Spellbinding Starters

by Annabel Chase

“No swans tomorrow,” he said. “Sorry if that disappoints you.”

  I stroked my swan’s head one last time. “I’ll survive.” I took a few steps away from the lake. “Thanks for your help, Gray.”

  “You don’t have to thank me.” He gave me a half smile. “I’m glad the dress didn’t get ruined. You might want to wear it again sometime. It suits you.”

  I looked down at my perfectly intact ensemble. “I doubt it. I don’t get out much. I’m kind of a homebody.”

  “You never know. That might change now that you’re at Spellslingers. The academies have a way of changing you.”

  He shot a wistful look over my shoulder at the buildings behind me before whistling for the swans to move.

  “Goodnight, Gray.”

  He didn’t respond. I stood rooted to the ground, watching them fly away until the darkness finally swallowed them.

  The next morning, I glanced out my window in search of Icarus, and instantly recognized the chancellor's elegant figure as she strolled around the lake. She wasn’t alone.

  "Is Chancellor Tilkin friendly with Theo Armitage?” I asked. They seemed quite content walking around the lake together.

  “How can anyone be friendly with Armitage?” Mia asked. “He’s such a jerk.”

  "I bet they’re talking about the investigation," Dani said. "I heard that Armitage was asked to follow up leads on Motley’s death.”

  I had the sudden desire to be nosy. If he was giving an update to the chancellor, I wanted to know what he'd learned. How could I get close enough to eavesdrop without them detecting me?

  "Do we know any spells that would make us invisible?" I asked, turning away from the window.

  Dani glanced up from the book on her desk. "Invisibility spells aren’t allowed this year. There were too many incidents of mischief in the past, so they banned them until fourth year."

  I didn't want to miss an opportunity to obtain information that could help me. "Can you think of anything I could do that would obscure their view of me? I'd like to eavesdrop."

  Dani tapped her pen thoughtfully on the edge of the desk. "Your strength is water, right?"

  "Yes," I said. "But I don't want to go out there and part a lake. That might draw just a smidge too much attention."

  Cerys snorted. "You think?"

  "What about mist?” Mia asked, observing the weather outside. "There’s enough fog out there right now from the morning. If you shroud yourself in mist, there's a good chance they won't notice you."

  "That's a great idea, Mia," Dani said. "Do you think you can manage to manipulate mist?”

  "I've never tried it, but I'm certainly willing," I replied. With the lake close by and moisture in the air, I should be able to create mist with no problem.

  "I'll watch from the window," Mia said.

  "What good will that do?" Cerys asked. "If they spot her, you won't be able to let her know." She rose to her feet. "I'll come down and trail behind. If it looks like she's been made, I'll intervene. Cause a distraction."

  "Sounds like a plan," I said. "Thanks."

  Cerys and I left the residential wing and waded into the humid air. When we got close enough to the lake, we parted ways. She sat on a bench and pretended to read, while I walked along the path that circled the lake, summoning my magic as I went.

  "Here goes nothing," I murmured. I became acutely aware of all the water molecules around me. The lake was a huge source of power for me, and the fog added additional strength. I imagined myself enveloped in mist as I continued to walk toward the chancellor and Theo Armitage. By the time I arrived behind them, I felt like I was cushioned by a cloud.

  "How bad are the debts?" I heard the chancellor ask.

  "Pretty extensive," Armitage replied. "It seemed he owed money all over town.”

  The chancellor seemed to absorb this information. "I wish he had come to me for help. Maybe then he would still be alive."

  "He obviously owed money to the wrong paranormals,” Armitage said. "He should've known better than to get mixed up in anything unsavory. He could’ve jeopardized the entire academy.”

  "And you spoke to his last two side jobs?" the chancellor asked.

  “Yes, and we cleared both of them," Armitage said. “Kilond, the dwarf, had no motive. If anything, Motley had a reason to be angry with him. The dwarf fired him last week, after Motley failed to show up for a scheduled event. Apparently, Motley spent the evening back at the gambling house instead."

