Kaulder walked down an alleyway of a street deep in New York City. The sights and sounds of the city were all around him. Sirens, laughing and yelling. Behind him, the city was alive with activity. It hadn't stopped moving since it was founded. But he hardly noticed it now, his thoughts were too deep. They were always deep at this time of the year, springtime. 800 years go, spring time was the time he lost his wife and daughter. 800 years later and he still felt a deep love and lost for them both. He still had dreams, nightmares, about them and their life together. Everything from his wedding, to his wife's pregnancy, the birth and his child growing up. He still felt his chest tighten and his eyes burn when he woke from a dream.
On the advice of his Dolan 36, he was taking some time off, just a week. He needed to get his head on straight and his Dolan knew that. Kaulder couldn't remember the last time he had taken a break, had a vacation, done anything like that. He just hadn't stopped since he had started hunting witches. It was easier to keep going, finding witches and making them pay for their crimes. He was, though, on a break. Now that isn't saying that if a witch came his way, he won't deal with it, he would but for the next seven or so days, he wasn't on the active hunt for one.
Just ahead of him, he noticed a bookstore that he didn't think he had seen before. Hanging over the door was a sign that read, The Book Shelf. It looked old like the wood was weathered from many years in the sun, rain and snow. There was a glass door and then two floor to ceiling windows that showed off the store's goods and displays. Kaulder decided to step in, maybe he'd find something he liked inside. Something that would take his mind off the spring and his break. Anything would be good right now. He was going out of his mind and he hadn't read a good book in years. There just hadn't been time.
The second he opened the door to the store, he was struck by the smell of old and new books...and magic. Old magic and it was everywhere. Kaulder frowned and narrowed his eyes down. Old magic tended to be dark magic and if it was old, dark magic, he was shocked and annoyed that he hadn't sensed it before. How could an old witch have been living there, not too far from his penthouse and he knew nothing about it?
Kaulder quickly looked around the store, nothing the floor to ceiling books, large stone fireplace, coffee table in front of it and the two couches on either side of that. There were shelves lining the front to back of the store on either side of him with a small glass counter off to his left with a cash register. To any other person, it looked like a quiet, cool, old store but to him, it was anything but. He walked to the counter at the same time he heard,
" Coming!"
Kaulder frowned. The voice sounded like a young woman but the magic he sensed couldn't belong to a young witch. She may be an employee and not the owner but he couldn't be sure. His senses told him the witch was inside the building, somewhere. He leaned his left hip against the counter and crossed his arms over his wide chest. Whatever was coming his way, he would deal with.
He was facing the back of the store, towards the sound of the voice. A young, petite woman was hurrying towards him, staring down at a book open in her hands. She was pursing her lips together and blowing out. He moved without putting the book down and it was clear she was comfortable with the layout of the store and didn't need to watch her step to move. She must have been an employee for a very long time. Kaulder took a minute to study her. She was a witch as well, he could sense it in her and that sense was confusing him even more. She felt the same way as the old magic in the store did.
She didn't stop walking until she was behind the counter and across from him. She set the book down, pushed it to the side and finally met his eyes with a smile he knew she had been prepared to give him. It was most likely the smile she always gave a customer but it faded before it completely hit her lips. Her breathing slowed down as they stared at each other.
" I have done no wrong, Witch hunter." She said.
Kaulder turned to face her and placed his hands on the counter, continuing to stare down at her. And stare down at her he was. She was at least a foot shorter than he which met she couldn't be standing more than 5 ft 1 in tall. She was slender, with long, dark hair that was parted to the right side of her head and she had dark blue eyes. Her skin was flawless and a bit tan. Not from laying out for hours on end but just from being out in the world. She looked like she couldn't be more 29, 30 at the oldest.
" You know who I am." He stated. His deep voice rumbled up and had scared more than one person in his time.
" Of course I do. Everyone knows who you are." She said. " What I don't know is why you are here as I have done nothing wrong."
" Now what makes you think I am here because of you?" He asked.
" I am the only witch here, this is my store. Why else would you be here." She simply stated. Kaulder frowned again.
" This is your store?" He asked.
" Yes and there is nothing wrong with me owning it. It is just a book store. I don't sell anything magical here. It's not a front for anything, nothing. I buy and sell new and used books as well as rare books but no spell books. There is nothing magical here." She said. Kaulder stood up straight and again cross his arms over his chest.
" Is that so?" He asked.
