by Lily Webb
The moment passed quickly, however, when the crowd figured out who I was. Excited whispers tore through the attendees, and I tried not to let it bother me. I still hadn’t gotten used to the recognition, not even after all the notoriety I’d gained solving murders over the last few months. The attention that being Head Witch brought was much more intense.
Heath smiled and waved us forward. I didn’t expect to see him there either — the last we talked it sounded like he’d be skipping the class — but in some ways it made me feel better to have him there. I didn’t know a single witch or warlock in all of Moon Grove who was more powerful than he was, not even Raina, and that was saying something. That didn’t inoculate him from an attack, nor did the group of gargoyles hovering outside the bounds of the ring of people watching our every move, but I took solace in his presence, anyway.
The circle of people parted to allow Obax and me to enter, and as we passed the animated attendees, their whispering intensified, though I couldn’t tell if that was because of my guard or me.
“It’s nice to see you again, Zoe,” Raina said. She bowed slightly, another thing I hadn’t grown used to. In terms of our seniority and general levels of respect, Raina had done much more to earn hers than I had. Still, technically I was higher up the political hierarchy than her, though it didn’t feel right.
“Likewise.” I looked from her to Heath and back again. “I’m surprised to see you both here.”
“I invited them directly,” Blaine said. “It only made sense for the three most powerful figures in town to attend a class like this.”
“I see. Looks like you’ve got yourself quite a crowd.”
“I might’ve helped in that regard,” Raina said with a smirk. “Once the students heard, there was no stopping the word from spreading around the academy. We don’t teach that sort of thing, so I’m sure you understand why they’d be excited.”
“I can’t imagine why they might be afraid,” Blaine said, and I couldn’t tell if he was taking a shot at the three of us.
Ignoring the barb, I glanced around the ring of faces. To my amazement, I recognized more than a few of them. On the far edge of the circle opposite me, I spotted Christian Beaumont, his wand dangling from his hand at his side. He waved his other at me and smiled, his icy eyes flashing in the light. Had Mitch sent him to cover the event for the Messenger, or had he come on his own because he wanted to learn from Blaine? If I had to guess, it was probably a combination of both. The kid seemed endlessly ambitious; not that I could judge.
Even more surprising, a few people down from Christian, I made eye contact with a young witch in coke-bottle glasses whose wild brown hair would’ve stood out in any crowd. A beautiful fairy with flowing white-blond hair and four wings stood beside her. It was Mallory Crane and Flora Gemwood, two of my best friends who I’d also nearly lost touch with since the election.
I beckoned them both over.
“Really?” Mallory mouthed. She and Flora swapped surprised looks. Were they nervous? They had no reason to be; both of them knew Raina and me well already, and Heath was one of the most approachable warlocks I knew. Blaine, however…
“Yes, really! Come here,” I called over all the conversation on the lawn. Obax growled disapprovingly as they neared, but I rested a hand on her stone-cold forearm to silence her. She shot me a sharp, haunting look, but relaxed anyway. “What are you two doing here? You don’t even have a wand, Flora.”
Flora beamed, all her wings fluttering in excitement. “Fairies don’t need one. Besides, it gave me an excuse to talk to you, and I figured it couldn’t hurt to learn a thing or two about how to defend myself from a vampire.”
“Why would you be worried about that?”
Flora shrugged. “There hasn’t been a vampire-on-fairy attack in Moon Grove in decades, but all kinds of things are changing quickly around here.” She’d once told me that, though they’d lived together peacefully for a long time, fairies used to be the vampires’ favorite snack. I shuddered at the memory.
Mallory cleared her throat. “I think what Flora is trying to say is that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
I lowered my voice and leaned forward so only they would hear. “Agreed. Why do you think I came?”
“There will be plenty of time for chatting afterward, ladies. I’d like to get started, so why don’t you take your places?” Blaine interrupted, and I didn’t doubt he knew we were gossiping.
“Right, sorry, Blaine.” I turned back to my friends. “Go on, I’ll catch up with you afterward, I promise. We have a lot to talk about.”
“You’ve got that right,” Flora said and took Mallory’s hand in hers to walk her back to their place among the circle.
Seeing the two of them filled me with guilt. Things had moved so quickly since I got elected Head Witch and, as awful as it made me feel, my friends had largely fallen by the wayside while I tried to keep my head above water. After all the years I’d spent covering local government before moving to Moon Grove and after, I probably should’ve had a better grasp on being a politician myself, but I could barely keep up.
Blaine raised his wand to his throat and tapped his Adam’s apple. “Thank you for coming this evening, everyone,” he said. His voice carried out over the lawn and echoed endlessly across town. “I’m sure many of you don’t know what to expect, and some of you might not even know why you’re here, but don’t worry, I’ll clear everything up.”
No one said anything, so Blaine charged on.
“For starters, I thought it might be helpful to tell you a little about who I am and what we’ll be doing tonight. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Blaine Rathmore, and I’m a councilman. In case you’re wondering why you should listen to me, I’m certified in several safety and self-defense courses from the National Wand Association.”
