Chapter Eight
A Jinx for a Hijacker
Business in Cairo was brisk, and the second day Alice worked the till while Azura went over the smaller details of the shop with Gabriel. He caught on remarkably fast, and although he wasn’t physically able to enchant any of the merchandise, he was soon well versed in what everything did and applied this knowledge to his sales. They both watched in admiration as he made sale after sale. As the last customer of day - a weedy looking red-headed man with gangly arms and legs - left clutching a pair of dancing shoes, Alice clapped Gabriel on the back.
“Gabriel, you’re such a super star.”
The Elf blushed brightly. “Thanks, Alice.”
That Wednesday was Azura’s day off and Alice and Gabriel were running the shop by themselves. The morning went smoothly, but around twelve Alice was in the back room enchanting more singing erasers when a commotion reached her ears. It sounded like a good deal of stomping and yelling coming from the front of the shop. She quickly walked out from the backroom.
“Gabriel, what…” Alice stared in astonishment at the man standing just inside the door. Standing wasn’t the right word - the man’s upper half was completely still, but his feet were doing an awkward sort of shuffling sidestep. As they looked on in astonishment, the man shuffled all the way to one side of the store, then changed direction and shuffled back. After a few moments of this he went into a complicated looking Irish jig. He had a look of intense frustration on his thin face, and his red hair was frizzy, sticking up every which way, and the large white dress shirt he had on was rumpled and covered with stains. His skinny arms flopped uselessly. He didn’t do any dance moves with the rest of his body, and the result was a strange, angry looking river dance.
He looked straight at Alice and yelled, “Are you the shop owner?”
“Yes,” Alice said in surprise, looking down at the man’s feet. “Are those our dancing shoes you’ve got on?”
“They certainly are!” the man snapped. His feet stopped jigging and began a limping waltz. “I’ve half a mind to sue you!”
Behind her Gabriel snorted, “Sue her, right.”
The man’s face went more scarlet still. “These accursed shoes have malfunctioned - they’ve had me dancing for twelve hours nonstop! I’m exhausted!”
He did look exhausted. Alice watched his upper torso flop around like a fish as his feet went into an enthusiastic hip hop routine.
“Don’t just stand there!” he yelled.
Alice looked more closely at the shoes. In addition to the usual pattern of magic on them, there were several new threads that had been clumsily cast over top. She gave him a stern look.
“You’ve been tampering with them.”
The man’s face fell.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Alice put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Sue me indeed! I have half a mind to let you keep dancing!”
The man looked panicked. “Please, don’t! I haven’t slept. I’m so hungry. Every time I try to eat something I spill it on my shirt.”
“Alright,” Alice grumbled and crouched down by his flailing feet. “Gabriel, grab him and try to hold him still, please.”
Gabriel went around the other side of the man. “I’m going to take hold of your arms.”
“Whatever you have to do,” panted the man.
Alice grabbed one of his feet and it shook in her hand, trying to continue its dance routine. She could easily see which magic was out of place - the threads were the wrong color, and badly woven. She grabbed the first thread and pulled. It resisted her at first, sticking to the original spell like Velcro, until she yanked harder, pushing her will out towards it. Come off!
It pulled away from the rest of the threads and she sent it drifting up towards the ceiling where it joined the other magic. She repeated the process until all the foreign threads were gone, and then moved onto the next foot. Alice stood.
“Now all you should have to do is say ‘stop’.”
“Stop!” the man cried. His feet suddenly slid out from under him and he crashed to the ground.
Alice stifled a laugh, “Are you okay?”
The man groaned. “Finally. My legs are so tired.”
Gabriel was covering his mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. The man stood up on shaky legs and brushed himself off, attempting to look dignified.
“Thank you,” he said, sheepishly.
“Out of curiosity, what were you trying to make them do?” Alice asked.
“I wanted to moonwalk.” The man checked to see that nobody was laughing at him. “I’ve always wanted to moonwalk.”
