Selina J. Eckert - Cranberry Bog Crumble

Cranberry Bog Crumble

Pie-Jinks Book 2

Selina J. Eckert

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental, except in the case of real locations used as setting. Those exist.

Copyright 2021 by Selina J. Eckert

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: papercraneswriting@gmail.com.

First e-book edition October 2021

Book design by DragonPen Designs

Cover Image: Deposit Photos

ISBN 978-1-954466-15-9

selinajeckert.com

For the ones looking to find themselves,

but always find a piece in fall.

Chapter One

M Y FIRST SIGN that Aunt Kit was close was the sudden flurry of rain pounding against the glass of my large kitchen window. Only a minute ago the sky had been clear blue with spotless sun, but now it was covered in steel gray obscured by the downpouring rain.

Lissa, my new vampire assistant, paused next to me, a pie crust half flattened in front of her. What in the world...

I added some comfort of home potion to my pie filling, a drop at a time so as not to over-magic it, and flashed a smile up at her as the spicy scents of nutmeg and cinnamon wafted around us. I had mentioned my aunt was coming, but as far as she knew, the rain was unconnected.

I knew better.

Sure enough, within half an hour a knock echoed through Pie-Jinks. I wiped my hands on my apron, shuffled around my kitchen crowded by Lissa and my two sprite friends, Oak and Cardamomalways hanging around in the hopes of scraps and extra piesand made my way to the entry hall. I hurried to open the door before Aunt Kit could knock again, excited to see the woman I hadnt seen in years.

I swung the door open with a grin. Aunt Kit!

A tall, slim woman wearing a patchwork coat of purple, pink, and green turned to face me with a smile of her own. She tipped a large, deep purple hat back, the pooled rainwater streaming off behind her to the porch. One of my two favorite nieces!

I rolled my eyes and stepped aside, beckoning her inside with a nervous glance up the stairs where my house hob, Thea, slept. She was grumpy when guests woke her up, since she worked all night.

Aunt Kit handed me an old-fashioned carpetbagshe always did travel like a storybook characterand proceeded to hang her hat on the coat rack and unwrap miles of scarf from around her neck. She stepped out of muddy boots... too muddy for wandering through town. Where exactly had she been?

The wind howled behind her, sending the rain over the porch rail, across the stack of pumpkins waiting to be carved and the garland of fall leaves around my door before hitting me with mist. I quickly closed the door against the weather. It would settle once Aunt Kit was settled.

Something crashed in the kitchen, and then the pitter-patter of tiny sprite feet stampeded into the hall. I cringed, leaping out of the path of the sprites. They jumped around her legs like excited children (a mistake only someone who didnt see their creepy smiles would make) as if sensing her true nature, the magic she held within. It was still family magic, but... different.

Aunt Kit reached for the carpetbag. She snapped it open and extracted a handful of brightly wrapped candies, handing them to the sprites.

Great. Just what they needed. But then again, they had once turned half my house into candy. Maybe this was just their love language or something.

I rubbed my hand over my face anyway, imagining how they would be bouncing off the walls soon. Id have to talk to her about how much energy those two had and how theyd already had an entire leftover pie that morning and how they really didnt need candy on top of that.

But the words faded before I could even say them. There would hopefully be time for that later. For now, my aunt was visiting, and I hadnt seen her in at least five years.

We dropped her bag in the corner guest room, tiptoed back down the stairs, and returned to the kitchen where I situated her with a slice of extra pie (yes, now that I had a real assistant, I could make extra pies!) and a cup of coffee. I was already on my third of the morning.

I glanced up at my assistant as she slid a pie in the oven. Lissa, Id like you to meet my aunt, Kit. Shes a candy witch.

Lissa smiled a fanged, toothy smile. Good to meet you. Her eyes flicked to the window where rain hit the glass in a sudden flurry.

Aunt Kit smiled. A vampire? Its very interesting to meet you. She stirred honey into the coffee, something Id never seen anyone else do. Id always assumed it had something to do with her candy witch naturethat love for natures own candy, honey. She slathered it on almost everything she ate.

That reminded me: Id have to pick some more up from Clover if I expected my stores to last through Aunt Kits visit. Wed settled on a vanilla bean custard pie to showcase his honey, so I had an assortment filling my cabinet (for the moment). It had been... uncertain if our business partnership would last, but despite how hed accidentally brought a flower toxic to Fae into Cider Hollow, I couldnt blame him for it too much. It seemed hed been tricked somehow, though Forrest, my own Fae prince, still hadnt gotten back to me about who might have sent him the seeds.

Lissas muscles tensed as Aunt Kit identified her as a vampire and her smile grew strained. Flour exploded around her as she dropped more onto the counter for rolling out another crust, and I had to stifle a laugh. I couldnt make fun of her, or shed quit. She was so sensitive about her abilities here.

Yes, but shes an artist, like us, I said to rescue her. Shes new to town. We had a bit of a... kerfuffle last week, so shes working with me and keeping a low profile.

Better to warn her now than have it come out in a way Lissa didnt want. Still, Lissa ducked her head, returning to rolling out dough. If she wasnt a vampire, she might have flushed in embarrassment. Maybe I had said too much. I bit my lip and rested a hand on my friends shoulder for a moment.

A low profile, Kit said. How fascinating. She waggled her finger between the two sprites, who were still sorting through the candy shed given them. And whats the story with these two?

Where to even begin?

As I returned to preparing fillings and assembling pies, I said, Theyre part of the local Court and have taken a liking to me.

Were not the only ones, Cardamom giggled. She flashed me a bright white smile outlined in sugary blue.

Aunt Kit looked back at me expectantly, and heat flooded my face. The tendril of blonde hair that had escaped its messy bun shifted to the blush pink of embarrassment.

Well I can tell theres a story here, she said. Hair doesnt lie.

I glanced over at her, for the first time seeing her hair shift in a plethora of colors. Right now, it was shifting between sunshine yellow and static grayhappiness and anxiety. I glanced down at her plate, but shed hardly touched her slice. Maybe if shed just finish it, she would feel better. Id made sure to add plenty of peace to the extra pie.