Jessup had already been disciplined for losing evidence in a case that she had involved Reg in. She probably shouldn’t have asked for Reg’s help in the first place, but she had, and Reg had been able to locate Jessup’s missing person, but things had gone much farther than that. Reg’s involvement always seemed to go a bit beyond what anyone else was willing or able to do.
So their friendship was a fragile one. They tried to spend girl time together and not to get involved in each other’s cases. Each looking the other way and pretending that there wasn’t a conflict.
Reg swiped her phone. “Hey.”
“Are you all set? Jessup asked.
“Um… all set.” Reg really wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do to prepare for their night out. She hadn’t exactly been given any instructions. “I thought… it was just a celebration. What am I supposed to do to get ready?”
“Oh, it is. Just a… not a party, exactly, but a… celebration or observance. Yes.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? I thought we were just going to get together and… get some drinks, watch the floor show, whatever. I’m not exactly prepared for anything else.”
“You don’t have to prepare anything. Just show up. We’ll show you want to do.”
“Which will be what?”
“Nothing to worry about. You’ve gone to Easter parties before, haven’t you?”
“Easter parties… no, not really. Maybe when I was a little kid, but I don’t remember. Certainly nothing as a teenager or adult. What exactly happens at an Easter party? I don’t suppose we’ll be bobbing for hard-boiled eggs.”
“No, but we might color some eggs. You’ve done that before, haven’t you?”
Reg could remember a couple of disastrous attempts at dying eggs using a grocery store kid’s kit. It looked perfectly simple but had always ended up in spilled dye, fights with foster siblings, and tears.
“Not… exactly what you would call successfully,” she said with reluctance.
“Well, maybe there will be egg dying. There will be other stuff too. Maybe planting flower seeds or bulbs, prayers and chants, blessings over the upcoming season. Stuff like that.”
“I’m really starting to wonder if this is for me. You know that I’m not into all of the spiritual stuff.”
“You don’t have to be. There will be food. Sarah is bringing some baking, and so is Letticia. I don’t know who else. But that’s always good. And there will be some kind of show for the kids to watch. Just come and hang out. You don’t have to participate in anything that you’re not interested in or comfortable with. Trust me, you know that my powers are pretty… dim, even when compared with the least powerful of witches. I’m not there to do anything, just to participate and have a good time. Celebrate the upcoming spring equinox together.”
“I don’t know. What about clothes? Should I dress up? I didn’t even ask Sarah if there’s some kind of dress code.”
“It isn’t a sky clad ceremony,” Jessup said, her voice teasing, “so clothing is not optional.”
“I know that!” Reg’s face got hot, embarrassed even though there was no one there to see her. “I mean… is it like a ball? Or a garden party? Do I need to wear something pink and frilly? Or is it just casual? Are people going to be wearing blue jeans?”
“I don’t suppose anyone will be wearing blue jeans, but there isn’t any prescribed dress. People will be wearing things all over the spectrum, from dressy casual to formal garden party. What you wear normally, your gypsy skirts and headdress, is perfectly acceptable.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
There were times that Reg wished she had Damon’s gift of divining. She would really like to know whether Jessup was being completely honest or was just trying to calm Reg down. She didn’t want to be handled.
“What are you going to wear?”
“I don’t know. Dress slacks. Some kind of blouse. I’m not a frilly person, so it’s not going to be some kind of Easter froth. Just something… spring colored with nice lines.”
“Okay.” Reg felt a little better about that. As long as Jessup was telling the truth about what she was planning to wear and didn’t show up for the party with thirteen crinolines layered under a Little Bo Peep dress.
“And should I bring something? I didn’t bake anything. I could boil some eggs for the egg dying or pick something up at the bakery.”
“No, the food and activities are all handled. Just bring yourself.”
“So that’s tonight, and the actual equinox thing is during the opening ceremonies of the Games?”
“The opening ceremony of the Games is during the equinox,” Jessup corrected.
“Yeah, whatever. That’s when the equinox is.”
“More or less, yes. Just a couple of days, and we will be experiencing the most balanced time of the year. A very important date on our calendar.”
“Because day and night are the same length.”
“That is one of the measurements we use. But other things come into balance during that time too. Light and dark, good and evil. A sense of peace and security.”
“Seems sort of strange to have a competition in the middle of all of that. Doesn’t it sort of contradict the whole ‘peace and balance’ thing?”
“There are those who believe so,” Jessup admitted. “One thing that the police force will be doing is trying to keep any protests under control and make sure they don’t interfere with the games or people’s private ceremonies.”
“There are protests?”
“There are protests in connection with any big event.”
“They are protesting... what? Spring?”
Jessup laughed. “They’re protesting the Spring Games being held over equinox, like you said. That it’s supposed to be about balance and cooperation and peace, and the Spring Games are about competition and singling people out for awards. But I don’t see why you can’t do both. The games are fun. It isn’t like they take over our lives. We enjoy watching them, seeing people show off what they can do; no one gets really hard-core competitive about it.”
