"I can always have them reprinted. Too soon?” she wondered aloud, then shrugged and tucked them back in the drawer. "No, just good preparation. That's what separates top producers from the rest!"
She strode to the front door and flung it open desperate for some fresh air. Standing in the threshold she noticed something unusual---a small bat circling in broad daylight, behaving erratically as if searching for something. Unlike the dead bat from the bookshop, this one was tiny with a distinctive reddish tinge to its fur.
"Another scout," she murmured. "Ronald's getting impatient."
Watching closely, the bat suddenly turned towards Main Street, where a small gathering was outside Spellbinders Bookstore. Even from this distance, Tandy could see Gloria Pendlebury's flame-red hair and hear her excited voice.
"---vampire invasion! My cousin's neighbor's familiar in Assjacket says they've had bats circling for weeks! It's all connected, I tell you!"
Beside Gloria, another witch was shaking her head emphatically. "Ridiculous superstition! This is exactly the kind of backward thinking that keeps Cauldron Falls stuck in the past!"
Tandy smiled coldly. The town was naturally dividing itself---believers versus skeptics. And divided towns were so much easier to conquer.
She closed the door and slipped back inside her office. It was time to fan the flames of discord, just as Ronald had instructed. By the time the blood moon rose, Cauldron Falls would be too busy arguing among themselves to mount any unified defense.
And she, Tandy Keyes, would finally have everything she'd ever wanted: wealth, power, and the magic that had always been just beyond her reach. Plus, that corner office with the name plaque.
"Minister of Real Estate," she practiced in the mirror, striking a pose. "No, too formal. Supreme Commander of Vampire Properties! Too military. Eternal Homes Empress!" She smiled at her reflection. "Perfect."
Holy Cross-Examination
Marty Tuey entered Tandy's office not long after she'd summoned him. Adjusting his thick-rimmed glasses with the practiced gesture of someone who considered himself the intellectual superior in most rooms, he settled into a chair. Marty's crystal shop exclusively sold stones labeled for modern problems like "WiFi Enhancement Crystal" and "Dating App Success Stone"---evidence of his self-appointed role as Cauldron Falls' modernizer.
"Vampires?" Marty snorted. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard since crazy Gregg Abbott tried to convince everyone his wands could boost cellular reception. Glad he's in the Salem pokey now."
"I know, right?" Tandy agreed, pouring them both cups of coffee from a pot that had been sitting on the warmer since yesterday. She'd positioned herself strategically, so the light caught her bronze business suit at just the right angle to distract from the dusty shelves behind her. "Completely ridiculous."
A vampire magazine peeked out from the partially closed drawer. Tandy casually leaned against the desk, using her leg to push it shut while maintaining eye contact with Marty.
Marty accepted the stale coffee without complaint, too busy being indignant. "So, some crazy witch shows up with a bat, and suddenly everyone's hanging garlic? This town is stuck in the dark ages."
"Your aunt Hester would be so disappointed to see how quickly the town has reverted to old superstitions," Tandy said, casually dropping the name she knew would trigger Marty's deepest insecurities. She had done her research---she knew exactly which pressure points would make Marty dance to her tune. "How is she enjoying Europe? Still revolutionizing witch education in Vienna?"
Marty's posture stiffened slightly at the mention of his formidable aunt---the woman who'd raised him with a steady diet of progressive magical theory and disdain for traditional practices. "She's in Prague now, actually. Running workshops on 'Deconstructing Magical Binaries' or something. She's very... busy."
The slight pause told Tandy everything she needed to know. Aunt Hester was too busy changing the world to check in on her nephew---the one she'd charged with modernizing their "hopelessly backward" hometown.
"Think about it," Tandy leaned forward conspiratorially. "What if, instead of fighting these vampire rumors, we... embrace them?"
Marty's expression turned suspicious. "How exactly?"
"Vampire tourism!' Tandy said, as if the idea had just occurred to her rather than being carefully planted. "Think of the publicity. We could put Cauldron Falls on the map. 'Visit the town that vampires wanted for themselves!' We could have tours, themed events, merchandise..."
She could see the wheels turning in Marty's head. His crystal shop had been struggling for months, despite his aunt's insistence that modern witches were the future of magic. "And my crystals could be marketed as vampire repellent alternatives for the modern witch..."
"Now you're getting it!" Tandy clapped her hands. "Just imagine the commission---I mean, the community benefits!" She caught herself, quickly adding, "Besides, vampires are technically very environmentally friendly! They don't breathe, so zero carbon footprint!"
Marty gave her an odd look but seemed too excited by the business potential to dwell on her slip.
"But first," Tandy continued, lowering her voice, "we need to make sure the town doesn't go into full panic mode. We need a countermovement. Show everyone these vampire rumors are just superstitious nonsense."
"What? That's kind of backwards. If we want this to be the town vampires wanted, why wouldn't we promote the rumors?" Marty shook his head.
"Well, first the rumors are not real," Tandy guffawed, though the lie burned her tongue like acid.
"Besides," she continued smoothly, "we need to come out on the right side of this thing. We need to be fighting the good fight. Against the old crones."
"A protest," Marty nodded, warming to the idea. "Against fear-mongering and outdated thinking. Exactly what Aunt Hester would do."
