Eyes of the Cowan

Eyes of the Cowan
Second Edition
Lena Austin
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2024 Lena Austin

"Dammit, Daniel. Why are you doing this?" Blaze Robinson barely controlled his temper, contenting himself with snarling viciously into the phone.

"Because it's good for sales, and you know it," his agent replied. Daniel Owens had worked with Blaze for years now, and wasn't intimidated by a little show of temperament.

"You know I don't want to be interviewed unless it's by email." Blaze stormed into the kitchen to start a pot of tea. He hated publicity of any kind, and with good reason.

Daniel sighed. "Yeah, I understand why, too. But Blaze, this isn't for some local yokel New Age rag. This is for Weird magazine. Valda Lyman."

"You're shitting me." Blaze stopped poking in his supply of herbal teas, his hand poised on top of his favorite blueberry. He began to chuckle. "The woman who does the Skeptic's Voice column, right?" In better spirits, he opened the box and pulled out some tea bags.

Daniel's voice lost the pleading note. "Yep. The same woman who makes you laugh every month, and whose column you quote to me when you disagree with how your editor wants you to sound spookier and more mysterious."

Snickering now, Blaze pulled out his favorite teapot from the cabinet. "Damn right I do. Miles wants me sound like a charlatan barker from the circus. Ms. Lyman demands logic and explanations anyone off the street can understand. Bless her scientific Cowan heart." He poured the boiling hot water into the china teapot, setting it aside to steep.

"Cowan? What's that? You and your weird terms."

"It means a nonbeliever." Blaze pulled down a sturdy mug with the phrase, "Life's a Witch" in bright green on the side. He could feel his privacy slipping away. Dammit, he liked celebrating Sabbats alone without having to consider anyone's tastes but his own.

"That she is. So, you'll do it?"

Blaze weighed pros and cons. "So, I allow Valda Lyman in my home for a week of arguments, instead of the peaceful, solitary Beltane I'd planned. In exchange, I'll get publicity I can't buy anywhere else and probably material to make sure my next book is clear as a bell." He leaned his hip against his countertop and frowned. "It won't be pleasant. She's probably an argumentative hag who won't take my word that the sky is blue without outside confirmation."

"Ya think? That's a no-brainer, bud. Don't worry, I'll negotiate that certain things about your life are not to be included. However, if you can convince a national columnist like Valda Lyman that you're legit enough to get her nod, you've probably got a New York Times bestseller waiting in the wings." Daniel drew an audible breath. "That would give me quite a bit of leverage in arguing a nice advance out of Miles on the next contract."

"Ah, now we come down to the real reason you're pushing this. Greed. You want my advances over the half-million mark." Cernunnos Publishing was notoriously tight-fisted, but had been generous enough to please Blaze. Miles was actually a good editor, when he wasn't trying to make Blaze sound more like a showman than a shaman.

"Damn right. I'll call Weird magazine and tell them yes. Catch ya later!" Daniel hung up with a blip.

Blaze took his teapot and a mug into his office with a long, heartfelt sigh. "Fucking great. I just agreed to allow Ms. Scientific Negativity in my house for a whole week."

He poured himself some tea, found his glasses, and returned to his latest manuscript. "Screw it. I'm not changing my ways. Come on, Ms. Lyman. I'm not putting on any shows, nor am I stopping my Beltane celebration just for you. Come to Florida and meet a real witch."