She smiled. “Take the shoes off for a minute.”
The man stepped out of them and Alice visualised the spell she wanted, pulling down several threads and weaving them together until they felt right. She did this twice, and drifted the pattern over the shoes, watching with satisfaction as the two patterns melted into one another.
“There.”
The man stared at her with wide eyes. “They moonwalk now?”
“They should.”
The man put the shoes back on. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome - next time you’d like a product modified, ask me first.” Alice gave him a smile, and was startled when the skinny man reached out and clasped her hand. “My name is Willy - you’ve saved my feet and made my day. I will tell everyone of your greatness.”
Alice and Gabriel watched as Willy walked out of the shop. As soon as the door closed behind him, Gabriel started to howl with laughter, and Alice put a hand over her mouth, trying not to join him, but it was impossible to keep a straight face. Gabriel sighed and wiped a tear from his eye.
At four o’clock Alice told Gabriel he could go while she closed the shop.
“Are you sure you don’t want help?”
“I’ll be fine. You go relax.”
Gabriel made a low, sweeping bow. “Thank you, miss. I will tell everyone of your greatness.”
Alice laughed and made shooing motions at him. “Go on.”
She was still chuckling as his footsteps sounded on the stairs, and, turning back to the shop front, she looked out at the market. The sky was just starting to take on a darker hue and the stall lights were coming on.
“Such a pretty place,” Alice murmured. She turned to Shakra lounging in the other room and called, “Come up for a late dinner with me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great, I’ll just lock up the place.” Alice went to the front door, pulling the keys from her pocket. As she did so, a flurry of movement outside the window caught her eye. There was a man sprinting headlong down the street towards the shops, chased by two other men. She couldn’t make out any of their faces in the failing light, but there was desperation in the first man’s stride. Her heart lurched as he continued his mad dash. He’s coming straight for me.
Alice fumbled with the keys, her heart in her throat. Flustered, she couldn’t find the big bronze key that locked the door and when she finally did, the man had come close enough she could make out his face. He was tall, shaggy haired and grungy looking with wild blue eyes. And he was running with everything in him, upper body thrust forward, taking huge desperate strides, arms pumping. He had managed to put some distance between him and his pursuers. Alice saw his eyes fixed firmly on her and the shop front. She thrust the key at the lock; she heard several metallic clinks as she stabbed at the key hole in panic, hands shaking. She got it in the lock at last and relief flooded through her. Then suddenly the door burst open and hit her in the head. She fell backwards. Her vision was all darkness, shot by flecks of light, and when it cleared she found herself staring into bright blue eyes. Before she could move he was on her, grabbing her roughly by the arms. Alice shrieked as he hauled her to her feet, pressing her back into his chest, one arm around her throat. Her scream turned into a strangled whimper as she felt the sting of something sharp at her throat.
Shakra was there suddenly in a blur of white and black fur, darting in front of the man, rumbling low and threateningly. The man yelled in surprise, making Alice flinch. She felt the knife press sharply into her neck.
“Back off,” he growled. “Tell your cat to back off.”
Shakra remained frozen where she was.
Alice gasped as the men on the outside banged on the glass door panel. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, but they sounded furious.
“Back off, Tiger!” The man’s fierce growl nearly matched Shakra’s, and the knife bit deeper into Alice’s throat. “Get back in the corner or I’ll slit her throat.”
Shakra growled, but she did as he said, backing up slowly.
“What do you want?” Alice managed a strangled whimper past the pressure his bicep was putting on her neck.
There was humour in the man’s voice as he said, “I’d like to get out of here, actually. I hear your shop has a handy little trick of moving place to place, so you are going to get me out of Egypt, love.”
Alice dared to glance at the dagger at her throat. “Why are those men after you?” She knew she shouldn’t have asked it the moment she did.
Surprisingly, he answered her. “I stole something from an archaeological dig they were working on, and they’re a little mad. Now, if you please - move the shop.”
