Winging It

by A. A. Albright

  ‘You look exhausted,’ she said as I picked myself up, once again, from the ground. ‘It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that, while I was coming home from the Call of the Wild after-party, I happened to notice an awful lot of Wayfairs going in and out of your chalet.’

  I tried to pull an innocent expression. It was difficult, what with all the shivering I was doing.

  She gave me a suspicious once-over. ‘The Wayfairs haven’t come to Everest for years, and now you’re all here at once, your mother included. Wanda ...’ She paused and let out a long sigh. ‘I don’t care if you guys are investigating something. You should know by now that almost no one agrees with the decisions of Justine Plimpton. Has this got anything to do with Candace?’

  My inner monologue was mouthing off a mile a minute. And each little inner chatterbox was nattering at cross purposes to the next. To trust or not to trust, that was the main question. I liked Amelia, and trusted her instinctively, but my gut was so off lately. I’d hated Gabriel Godbody on sight, and now I was seriously in like with him. I’d fallen for Will Berry pretty much instantly, and he had turned out to be the nastiest son of a witch on the planet.

  ‘Everyone’s here to cheer me on,’ I said. ‘And they might have been giving me one or two flying lessons while they’re at it. I really don’t want to embarrass myself in my race.’

  I could tell she didn’t believe a word of it, but she smiled nonetheless. ‘You’re not going to embarrass yourself, Wanda. Come on – let’s get to the course.’

  ≈

  ‘It’s actually the same course as the experienced flyers take,’ Amelia explained as we arrived at the starting line. ‘Except that it stops short of Chaos Chasm.’

  She looked carefully at her fingernails as she mentioned the chasm. Chaos Chasm was situated close to the region known to humans as the Khumbu Icefall, and it was where my father was believed to have died. There was no evidence to support the theory, other than the fact that hundreds of witches had lost their lives there since the inception of the Everest Climb.

  We called it Chaos Chasm because it was one of the many areas on the planet containing a Chaos Field – an area of magical interference. A Chaos Field caused witch magic to lessen, or even disappear, while the witch was in the area. The magical interference was supposed to stretch over the entire chasm, but tests had shown that once you travelled down through it a certain distance, magic began to function normally once again. The lucky few witches who remained conscious after falling into the chasm had even managed to click their fingers and send themselves to the healing tent.

  During the Everest Climb, witches used many methods to overcome the magical interference. Some set incredibly strong upward-momentum spells into motion a certain distance before the chasm. If their spell was strong enough, the momentum they had built up would be (hopefully) strong enough to carry them over, even if they lost all magic at the chasm. Others chose to fly higher in the air, escaping the Chaos Field altogether. Of course, this usually meant that they would have a lot of time to make up once they passed over the chasm.

  Despite the danger, Chaos Chasm was the reason why the Everest Climb was the most famous of all broom races. It wasn’t merely a test of flying skill. It was a test of endurance and ability to adapt. And for some reason, the risk of plunging to an icy death held a macabre thrill for participants and spectators alike. Because, y’know, people are weird.

  ‘So would Candace have had to fly over the chasm?’ I wondered. I couldn’t remember much about the Under Sixteens’ Advanced. All of my attention had been on my dad when I was a kid.

  Amelia nodded. ‘She would. But there are always precautions in place during all of the races. There are more Whizzers over the chasm than anywhere else.’

  ‘Whizzers?’ I asked, and then suddenly remembered. ‘Oh yeah, that’s what we call the safety crew who fly along with each race, right?’

  ‘Exactly. Plenty of healers and experienced rescue flyers among them. They ride wizard brooms. The Chaos Field has no effect on those.’

  ‘And how do you cope with the magical interference?’ I asked her. ‘A momentum spell or flying higher?’

  ‘Neither.’

  I stared at her. ‘Neither? Seriously? So what do you do?’

  Again, she was looking at her fingernails. Because she was easily able to maintain a warmth spell whilst flying, she wasn’t wearing the same sort of big, ugly gloves as I was. Her nails were beautifully polished, with tiny pictures of brooms painted on each. ‘I ... I use your father’s method, actually. I renew the bond with my broom just before I reach the chasm. And then I just let our combined magic, and my flying ability, do its work. No one loses all magic at the chasm, so I figure it’s like your dad always said.’

