Chapter Seventeen
At the lodge, I detoured through Elron’s apartment, grabbing his hairbrush before going to my workroom. I set three tracking charms next to it and got to work. A few runes and scraps of wood later, I fused three together, multiplying the power of the spell. If that plus my remaining power couldn’t find him, magical tracking wasn’t going to find him.
A glance at my phone reassured me that I hadn’t managed to miss any messages, but I double-checked that the volume was all the way up just in case.
One steadying breath later, I activated the charm and placed one of Elron’s hairs across it. I made sure my adjustments to the charms were working as intended and that it had clear directions on who to find before feeding it every bit of magic I could muster. The spell flared silver as it bolted through the world.
I held my breath.
It turned north and a tad west, following the highway, and raced away.
The spell was working. It would find Elron, I’d call the police with the tip, and I’d have him back by dinner.
Only the spell slowed.
I reached for more magic but didn’t have anything to give it.
The spell faded to nothing.
“No! No!” I slumped into the chair. “It should’ve worked.”
Just like the tracking spell for Ethel. They both should’ve worked.
Unless… unless it was me. I was the problem. My spells didn’t work like they did before. My magic, my abilities, they weren’t really back. It’s why the tracking spells didn’t work, why I hadn’t been able to save Elron, why I couldn’t make sense of the magic at Ethel’s crash, why I’d lost to Isadora.
It was me and my magic.
What else could it be?
My thoughts spiraled around that thought until my phone beeped.
Low battery.
“Me too.” I plugged it in beside my bed and mixed a potion to boost my magical recovery and help me sleep. It wasn’t until I was in bed that I realized I’d added the boost to my magic.
Habit, though it wouldn’t matter. My magic wasn’t going to bring Elron back.
Morning light woke me before my alarm went off. As much as I wished there was a moment when I didn’t remember how badly I had failed Elron, I knew as soon as my eyes cracked open what I’d done.
I checked my phone before and again after taking a shower. People liked to say no news was good news. What they really meant was the worry wouldn’t change the outcome. I had plenty of reason to worry and only one reason not to.
I was alive.
As long as I lived, I knew Elron did too. And given how little harm the witches had done during the abduction, I doubted they’d harm him while he was of use to them. Shame I didn’t know what they wanted him for.
Out of obligation, I texted my family and Susanna, which I should’ve done last night, but I hadn’t been thinking clearly. As expected, they told me they’d be right over.
I spent all of breakfast convincing them I was fine alone and had work to do. The last part was the truth. I had yet more reports to finish for Rodriguez.
While waiting for my second cup of tea to steep, I called Jerry.
“McKade.”
“It’s Michelle. Tell me you have news, anything you can share.” I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for good news.
“You know I can’t tell you anything.”
“Jerry, it’s me, please.”
He hesitated. “All we have is some video of the van headed up 575. We lost them before Canton and don’t have another lead. You didn’t hear that from me.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll call if I have something.” He hung up.
The cereal I’d eaten sat like little shards of rock in my stomach. I shouldn’t have been surprised. The group had been too quick, too clean about it.
I headed back to my workroom. Piles of disenchanted items narrowed the space. I really should take them to Regional Disposal Experts. I half-heartedly extended a probe. The boxes didn’t have a drop of magic in them.
Dad had helped me relearn. He’d disenchanted several of these with me and checked my work for weeks later. If my magic was deeply flawed, he would’ve noticed. He would’ve worked with me to pick apart every part of my spellcraft until we found the problem.
A bad spell or two, sure, but my magic wasn’t flawed. Mom, Dad, Dr. Stiles, Ethel, and everyone else who’d helped me get back to my normal life would’ve noticed.
I sat in my chair, closed my eyes, and turned my attention inward. The pre-bed potion had done the trick, not that I’d cared last night, and most of my magic had regenerated. I didn’t see or sense any spells or contamination, but to be safe. I did a quick purification ritual. It didn’t take much magic, and I felt about the same after.
If it wasn’t my magic but a bad spell, it could even be a bad batch of tracking spells, so I made several new tracking charms. While crafting them, I checked every reagent and every rune. Then I took one of the new charms, one that I was as sure as I could be was perfect, and tried to track Elron again.
I held my breath as the spell lifted off. It zoomed north, and for a lovely thirty seconds I thought it would work. Then the spell dissipated into nothing just like the last two.
“Narzel blast it. Why won’t you work!”
Unsurprisingly, the charm and hairbrush didn’t answer.
“It’s fine.” It wasn’t, but I didn’t know what else to do right now. I could attempt a different type of tracking spell, but until I had an idea as to why the spells kept failing, I didn’t know what spell to try. All of which I could ponder while finishing the reports.
With a sigh, I rolled over to the computer and got started. Because my focus was on Elron, it took twice as long as it should’ve, but I still managed to finish them by lunch. Not that lunch was inspiring. Microwave noodles never were. Had Mom been here, she would’ve scolded me for eating standing up by the sink.
