…was.” She frowned slightly, handing the photo to Shakra, “I don’t recognize the robes.”

                Shakra studied the photo, then shook her head reluctantly, “sorry, I don’t either. Did Ruby have secrets? Perhaps she was part of a secret coven.”

                “It’s possible,” Azura tapped her chin with one finger, “it’s entirely possible.  We were close friends of course, but she didn’t always tell me where she was going. Sometimes she’d be away for days at a time, finding interesting new merchandise for the store,” she glanced down at the photo in Shakra’s hands, “or…perhaps she was on other business. I don’t know.”

                Alice thought that Azura had a hint of disappointment in her voice. Was she sad that Ruby had kept something from her? Something that was obviously big….whatever it was.

                “Maybe she was a part of gamblers anonymous or something, and was embarrassed to tell you,” Alice suggested.

                A slight smile quirked the corner of Azura’s mouth, “maybe. What does the note say?”

                Alice placed the paper on the desk, smoothing it flat. The letter was written in the same black tipped felt pen that the parcel had been written on. It was a very short letter.

                You may need this…

                “Alright,” Alice stared at the letter, hand shaking slightly, “that’s very vague.”

                Shakra was staring down at the dagger intently, “it’s obviously a very strong magical object, sent to you by…what…some group your aunt used to be in?”

                “I would say not gamblers anonymous,” Alice muttered.

                “Probably not,” Shakra smiled.

                “What do I do with it?” Alice asked, “should I keep it? Or do you think it’s dangerous?”

                “I think…” Azura said slowly, “keep it, but keep it in the box. Maybe put it behind the desk here, until we figure out what on earth it is.”

                “And who sent it,” Alice picked up the box carefully and walked around the desk with it, placing it gently inside one of the cupboards, behind a stack of paper clip boxes. It would be there if she needed it.

                If I need it. What on earth would she need a magic dagger for?

                She was just leaning forward to shut the cabinet when her necklace brushed her arm, burning her skin. She pulled back with a hiss, and the necklace fell against her chest.

                “Owch!” Alice grabbed the cord and held the twist of bone away from her skin. She stared at it in astonishment. What on earth was going on today? Why was all her jewelry doing strange things? This was getting ridiculous.

                “What?” Shakra said, her face concerned, “what is it? Are you alright?”

                Alice touched the twist of bone cautiously, it was cool to the touch again, normal again. Had it even ever been hot? Was she going crazy, “I’m fine. It’s…it’s nothing.”

                She flopped down into the chair and stared at the top of the desk, listening to Azura tell Shakra she was going to make them all some tea. Yes, tea solved everything, maybe it would stop her from going crazy and imagining all her jewelry was burning her.

                Right.

                But it hadn’t been her imagination, had it? No, the charm bracelet that morning, and just now, the bone necklace had burned when she’d leaned close to the box. What would it react like if she’d opened the glass case? Would the bone catch fire? And why? Was it something to do with the fact that Styx had touched it?

                It was making her head hurt, so she pushed it to the back of her mind and gave Azura an easy smile when she bustled in with a cup of hot tea.

                “Alright, Alice?” Azura said.

                “Alright, you?” She tried to see past the smile Azura gave her, to see if she really was disappointed in aunt Ruby, or worried about the dagger, but if she was, she gave no sign of it.

                “Shakra and I will examine the dagger later, but for now, it’s business as usual,” she shifted a sideways glance at Alice, “because, whoever these people are, they may be watching.”