by Tegan Maher
“So what happens now?” I asked.
“Now the Christmas tree topper, the famous Western Woods orb, has to be put on top of the tree,” Amy explained. “That’s Sara’s role in this.”
“Oh,” I said, my eyebrows rising. Sara had recently become a local celebrity, as a participant in the hottest new sport in the paranormal world, a broom riding competition that pitted multiple riders against various obstacles. “I thought she was just one of the witches and wizards tasked with bringing in the tree.”
“Here she comes now,” Ellie said suddenly, pointing towards the sky. Sure enough, a tiny black dot suddenly dipped down from the clouds and got bigger and bigger as it made its way towards us. A hush came over the crowd as word of Sara’s arrival made its way around, and every set of eyes in the town square was focused solely on the witch currently flying in. Beneath her broom was a gigantic, glowing round orb, about three feet in diameter. I watched in awe as Sara flew above the crowd a few times, waving down at everybody and earning cheers in reply, before lowering the orb onto the top of the Christmas tree.
The orb hung in place, I assumed by magic, casting a warm glow over the whole square. As soon as it stopped moving the entire crowd began to cheer, and I joined in, caught up in the festivities. The tree really did look incredible.
“Is there something special about the orb?” I half-shouted into Amy’s ear over the cheers, and she nodded. Amy was basically the Hermione Granger of Western Woods, and if I needed to know literally anything about any topic I went straight to her.
“Oh yes, it’s very important in the history of Western Woods,” she explained, speaking loudly to be heard over the cheers. “It was said the very first year Western Woods was founded, the founding witches and wizards placed all of their hopes and dreams for the town into the orb. Ever since then it’s been said that the orb brings good luck to whoever has possession of it. During the year it’s kept at coven headquarters. It was determined that no one person should be magically given good luck, as that’s considered to be an alteration of the natural way things should unfold, and that by placing it on top of the Christmas tree every year it blesses the entire town with luck in the upcoming year.”
“Don’t people try to steal it?” I could think of at least a dozen times in my life when I could have definitely used an extra boost of good luck.
“It’s always kept under magical lock and key,” Amy explained. “That’s why it’s always at coven headquarters. As far as I’m aware, no one has ever tried to steal it when it’s on display on top of the three, but I suppose there’s no reason it couldn’t happen.”
As I looked up at the orb once more, fireworks exploded high in the sky, taking the form of Santa and his reindeer streaking through the Washington night.
Sara flew down, spotted us, and landed next to Ellie, Amy and me.
“That was awesome,” I said to her with a grin, and a blush crawled up her face.
“It did go well, didn’t it? I was so nervous; I thought I was going to drop the tree topper. I didn’t want to be responsible for that!”
Ellie laughed. “There was never a chance of that happening. You’re officially one of the best broom riders in the world now. Better get used to it.”
Sara blushed again and looked down at the ground. After years of being incapable of casting spells properly, she had well and truly found her place in life competing on her broom, but her self-confidence hadn’t quite caught up to her skill level just yet.
The four of us hung around for a while, watching the Santa Claus firework until he disappeared over the horizon, getting some more hot chocolate, and just generally enjoying the festive lights and atmosphere in town before heading back to the house we all shared.
I made my way up to my room, where my familiar, a cat named Mr. Meowgi with a penchant for martial arts, sat in the middle of my bed, his tail slowly moving from side to side. I felt like a teenager who had been caught coming in after curfew.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Well, at least you’re not sulking.”
“I’m not sulking. I’m mad that I wasn’t invited to join in the festivities.”
“You and I both know you would have jumped right into the Christmas tree and caused chaos.”
“That’s right, I would have. As I said, festivities.”
“Festivities is spending time with friends and family while enjoying the fireworks.”
“Oh, there were fireworks? I take it back, then. I wouldn’t have come. Not that I’m afraid of fireworks. I’m definitely not. I just don’t enjoy them for… completely different reasons.”
“Right,” I replied, biting back a smile. Mr. Meowgi loved to pretend he wasn’t scared of anything. Who was I to shatter his illusion that I believed him? “Now come on, it’s time to sleep. Only a few more nights until Christmas.” I shoved him gently to the side as I crawled into bed.
“Good, I’m hoping for a new set of nun chucks this year,” he replied.
“You don’t even have thumbs to hold them,” I muttered, and I was asleep before I was able to listen to his retort.
I woke up early the next day to the wonderful aroma of freshly-baked cinnamon buns wafting through the house. That meant it was Ellie’s day off at the bakery. Getting dressed and making my way downstairs, I grabbed a plate and headed straight to the warm pile of doughy goodness, drawn to the buns as though by magic.
“Have I ever told you you’re my favorite witch on the planet?” I said to Ellie, who laughed from where she was sitting on the couch.
“Every time I make cinnamon buns at home,” she replied. Ellie’s buns were famous all around town, and it was an even bigger bonus when I didn’t have to leave my house to get them.
I grinned. “Well, I mean it every time. Where are Sara and Amy?”
“Sara is out practicing her broom skills, and you get one guess for Amy.”
“The library?”
“Obviously. She left about ten minutes ago.”
