Free Broom with a View by Gayla Twist, Ted Naifeh

been killed today,” her aunt exclaimed.
    “Yes, I heard something of that,” Violet said in an offhanded way. “And that’s why I hurried back from window shopping. I didn’t want you to worry. And how was your day with Miss Hopkins? Did you enjoy Night Town?”
    Vera’s face drained of color just thinking about her morning escapades under the city. “Not at all,” she confessed. “Liberal -minded people always try to convince you that Vampires are magical folk just like you and me, but when you get down to it, they really are vile, undead creatures.”
     
    For the next few days, all was calm. Mr. B received several messages from England that the peace talks were going well and an agreement was on the verge of being signed. “Perhaps, if we are fortunate, we will be able to return to England very soon,” Vera said one sunny morning as they again sat in the parlour after breakfast.
    “Oh, but wouldn’t you like to see more of X before we leave?” Violet asked. They had been spending most of their days indoors at the Pensione Belladonna , and Violet was feeling overly restless.
    “No,” her aunt replied with a firm chin. “I absolutely would not. And if you had seen what I have seen then you would understand my feelings. Here, at least, we are only exposed to the Count and his son.”
    “What did you see?” Violet asked, leaning forwards eagerly. Ever since her return from the Night Town, Vera had been extremely hesitant to venture outdoors, even to the closest cafe. Miss Hopkins hadn’t even been able to bully her into visiting the cathedral, and she had tried several times.
    “Nothing,” Vera said, growing pale and fanning herself with a threadbare lace fan that Violet could remember seeing her aunt using since she was a little girl. “Nothing that I want to talk about.”
    Violet felt deflated and listless. Her first trip abroad would be a failure if she was unable to ever pry her aunt from their accommodations. Vera was fixated on returning to England as soon as it was deemed safe to do so, whereas Violet’s brush with adventure had left her craving a larger taste of the world.
    A red glow came from the library , and there was the now familiar sound of Mr. B’s arrival. A few minutes later, he entered the parlour, smoothing down his jacket.
    “Mr. B .” Violet sprang up to greet him, happy for any diversion. “What news do you have for us today?”
    “Good news,” the Sorcerer replied. “I have the highest expectations that all will be settled by the end of the week.”
    An explosion so loud that it cracked a parlour window assaulted their ears.
    “What was that?” Vera shrieked, leaping from her chair. The Misses Fate, who had been sitting quietly on their loveseat, all simultaneously struggled for the opera glasses.
    “Stay here and I’ll find out,” Mr. B said, rushing from the room.
    After almost three hours of the ladies fretting, the Sorcerer returned, a grim look replacing the cheerful expression he’d worn upon his first arrival. “This is very bad,” he said, shaking his head. “Very bad, indeed.”
    “What is it?” Vera demanded. “Tell us, please.”
    “There’s been an attack here in X. This is something that was previously unheard of. The Vampire Consulate has nearly been destroyed by a giant fireball.”
    “What?” all of the ladies cried simultaneously.
    “That cannot be true!” Violet gasped. “Who would do such a thing? It cannot be the work of Witches.” Then hesitantly she added, “Can it?”
    “No one has stepped forwards to claim responsibility as of yet,” the Sorcerer told her. “But of course, the accusations are flying, and the Vampires have been left to believe it was the hand of Crafters.”
    “But Witches would never do such a thing ,” Vera insisted. “We are the most peaceful of the magical folk. It is the Vampires that always attack us unprovoked.”
    Mr. B hung his head a little and said in a low voice, “Perhaps not this time,