“Where?”
“New York,” he snapped. “Hurry up, before they break the windows and kill us both!”
Alice pointed a shaking finger towards the back room. “I need to get to the spell to move it. It’s in the back cupboard.”
“Alright then, we’ll walk over there together. Nice and easy.”
Alice allowed herself to be pushed forward, careful not to make any sudden moves since the knife still hovered at her throat. The man talked as they went, his voice a low, predatory growl.
“Sorry about this, darlin’. I’m sure, had we met under different circumstances, you would find me rather dashing and charming.”
Her stomach lurched. Was he hitting on her? That was some nerve, and it made her mad enough to talk.
“I hardly think so.” She was angrier still when the man chuckled at her.
“Nearly there, love?”
She came to a stop in front of the cupboard. “I have to unlock it.”
He stepped back for a moment, letting her take the key from around her neck and put it in the lock. Alice opened the cupboard, trying not to let her hands shake.
The man pulled her back against his chest again, and said, “New York, and no funny business.”
Alice grimaced. Wrapping her hand around the group of threads, she stated, “New York, Manhattan.”
She felt his grip tighten and he gasped in her ear as the shop swayed. Alice closed her eyes to avoid seeing the room melt, but with her eyes closed, the sense of him intensified. She could feel her back against his hard chest; his arms, one around her neck, the other circling her waist, tightened as he reacted to the change. His cheek brushed her temple as he bent his head down, whiskers scratching her. He smelled faintly of leather and campfire smoke. She breathed in the scent and then the room snapped back, and Alice opened her eyes, trying desperately to struggle free.
“Not so fast, love.” He seemed to recover himself enough to hold her in place. “Your friend, the Tiger, is still waiting out there to rip my face off.” He sounded more relaxed now; his low voice was less of a snarl. “Let’s walk slowly to the door and you can let me out. I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to get out into the city were they can’t find me.”
Alice allowed him to push her forward, more gently this time. They walked to the front door and he ordered her to unlock it. As she did he released her and seized the door handle.
“Thanks, love. You’ve been very helpful.”
She finally got a look at his face as he turned. It was a ridiculous thing to think, but he was surprisingly attractive in a dirty, roguish sort of way. One of his brilliant blue eyes winked at her, and as he spun to leave, Alice had a flash of spiteful inspiration. She reached up and demanded a thread from the ceiling, sending her thought pushing upwards.
The thread that came pulsing down into her hand glowed bright red and, as he turned away, she cast it at him. The spell shot forward, snaking through the door just as it banged shut; Alice saw it wrap itself, snakelike, around his upper thigh. He continued running. He hadn’t even noticed. She could see the brand blazing as if it were a beacon as he ran into the dark street. It would warn anyone who came across him.
Something brushed her hand and Alice jumped. Shakra was beside her.
“Are you alright, child?”
“I’m fine,” her voice trembled, and when she lifted a hand to touch her throat, her fingers shook. She wasn’t fine. She could feel her heart racing. Each breath was coming too fast, too short. Her stomach was in knots and she felt dizzy and faint. Alice clutched Shakra’s fur and leaned forward, gasping for breath. She imagined she could still feel the prick of the blade at her throat, the restricting arm around her neck.
“Alice? Alice, breathe deeply. You’re having a panic attack. It’s okay, he’s gone now. You’re not hurt.”
Tears prickled, and her vision became blurred. Her entire body was shaking now, down to her very bones. It felt like she would fall to pieces any second, shatter into fragile shards all over the floor. Something bumped insistently against her leg. She could hear Shakra’s voice from miles away.
“Alice, you need to sit down. Alice! Listen to me.”
As the room spun, Alice clutched at something soft beside her knee, her other hand braced on the glass pane of the door barely kept her up.
Shakra’s voice continued, “Alice, please sit down. Gabriel! Thank God, come quickly and hold her before she falls.”
