Marvela Mystic | ✔️

Chapter 8 ✨ Witch Hunt

"So, how do we know if that glowy necklace works?" Curious asked with a sigh from the kitten's back.

"Like I said," Marvela answered, pausing her stride to look both ways before crossing the street to the next block. "If it picks up anyone else's magic besides our own, then the potion in the vial should start glowing and give us an idea of where to find that someone. At least, hopefully, it will. Unless we made it wrong..."

Marvela felt Curious pat her shoulders. "Hey, have a little confidence in us, Marv," he said. "The potion's gonna work. And we're gonna be the best witch and familiar duo in this town! Just wait!"

"Ha... Yeah. You're right." Marvela allowed herself a timid smile, but she kept her eyes forward, searching the streets. She hoped that they wouldn't soon be the only witch and familiar in town, but she kept that thought to herself.

"Of course, I am! Now let's go mindlessly search every single street until that fancy little trinket starts sparkling!" her rat rider cheered.

⭐⭐⭐

The sun continued to fall, as did Marvela's and Curious' spirits. Marvela's steady pace eventually slowed. Her paws were so sore that every step made her wince. She could feel the rat on her back nodding off. Every so often, he had to reorient himself to keep from sliding off of her as sleep threatened to overtake him.

"I'm hungry," Curious complained with a yawn. "Are we gonna have a snack break anytime soon? Did we even bring any snacks? Hey, what would happen if I drank that purple stuff? Would I start glowing? Or would I die?"

Marvela stopped in her tracks. She glared at the moon overhead and down at the vial around her neck. "I don't think you'd glow," she said. "Because I don't think this potion is working. The day is almost over, and we haven't found a single witch!" The kitten paced back and forth in front of a building, kicking leaves out of her way with her tail thrashing behind her.

"Marv."

"Maybe we should just toss that thing in the gutter for the Rat King and go home," the kitten continued to growl. "What was I thinking?"

"Marv."

"I want to take down Asra, but I'm just a kitten. Just a familiar! I'm in way over my head and—"

"Marvela!"

"What?"

Curious slipped down from her back and held the vial up in front of her face. "It's glowing!"

Marvela's breath caught in her throat. Sure enough, the swirling purple fluid was alight. It was like a little purple galaxy in a bottle.

"Wow..." she said in a gasp, taking the vial from Curious and holding it up in a paw. A tingling sensation emanated from the vial she clutched and ran down her forelimb. Her whiskers quivered. She pivoted her ears up to the building next to them, and her eyes followed. Thick leafy vines stretched up the apartment building's entire length, almost concealing the brick surface and the windows. A light turned out in one of the windows several floors up. Marvela's whiskers twitched again as she smiled. The vial in her paw continued to glow.

"Up there!" she yowled. Without hesitation, she scrambled up the nearby fire escape with Curious clinging to her for dear life.

They arrived, struggling for breath, at the dark window after the arduous climb. Marvela pressed her face and paws to the glass and squinted into the blackness inside. "Should... Should we knock?"

Her rat shook his head at her with a chuckle. In one deft movement, he hoisted up the unlocked windowpane and slithered inside. The kitten gasped but followed him anyway.