I played back everything, the convention, Ethel’s accident, the cases, all of it. The answer to why witches abducted Elron was in there, if I could find it. Only I got stuck on the crash that killed Ethel. The tracking spell hadn’t worked on her, but they also thought she wasn’t in the car.
It didn’t add up.
I stared at my phone, willing it to ring with news. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t oblige.
With a sigh I snatched it off the desk and dialed Jerry’s number.
The line went from ringing to live. “I don’t have any news yet.”
“What? No greeting, no pleasantries, nothing? I don’t even get a hello?”
“I don’t have anything new on the van.” Jerry sighed. “We’re reviewing video from the university, trying to determine who was behind this attack. You turned down the officer who’d wait with you in case of a ransom call. In fact, you said we’d be of no use. Unless you’re calling to tell me you have a recording of a ransom call, I don’t know why we’re on the phone.”
I winced. I’d said that, but he didn’t understand why. “Can you be my friend for a minute?”
He hesitated. “Narzel. You have exactly a minute.”
That was all I needed. “Right now, I’m in line to be the next premier. The only witches who’d abduct my fiancé are those who don’t want me in power or want control over me. The ransom is going to be me or my actions. You’ll tell me not to do what they ask, but I will, because I love him.”
“Michelle…”
“I know.”
“We can trace the call, put a tracker on you, get video, whatever it takes. You’re underestimating us.”
I closed my eyes and wished... well, I just wished. “Let me know if you find him.”
“If you change your mind, call.”
“I will.” I ended the call. The phone felt like it weighed fifteen pounds, dragging my hand to my lap. I couldn’t have the police hovering over me. It was the same reason I’d kept everyone else away. I couldn’t have people around. Not now. Not when I would do anythin
g, break any law to get Elron back.
Until then, I had another call to make. It was easier to call Rodriguez. He wouldn’t be asking why I wasn’t cooperating.
He answered after the second ring. “I was about to call you.”
“Oh?”
“Report came back from the medical examiner. One of the bodies we pulled from the car was identified as Ethel. I’m sorry, Michelle.”
“I thought…” I wasn’t so sure now. Susanna was the only one to survive the crash. Maybe her memory wasn’t as clear as I’d thought. Accidents had a way of changing memories.
“I’m sorry.” He repeated. “Given this report, it’s clear she never left the car. We think the bystander was confused by the accident, and that’s why they said Ethel ran into the woods.”
“But…” I didn’t know what I’d wanted to say. Ethel was dead, and now the maneuvering to determine the next premier would really begin. “When did you get the report?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
And last night, Elron had been abducted. They could be connected, but why? Why would someone want to kill Ethel and take Elron?
They were two different types of leverage. With Elron they could get to me. Killing Ethel accelerated the timeline, either putting me in the premier’s position sooner or forcing a vote to push me out. Of those, the second was far less likely. “And the medical examiner is sure?”
“He’s sure. DNA sure.”
“Thanks, Rodriguez.”
“Call if you need anything.”
“I will, and you do the same. I’m still working.” I had to. I had to keep going. If I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to move.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll call.”
“Good.” I hung up, my mind churning. It didn’t fit together. Ethel and Elron. But it should. There had to be a reason they were both targeted. And it had to be the same person. But why?
It felt like I should know the answer, but it was just out of reach. Buried under days of being surrounded by problems and only seeing one path. A path shadowed by heartache and fatigue.
I went back to the beginning. Ethel’s crash and death. First the accident, with traces of magic everywhere. The reports that she’d gone into the woods, but no one could find a geriatric witch who wasn’t known for her walking speed. Two bodies were burned beyond recognition. Then, one of them ended up being Ethel.
And somehow that connected to Elron’s abduction.
They didn’t add up, but I knew a source with more information about the crash. I typed a message to Susanna, asking her to come to my apartment. She and the rest of the premier’s staff had taken rooms at the Lodge after the accident. I’d been avoiding most of them, not sure what to do while the situation was in flux.
Hardly two minutes later, she knocked on the door. I let her in, sitting next to her on the couch. For the past six months, Susanna had been Ethel’s constant companion and one of her most trusted assistants.
Susanna shifted uncomfortably. “What will it take to gain Elron’s freedom?”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” The words came out before I even had time to think about a proper response. Countless hours of Ethel’s drills, and they’d worked. If only I’d been able to tell her how well she’d trained me.
“That is why you asked me here, is it not?” Susanna motioned to the empty seats. “I couldn’t think of another reason for only the two of us to meet.”
“Ah, but I could.” I let her squirm for a moment. “Tell me about the accident.”
She shook her head. “It’s too painful to remember.”
“Susanna, tell me about the crash.” My voice hardened. “I’m not asking as Michelle. I’m asking as the next premier, and your boss.”
“Do you really need to hear this from me?” She didn’t look up.
“Yes, I do.” Maybe this was cruel of me, but she was the only one who’d given a coherent statement.
Susanna inhaled slowly. “My memory is spotty. I was in the front passenger seat. I remember seeing a car pass us and then Ethel’s car. They were swerving. That’s the last thing I remember until I smelled smoke.