  I swallowed. My father always said that if you had confidence in your flying skills, and a good relationship with your broom, it would see you through anything. He believed that if you had those two things in place, then even a little bit of magic would be enough to get you across Chaos Chasm. When he went missing, just about every witch newspaper in the world repeated his theory. I remember feeling as though they were blaming his death on his over-confidence.

  ‘You’ve won the Everest Climb before, haven’t you?’ I said to Amelia.

  She smiled shyly. ‘And placed in the top three six times. Your father’s method works, Wanda. And I’m not the only competitor who uses it. Last year’s champion pipped me to the post using the very same technique.’

  Last year I had been firmly ensconced in the human world. I had no idea who won the race. ‘So who beat you?’ I asked.

  ‘It was Will. Will Berry.’

  I had no reply to that, so instead I just put my head down, and flew even faster. When the lesson was finally over, I felt exhilarated enough to take on the whole world. But apparently, there is no amount of elation that can withstand Mandy Parker.

  As we flew back towards the Snowy Inn, I saw her flying our way. If Amelia hadn’t been with me, I might have resorted to an invisibility spell. Like Amelia, Mandy appeared to have no problem holding a warmth spell whilst flying. Her mini-skirt and short-sleeved top attested to the fact. She also seemed to have some sort of stay-put glamour on her hair, so that not a strand was out of place. She looked perfect. And I didn’t need a mirror to know that my face was red and sweaty, and that my many layers made me look ten times bigger than usual.

  As she drew closer, Mandy looked at me and laughed. ‘Struggling a bit, are we, Wanda? Y’know, if your robes were white, I might have mistaken you for a yeti.’

  I thought about saying something smart in return. I had a hundred scathing comebacks in mind. Unfortunately, I hadn’t fully acclimatised to the decrease in oxygen – not to mention the cold air that was blowing my way – and I knew my voice would come out as more of a breathless pant than anything.

  A low growl sounded in Amelia’s throat. ‘What in Hecate’s name do you think you’re doing on this route? Shouldn’t you be sticking to hosting, Mandy? I remember your last attempt at the Everest Climb. Last place, wasn’t it?’

  ‘I’m not competing, as a matter of fact,’ Mandy replied with a sour scowl. ‘Some of us are sensible enough to recognise our strengths and faults. I, for example, might not be the best competitive flyer. But I am an excellent actress and an even more excellent girlfriend. Which is why I’m here right now. Not to compete, but to bring hot tea and scones to Will for when he’s finished his training.’

  My throat began to burn. ‘Will ... Will is here?’ I thought of my many awkward rolls of the morning. I knew that I shouldn’t care whether he saw me or not. I knew it shouldn’t matter. How many times did I need to remind myself that he wasn’t worth the angst?

  ‘Of course he is. Oh, and he’s hinted that while we’re here at Snowy Hollow – both staying in his amazing chalet together – he might have a question to pop. This time next week, you could be looking at Will’s fiancée.’ She gave me a smug smile. ‘And I just know you’ll
be the first to congratulate us.’

  I was still at a loss for words when I saw Will, flying back down from the peak. ‘Well, toodles.’ Mandy gave us a wave. ‘Got to go bring nourishment to my almost-husband.’

  As Mandy flew towards him, Will’s eyes met mine. As usual, I had absolutely no idea what I saw in his. I did notice that his gaze drifted down to the broom I was on.

  ‘Hey Amelia.’ He gave her a warm smile, then dropped it as he added, ‘Hey Wanda,’ before flying off with Mandy.

  ‘Are you all right?’ asked Amelia, when they were out of sight.

  ‘Of course,’ I lied. ‘Why wouldn’t I be? So ... I guess I’ll see you for one last practice tomorrow morning?’

  She tilted her head and looked at me curiously. ‘Sure. Hey, is it just me or did Will have a really weird smile on his face when he checked out your broom?’