“So it’s just the two of us today. Any plans?” I asked as I plopped myself down on the couch and began digging into the cinnamon bun.
“My rear end has a date with this couch, and we’re not moving,” Ellie replied. “Well, not for a couple of hours, anyway. Then I have to get started on the Christmas baking. I want to get a couple of pumpkin pies ready for Christmas dinner, and I have a new recipe for pumpkin sugar cookies with brown butter frosting I want to try.”
“Oh, yum,” I replied, my mouth watering at the thought. I looked at the half-eaten cinnamon bun on my plate, wondering if maybe I should hold off on the other half with the promise of cookies. Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out, glancing at the screen. It was a text from Amy.
Someone stole the orb from on top of the Christmas tree!
Chapter Two
I immediately looked up at Ellie, who had received the same message.
“What happened?” I asked, as if Ellie might have had the answers.
She shrugged. “No clue. But obviously we need to go over there.”
I texted Amy to meet us in the town square in front of the tree, and said we’d be there in fifteen minutes. Ellie and I got ready in record time, with Mr. Meowgi deciding an early-morning nap was preferable to going out in the cold.
We met Amy as planned, having a bit of trouble finding her, as it was just as packed as the night before. Apparently word of the missing Christmas orb had gotten around quickly, and the whole town was out, everyone gaping at the now-empty top of the Christmas tree.
I spotted Amy before she did us, pointed her out to Ellie, and the two of us pushed our way through the crowd until we reached her. Her cheeks were red from a combination of cold and excitement.
“I can’t believe it!” Amy said. “I was in the library and someone ran in, saying the Christmas orb had disappeared!”
“It had to have happened last night, right?” Ellie said, and Amy nodded.
“Yes, by all accounts when the sun c
ame up this morning it was gone.”
“Well, there had to be cameras around, right? Surely somebody saw what happened.”
Ellie and Amy both gave me a strange look. “Right,” I said with a nod. “Western Woods, where crime is so low security cameras are not a priority.”
“I assume Chief Enforcer King is on the case?” Ellie asked.
Amy nodded. “She is, but she’s the only Enforcer still in town. Everyone else has been given two weeks off for the holidays. And shifters always celebrate Christmas by going into the woods as a pack and living off the grid together for a few days. So there’s no way to contact any of them.”
I groaned. “Did no one think ahead of time that letting all the enforcers except one have the holidays off might not be the best idea?”
Ellie shrugged. “It’s never been an issue before.”
Having grown up in Seattle, I couldn’t believe it was considered completely normal to have one law enforcement officer for an entire town over the Christmas break.
“How does this place not become The Purge every year?” I asked.
“The what?” Ellie asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Never mind. Human world thing.”
“I wonder who could have done it,” Ellie mused.
“Well, Chief Enforcer King is on the case,” Amy said in a warning tone. “There’s absolutely no reason for us to get involved.”
“Right,” I nodded. “Anyway, while half the town is admiring a tree missing the orb on top, let’s go to Hexpresso Bean. I want to get another one of those hot chocolates. They tasted better than they normally do.”
“That’s because I got them to buy chocolates from Phoenix Chocolates. You know, that new company in Pacific Cove that Megan started?”
“Ah,” I said with a grin. “That’s right; I saw the sign last night. I have dreams about that chocolate sometimes.”
The three of us made our way into the coffee shop, and as soon as I stepped inside I rubbed my hands together and stamped my feet as warmth began to flow through me once more. It was in the high twenties right now, which was definitely on the colder side for a lifelong Pacific Northwester like me.
“I’ll get the drinks,” Amy said. “Anyone want anything else?”
I shook my head. “I’m holding out for the cookies Ellie promised to make later.”
Amy nodded and made her way to the counter as Ellie and I picked a table near the window and sat down. The light dusting of snow on the ground combined with a few rays of sun poking through the cloud cover gave the whole town a real ethereal feel, and I let my mind wander as I looked out over the streets. A moment later, however, the sound of nearby conversation floated to my ears.
“Well, you know, Sara Neach would know how to move the orb, since she was the one who brought it in last night. And she could use the luck; she’s competing next Tuesday.” I glanced over to the table next to us to see two witches chatting over coffee. In front of me, Ellie’s spine stiffened; she had obviously heard the same thing I had.
“That’s right,” the other witch replied. “I always thought she was a nice young witch, but you never know, do you? These young paranormals are always looking for shortcuts. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Sara stole the orb for the extra luck.”
I opened my mouth to tell those witches where they could stick their opinions, but Ellie shook her head at me. She wiggled her wand, and I nodded in understanding. Ellie muttered a spell, but nothing happened. I looked over at Ellie, confusion written all over my face, and she winked at me in reply. I figured I’d trust her. A couple of moments later, I realized what had happened. The two older witches next to us stood up, and my eyes widened as the pants they wore had completely split at the back. That must have been the spell that Ellie cast.
I covered my mouth to stop from laughing as the two witches left the café – leaving their dirty dishes on the table instead of bussing them – earning stares from every single patron along the way.
