Someone wanted to send a very bloody message.
Seraphina crouched down to examine the body better, but she detected no traces of black magic. From the jagged fleshy bits of skin hanging off the corpse and the mess of intestines that poured out like slimy red snakes, she could only assume something had gnawed the poor bastard to death.
Seraphina sent up a smoke signal to alert the correct authorities, and the unique black coloring and magic would let them know it came from her. In the meantime, she tried to find anything to identify the corpse. The frame didn't match Silas's father, thank goodness, but that only raised more questions about who the victim was.
Nothing indicated a vampire had committed the heinous crime, but she couldn't help thinking about that frenzied vamp who'd attacked them the night prior. Would they go as far as gnawing on intestines if severely starved? Seraphina wasn't sure, but her thoughts drifted to the possibility of another wolf walker as well.
"Who is that?" Silas asked softly, keeping his distance.
"Not sure." Seraphina shook her head before she cast a spell to empty everything within the victim's pockets. Only some coins and a pack of mints flew out. "No ID on him. Killer must've taken it. Or ate it."
Silas recoiled. "You don't think... I mean, I don't remember going outside before meeting you. I would know if I turned, right?"
Seraphina met his gaze, brows dipped in a frown. "I really doubt you did this, and please, never say such a thing again. If I'm interrogated, they could force me to relive this conversation with you admitting guilt."
"It's just a thought." Silas shuffled on his feet. "I mean, it's not impossible, right? What if I turned and hurt someone?" He made a sickened face, as if he'd puke again.
Seraphina reached into her robe's pocket for a nausea-soothing elixir, wishing she'd thought to give it to him sooner. It sparkled with white and red liquid, faintly smelling of peppermint. "Take this." She handed it to him. "It'll help your stomach. And I honestly doubt you turned. You'd feel it afterward."
Silas took a gulp of the medicine, then handed it back to her. "Thanks. I guess you're right. Everything's just so messed up right now."
"I know." Seraphina guided him away from the dead body. "I'm sorry I've dragged you into this."
"Do you know what's going on?" Silas asked, worry lines etching his forehead.
"Not really. All I know is someone's messing with us. They left this body here as a warning for you." Seraphina cast a wary glance behind them at the crescent blood moon. "I think they know what happened."
Silas trembled. "You don't think someone will rat me out to the council, do you?"
Before Seraphina could respond, they froze at the sound of the gate latch. A familiar figure emerged from around the corner, donned in a blue robe and snow boots.
"What's going on?" Mr. Rosewood asked, wrinkling his nose as he stepped closer. "Oh Gods." He reeled back and clamped a hand over his mouth. "Is that..?"
"Dad!" Silas rushed to his side. "We just got home and found... this. Seraphina already alerted the authorities. They should be here any moment now."
"It's Mr. Snowberry, isn't it?" he asked.
Seraphina tilted her head and tried to imagine the wizard from the bloodied corpse. "It could be. Any reason why he'd be around here?"
"I'm not sure." Mr. Rosewood shook his head. "Mercy on us all, have the dead returned?" He gazed around his backyard with suspicion, tightening his grip on his wand.
It was something Seraphina hadn't considered. After their encounter with a bloodthirsty wolf walker, she assumed another one roamed their town. Perhaps it actually was a zombie, but wouldn't they have encountered it staggering through the streets? Where would it have gone?
A potent gust of magic permeated the air as she crept closer to the gate and noticed prominent members of the Supernatural Council approaching the Rosewood residence. Amid them, she spotted her father, Orick Mandrake. He'd surely be curious why she was visiting them so late in the night.
"Seraphina." Father greeted her with a curt nod. "Tell me what happened."
"Silas and I just arrived back here from a drive into Caverott," Seraphina explained, not bothering to lie about that much. "When we came back, Silas noticed his gate open and footprints leading out into the road." She showed him and the investigators the prints near the gate. "Then we found the body back there."
Collective gasps and prayers echoed over the blustering winds. They hadn't found such a gruesome discovery since their Harvest Fest from Hell. Seraphina could only imagine the horrors spiraling through their minds.
"We'll need to inspect both of your wands. Just as a protocol." Father turned his attention to Silas and his father.
"You can have mine as well," Seraphina offered.
Father waved a dismissive hand. "Nonsense. Keep that with you. If there's a murderer lurking around, you need it. I know you're not responsible for this, dear."