Hurried footsteps, and then Gabriel’s deep voice, “My God, what happened?” Then a pair of strong arms encircled her, holding her up.
“Alice?” Gabriel’s voice was soothing, “Can you hear me, Alice?”
She surfaced from her shock, blinking dazedly. “I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.” Gabriel turned her around gently to look at her face. “You’re as white as a sheet and swaying like a drunkard. Sit down.” Alice let him lead her over to the chair by the fire, watching his face. She decided, in spite of feeling like a bowl full of jello, she liked seeing him all worried about her.
“Thank you.”
“What happened?” Gabriel turned to Shakra. “You freaked me out, you know - shouting in my head like that…and then the shop moved.”
“Apologies,” Shakra said. “I don’t usually introduce my thought speech to someone that way. Considering the circumstances…”
“It was necessary,” Gabriel finished. “Alice, how do you feel?”
“He had a knife,” Alice muttered, remembering what the blade felt like against her neck. “He made me move the shop.” She lifted one hand to examine it. At least the shaking had lessened. Gabriel crouched in front of her, his hands on her upper arms, looking at her anxiously.
“Did he hurt you? How do you feel?”
“Shaky…” Alice poked experimentally at the tender spot on her temple, “and bruised. Aside from that, I’m not hurt.”
“Good.” Gabriel released her arms and stood up. He kept one hand on her shoulder, as he turned to Shakra. “Where’s Azura? Didn’t you call her too?”
“I did but there was no response. Could she have slept through it?”
Gabriel looked doubtful. “Slept through your shouting and the shop moving? It seems unlikely.”
Alice was horrified. “Did we leave her in Cairo? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have moved the shop.”
“What were you supposed to do?” Gabriel said sternly. “None of that talk. Did Azura say anything about going out ? I thought she just went up to her room.”
Alice nodded miserably. “We had better go check if she’s in her apartment.”
Gabriel helped her with the stairs, since she was still shaky, and Shakra followed. When they knocked on Azura’s apartment door they were met by silence.
“This isn’t good,” Alice moaned.
Gabriel still had a firm hand on her shoulder, concerned she might topple over. They called Azura several times, and then Alice finally produced her keys. It felt strange going into her mentor’s apartment, like she was invading her privacy.
“Sorry about this,” Alice muttered weakly.
The door swung open, revealing a small, tidy apartment. It was dark and empty.
“We did leave her in Cairo!” Alice wailed. She flung herself towards the stairs. “We have to go back!”
Shakra growled at the same time Gabriel reached out and grabbed Alice around the waist, halting her descent.
“Okay - for one thing, you are going to fall down the stairs,” he said sternly.
“…and second,” Shakra continued, “We can’t go waltzing back into Cairo, not when those men are back there. For all we know, they think we helped the runaway on purpose. They might kill us.”
Alice felt a surge of panic, “What if they get Azura?” She could hear her voice climbing shrilly. “What if we left her there to die?”
“Child, I’ve seen enough Witches in my time to know that your Azura is more than capable of handling herself.”
Alice still felt frantic, and she struggled against Gabriel’s restraining grip. “We have to go back! I just left her stranded in Egypt; we’re in New York now! She won’t know where we’ve gone! I should have fought that guy - I should have pushed him away. What if she gets hurt because of me?” The tears were flowing freely now. Alice usually hated crying in public, but at the moment she felt so panicked and ashamed, nothing mattered.
Gabriel tightened his grip. He turned her around to face him.
“Alice, for one thing, it wasn’t your fault. He was threatening you with a knife. And Shakra is right. Azura is a fully grown, capable Witch with a lot of connections in Cairo.”
“How do you know she has connections?” Alice let him pull her away from the stairs. She wiped at her wet cheek with the sleeve of her sweater.
“Azura’s been traveling with the shop for decades. A lot of people know of her. A lot of people owe her. I heard about her even before I applied for the job.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Now come downstairs - carefully this time."
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