“The premier’s car was upside down and already on fire. Then the car’s fuel tank leaked or ruptured, or something. The fire got so much worse. I couldn’t get close enough to save anyone.
“We tried a spell to stop the fire, but the car was shielded from spells and the magic on the car mingled with the flames. We couldn’t get another spell to override that mix.” Susanna fingers twisted together.
“Can you remember any other details?” I leaned forward.
“They packed me into an ambulance as quickly as they could. All I remember is watching the car burn.” She swallowed. “It burned them.”
I blinked back tears. Crying didn’t lead to well-thought-out investigations, and I had to think, not feel. “Thank you, Susanna. I appreciate you going through the events with me.”
She nodded.
“You were right. The police have identified one of the bodies from the car as Ethel’s. They’ll be making the announcement soon.” I don’t know how I said it without crying, but I did.
Susanna’s lip wobbled, and tears slid down her cheeks.
I handed her a box of tissues. “We need to work on my statement and next moves to secure my place as the premier.”
“They’re sure?”
“Yes.” No matter how much I wished they were wrong. “Take an hour, then inform the staff and work on our plan moving forward.”
She nodded as she dabbed her eyes. “Thank you for telling me now.”
“It was the least I could do.” I smiled slightly. After a few more pleasantries and a stab of grief I did my best to suppress, I showed her out.
As soon as the door shut, I took ragged breath after ragged breath. For some stupid reason, I’d thought I could talk about Ethel’s death without grief. I couldn’t. I might never be able to because deep down so much of this felt like it was my fault.
If I hadn’t gone after the demons, if I hadn’t spent months recovering, if I hadn’t asked for more time before becoming premier, if I’d been more of what she needed and less selfish, this wouldn’t have happened. I would’ve been introduced at the spring convention. I would’ve been at full power. Ethel would’ve had time to execute her transition plan as intended. Ethel would be alive, and Elron would be by my side.
Instead, she was dead, he was captive, and I didn’t know why.
I couldn’t see the connection. I couldn’t even see if Susanna’s story matched the crash. I didn’t remember it clearly. I’d been shocked. Even when I’d checked for magic, I’d focused so tightly on my work I hadn’t really noticed the rest of the scene.
Rodriguez would have the file, along with all the pictures and statements. I could even visit that stretch of road.
I grabbed my phone and started to dial Rodriguez’s number but stopped. He wasn’t likely to let me take a file, but if I showed up he’d let me read it.
With that settled, I checked to be sure my phone’s volume was all the way up, grabbed my purse and headed out. First, I’d check the road, and then I’d visit Rodriguez. One way or another, I was getting answers.
My silent phone mocked me.
If I didn’t hear from Elron’s captors soon, well, I’d come up with another plan there. I refused to believe I was out of options.
Chapter Eighteen
Even though I didn’t remember the accident scene very well, my memory of where it had taken place was crystal clear. I pulled off the shoulder on I-575. This morning, the only traces of the accident that remained were rapidly fading spray paint on the asphalt.
Of the parts of the road that I considered dangerous, this wasn’t one of them. It was near an exit, which always added a bit of excitement, but the road was basically straight and only angled slightly downhill. For an area known for its rolling hills and curvy roads, this was as straight and flat as it
got. Of all the places I would’ve predicted a fatal accident, this wasn’t one. Had it really been as simple as driver error?
That could explain the accident, but not the failed tracking spell. They didn’t usually dissipate into nothingness.
“Sweet bones of Narzel, the tracking spells.” Grief, fear, doubt, all of those had clouded my mind until I couldn’t even see the most obvious connection between the two incidents. Tracking spells that faded to nothing. One that malfunctioned when the target was dead only feet away, and the other when the very much alive target was on the move.
Someone had to be interfering with the tracking spells. If I’d taken a person and knew a witch would be on my trail, I’d have done the same thing. Though delaying the discovery of Ethel’s death didn’t make sense. There had to be a reason, but I didn’t see it yet.
The one thing messing with the tracking spell would do was distract me from looking at the magic fragments at the scene. Those magic fragments couldn’t have come from a spell that tried to tame the fire. When that type of spell failed, the fire ate it. No, those had to be the remains of a spell that contributed to the accident. Maybe even caused it.
That’s why it had shattered beyond recognition. The collision and fire had blasted the remains into tiny pieces. Casting a spell like that would require being near the accident. Close enough the police should have a record of that person as being a witness.
With a much better idea of what I was hoping to find in the police report, I returned to my car and got back on the road.
The drive took more time than I liked, and Rodriguez wasn’t even there. I did manage to talk another officer into letting me see the file. He sat me at Rodriguez’s desk with strict orders that I couldn’t copy or remove anything in there. Those were rules I could live with.
I started with the photos and diagrams. The car Susanna had mentioned was really a truck. This didn’t seem like a detail I would’ve forgotten if I’d remembered enough to know what that vehicle did to cause the crash. And the rest of her story didn’t exactly match what happened either. Sure, the car had rolled over, but the gas tank hadn’t exploded. Instead, the gas had leaked all over the car and then caught on fire. Terrifying, but very different from a true explosion.
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