It's ok. I am here for you

Gabriela's head was throbbing. The conversation with her grandmother was difficult. Her son had died and she understood her pain.

The young witch could not hide anything from her elder. Even the accusations against him. That made it even worse than losing him. It meant the failure of the family, and the violation of the purest and most important law among wizards - not to harm anything living.

There was grief, regret, and anger throughout the conversation. Their love was strong, but the day was bad. Gabriela offered to go be with her, but her grandmother refused. Some things needed to be done and she asked Gabriela to do them.

Regardless of the situation, the most important thing was the Council and above all its message. No evil and injustice should be present in its ranks. Her mission was to help and protect. Therefore, it had to be removed if there was a problem in the city. This was typical of her grandmother.

Her name was Margaret Mago, and she had married Harold Mago, who had died shortly after Gabriela's parents. She was a woman of 78 years old, and extremely well-preserved for her years.

She looked to be in her fifties, with beautiful white hair that she kept up in a bun most of the time. Slender and elegant, she lived in a large mansion in a small town familiar to people with stories of witches and wizards. She didn't work, thanks to the family's fortune and status in the wizard Society.

Her main social duties were to look after her gardens and local committees to improve the lives of her fellow citizens, but also to preserve the charm of the locality. She was against urbanization but also supported progress. She was considered a strict but fair woman. Sometimes was grumpy and stubborn, but believed she was acting for the good - both her own and that of her family and friends.

Margaret was the matriarch and ruled her family with an iron fist. She hated laziness and indolence and supported everyone in their choice of career. Didn't force her mage lifestyle on any of her family, but most followed, both out of respect and reverence for her and their ancestors. Always spoke her mind and didn't like nonsense and rambling, as she often reminded them.

She had met her husband at the age of fifteen and at sixteen they had married in a pagan ceremony. He was the head warlock of his conclave and she was a young but very promising witch. She had risen in time and together they were the high priest and priestess of the area and members of the Council.

The two had remained in love with each other for years, until his death, a year after Gabriela had lost her parents. She wondered what it must have been like for their son and his wife to leave the little girl, only eleven years old, in their care, still grieving for their child. And how horrified and crushed her grandmother must have felt when, the following year, only the two of them remained in the immediate family, after her grandfather had died in his sleep at the age of sixty-seven.

Perhaps all these trials and losses had tarnished her, but Gabriela did not know a more confident and firm woman than her. She was one of those people who happily commanded everyone in the family and expected that when they ordered something, it would be carried out immediately. And why not? Whoever had the strength to lose her son and husband in just a year and be left to raise a little girl alone deserved that respect and obedience.

And now the next blow - her younger son had also died. Now there were only two left and many distant cousins. Gabriela was ordered to keep her eyes on the house and find the book her uncle had mentioned. Her grandmother feared that her young son was in trouble and expected more surprises along the way. She ordered her to keep an eye on all the signs around her and investigate every single incident in the past two weeks. She would send help as soon as she could. It was obvious that something was coming.

Everyone in the family has noticed it. But all the warriors were distributed. Her aunt was demon hunting in the Amazon. Her cousin was on the trail of a succubus in France, and her other cousin was on a mission against ice monsters in Norway. It was obvious that she was alone for now. A surveillance plan had to be drawn up. She couldn't get to the house until the police cleared her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

On the other hand, gathering information and preparing for what was to come was quite possible. And the unpleasant task of the funeral also fell to her. She would not have thought of passing it on to her grandmother. Sorrow and compassion filled her.

Only now did she begin to realize what had happened. Her uncle was dead, and she hadn't been able to prevent it. She didn't want to believe that he was involved in taking a human life. Could not. Sad tears streamed down her face. Despair was about to overwhelm her when there was a knock at the door and she sighed. She didn't want to see anyone right now. She wanted to be alone and have a good cry. Maybe if she didn't answer, whoever was outside would leave, she thought.

- Gabby, honey, open for me - Maggie's voice was heard from the other side of the door - I felt that something was wrong - Gabriela sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have been alone after all. The path between sadness and self-pity was not very long.

She got up from the sofa and opened the door. She then went back and spread herself on the sofa, feeling her strength drained. She could afford to be weak in front of Maggie because she completely understood her soul.

- Will you tell me what's up, dear? – said her friend, hugging her tightly.

- Uncle Boris is dead - whispered Gabriela quietly.

- Oh, darling - Maggie hugged her tightly - It's ok. I am here for you.

- I'm fine - Gabriela replied, trying to regain her composure.

- Do not worry. Cry if you're sad. Emotions should not be suppressed - she told her. Then the tears flowed of their own accord and Gabriela stopped holding them back. She cried for the loss, for the betrayal, for the injustice, and for her weakness. She cried so long that she finally began to drift off from exhaustion.

- I'm better now - she whispered - Thank you!

- There is no need to thank me. I'll always be here - Maggie told her gently and tucked a tangled strand behind her friend's ear.

- I think I am thirsty from crying so much - she smiled slightly.

