by Lily Webb
Blaine had also spoken openly about staking Julien. Coupled with the way he’d exploded on Dawn in her own home, I wondered if he had a temper that could push him over the edge. Maybe I’d have to push his buttons to find out.
“When was the last time you saw Dawn?”
“You mean outside of work? About a week ago.” That lined up with what Regan had told me.
“Where?”
“I stopped by her house on my way home from the office.”
“Why?”
Blaine’s eyes flashed. I’d already pressed a button. “To have a drink and talk.”
“About what?” I asked, even though I already knew. I hoped to catch him in a lie.
“This blasted vote. What else?”
“What did you have to say about it?”
“Nothing more than I hoped she’d make the right choice.”
“And what was the ‘right’ choice?”
Blaine lowered his legs from the desk and leaned over it, his hands clasped. “With all due respect, Councilwoman, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to reveal how I felt about the issue prior to the vote.”
“Why not? You already shared with Mr. and Mrs. Rathmore.”
His face flushed, and he stroked his goatee. “Regan must have told you.”
“He did.”
“What else did he tell you?”
“With all due respect, you haven’t answered my question yet.”
He chuckled and looked at me stone faced. “Fine. I planned to vote in favor of the expansion, and I feared Dawn wouldn’t.”
I wanted to think he was lying — Regan had told me the opposite — but Blaine said it so confidently that I couldn’t be sure. Maybe Regan lied, though I had more reason to believe him than Blaine.
“So you tried to convince her to come around to your point of view?”
“Yes. Moon Grove is changing all around us, and the writing has been on the wall for months — since you arrived in town, as a matter of fact. I knew your election to Head Witch was the final nail in the coffin. The Council has been lucky so far to have avoided taking a stance on representation, but we can’t avoid it any longer, and voting against the expansion would be political suicide.”
He wasn’t wrong, but I still couldn’t tell if he was lying. Blaine had surprised me more than once recently, but it seemed too much of a stretch to believe that he’d support expanding the Council — especially after the way he’d behaved when Julien barged into our meeting last week and demanded a vote.
But if he was lying, why? He knew I’d already spoken to Regan and he must’ve known about my mind reading abilities, so did he really think he could get away with it? And what was he trying to cover up?
“So you were trying to help Dawn politically?”
“Yes. If she was to have any hope of getting re-elected, she had to vote in favor of the expansion. If she didn’t, she’d get tossed out along with anyone else who voted the wrong way. I’m telling you, Zoe, there’s a storm brewing in this town, and I don’t intend to get caught in it. Am I happy about all this? Absolutely not. I’d love nothing more than to wipe the smug smile off the new vamp president’s face, but I realize voting to expand is the right thing to do.”
“For Moon Grove or for you?”
A broad smile split his face. “Both.”
“That’s not how it seemed last week when Julien barged in and demanded we vote.” In fact, he’d seemed outraged.
Blaine’s face fell. “I had no objection to the issue itself; I only bristled at being put on the spot and told what to do and when to do it.”
I couldn’t blame him for that, but I also didn’t fully believe his revisionist version of history. Still, I knew he wouldn’t budge, so I let it go.
“I understand. Anyway, you haven’t heard from or seen Dawn today?”
“No, I haven’t, but before you ask your next question, because I’m sure you will, I’ve been here since early this morning. I couldn’t sleep so I came in early. Nazarr will confirm that if you need him to; he walked with me straight from my house to here.”
“Good to know, thanks.” I changed tactics. “Anyway, you were friends with Dawn. Do you have any ideas about who might have wanted to kidnap her and where they might have taken her?”
Blaine hesitated, twiddling his thumbs. “I’m not convinced anyone kidnapped her,” he said, and my heart fluttered. The thought had occurred to me too; Dawn could just as easily have fled as gotten kidnapped.
“You aren’t? Why?”
He shifted in his seat. “You didn’t hear this from me, but Dawn told me more than once that she and Regan were having marital problems.”