" That is so." She said. Part of Kaulder was impressed. She was staring up at him with her own frown and no fear. There were not many witches who would meet and hold his eyes and not be reflecting fear. She seemed more annoyed and angry than anything. Kaulder popped a grin.
" If that is true, then why do I sense magic all over this place?" He asked.
" I use a protection spell to make sure no one breaks in or tries to rob me." She said.
" Does that happen a lot to you?" Kaulder asked.
" You live here, you know the crime rates. I am a single woman and the only employee here. I'd rather not chance anything. Every day, I cast a protection spell." She said.
" What is your name?" Kaulder asked.
" Why?" She asked.
" Because I want to know." Kaulder countered.
" Maybe I don't want you to know. Why are you here?" She asked again.
" I was just walking by and stopped in to see if there is anything in here I might like." Kaulder said. She rolled her eyes and that made him want to chuckle.
" I doubt that." She answered.
" You don't think I like to read or something?" He asked.
" Why are you here, Witch hunter?" She asked again but this time, she sounded tired and ready for him to leave.
" My name is Kaulder." He said.
" I know that. Everyone knows what your name is." She said.
" Then it's only fair that you tell me your name, Witch." He said.
They stared at each other again with neither one speaking. Kaulder could almost see her wheels turning, she was weighing the negatives and positive of telling him her name but he could wait her out. He had nothing else to do that day. Hell, he may pick out of book, sit on her couch and relax to read and wait. She won't kick him out, that much he was sure of. Most witches had a health fear of him and he liked that.
Suddenly, the young woman sighed. Her shoulders dropped down, she rolled her eyes again and shook her head. Kaulder smirked. He had won. She would tell him her name and most likely anything else he wanted to know. And there was a lot he wanted to know. Like why did she and the store feel of old magic when it was clear she was young. Of course, appears weren't always the truth. He knew a witch or two who could change their looks to appear younger than they actually were.
" Arielle. My name is Arielle." She answered.
" See? Now was that so hard?" He asked. A frown was back on her pretty face.
" Why are you here?" She asked.
Kaulder kept his smirk as he turned around. He dropped his arms from his chest and put his hands in the pockets of his black cargo pants. He strolled across the store to the other side and started looking over the titles of books. He was choosing to not answer her right away. Her annoyance with him amused him and it had been awhile since he was amused plus he knew that an annoyed witch made mistakes. If she was hiding something, she would give it up without him proding much.
" I wasn't lying, you know. I was walking by, saw this store and decided to pop in and see if there was anything I might like." Kaulder said.
" I doubt that." Arielle said.
" What? You don't think I like to read?" He asked as his eyes scanned the books.
" Maybe I just think you can't read." She countered. Kaulder turned around to meet her eyes again. A second went back before a laugh left him suddenly. " Can you stop wasting both our time and just tell me why you are here?"
" Do you have something to do?" He asked after his laughter died down.
" Yeah. I have children to lure into my candy house, fattened up and eat." Arielle said. Kaulder pointed at her with his smirk.
" You're a funny little witch, you know that?" He said. He turned back around and continued to look at the books.
" Look, I have phone calls to make. Why don't you just look around the place? You will see there is nothing against the law, human or witch, going on here." Arielle said.
" I think I will." Kaulder said. He was calling her bluff. He was sure if he agreed, she'd get more annoyed and come up with a reason to kick him out but instead, she said,
" Great. Have at it." Kaulder turned around in surprise.
Arielle sat down on a stool behind the counter. She was pulling out a large book and a cordless phone. She flipped opened the pages and seemed to be dismissing him. Kaulder lifted his eyebrows up, shook his head and turned back around. He started doing just what she suggested looking around. He listened to her make what sounded like a business call to a customer, informing whoever was on the other end that their book was in and when they could pick it up. Her voice sounded different, nice and happy. That was not the voice she had used with him.
Kaulder made his way to the back of the store, seeing nothing but new and used books. Just like she claimed he'd would. He opened a few closed doors and found two bathrooms, a storage room filled with boxes of books and her small office. One door he found in the back lead to the outside and the other was locked. Kaulder frowned and was ready to call out to her when he sensed her near.
" That's the door to my apartment." Arielle said as she walked back from the back. Walked, not just appeared or anything. She walked, like a human they both knew she wasn't. " It's where I have hidden the children." Kaulder chuckled again.
" You know, I have never actually came upon a witch who ate children." He said.
" First time for everything then." She said. Kaulder nodded with his smirk still on his lips.