- Of course, you need some hydration. Let me make you some tea and you can tell me what happened. Only if you are ready.

- I will have to deal with the other issues, as he expressed. But there is something else. The detectives were here with one of the guests from the party last night – and she told her about their meeting last night and the strange sensations she had had. She missed nothing, not even Sebastian's description. When I got to the visit of the police, I started to think - I felt that there was something they hid from me. They think his death was no accident. I'm afraid it has to do with his work. They did not explain to me exactly how he was killed, nor did they ask me to identify the body.

- This is strange - thought Maggie.

- Right?! Also, they were more interested in my movements the day before and Sebastian's than my uncle's. Or they already had the information and were just confirming my alibi. But since I was alone there's no way to prove I was here, right? Aren't they suspecting me of murder?

- Did you sense such hints?

- Like they shifted their attention from me to Sebastian the moment he said he suspected my uncle of stealing from his gallery.

- Do you think he might be responsible for your uncle's death?

- No - she shook her head dismissively - I can't explain it. But I think he was annoyed by the death. It seems inconvenient for him. - she tried to determine her observations - Like he was about to finish a puzzle and someone dropped a thousand more pieces on top.

- Maybe that's it. Now he must shift his attention to other suspects or spend double the time proving the guilt of a dead man.

- Yes, there is that as well. - Gabriela sighed. Who to admit it to besides her best friend - To be honest, I think I believe him - she almost whispered, afraid if she spoke out loud it would become true in an instant - I think my uncle was involved in the theft.

- Why do you think so? - asked Maggie in an attempt not as much to have the details, but to help her friend analyze the situation best.

- Before the party last night he mentioned a new book he found -She thought for a moment - No, he said I found it. Everything points to the job in the gallery and my uncle's unquenched thirst for power. What if he's done something terrible that can't be fixed?

- I'm here to help you. Let's sit and think. We can't be sure of anything. What if he found some modern invention and it wasn't about this book? - she suggested.

- Maggie, was a hereditary wizard with a passion for books. One more thing. When I was there last night I felt something. Something dark and unpleasant. I'm afraid of what I might find - she whispered. - What if I don't make it? If I had moved earlier, might have been able to prevent what happened.

- You know as well as I do that when your uncle makes up his mind, you can't stop him - she reassured her - And if you felt something, then it was too late anyway - she added.

- You might be right. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop feeling guilty anytime soon. It was only my carelessness and my lack of professionalism that brought us here. If it is the book from the gallery, in which I have no doubts, it means that I have not done my job properly. If I had made the defences right, they would never have been able to take it.

- So the superwoman has left and you have taken her place? - Maggie jabbed at Gabriela. Someone needed a reality check real quick.

- Maybe so - Gabriela got irritated - Everything is connected. The book, the protection, the theft, the death of an uncle. And I'm sure this is just the beginning.

- Then stop blaming yourself and tell me what we will do - Action was always the better strategy than self-pity in her book.

- In two days I will go to the house with the detective and Sebastian. Then I'll know for sure.

- I can come with you - she suggested - just to be safe.

- You are my best friend. But I will go alone. If any more people are present I won't be able to concentrate.

- How about the preparations for the funeral and the police investigation? Is there anything I can help with?

- Not at the moment. I already spoke with grandma and I contacted the funeral home. But before the investigation is over and the body is released I can not do anything. All we can do now is wait. But thank you anyway - she replied and smiled at her friend, taking in her appearance for the first time - You look fabulous!

- I always do - Maggie grinned at her and raised her eyebrows at her continuing - Now, my friend, let's do something useful since we have time and we need a distraction. I have a few things we need to take care of. I need to re-arrange and inspect my apartment and the gallery, and I know a friend who is the queen of these things, especially when she is upset.

- I'll take the bag of miracles and we'll fly away on our brooms - Gabriela laughed lightly, continuing the playful banter.

- I'll wait for you downstairs in the car. If you want, we can also take Nora for support. - she suggested, gathering her bag and putting on her shoes.

- Yes, it would be nice to be the three of us. I need to change and feed Luna, then we can go. - Gabriela went to the kitchen to put away the cups from this morning and put some food for her familiar.

- We will charge your batteries before the big calabash - Magie piped from the door while texting Nora to be ready in 10 minutes. The answer came almost immediately. She would be at the door in 5.

- Where do you find these phrases? - Gabriela was amazed sometimes by the words coming from her friend's mouth. She took her phone from the table and went back to change into more comfortable clothing for cleaning while recording the latest slang in her never-ending list.

- From Marty's nephew. He comes every day to stare lovingly at Nora in the gallery. He is like a love-struck puppy and has a nice face to look at. When he grows up he will be a very attractive man.

- Give me a minute and we'll go - jeans and a cotton shirt, converse at the feet, and a small backpack and she was ready to go. She took a look around and made some additional protective spells. No need to be brave or stupid. No more neglecting things. She had to be ready for everything.

- I'll keep the motor running - Maggie said, walking out the door, leaving her to finish the spells.