Again, Regan had told me the exact opposite, but he’d been pretty defensive when he’d said it. Maybe the truth lay somewhere between both of their stories.
“Really? What problems?”
Blaine rolled his eyes. “Regan complained that she’d been spending too much time at work — and with me.”
“I see. Can I ask you an honest question?”
He smiled. “You can ask me anything, Zoe.”
“Are you in love with Dawn?”
Blaine flung himself back in his chair and burst out laughing, his hands clutching his stomach. “Oh, thank you. I needed a laugh. Me? In love with Dawn? That’s a good one,” he wheezed. “No, I could never love a bleeding heart like hers.”
It seemed like overcompensation to me, but I had no proof. “If it’s so absurd, why would Regan be jealous of you spending time with his wife?”
“I don’t have the faintest idea. You’ll have to ask him that, but I assure you: I have no feelings for Dawn outside of friendship.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I had to take him at his word. “Were they having any other problems?”
“She also mentioned that they’d been fighting a lot about little things that never used to be an issue, and she felt like it was pushing her away. After thirty years married to a wooden plank like him, I can’t say I’m surprised.” Good thing he wasn’t jealous.
“Do you think she might’ve run away from Regan?”
Blaine chuckled. “I would’ve if I were her. But all kidding aside, I’m not sure. Dawn is many things, but impulsive isn’t a word I’d ever use to describe her. I can’t say she’d never do something like that, but it would be very out of character for her. And I don’t think she’d have any reason to fear Regan. He’s not the type to hurt anyone.”
“Well, if no one kidnapped her and she didn’t run away, what do you think happened?”
“I don’t know, and that’s the most troubling part, but I’ll tell you one thing: I don’t plan on waiting around here like a helpless, sitting duck to be the next one of us to disappear.”
Goosebumps rippled down my back. I hadn’t stopped to think there might be another disappearance, but Blaine had a point. If someone had attacked Dawn, they could target other council members next.
“What are you going to do then?”
“As much as I appreciate Nazarr and the other gargoyles, they aren’t enough, so I’m taking my safety into my own hands. We all need to know how to protect ourselves.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m starting a magical self-defense course, open to all members of the Council and anyone else who’d like to join. I suggest you come, Zoe.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You heard me. Plenty of witches and warlocks these days know how to wave their wands for charms and household spells, but can they use them to defend themselves if they’re attacked? Do they know what suspicious behavior to watch for? No.”
He wasn’t joking, and as absurd as it sounded, part of me wondered if he was right. I knew some magic, but not a lot, so what chance would I stand against someone if they went after me?
“What sort of things would you teach?”
“Defensive spells. How to disarm an attacker. How to defend against vampires. Practical things.�
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“Does Heath know about this?”
“Not yet, but I’m sure I can convince him we need it, and even if I can’t, it doesn’t require his approval.”
“Hm, okay, but what makes you qualified to teach the course? Where did you learn all this stuff?”
“I’ve been a proud member of the National Wand Association for years. Most of what I’ve learned came from them,” he said, and my heart fell. The NWA had tried to ruin my campaign for Head Witch so I didn’t have a high opinion of them, but Blaine being a member fit perfectly.
“You know what? Yeah, I’ll do it,” I said, surprising myself. Even if I got nothing out of the course, it would give me an excuse to spend more time with Blaine — and monitor him. Either way, I had nothing to lose.
Blaine’s brows shot up his forehead. “Really? Good. I’m glad to hear it. I hope to get started soon. The sooner we do, the better off we’ll all be.”
“Right. One last question, since you mentioned them: are vampires a particular concern of yours?”
“As a group, no, not really. But there is one in particular who worries me,” Blaine said. “I’m sure you know who I mean.”
I did: Julien Delroy. At least we had that in common.
“Thank you for your time, Blaine. I’ll get out of your hair.”
Blaine smiled “Anything for the Head Witch. I’ll keep you updated on the course. Tell your friends about it too. The more, the merrier.”