Seraphina blanched as she cast an uneasy look back at the Rosewoods. She couldn't believe he'd say such a thing aloud. Biting back her tongue, she only nodded and stuffed her wand back in her robe's pocket.
"Don't worry," she assured them. "I'll make sure you get them back soon."
Silas handed his wand over first. Mr. Rosewood muttered how ridiculous it was before relinquishing his over to her.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Father said, then took the wands from her hand. "Be a doll, Sera, and help us with the body."
Seraphina grit her teeth. "Of course, father."
Snow flurries alighted in her pink curls and rosy cheeks as she helped the investigators prepare a body bag. Once they got the victim down to the morgue, their expert could properly identify them and inform their family. If they lived in the country, of course.
Seraphina examined the bite wounds closely before they zipped the white bag up, wondering what kind of creature inflicted them. It could be a zombie, but they also resembled a similar pattern as the wound on Silas's chest. Another wolf walker was dangerous. The public needed to be informed if that were the case, but she couldn't do that without putting Silas in danger.
Instead, she hoped the autopsy reports would shed some light on everything. If a wolf walker did kill their victim, then the Supernatural Council would be on the hunt. She just hoped nothing came back around to Silas. If they learned of his turning, she couldn't imagine the hell that would unleash from her family when they found out she knew all along.
Death lingered in the air. Seraphina watched as they transported the body to their ambulance parked down by the mailbox, and a chilling thought crossed her mind as she wondered if their killer watched from afar. Although the investigators suspected a rogue zombie, she thought another wolf walker hid amongst the shadows. Perhaps it wanted her blood as well.
She just couldn't wrap her mind around why they'd leave the body in the Rosewoods' backyard. Not unless someone wanted to frame Silas.
Wisps of her pink curls danced in the wind as she gazed back at Silas and his father on their porch. Unease crept into her mind. Someone knew where Silas lived and had left that body in their backyard with hopes of framing them. She suspected whoever had done it wasn't aware that Silas had left town.
"Sera, honey." Her father's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Are you coming? Once dawn breaks, we'll bring the Rosewood family in for questioning. In the meantime, you and I will examine their wands."
"Right." Seraphina nodded.
There was so much she couldn't tell him. The truth lay heavily on her heart, right on the tip of her tongue. If she told him, everything would change. She'd ruin Silas's life. Or end it.
🪄
Autopsy reports documented bite mark patterns and traces of venom-like saliva. Seraphina hoped she'd read it all wrong, but the evidence lay right before her in thick, black print. A wolf walker had murdered the elderly man.
Fear traveled through the room of panic-stricken wizards as they speculated who might hide such a wicked beast. Many allegations were thrown toward the Vale family household, notorious for their practices in the dark arts, but Seraphina knew that was poppycock. They had nothing to do with the wolf walkers.
"Maybe we should look into the Rosewood family." Mrs. Thornberry proposed as she tapped her sharp green nails against the mahogany table. "We found the body in their backyard, after all. Mrs. Rosewood perished in the fight against the undead, remember? What if they resurrected her and she's roaming loose through town now as a cursed wolf walker?"
"That's quite an accusation. Not to mention, impossible," Seraphina said with a frown. "You'd twist a family's grief into something sinister for a baseless theory? Have you visited Mrs. Rosewood's grave? Does it look disturbed? I didn't think so."
"Her theory isn't entirely baseless." Amid the small crowd of the council, Mrs. Cromwell spoke up. Her piercing glare sent daggers through Seraphina as she continued. "I visited her grave myself after the autopsy while we considered Mrs. Thornberry's theory. We found traces of black magic, old of course, around her plot."
Seraphina blanched. "I-I'm sure there's a logical explanation."
"Pray tell, dear, what were you doing at the Rosewood's so late tonight?" Mrs. Cromwell asked, eyes slanting suspiciously.
"Silas and I went for a drive through Caverott," Seraphina replied. "Is that a crime?"
"Seraphina." Her father cut her a warning glare, as if silently begging her to quiet down.
"If we're only speculating at this point, then I'll make myself useful and return the Rosewoods' wands. None of them came back with traces of black magic, after all." Seraphina scowled at the two women huddled together whispering. "Father, if you need me I'll be at the bakery later in the morning."
Curse them and their incompetence. Why in the devil would Silas or his father hide the body in their own backyard? It was a ridiculous theory.
Perhaps they'd fabricated how they found black magic at Mrs. Rosewood's grave. Surely that had to be the case, yet suspicion churned in her chest. What did it mean if they truly did?