A murmur rumbled through the crowd at the recognition of the NWA. After the antics they’d pulled before and during the election, I couldn’t blame anyone for being uneasy about the group’s mention. They’d lost a lot of public trust since then.
“Now, now, don’t let your personal feelings about any particular person or organization influence your thoughts about tonight. Let me be clear: we’re here to learn how to protect ourselves, no more, no less. This isn’t a political gathering.”
The chatter among the attendees gradually died down and Blaine smiled at them all.
“With that out of the way, we’ll start with the very basics so that everyone can get up to speed fast. To be clear, this is a multi-part class that will cover a lot of ground, so let’s get started.”
Blaine pocketed his wand and scanned the crowd before eventually settling on me. “I’ll need a volunteer to demonstrate some of these moves. Would you care to help me?” he asked and panic bubbled in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m sure there’s someone better suited than me for this, isn’t there?” I could think of at least ten off the top of my head, but Blaine shook his head.
“I don’t see any other female council members here, do you?”
Crap, he had me there. Raina could’ve done it, but somehow I figured Blaine wanted to make an example out of me. “Okay fine, as long as you don’t make me look like a fool in front of all these people.”
“The only foolish witch is an unprepared one. Now, take out your wand and show me your form.”
“Good luck, Zoe. I hope you learn something useful. We’ll watch from the sidelines,” Heath said. Raina smiled and together they wandered through the throng of people, leaving me alone in the center of the ring with Blaine and my complete lack of magical prowess.
Blaine turned to the audience while I rummaged in my robes for my wand and amplified his voice again. “If you can’t see, come closer. The techniques I’ll share can be easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention.”
By the time he finished speaking, I had my wand drawn and ready, though I knew I must’ve looked ridiculous. As the circle contracted and the attendees clos
ed in on us like a military blockade, my self-consciousness spiked. It was one thing not to know how to use a wand properly, but it was another thing entirely to have that ignorance scrutinized in front of the entire town — as Head Witch, no less.
Blaine looked me up and down, no doubt finding dozens of mistakes in my stance and the way I held my wand, but he said nothing. He stepped toward me slowly, and I pointed my wand directly at his chest as if I were ready to fire.
“Okay, everyone. Listen carefully as I cover everything I see here. First, I noticed that the councilwoman’s grip on her wand doesn’t seem to be very secure. Even if I weren’t armed, it wouldn’t take much more than a swift kick or slap of her arm to knock the wand out of her hand.”
Despite the burning on my cheeks, I glanced around at the attendees and found them examining their own stance for similar flaws. After all, if the Head Witch could have such poor form, what was stopping any of them from sharing it?
To my dismay, all my friends and colleagues seemed to be in much better shape than me already. In fact, despite the conspicous distance Christian made sure to keep between himself and the people around him like a true germaphobe, the young warlock looked like a natural behind his wand, gripping it as confidently as if it were an extension of his arm. I didn’t doubt for a second that he’d had years of training though, which was something I couldn’t claim personally, so I tried not to compare myself too harshly against him.
“Now, if I were to knock the councilwoman’s wand from her hand, what do you think the appropriate response would be?” Blaine asked as he spread his feet and prepared to charge me. I opened my mouth to object, but the words never left my mouth because in a flash Blaine was on me, his hand twisting my wrist and sending my wand tumbling into the grass.
“As you can see, it’s easy to sneak up on someone who isn’t paying attention or who isn’t well prepared,” Blaine said, still gripping my wrist a little too tight for comfort. I couldn’t tell if he was doing it for effect or if part of him enjoyed hurting me. “In this situation, if I were the councilwoman, what should I do?”
No one spoke up, much to my chagrin. As usual, I’d have to save myself. Maybe that was the point of the exercise.
With my free hand, I tried to reach for Blaine’s face, but out of the corner of his eye he saw me coming and snatched my hand out of the air to yank both down to my sides. In a smooth, twisting motion, he whirled me around, pulled both of my hands behind my back, restrained them in one of his, and wrapped his free arm around my throat.
“Since no one seems to know the answer, I’ll tell you: in this situation, the councilwoman has only one weapon: her feet.”
I glanced down and saw exactly what he meant. With my hands behind my back and his arm around my throat, I lifted one foot and smashed my heel down onto his toes. Blaine howled and let me go, stumbling backward, and while he regained his footing, I snatched my wand from the grass and pointed it at him with both hands.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and the pounding in my heart subsided. I hadn’t meant to hurt Blaine, but part of me enjoyed it.
“Yes, well done, Councilwoman,” he said as he rubbed his foot. When he looked up, he wore a grimace that brought a smile to my face. When he was sure he could stand again, he rose and cleared his throat.
“Now that you’ve seen it in action, I’d like you all to practice this exact scenario. Partner up with the person next to you, don’t be shy, and take turns being the attacker and the defender. Practice what you’ve seen just now, minus the vigorous foot stomping,” he said to laughter from the crowd.