My eyes followed them as they walked out the front door. As the cold air hit their rears, the two witches in turn reached back to see what had happened, noticed the tears, got the other witch to look, confirmed that their underwear – and more – were completely exposed and ran off as fast as they could, desperately trying to cover themselves with their hands.
I cackled with laughter. “You’re so cruel,” I said to Ellie.
“Well, they deserved it,” she replied with a shrug. “How dare they talk about Sara like that? Obviously she didn’t steal the orb off the Christmas tree.”
“We know that,” I said. “But what about others? If those witches are saying things like that, are they really the only ones?”
Ellie nodded as Amy made her way back to the table. “You’re right.”
“Right about what?” Amy asked.
“We have to figure out who stole the orb from the Christmas tree, before the whole town starts to think Sara is the thief.”
Amy groaned. “I leave the two of you alone for two minutes and you decide to meddle in Enforcer affairs. I swear you’re just as bad as each other. By the way, did you notice the Zaibas sisters? There must have been a nail or something on the chairs they were sitting on, since when they went to leave both their pants were completely torn at the back.”
“Yeah, a nail or something,” Ellie replied with a grin. “Don’t worry, we saw. Anyway, they were the ones who were going on about Sara being the thief. But they’re probably not the only ones who believe that. After all, they think that because Sara was able to fly the orb over she would be able to steal it more easily than anyone else.”
Amy shook her head sadly as a fairy came over and put three huge, steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front of us. They were all topped with copious amounts of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and even a maraschino cherry. I began to drool at the sight.
“We’ve lost Tina, she belongs to the hot chocolate now,” Ellie joked.
“I do. Sorry, guys. It was nice knowing you, but I’m moving to the chocolate factory in Pacific Cove.” I took a sip of the delicious chocolate, then wiped away the little bit of whipped cream that hit my nose. “But seriously, Amy, if people are going after Sara we need to find out who did this. And while we all respect Chief Enforcer King, she’s only one Enforcer. Can we really expect her to find a thief by herself with literally no help whatsoever?”
“Yes, because that’s her job.”
“And our job is to make sure Sara doesn’t have her reputation ruined over something she didn’t do.”
“That’s absolutely not our job,” Amy replied. “Ellie’s job is to bake at this very café, my job is working at coven headquarters, and your job is to catch up on two decades worth of witch work you never did.”
“I’m with Tina on this one,” Ellie said.
“Of course you are,” Amy said with a sigh. “You’re always on the side of getting into trouble.”
“Besides, it’s Sara,” I argued. “We all know how sensitive she is. She might take this completely the wrong way.”
“Fine,” Amy said. “I guess if you’re going to do this anyway, I might as well do it too to make sure you stay out of trouble. The three of you are going to be the death of my reputation here in town.”
“I knew you’d come on board,” Ellie grinned. “Now, who do we know around here that could use an influx of luck? This is a small town, surely we can come up with a few suspects.”
“Estelle Thurman is taking an entrance exam to study to be a Healer next week,” Amy said. “I know she’s nervous about it. She’s constantly got her nose in a book these days.”
“Gee, I wonder who that sounds like,” Ellie said with a smile, and Amy glared at her.
“I never study when I’m busy working.”
“Alright,” I interrupted. “We have Estelle. Who else?”
“Danielle Bronte,” Ellie replied. “She’s going in for surgery next week, I overheard a few witches talking about it the other day.”
“That’s right,” Amy said with a sad nod. “She’s had that cancer in her brain that Healers haven’t been able to shrink with chemotherapy or potions. I didn’t realize her surgery was so soon. I hope she’s going to be alright. Professor Bronte was one of my favourite teachers at the Academy.”
Ellie shot Amy a look. “Every professor at the Academy was your favorite,” she replied.
Amy shrugged, realizing Ellie was right, then turned back to the subject at hand. “There’s also the elf, Normordira. She’s due to give birth to the first elf baby in Western Woods in two hundred years in a few days.”
“Wow,” I said, my eyebrows rising. “Elves really don’t have a lot of offspring, do they?”
“No, they don’t. It’s going to be quite the cause for celebration in the elf community. Unfortunately, I heard Normordira has been having some health issues and for the baby’s sake was put on bed-rest for the past two weeks, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone close to her decided she needed a little bit of extra luck, just to be safe.”
“Anyone else?” Ellie asked, but no one piped up.
“Alright,” I said. “We have our suspects. Now we just need to figure out which one of them stole the orb.”
Chapter Three
“This is such a bad idea,” Amy muttered. “Seriously, how do you come up with these plans?”
Ellie was standing in the middle of the living room, with her wand pointed at me.
“I kind of have to agree,” I replied, wincing. “I know I said I was ok with this, but now that we’re actually here, I’m not entirely sure I want to do this anymore.”
“Wow, who could have possibly guessed that your plan to give one of your friends a ‘spell gone wrong’ injury wouldn’t involve the friend in question being totally on board?” Amy said to Ellie. “You should at least be the victim if this is how you’re going to get information.”
“Fine,” Ellie replied, tossing the wand at Amy. “You cast the spell. It’s not like I was going to do something actually bad like break her leg or anything. I was just going to make her grow a third arm or something.”