Seraphina rounded the corner, nearly bumping into Lucien Cromwell carrying a stack of papers in his arms.
"Sorry." Lucien flashed her an apologetic smile and pushed his silver-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Trying to get these down to the courtroom."
"Let me help." Seraphina plucked a large stack of papers from his pile. "This might be sudden, but are you busy?"
"Not really. They just have me going through paperwork, like always." Lucien groaned. "Here I thought things would change when I ranked up to Warden of the Court, but no. I get to do both duties now."
"That sucks." Seraphina matched his pace. "At least I can help you sneak away for a bit. We're gonna visit the cemetery. I need to check for traces of black magic."
"At a grave?" Lucien frowned. "What do you suspect happened?"
"I'm not sure yet," Seraphina admitted. "Your mother is the one who claimed to have detected it earlier today. If so, we could still pick up any traces left behind."
Lucien tensed up, color draining from his face. "Yeah, uh, sure. I don't mind helping."
Seraphina raised a brow. "You alright?"
"Peachy." Lucien nodded.
Did he know something that she didn't? Seraphina couldn't imagine Lucien keeping secrets for his mother, considering their rocky relationship, but something seemed off about him. His demeanor had changed when she mentioned Mrs. Cromwell.
"Do they really suspect a wolf walker killed that man?" Lucien asked after they dropped their paperwork off with the clerk.
"Yeah." Seraphina pursed her lips, wishing she could tell her friend everything. "How much have you heard about the case?"
"Not much. Only how everyone's waving their wands in fear of the wolf striking them next." Lucien tugged his hood over his icy blond hair before they stepped outside the Supernatural Council building. "I think they're just scared it's another wicked monster."
Seraphina fiddled with the pendant around her neck, grimacing at the memories of chopping up the wolf walker's body. Another monster. When Silas transformed, would they mistake him for a bloodthirsty killer?
Fear gripped her by the throat. If they killed him, his blood would be on her hands. She'd gotten him into this mess. It wasn't like she'd asked him to interfere that night, but he was a kindhearted guy who wanted to save her from a monster. Little did he know who the real monster was.
They took the scenic route back into town. Seraphina drove, keeping her eyes peeled for any wicked creatures that might lurk in the morning fog. Ever since crossing paths with the wolf walker, she'd upped her guard.
Someone wanted her blood spilled. She had a few suspects, but nothing concrete. Before pointing wands at folks, she'd need to dig a little deeper. And her first stop would be finding out if Mrs. Cromwell was lying about finding traces of black magic at Mrs. Rosewood's grave.
Did it matter if she was lying? Perhaps not. But Seraphina believed there was something more sinister afoot. Why would they even think to look at Mrs. Rosewood's grave? It was a fascinating theory, but who in their right mind would be ill-hearted enough to pursue it? She could only imagine how the family would react if they learned of the council snooping around her grave.
Upon reaching the cemetery grounds, Seraphina examined the iron wrought gate lock with a frown. She reached out for it. Little markings on the lock showed someone had tampered with it, and when she waved her wand over it, it glowed a faint green.
"That's weird," Lucien mumbled beside her.
Seraphina nodded in agreement. "Someone used their magic to remove the lock then replace it. I'll have to let my father know so he can get a stronger magic-proof lock for it." She produced the key from her robe's pocket, yanking the heavy gate open for them to step inside.
Amid the headstones, fog swarmed the grounds like playful ghosts. They traversed through the snow, their footfalls crunching with every step. Cold chills crept down her spine as she shivered.
Thankfully, it didn't take them very long to locate the Rosewood plots. Who in their wicked mind would ever suspect such a caring family of using black magic? All she felt from that grave was nothing but love and grief, which they'd wrongfully twisted into something heinous.
"Let's go." Seraphina sighed, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "I should have known better. There's nothing here."
Lucien crouched down, using his gloved hands to shovel aside some freshly fallen snow. "My mother's a lot of things, but it seems like she was telling the truth. There's traces of necromancy magic here. Castor taught me how to detect it, and although it's very faint, it was used more than once."
Seraphina's brows shot up. "You're kidding. What does this mean? Why would they use such magic on her? They know how zombies don't return as they once were, so why even try it if that's the case here? "
"I'm not sure." Lucien clambered to his feet. "Nothing good will come from this."
"I know. It means the Supernatural Council will set their sights on the Rosewoods." A foul sensation welled in her chest, spreading through her like an infectious death curse. "Innocent or not."