  I tried out a nonchalant shrug. ‘I don’t know how well you know that guy, but in my experience he has a weird reaction to everything.’

  ‘Really?’ She sounded unconvinced. ‘I know Will fairly well, actually. We’ve been to the same parties on the competition circuit, even had our share of chats. He always seemed pretty straightforward to me. Well, at least until he got together with Mandy Parker. Anyway.’ She shook her head like she was trying to shake off something nasty. ‘The less said about that particular witch, the better. And Wanda? Who gives a crap what she thinks of your outfit? All you need to do is keep your head high and win your competition. Pay no attention to the likes of her.’

  I nodded weakly, said, ‘Sure,’ and flew back to the Snowy Inn.

  16. How to Lose Friends and Irritate People

  When I walked into the Snowy Inn, the bar was still busy with leftovers from the night before. By leftovers, I mean Jasper, Callum, and a bevy of Fancy Flyers. Jasper was trying to convince one of them to come to his room for a private performance, while Callum was dozing, head down on the bar, with an empty bottle of something called Worm on a Broom still clutched in his hand.

  The Fancy Flyers looked just as perfect as they had the day before, despite the fact that they’d clearly spent the night drinking.

  I chatted with Jasper for a minute or two, until he said, ‘Y’know, the air here really suits you, Wanda. Puts a real glow in your cheeks. Hey, maybe I could help make that glow last a bit longer?’

  ‘Not today, thanks,’ I said, extricating myself from the arm that I hadn’t even noticed snaking its way around my waist.

  I skedaddled through a wide archway into the breakfast room, where Gabriel was eating with my mother, Melissa and Christine. As soon as he saw me, he crossed the room and wrapped his arms around me. He smelled better than the food that was cooking in the kitchen.

  ‘You look frozen to the bone, you poor thing,’ he said. ‘Why didn’t you do a warming spell?’

  I shrugged. ‘I’ve only been flying a witch broom for a few days. Keeping up in the air takes enough effort as it is.’

  ‘Ah.’ I felt warmth radiating out of his fingertips and into my body. ‘Well, here. Let me do it for you.’

  As the heat poured through me, I felt like I was melting. It was so delicious that it took Melissa loudly clearing her throat to bring me back to my senses. I jumped away from Gabriel, red-faced, and we went to join my coven at the table.

  ‘Sorry for interrupting,’ said Melissa with a mischievous smile on her face. ‘But the pancakes have arrived, Wanda. And I knew you wouldn’t want to miss pancakes even if it was for a cuddle with Gabriel Goodbody. Oh, sorry. Did I say Goodbody? I meant Godbody, obviously. You would know better than me if he deserves either of those names.’

  My cheeks were flaming by that stage, so I concentrated on my food, piling pancakes on my plate, before drowning them in maple syrup and slicing a banana on top.

  ‘Melissa told me neither of you had any luck,’ said Christine. ‘Agatha and Ronnie won’t be back for another while, but I’ve spoken to them on the phone. They’ve seen nothing unusual so far.’

  ‘We’ll keep it up, though,’ my mother said, passing a steaming mug of hot chocolate my way. ‘We have plenty of volunteers. We can fly over the whole of Everest, too, like you suggested, Wanda. Just in case Facility B isn’t at the Rise. We might have to leave the course itself until after dark, though. It’s the only time the area will be clear of competitors.’

  I peeked over my mug at her. She was trying so hard to be business-like about this whole thing, but it can’t have been easy. After my father went missing, she had spent months combing the mountain for signs of him. I knew she still came out from time to time, even though he had long been declared dead. But actually coming to the competition? I had no doubt that it was even harder for her than it was for me. It probably wasn’t the time to tell her how much I loved her, so I gave her a smile instead.

  ‘What’s all this then?’

  All of us snapped our heads around at the sound of Finn’s voice. He was standing in the archway that separated the bar from the breakfast room, his back turned to us, picking Jasper up by the scruff of his collar. Finn’s helmet was pulled down over his head, but I was in no doubt that it was him.

  Jasper looked at him through bloodshot eyes. ‘What do you mean? We’re just having some fun!’