" Humor me and open the door." He said.
" You want to search my private dwelling?" She asked in slight disbelief. He tilted his head slightly to the side.
" Someone has to save the kids." He said. She made a sound of annoyance at the back of her throat and her dark blues rolled again.
" Let me go lock up so no one comes in while we are up there. It's lunch time anyway." She said.
Instead of waving her hand and mentally locking the door, Kaulder watched Arielle walk up to the front of the store. She locked the glass door, flipped the sign then walked back to him. It seemed like she didn't want to use her magic but that didn't surprise Kaulder much. Many witches didn't like to use their power in front of him or around him. He didn't like them to use it either but her not using it surprised him. She seemed so flippant towards him that a wave of her hand and magical lock the door just seemed like something she'd do just to say fuck you.
Once back at the door, Arielle produced a key out from the pocket of her faded jeans. She unlocked the door and pulled it open. There was a old, wooden stair case behind it and the smell of apples and cinnamon came over him. It reminded him of an apple pie and made him feel hungry. After he was done here, maybe he'd hit up his favorite hole in the wall diner a few blocks away from her store. Arielle reached inside the door way and flipped a switch, flooring the space with light. She looked back at him and waved her hand in a gester that said, go ahead.
" After you." She said.
" You know, usually, when a woman invites me into her apartment, she smiles." Kaulder said.
" According to you, I'm not a real woman, I'm just a witch." Arielle said. Kaulder's smirked faded as she quickly reminded him of why he was going up the stairs.
" Go ahead. I'll follow you." He said.
Arielle sighed but started up the stairs. Kaulder didn't let people walk behind him when he could help it. Just because he was immortal and couldn't die from anything didn't mean getting stabbed didn't hurt and besides that, he liked the shirt he was wearing and didn't want to have a stab hole in it. Not to mention blood. Yeah, he could, and did still, bleed when a wound was inflicted.
The stairway opened up to a very small space. Off to his left was a bathroom and directly beside that a four poster bed. It's frame was black iron, it looked, and it was neatly made. The blanket on top of it was black with four black pillows on it. Behind the bed was three windows overlooking nothing but the brick building behind it. To his right was a galley style kitchen with white cabinets, a black stove and white fridge and counter tops. A farm house sink was in the center of the countertops. When she washed the dishes, she could face her living room and the windows there that showed her the building across the street.
Her living room had an old couch, a coffee table that looked like it had once been a door that was remade into a table, and two lazy boy chairs. On the other side of the kitchen was another table. This one was round and had four chairs around it. There were windows behind the table so a lot of natural light flooded the space and the only two walls that didn't have windows had floor to ceiling book cases against them, filled with books.
" Well, does it pass your inspection?" She asked as she turned around to face him.
Kaulder nodded slowly, still taking in the space. It was so ordinary and not what he was expecting. There was nothing that said Witch to him but the sense of old magic he was still getting. Oh, and the black cat who he missed before because it was sleeping on her bed. Now, the animal had opened it's yellow eyes, lifted it's head and meowed. Kaulder grinned and looked back at Ariella.
" A black cat, really?" He asked. She shrugged.
" That's Sally 2." She said.
" What happen to Sally 1?" He asked.
" She died of old age." Arielle strolled over to the bed, picked the cat up and kissed her before she cuddled it against her chest. " So, you have seen everything I have, will you tell me what you want and why you are here now?" Again, his hands went into his pockets as he started to stroll around her space, just like he had done in the store. He started by casing her books. She had a wide array of titles, ranging from paranormal romances to horror stories to true stories.
" I am currently on a break from witch hunting." He said as he wandered into the living room space.
" Witches everywhere rejoice." She said. Kaulder glance back at her before he looked out her windows.
" You aren't afraid of me." He remarked.
" I have no reason to be. I have done nothing wrong and I know you have a code of ethics you have to live by. You can't take me in when I have broken no laws." Arielle said. " Do you have a problem with me not being scared?"
" Not at all." Kaulder turned to face her completely. " Actually, it's a bit refreshing."
" Have you found what you are looking for? I have a business to run and if I don't get back to it, I can't make money to pay my bills."
" And you only use the money you make to pay your way?" He asked.
" Of course I do. I was raised with ethics. I don't use my magic to get my way." She actually seemed offended that he would even think such a thing.
" Alright. I am going to keep my eye on you." Kaulder half joked.
" Great, just what I have always wanted. To be watched by the Witch Hunter." Arielle said dryly.