“Will do,” I said, though I couldn’t imagine inviting anyone I knew to something like that with a straight face.
“You’ll learn a lot, I promise. Much more than you ever learned at Veilside while you were there.”
That wasn’t saying much; I’d spent less than two weeks studying at Moon Grove’s premier magical academy, thanks to one of my teachers dropping dead. It seemed like everywhere I went, drama followed.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“So am I. Anyway, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of planning to do.”
“Right, sure. See you,” I said, and showed myself to the door. Outside, Nazarr looked me up and down and raised his stony brows at me.
“That took longer than expected. I guess you found your tongue, Councilwoman.”
I’d found much more than my tongue, but I wasn’t about to share that with the gargoyle. “Keep up the good work, Nazarr. We’re all much safer for your presence,” I said, and set off across the town hall toward Heath’s office before Nazarr could fire back.
I doubted Heath knew a thing about Blaine’s plans to start his so-called self-defense course, and I wanted him to hear it from me first — if for no other reason than I thought I could talk him into letting it happen for my sake. Even if I didn’t learn a single useful thing from Blaine, I wanted to keep as close as I could to him.
Vaxis hadn’t returned from escorting Regan home, but I still had the decency to knock.
“Yes?” Heath called, his voice muffled.
“It’s Zoe.”
“Come in.”
I turned the knob and found Heath sitting at his desk with his back to me. He stared out of the floor-to-ceiling window behind the desk — the only one of its kind in the building — and as I approached, it seemed like the weight of the outside world pressed in on him through the window.
“How did it go?” he asked without turning to face me.
“As well as it could, I guess.”
“What did you learn?”
“Blaine’s planning to host a self-defense course, believe it or not.”
Heath chuckled and threw his hands in the air. “Oh, I don’t find that hard to believe at all. His philosophy has always been somewhere along the lines of ‘if brute force doesn’t work, apply more brute force.’”
“I think I’ll go.”
Heath spun in his chair, his brows furrowed. “Really?”
“Why not? I’m Head Witch, but I don’t know much magic at all, much less how to defend myself from it. It can’t hurt. Besides, I’d like to watch him, and this course gives me a convenient, inconspicuous excuse.”
Heath shrugged. “Suit yourself. I can’t stop you from going any more than I can stop him from hosting it. What else did you learn?”
“That he and Dawn are good friends. Regan told me the same thing, but I still can’t believe it.”
“It’s unusual, that’s for sure,” Heath agreed. “But they aren’t lying. Dawn and Blaine have been friends for as long as I can remember. Which begs the question: do you really think Blaine could’ve hurt her?”
“I dunno. He sounded awfully jealous of Regan while we talked, but he also told me that Dawn and Regan had been having marital problems, so I’m not sure what to think.”
Heath sighed, long and low. “That makes the two of us. Where do we go from here?”
“Good question. I want to talk to Julien, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea given the delay in the vote. I don’t imagine he’d be in any rush to meet me, and even if he agreed to, I doubt he’d be forthcoming.”
“What about Dawn? The longer we wait, the less likely we are to find her.”
“We’ll find her. We have to. I spoke to Chief Mueller and the police are already beginning their own investigation.”
“That’s good, but I’m not convinced someone kidnapped her. If she and Regan were really having problems, she might’ve disappeared on her own. But either way, I don’t think she’s left town. There’s no way she could’ve gotten out without someone noticing; she’s too prominent. I think she’s here somewhere, we just have to figure out where to look — and this self-defense course of Blaine’s might attract clues.”
Heath’s face lit up. “Brilliant. What is it they say? That the culprit always returns to the scene of the crime?”
“Exactly. Put yourself in the kidnapper’s shoes: wouldn’t you want to know what Dawn’s family, friends, and colleagues are doing to find her?”
“You’re right, be there. But please, be careful. I can’t stomach losing another council member — especially not you.”