  Finn let go of Jasper, and the werewolf slid to the ground. ‘Fun? You know you’re only in this enclave by the good grace of my aunt, right? She’s been nice to you werewolves, given most of you permanent Pendants of Privilege. And how do you repay her? By making the place untidy, that’s how. Get up to your room.’ He kicked Callum’s stool out from under him. ‘You too, Little Drummer Boy.’

  Callum’s eyes flickered open as he joined his friend on the floor. ‘Hey. It’s Captain Finn. I thought you were fired.’

  Finn pointed his truncheon. ‘You thought wrong. Now get the hell out of this bar before I throw you out of Snowy Hollow altogether. Typical werewolves. Don’t have any self-control.’

  As they stood up and shuffled away, looking half-puzzled, half-terrified, back at Finn, I noticed that they weren’t alone in their feelings. Gretel was with Finn, standing close to a potted plant, looking like she wished she could disappear behind it.

  With Jasper and Callum gone, Finn cast his eye over the rest of the hotel’s ground floor. As he spied us, he took off his helmet.

  ‘Finn?’ Christine looked at him with concern. ‘Is everything all right? We weren’t expecting to see you here.’

  He stalked towards the table. ‘What’s the problem?’ he said in a mirthless voice. ‘Up to something you don’t want the Peacemakers to know about?’

  ‘Oh.’ Gabriel laughed uncertainly. ‘This is a joke, right? You got your job back and you thought that throwing your weight around would be a funny way to tell us all?’

  I shrank back behind my stack of pancakes. Turns out there are other good reasons for piling so much food on your plate – makes a good defensive wall. I knew all too well that this wasn’t a joke. A ruse, maybe. A joke, definitely not. He had warned me he would have to play at being his aunt’s bully boy if he wanted to find out anything of use. And fair play to him – he was doing a very good impression of being a bully.

  ‘Joke?’ He arched a brow. ‘Did I say something funny? Listen ... I suppose I do need to have a chat with you all. Things got a bit out of hand for a while. I had the stupid notion that we could all work together, but clearly I was wrong.’

  ‘You weren’t wrong,’ Melissa said. ‘It’s your aunt who’s wrong.’

  Finn sighed. ‘Is she? I’m not so sure anymore. All that happened when we tried it was that a whole lot of people got hurt. I’m beginning to think she has the right idea. The only unified force we need is the one that already exists – the Peacemakers. So I’ll give you guys the heads-up, seeing as we used to be friends. If you’re here for any reason other than the competition, then I’d advise you all to go home. I don’t want to find a reason to arrest you all, but if it comes down to it, I’ll do exactly what I’
m paid to do.’

  My mother opened her mouth to respond, but Finn turned away and marched back towards the bar. ‘Gretel!’ he barked. ‘Get your helmet on and your behind in gear – we have a vampire hotel to raid.’

  Gretel cast a panicked glance our way, then dropped her helmet with a clang to the ground as she struggled to put it on.

  ‘Hurry it along!’ Finn shouted. ‘And try not to drop anything else along the way. You’re just one more clumsy move away from being kicked off the force.’

  17. Seeing Stars ... and Lights

  When the next morning arrived, we were no closer to finding Facility B. Despite my frustration, my second practice session on the course went far better than the first. By the time we finished up, I had a little more confidence in my skills – it might have helped that I didn’t have to endure Mandy Parker calling me a yeti again.

  Back at the chalet, Melissa helped me freshen up my competition clothing.

  ‘I picked this up for you,’ she said, producing a purple ribbon and fixing it to my hat. ‘I know you love purple.’

  I hugged her briefly and checked myself out in the mirror. The pop of colour might not have been able to disguise the fact that I was wearing a dozen layers, but at least it cheered me up. Satisfied that I was looking as good as I was ever going to look in my outfit, I went to watch the Under Sixteens’ Beginners.

  When I was a kid, witches who weren’t competing used to be able to fly along on wizard brooms, keeping up with the progress of those on the climb. It made for a health and safety hazard, to say the least, and in recent years things had changed. Now, spectators stayed firmly at the starting point of the race, watching the progress on enormous screens.