  The chancellor gazed across the lake. "And the other?"

  “A dentist by the name of Jonas. Specializes in vampires. He said Motley was due to come back the day after his murder. Everything seemed normal according to him."

  "Why would a dentist require Calvin's services?" Chancellor Tilkin asked.

  "He's an elf," Armitage replied. "Apparently, he’s had a few close calls with patients, and decided to bring in private security for certain appointments. Jonas thought it was working out well with Motley. He was disappointed to hear of his death."

  The chancellor wrapped her cloak more tightly around her waist. I didn't know how she wasn't sweating to death. The temperature had to be at least eighty degrees and the air was thick around us.

  "Where does this leave us?" she asked, and I heard the note of concern in her voice.

  "I know you don't want to, but I think you need to take a closer look at that new student," he said. "The timing is too suspect."

  "She had nothing to do with it, Theo," she said. Her tone was firm. "There are such things as coincidences, as you well know. Besides, what motive could she possibly have? She didn't even know Calvin."

  "Come on, Chancellor," he said. "You’re smarter than that. Maybe it wasn't personal. She was probably fencing the sword, or working for someone else. Motley got caught in the middle.”

  “And the Master at Arms was defeated by a neophyte?”

  “You said her magic is raw and powerful,” Armitage said. “Some of the professors have already commented on it.”

  “I didn’t mention her potential as evidence of her guilt,” the chancellor said, bristling.

  “If she's been living on her own for as long as she claims, she needs money. She probably only intends to stay here long enough to avoid suspicion. Then she'll slip away into the night. We should at least put her in a holding cell to keep her from disappearing.”

  There was a long pause. “I’ll think about it," the chancellor finally said.

  I froze. She’d think about it? What did that mean? She was wavering?

  "Don't wait too long," Armitage said. "That just gives her more time to cover her tracks. If she's as powerful as you claim, she could wreak more havoc than you can handle before she runs off into the night.” He gave her a stern look. "I don't have to tell you what happens when a rogue power is allowed to run free in the world."

  "No, you don't." Her tone was clipped.

  My heart stopped. Had she revealed my father’s identity to Armitage? Or simply the fact that I had powerful magic? I didn't know why it mattered to me, but it did. I wanted to trust Chancellor Tilkin, just like I wanted to trust Gray. And Robin. I'd spent my whole life trusting no one. Now that I was at the academy and my father was dead, I didn't want that life anymore.

  I brought the mist closer to me, hoping to remain concealed all the way back to where Cerys awaited me. If they caught me eavesdropping, they might decide to throw me in that holding cell sooner rather than later.

  The moment I felt secure, I sprinted back along the lake with a new sense of urgency. At least I had two leads that I didn't have before. Armitage may have cleared them, but that didn't mean they weren't worth talking to again. Between the new leads and the intermediary, there had to be information there that pointed to the real killer—and, more importantly, away from me.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Moonlight Junction was only a short ride away on the back of Gray’s motorcycle. Once again, the only awkward part was holding tightly to Gray without feeling hi
m up. Those abs made it very difficult, though.

  The Sacred Grove condominiums were easy to find, just off the main road and close to downtown. A doorman greeted us at the entrance, or a door-taur, judging from his horsey bottom half.

  “And who are you good-looking folks here to see?” the centaur asked brightly.

  “Lorelei,” Gray said.

  The centaur made a sad face in the air with his finger. “I don’t think she’s in. If you leave a message with me, however, I’ll be sure to pass it along.”

  Gray flashed a charming smile. “How about we check and make sure? I’ve been trying to get in touch with her, but she hasn’t answered her phone. My sister and I are a little worried.”

  “It isn’t like her not to return a call,” I added. “No one’s as responsible as Lorelei.”

  The centaur nodded somberly. “That much is true. She’s always the first one to organize the holiday gifts to the building staff. I, for one, appreciate her efforts.”

  "Exactly," Gray said. "She missed an appointment with our group, and that never happens."