Reg wondered if that was true. She’d seen the real Olympics, and things got pretty competitive there—athlete against athlete and country against country.
“How are they run? The games? Do they split people up by country?”
“Countries are an artificial construct that doesn’t follow magical traditions. The teams or competitors tend to be split more by kinship than by geographical location.”
“So… fairies against fairies, or fairies against pixies?”
“There aren’t a lot of different magical species participating. There will be some fairies, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the pixies take part. But more along the lines of… covens that follow certain traditions banding together and competing against covens that follow other traditions, or that trace their ancestry or heritage back to a particular witch or warlock or family.”
“It’s mostly witches and warlocks?”
“Yes.”
“But no one we know? Sarah isn’t in it?”
“I don’t know who is or isn’t in it, really. Not Sarah. Not as far as I know. She’s not interested in competing, just in enjoying the celebrations.”
Sarah was retired. Sort of. She still used magic, but she didn’t seem to sell a particular service or kind of magical assistance. She helped Reg set wards that would keep Corvin and other dangerous practitioners away. She gave Reg tea or helped to treat her when she wasn’t feeling well. Brought her soup and other food, knowing that Reg tended to just forget about meals and constantly graze on junk food.
“And making cookies.”
“She makes good cookies.”
“I know Letticia does. I’ve had hers before.”
“Yes, she’s a good baker.”
“I can’t believe she can do that in her little wood-burning oven. It must be really hard to keep it a constant temperature.”
“A little bi
t of magic probably helps.”
Magic Ain’t a Game, Book #11 of the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series by P.D. Workman can be purchased at pdworkman.com
Also by P.D. Workman
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE:
* * *
Reg Rawlins, Psychic Detective
What the Cat Knew
A Psychic with Catitude
A Catastrophic Theft
Night of Nine Tails
Telepathy of Gardens
Delusions of the Past
Fairy Blade Unmade
Web of Nightmares
A Whisker's Breadth
Skunk Man Swamp
Magic Ain't A Game (Coming Soon)
Without Foresight (Coming Soon)
* * *
Auntie Clem’s Bakery
Gluten-Free Murder
Dairy-Free Death
Allergen-Free Assignation
Witch-Free Halloween (Halloween Short)
Dog-Free Dinner (Christmas Short)
Stirring Up Murder
Brewing Death
Coup de Glace
Sour Cherry Turnover
Apple-achian Treasure
Vegan Baked Alaska
Muffins Masks Murder
Tai Chi and Chai Tea
Santa Shortbread
Cold as Ice Cream
Changing Fortune Cookies
Hot on the Trail Mix
Recipes from Auntie Clem's Bakery
* * *
Zachary Goldman Mysteries
She Wore Mourning
His Hands Were Quiet
She Was Dying Anyway
He Was Walking Alone
They Thought He was Safe
He Was Not There
Her Work Was Everything
She Told a Lie
He Never Forgot
She Was At Risk
* * *
Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thrillers
Unlawful Harvest
Doctored Death (Coming soon)
Dosed to Death (Coming soon)
Gentle Angel (Coming soon)
* * *
Parks Pat Mysteries
Out with the Sunset (Coming Soon)
Long Climb to the Top (Coming Soon)
Dark Water Under the Bridge (Coming Soon)
* * *
High-Tech Crime Solvers Series
Virtually Harmless
* * *
Cowritten with D. D. VanDyke
California Corwin P. I. Mystery Series
The Girl in the Morgue
* * *
Stand Alone Suspense Novels
Looking Over Your Shoulder
Lion Within
Pursued by the Past
In the Tick of Time
Loose the Dogs
* * *
YOUNG ADULT FICTION:
* * *
Medical Kidnap Files:
Mito
EDS
Proxy
Toxo
Pain
* * *
Between the Cracks:
Ruby
June and Justin
Michelle
Chloe
Ronnie
June, Into the Light
* * *
Tamara’s Teardrops:
Tattooed Teardrops
Two Teardrops
Tortured Teardrops
Vanishing Teardrops
* * *
Breaking the Pattern:
Deviation
Diversion
By-Pass
* * *
Stand Alone YA novels
Stand Alone
Don’t Forget Steven
Those Who Believe
Cynthia has a Secret
Questing for a Dream
Once Brothers
Intersexion
Making Her Mark
Endless Change
Gem, Himself, Alone
* * *
AND MORE AT PDWORKMAN.COM
About the Author
Award-winning and USA Today bestselling author P.D. (Pamela) Workman writes riveting mystery/suspense and young adult books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other real-life issues. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure and from a very young age she was trying to write her own books.
* * *
Workman wrote her first complete novel at the age of twelve and continued to write as a hobby for many years. She started publishing in 2013. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She currently has over 60 published titles and can be found at pdworkman.com.
* * *
Born and raised in Alberta, Workman has been married for over 25 years and has one son.
Please visit P.D. Workman at pdworkman.com to see what else she is working on, to join her mailing list, and to link to her social networks.
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