I shrugged. “Heath, if there’s anyone in this town who knows how to survive an attempt on their life, it’s me.”
Heath chuckled, but hopefully, I wouldn’t have to prove it to him anytime soon.
Chapter Seven
The next afternoon, Grandma Elle caught me just as I was heading to the door for Blaine’s class.
“Where do ya think you’re sneakin’ off to now?”
I turned to find her holding and petting Luna. “And here I thought it was bad when I had one pair of eyes following my every move.”
“Yeah, and don’t forget about the other pair in the back of my head,” Grandma said. “Not that I’d need ‘em with you. I know when you’re up to no good; it’s like a sixth sense.”
“Maybe that’s part of your magic.”
“I ain’t never thought about it like that, but you might be right. Anyway, spill it. Where are you goin’?”
I bounced from one foot to the other. I didn’t have a clue what Grandma might think of me if I told her I was heading to a magical self-defense class, but I didn’t want to lie to her either.
“Out with it, Sugar.”
“Promise not to laugh?”
“She might not, but I’ll do it for her,” Luna chimed in, but Grandma gave her a little bop on the head to be quiet.
“No, you won’t. Anyway, yeah, I promise I won’t laugh.”
“Blaine is starting up a magical self-defense class, and after what happened to Dawn, I thought it might be a good idea for me to attend.”
Grandma stared at me blankly and Luna snorted. “Are you sure I can’t laugh for you, Elle?” she asked, but Grandma ignored her.
“Well, if you think that’s the right thing to do, you go right on ahead. I won’t stop you, not that I could.”
“Are you serious?” Luna asked. “This is one of the silliest things I’ve ever heard. We don’t even know if anyone hurt Councilwoman Bloodworth
, why are we jumping on the paranoid bandwagon?”
“Believe it or not, I’m not going for the training — though I’m sure I’ll learn something — I’m really going to monitor Blaine and see who else shows up.”
Grandma chewed her lip. “That makes me more nervous. All those witches and warlocks gathered in one place seems like a target.”
I hadn’t thought about that, but it would take one powerful, brazen witch or warlock to think about staging an attack on that many of us at once. I wasn’t the greatest at magic, but I knew how to do some damage if I needed. The other attendees all probably had years of training, so I wasn’t particularly worried about any of them.
“Well, even if that turns out to be true, it won’t be a bad thing for me to be there. Besides, according to the p-mail Blaine sent out about it, the gargoyles will be right there with us. I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
Grandma shrugged. “All right, if you say so. Do you want me to come with you?”
“You don’t even have a wand yet, so I don’t know what you would get out of it.”
“Good point. Well, I guess me and Luna will just call it a day then. Meet ya at home later?”
“Sounds good. Anyway, I better get going; I don’t wanna be late. Blaine isn’t my biggest fan, and I don’t think he’ll wait for me.”
“See you,” Grandma said and waved as I turned back toward the door.
Obax stood waiting in her usual place just outside my office door. “Ready to go?” she asked.
I nodded and we headed out of the town hall where, in the spacious lawn that just weeks ago was the scene of my election, a sizeable gathering of witches and warlocks were already waiting. They formed a ring around Blaine, Heath, and a third person I couldn’t make out from this far away. As we approached, I realized it was Raina Woods, the headmistress of Veilside Academy of Magic and one of my closest friends. She stood with her hands clasped over her midsection, and her flowing black robes swirled around her in the gentle breeze.
I didn’t have a clue why she came — maybe she’d brought some students with her for the lesson? — but I was happy to see her, regardless. Our paths hadn’t crossed since I joined the Council, and as I stood staring at her warm, welcoming smile and tightly bound auburn bun of hair gleaming in the afternoon sun, it struck me how much I missed her. She’d been my mentor for pretty much everything since I’d moved to Moon Grove and even doubled as my campaign manager during the election. I would’ve given anything for her counsel in my new job, but when I’d offered her a role as an advisor in my office, she’d refused and returned to running the academy full-time.