  The centaur pondered us, and I wore the guileless expression I used to reserve for new landlords. "What kind of group is that?" He sniffed the air in front of me. "Funny, you don't smell like a vampire."

  "That's because I'm not one," I said.

  The centaur shot an accusing look at Gray. "You said she was your sister."

  "Stepsister," I interjected. "We’re a real blended family. That's one of the reasons we get along so well with Lorelei. She totally gets our situation. Others think it’s weird.”

  The centaur softened. "No doubt about it. That pixie is a real connector of folks. She doesn't care whether you have hooves or wings."

  Gray tapped an invisible watch on his wrist. "I hate to rush you, but my sister and I have somewhere else we need to be. Any chance we could get up there now for a quick look? If anything seems amiss, we’ll want to alert the authorities."

  The centaur scanned the area before retreating into the building. He went behind a desk and retrieved a set of keys. "5A. Drop the keys on the desk on your way out. If anyone asks, you stole them. Got it?"

  Gray took the keys and headed toward the elevator.

  “Thank you," I said, and hurried after Gray before the elevator doors closed.

  The elevator was smaller than I expected for a building full of paranormals with horns and wings. Gray and I huddled together.

  "We make a pretty good team," I said. I’d never really been part of a team before, unless you counted Icarus.

  Gray kept his attention on the closed doors of the elevator. "I don't really do teams. Not anymore."

  The elevator emptied us on to the fifth floor and we found Lorelei’s door off to the right. There were only four condos on this floor, and hers was closest to the elevator.

  "She is either the neatest pixie in the world, or she hightailed it out of town," I said, once we were inside. As someone with vast experience leaving town quickly, my money was on the latter.

  Gray did a full sweep of the living room before heading to the bedroom. There were very few decorative items, and nothing personal, neither a photograph nor a memento. Even the artwork on the wall was the kind that you found in hotels. Pretty but impersonal.

  "Her clothes are gone," Gray called.

  I joined him in the bedroom to find him standing in front of a half-empty closet.

  "Maybe she didn't have a lot of clothes to begin with," I said. Then I noticed the type of clothes left behind. Sweaters and long sleeves. Cold weather items. She only took what was absolutely necessary, like warm weather clothes. I poked my head in the en suite bathroom. "No toiletries. She’s definitely gone."

  "No sign of a struggle," Gray said. "She left in a hurry, though."

  I absorbed the Spartan scene in the bedroom and was reminded of my own existence. "This isn’t the first time she’s had to disappear. She's good at it."

  Gray looked at me askance. "How do you know?"

  I hesitated, thinking of my own recent exodus from Lambertville. "I just do." Lambertville had been unusual, though. Typically, I had enough time to pack up carefully and go. Enough time to leave money for any bills I owed. Whatever happened here, Lorelei had felt pressure to disappear in a hurry.

  Gray scowled. ”I suspect she received a call from our good friend, Anton."

  "Would it be that dangerous for her to speak to us?"

  The vampire shrugged. "Depends on who else she was working for. Anton was willing to out her, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice her completely. He gave her enough lead time so that we didn’t cross paths."

  "Maybe he thought we would go straight to Lorelei from his house," I said.

  Gray picked up a book on the bedside table. Follow Every Rainbow: A Leprechaun’s Journey. "Possibly."

  "That thing you said in the elevator about teamwork," I began. "Why did you say that? Robin said you used to be a warden. Isn't the AMF all about teamwork?"

  His expression clouded over. “Hence the reason I don't work for them anymore."

  I watched as he opened dresser drawers. Most were empty.

  "Was your experience as a warden that bad? I mean, maybe I should reconsider my path. It's not like it's been a lifelong goal for me. I only just discovered its existence."

  Gray gave me a curious look. "What's your story, Morrow? I feel like there’s more to you than what I've been told."

  "I could say the same about you," I replied. If he thought he was the expert on evasive tactics, it was only because he hadn't met me yet. I’d spent my whole life dodging personal questions. Why wasn't I in school? Where was my father? Later on, where was my mother? Where did I grow up? I always had an answer ready, one that was enough information that people weren't suspicious.