I watched as Flora and Mallory paired up. Flora didn’t have a wand, so she played the role of the attacker first. Mallory pointed her wand at Flora’s chest and Flora fluttered forward to swat it from her hand. She had an unfair advantage because of her wings, but once she’d restrained Mallory, it took less than a second for Mallory to find her foot, stopping just short of smashing it.
I glanced at Christian, who’d partnered with another warlock I didn’t recognize, but based on the twisted look of pain on the poor guy’s face, I could only assume Christian had followed my example and crushed the warlock’s toes.
While the attendees took turns with each other, Blaine pulled me aside. “Are you okay? You seemed a little activated during the demonstration.”
“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry. I’ve got some baggage from being in danger like that, and even though the threat wasn’t real, it still bothered me.”
“Then I’m glad you came. Hopefully, by the time you finish the course, you won’t have anything to fear.”
I wasn’t willing to go that far yet, but after one demonstration I already felt more confident. Still, I couldn’t help wondering how much different things might be if Dawn had undergone training like this — or, at the very least, had a gargoyle guarding her like there should’ve been.
Blaine rested a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I can use another volunteer for the next one, if you’d like.”
“Yeah, that’s probably not a bad idea.”
Blaine nodded. “No problem. Why don’t you sit this next one out? Get yourself some water and rejoin us when you’re feeling up to it.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said and retreated to the safety of the town hall before I made myself look any worse.
Chapter Eight
Half an hour later, Mallory and Flora tracked me down in my office where I sat staring at the wall, a glass of water that had long ago gone warm in one hand.
“You had me worried you’d disappeared too,” Mallory said, standing in my doorway with both hands on her hips and a disapproving scowl on her face.
“That’s not very funny,” Flora chided her, but I laughed anyway. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The exercise with Blaine just shook me, so I stepped away for a breather. Come in,” I said, beckoning them forward. “And close the door behind you, I don’t want Obax to overhear us.”
Mallory looked askance at the gargoyle beside her. “Don’t have to tell me twice,” she said and led Flora into the office. Flora waved her hand over her head and the door shut gently behind her. They sat in the two posh chairs on the opposite side of my desk, and Mallory looked around the place like she’d entered a magic castle — despite the lack of decoration.
“This is wild,” she whispered.
“What is?”
“Seeing you sitting at that desk in this office. I mean, I always knew you’d win the election, but I dunno, it never felt real until now.”
“Well, I’m sure part of the problem is that I haven’t invited you over yet.”
Mallory chuckled. “Yeah, I figured you’d be busy getting your feet wet with the new gig, but what gives?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been swamped since the transition. You’d be amazed how much goes on behind the scenes.”
“Oh, I can imagine,” Flora said, her beautiful eyes sparkling knowingly. After my confrontation with the powerful Crowe family during the election, my ex-roommate told me she was a secret member of the Fairy Bureau of Investigation and she’d monitored me for them since I arrived in Moon Grove. Could I know more about the inner workings of the town now than she did? The thought hadn’t occurred to me.
I didn’t want to out her to Mallory, so I changed the subject. “What’s going on out there? Is it over already?”
“No, not yet. Blaine gave us all a break to get some water and stretch and whatnot, but we hadn’t seen you since your demonstration with him so we came looking because, well, you know why,” Mallory said, avoiding my eyes.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to scare you. Blaine knew where I was, you should’ve asked him.”
Mallory scoffed. “I’d sooner pet a cactus than talk to that prickly dude.”
“I guess I can’t blame you for that.”
“So, are you coming back out there with us to finish this thing? We can’t be the only ones wondering where you went.”
&n
bsp; “Yeah. I don’t really have a choice.”
“I’m worried about you. Are you sure you’re okay, Zoe?” Flora asked. “Are you working too hard?”
I shrugged. “Probably, but there’s no such thing as a day off for me. Besides, given all that’s happened in the last couple of days, I can’t afford to relax.”
“I understand, but surely there are people who can help you, aren’t there? Like your grandmother?”
“Yeah, she helps a lot, but she can only do so much. She doesn’t have a security clearance, so I can’t share everything with her. Most of it I have to do on my own.”
“Maybe there should be more than two Heads of the Council,” Mallory said. “It seems like way too much work and responsibility for one witch and warlock to handle, no matter how talented they are.”
I made a show of standing up straight and confident, but it didn’t look like either of them bought it. “I don’t disagree, but I can’t change that. Anyway, I appreciate your concern, really I do, but we should probably get back out there before they send a fleet of gargoyles to look for me.”
They had no choice but to follow me outside and back out onto the lawn, and Obax was right on our heels. But as soon as my feet touched the grass, I realized something wasn’t right. The energy among the crowd had changed, and people milled about while exchanging anxious, concerned looks. Not even my presence seemed to sooth them.
I charged to the center of the circle where Raina stood with Heath and Vaxis, and the flustered looks on their faces lit my nerves on fire. They seemed relieved to see me, borderline surprised, but I still didn’t know what was going on.
