Hunter Academy 2: In The Dark

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“What happened?” Erik asked after I had been freed. He reached out and touched my hair. His lip curled in disgust. “What’s in your hair?” His fingers rubbed together, feeling the oily substance.

I swatted his hand away. “The shop owned smashed one of these jars on my head. So I’m guessing what’s in my hair was whatever liquid was in the jar,” I snapped. I didn’t really want to know what the substance actually was.

Erik raised his hands in defence. “Okay, sorry,” he laughed. “Forget I asked. But you are going to wash your hair when we get back to the house, right?” He wiped his hands on a random cloth he found.

What a stupid question. “No, I think I’m going to keep it like this, it really suits me,” I answered him sarcastically. He rolled his eyes, clearly making the decision to not speak to me while I was this annoyed. “Where’s the shop keeper? He definitely knows something about my attacker.”

“Yeah, he’s in the next room, a little…tied up at the moment though,” Erik told me. The corner of my lips tilted up but I shook my head at him and left the room. The shop owner was lying against the counter tied up with rope. Erik’s father was standing guard. He smiled at me when I came into the room.

I nodded at him before crouching beside the store owner who watched me with fearful eyes. He was gagged so I removed it so he could speak.

“Tell us about the person who bought the Dark Death leaves,” I ordered. “And I wouldn’t lie if I were you. I’m not in a good mood after being knocked over the head with a jar and then tied up.”

The man gulped and then began to speak rapidly. “She didn’t tell me what she was planning to use it for. She just,” he paused and I motioned for him to keep going. My patience was wearing thin. “She threatened me, told me my family would die,” he sniffed. “So I had to get a hold of the leaves. When I found a way she somehow knew and called me. She then told me to drop it off at an abandoned building downtown.”

I had a feeling I knew the building he was talking about. “What building?” I inquired. He rattled off the address and I grabbed took a knife out. His eyes widened at the glint of the smooth, sharp metal. I cut the ropes and stepped back. “Don’t sell those leaves again, no wait, don’t sell poisonous herbs at all, or else you’re going to get another visit. And next time, you’re not going to get out unscathed.”

We left the store and got in the car. “We’re going to have to check out that abandoned building again. It was the one I went to went to the second time I encountered my attacker.”

Max White nodded. “But first we need to visit the other store that you already went to.” His eyes met mine in the rear-view mirror. We found some similarities between the two shops we visited at the one we just left,” he explained. I just nodded.

Soon we were at the previous shop. We walked in, made our way to the desk and rung the bell. The old lady came out.

“Weren’t you just here?” she asked, staring at me.

I nodded but someone else started talking before I could.

“Hmm, if I didn’t know better than I would say you were following me,” Alexandria said emerging from the back of the room. What was she doing here? Erik scowled in her direction, and I rolled my eyes.

“Actually it seems like you’re following me, I was here just today,” I replied. Her eyes narrowed as she thought over what I had said. I knew she was curious about what I was doing here.

“Is that true?” Alexandria asked the store owner. The elderly lady nodded, looking at her then me with a thoughtful expression. Alexandria crossed her arms. “Now why would you be visiting shops that sell magical ingredients?” She tilted her head. “Wait, I know, you’re running around the city crossing things off a magical things shopping list for one of the witches?” she said sarcastically. No one laughed but Alexandria’s smirk got bigger.