  "I don't see any clue as to where she went," Gray said. "I'll check the kitchen."

  "You won't find anything," I said. "Like I said, she's very good. And if she’s as organized as the doorman claims, she covers her tracks well."

  Gray stared at me. "How long were you on the run before the chancellor found you?”

  “It doesn't matter," I said.

  Gray sat on the edge of the bed, his sensuous lips forming a thin line. "I got my partner killed. Riya. She was a witch, trained at Spellslingers. We were paired together our first year as wardens and worked together for years."

  "What happened?" I went to sit beside him on the bed, careful to leave a gap between us.

  “We were young and cocky, that’s what happened,” he said. “We got assigned a mission to retrieve a stolen artifact. Long story short, we ended up in one of the underworlds. It wasn't our jurisdiction. We should never have gone down."

  "Then why did you?"

  “Like I said, we were both young and cocky," he said. "We’d been doing our job without a hitch. We had no reason to think we couldn’t handle this one until it was too late.”

  “You were out of your depth in the underworld?" I asked softly.

  That muscle in his rugged jawline pulsed again. "Even now, I don't like to admit it. We were unprepared. We went down there like we knew what we were doing. No prep. It was arrogance, pure and simple, and Riya paid the ultimate price for it."

  We sat in silence for a minute. Gray seemed lost in his thoughts. I had no doubt that he didn’t often allow himself to remember.

  "I'm sorry about your partner," I said. "You shouldn't blame yourself, though. It sounds like you both went in there willingly. You didn't force her."

  His gaze remained rooted to the floor. "No, but I could have stopped her. I could have suggested going to headquarters or to our handler. We had time. We just didn't."

  "Is the underworld that dangerous?" It certainly didn't sound like somewhere I'd want to spend any quality time.

  "Depends on which one," he said. "We met up with a demon that we weren't expecting to see. Rippon. He lives down there, can't cross the threshold to leave."

  "And he killed her?"


  “Arguably,” Gray replied. “Ultimately, I’m the one responsible. He wielded the weapon, but the fault was mine."

  "Is that why you’re cut off from your family?" I asked. "Do they think you’re responsible for her death, too?"

  He shook his head. "They don't know the details. They only know that I left the AMF. That's all they care about. They don't want a disgraced warden in the family tree. So, I stay out of sight as much as possible. Trade on information. That's how I came to owe library guy a favor."

  A noise in the hall drew us to our feet. Gray sprinted to the front door with his usual vampire grace and speed.

  "I smell a shifter," he said in a low voice.

  “Am I the only one without an acute sense of smell?" It seemed unfair.

  Gray yanked open the door to reveal an older woman in a robe and slippers. Her head was covered in curlers. She looked as surprised to see us as we were to see her.

  "You're not Lorelei,” she said accusingly.

  "No, ma'am," Gray said. "I'm certainly not. Are you her neighbor?"

  She squinted, a suspicious glint in her eye. "Who's asking? I don't just tell anybody my business."

  No, but I got the distinct impression that she told everybody anyone else's business. In other words, she was perfect for us.

  "Hi, my name’s Bryn,” I said, moving to stand beside Gray. "We’re really concerned about Lorelei. She was supposed to meet us last night, and never showed up. We came here today and it looks like she left in a hurry. Half of her belongings are gone. Did you happen to see anything?"

  The woman seemed to relax. "I didn't see her leave, but it was hard to keep track of her comings and goings. She was always meeting someone somewhere. That was her job, it seemed."

  She wasn't wrong. "When was the last time you saw her?"

  The woman tapped a curler, thinking. "I didn't see her, so much as hear her. She was having a conversation by the elevator with someone. I heard them from my living room."

  "Were they yelling?" I asked.

  She tugged on her earlobe. "Fox ears."

  Oh. Not a werewolf. A werefox.

  "Do you remember what the conversation was about?" Gray asked.