Page 70 of Cursing My Cheating Husband

I let out a long breath. “Brie, I think I need you to cast another tracking spell to explain my own curse to me. Again.”

“I could, but now that we’re in Nightshade Cove and it’s during business hours, there’s a better option.”

* * *

Kyra’s shop becomes the latest corner of Nightshade Cove to awe me with its glow-up.

Back in the day, the facade on Kyra’s business had been a particularly seedy pawn shop. You used to have to slip through the most depressing front-facing room to get to her hidden space in the back, where she conducted repairs of misbehaving or damaged magical objects.

As Brie, Maddox, and I approached Kyra’s place today, I saw no remaining trace of the pawn shop false front. Instead, spotless floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of a gleaming space that felt positively high tech. Witches in purple polo shirts with spellbook tablets greeted an array of human and witch customers. There was a section for browsing over-the-counter charms and other tiny magical accessories, and many employees involved in various troubleshooting tasks for patrons: rebooting a crystal ball, figuring out what was wrong with a malfunctioning talisman.

Maddox looked even more dumbstruck than usual. “Magical tech support?”

“More or less,” Brie tossed off, openly annoyed. As she was every time he spoke.

As we entered, Kyra was all the way in the back, but we spotted each other immediately. In my teen years, she had been something of a surrogate “cool young aunt” to Brie and myself. She still had her hair pinned up in the exact same messy bun she had back then. Handing her current customer off to an employee, she made a beeline to me and wrapped me in a warm hug.

We did a few minutes of reminiscing (Gwen, whatever was going on with her, could wait), during which I got to express for the millionth time how much gratitude I felt toward Kyra for the impeccable job she’d done repairing one of Astrea’s most beloved crystal orbs, after Brie and I had accidentally cracked it while playing around as teens. My mother still had no idea it had ever been broken. Most of the adult witches in town would have turned me in to Astrea right away, but Kyra had promised with a wink that it would be our secret, and it had been.

At last, it became time to move past the fun catching-up chat and get to the purpose of our visit.

The minute I pulled the snow globe out of the bag, Kyra reacted to its power. She took it from me immediately. “Whoa, this is some heavy curse magic. Who’s been naughty?”

I gestured to Maddox, who was looking suitably abashed. “My ex-husband’s trashiest mistress. And with the number of mistresses he’s had, that is a competitive title.”

Brie and I took turns unfolding the full story for Kyra as she led us into the back diagnostic and repair space, as silent Maddox trailed behind.

Kyra selected an open workstation and waved her hands in an elaborate symmetrical pattern, which conjured into existence a crackling sphere of purple magical energy, floating above the table. She pushed the snow globe into it, where it gravitated right to the sphere’s center.

“Just let me run some quick diagnostics…” Kyra said as she placed both hands on the surface of the sphere. She tossed her head back as her eyes flooded with matching energy.

After several minutes, she broke contact and turned to face us.

“Yes, your troublesome mistress is inside there. So teeny tiny! She’s not even an inch tall.” She broke into a proud smile. “Callie, this is some seriously impressive magic. The design of this curse is elegant as hell. It has so many layers working together.”

I blushed a little at that. Kyra was not the type to give out false compliments.

“What are the release terms? How does she get out?” Brie asked.

Kyra grinned. “Personal growth. She has to become, at the core of her being, an authentically good person.”

Brie’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “Oh, that’s fun!”

I still had questions. “But… what else is in there with her?”

“Nothing really. Just her. And the snow. But she’s all alone, with nothing to do, and no company except her own thoughts. Until such time as she’s reflected and matured enough that she becomes a woman who would never again sleep with a married man.”

“She decides when it’s over!” Brie gasped. “Just like she kept saying. That’s perfect! Callie, you are good at this.”

I appreciated the affirmation, but I was concerned by the implications of this in a way no one else appeared to be. “Couldn’t that take an incredibly long time?”

“It already has!” Kyra gushed. “There’s a time dilation spell active within the globe. She’s experiencing time at a vastly accelerated rate. One minute for us is a year for her.”

We all jumped a little at that. “A year a minute?” Maddox yelped. “But she’s already been in there for… how long has it been?”

“Almost an hour!” Brie answered.

“Oh gods! Is she going to die of old age in a few minutes?” My body tensed with a surge of dread. I didn’t want to kill anyone, not even Gwen.