Moon Witch

Missing

"Where the hell is my sister, asshole?!" Rose demands, grabbing Julien by the front of his oil-stained T-shirt.

"Hello, Rose. Nice to see you too," He rolls his eyes, and she can hear the sarcasm in his voice. It flips a switch in her brain and she finds herself shoving him against the wall. His and Maggie's wedding photo falls to the ground, the glass shattering upon impact.

"You let Maggie get kidnapped and you want a formal goddamn greeting?" Rose shakes her sister's husband, his head making a dent in the wall, "Why did you let them take her? Are you in on this shit too? Answer me, damn it!"

"He held a gun to my head, what was I supposed to do?" Julien shouts.

"Stand your ground, maybe? Not being a spineless piece of shit helps too," Rose growls. Julien opens his mouth, ready to defend himself, but the sight of his mother-in-law leaves him speechless. The air around this woman has always oozed power. He's always been slightly afraid of her, and now that fear is elevated tenfold. The room floods with the power of her anger, white-hot and dangerous.

"Rosemary, drop him. Some men aren't fit to marry witches, and those men are far from being worth our time," She says as she takes off her black gloves. She undoes the gold chain at the base of her throat next, sliding her crushed velvet cloak from her shoulders. She puts the garments on the kitchen table before gliding into the living room. Rose has done as she was told, releasing her brother-in-law from her death grip, "Tell me why the protection charm was broken."

"Mom, a broken charm doesn't matter, we have to-" With a slight flick of the wrist, Luna silences her eldest daughter.

"Julien. The charm. Why was it broken?" She points at the young man in front of her, rooting him to the spot. She didn't cast a spell, she doesn't have to. His fear for this woman outweighs the need to make a run for it.

"All I did was leave through the front door. It's never broken her protection charm before," Julien manages to say, though his throat feels too tight.

"What happened before then, Julien? I need to know," Luna sits on the couch, crossing her legs. She looks for Maggie's familiar as she waits for Julien's answer. When she doesn't see the raven, she turns her attention back to the man her daughter married, "Tobias is missing too. That's good. That means he's been summoned. Ever since Maggie was a little girl, she's always had trouble summoning her familiar. Her talents have always been with brewing potions. She must have been practicing." She leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. To Julien, she looks almost bored and would believe her to be if her quiet anger wasn't radiating off her.

It's quiet for a handful of minutes before Julien finally answers Luna, "We had a fight about her going into hiding with the coven, so I went outside and that's when that guy with the gun attacked me," He meets the intense gaze of his mother-in-law.

"And you didn't think the protection charm on the door would be broken, did you?" Luna leans back against the couch again, "The charm only works as long as the person casting it feels safe, Julien. When you two had that fight, that meant her guard went down and she felt vulnerable. So not only did you let my daughter get kidnapped, you made her feel helpless. If I knew she wouldn't be upset with me, I would curse you on the spot." The worst thing about this, Julien decides, is how calm Luna is.

"Why don't you then? I'm sure Maggie is going to be pissed off beyond words when we find her, so you may as well curse me and get it over with," He hangs his head.

"Stop playing the victim, Julien. You're not the one that's been kidnapped. Maggie will be angry with you, that much is true, but that's nothing compared to how I feel towards you right this moment. If I were to curse you, you would never see Maggie again. And you and I both know you don't want that to happen no matter how upset she is. Now tell me what this man looks like," Luna waves her fingers in a "come hither" motion, summoning a kitchen chair for Julien to sit in. Rosemary stands behind him, still silent.

"He's huge. He's built like Paul Bunyan, and he's a redhead. He was wearing all black when he came to take Maggie," He gives the description, the same one he gave to the police minutes after his wife was taken. Luna nods.

"Vidatur Noctem," She mutters the incantation with a snap of her fingers. Her familiar, a white minx with a single black dot on its forehead, appears in a puff of smoke, "Noctem, scout out the lumberjack looking fellow with red hair wearing all black. Margot is in trouble. Report back to me when you find out where he's taken her." She gives her familiar the order. Without a sound, the minx begins her search.

"And you two," Luna motions to the two figures in front of her, the motion from her hand unbinding Rosemary's lips, "Get along for a while and go look for Maggie, too. Report back here at nightfall, whether you've found her or not. I'm going to wait here in case she shows up."

"What do you want us to do if we find her?" Rose asks.

"Send your familiar my way and I'll gather the Elders. Now go, we don't have much time," The Elder shooes the two out the front door, shutting it behind them, "Margot, you'd better be alright." She mutters to herself, holding onto what precious little hope she has left.