“Sean, Andrea, and it was supposed to be Jack,” I said. “I wonder what they’re going to do instead.”
“I finally saw a news article that mentioned his death,” Ellie said. “It was online last night. It didn’t say where he died, though. Chief Enforcer Hound must have paid a bunch of hush money to keep it out of the news that Desert Plains was the place.”
“There are alternates,” Sara said. “Eli explained it to us. Of course, he didn’t say that they were there in case any of us died. But he did say it was a possibility that some of us could get hurt during the competition, since we’re athletes and all. And in case anybody was hurt too badly to continue the season, there were alternate competitors that were supposed to be ready to be brought in. I guess we’re going to meet the first one of them.”
“That’s someone else with a motive, then,” Ellie said pensively. “After all, whoever takes the spot of Jack tonight would have known that they were the first person up if someone was hurt. Maybe they wanted to make sure they were picked before the competition even started.”
Sara shuddered. “Honestly, do you think someone would do something like that?”
“Well, the prize money for whoever wins this thing is pretty big, isn’t it?” I offered. “Plus, there’s the prestige of it all.”
Then, seeing the green returning to Sara’s face, I quickly continued, trying to reassure her. “But I’m sure it’s nothing like that. I’m sure it’s someone from Jack’s past. Probably Derek. And he won’t be there tonight. He’s not competing until the second day.”
“Right,” Sara said. “You’re right, he’s not going to be there.”
“Don’t worry yourself at all about this murder investigation, ok?” Ellie said, glaring at Amy and at me. “The only thing you need to worry about today is taking care of yourself. Got it? You’re going to be fine. We’re going to leave here shortly, and Tina and I are going to take care of you. Consider us your assistants today.”
“That’s right,” I added. “As far as I’m concerned, today is all about you and making sure that you’re as comfortable as possible before the start of your first broom competition.”
“Thanks,” Sara said with a smile as she picked out another corner of the scone and took another bite. This was good. The fact that she was eating showed that there was a chance that she might actually be okay.
Ellie made her way to the fridge, poured a big glass of juice that I didn’t recognize into a glass, and added the potion she had been working on to the top. Taking a long, small spoon, Ellie mixed the two together and placed the glass directly in front of Sara.
“Here you go. Drink up; I swear this will help you feel better.”
Sara nodded and took a careful sip of the drink before taking a large gulp and swallowing the whole thing.
“What did you put in this?” she asked Ellie. “I really do feel a lot better now.”
“It’s the strongest anti-anxiety potion I know how to make,” Ellie replied. “I had to use herbs that have been dried in the kitchen for years to make it, but it was one hundred percent worth it. Now come on, you need to eat. If you don’t get any food into you, your energy levels are never going to go back up.”
Sara nodded and absentmindedly began eating the full scone. Ellie looked like a proud mother who had just managed to get her picky toddler to eat its vegetables.
“I’m going to do what I can to help from here,” Amy said. “Text me if you think of anything. I have the recording going on four different televisions, I’ve made sure that Sara’s mom is going to be taken to the portal after her shift in time to be there, and I’m going to be hosting anybody from the coven who wants to come watch here.”
“Thanks, Amy,” Sara said with a smile. “It’s funny, I was talking to my mom yesterday. She had come out from the hospital after someone said they saw me practicing on my broom behind the building, and she watched me for a while. She told me she was proud of me. She told me that no matter what happens, the fact that I had been chosen to take part in the broom competition and that I was finally using my skills to get somewhere in the world made her super proud. You know how many times in my life my mom has told me she was proud of me? I’m pretty sure that was the first time. She had always been so upset that I wasn’t a Healer. And even last night she told me she wished that I had gone down that route. But she’s proud of me, you guys. My mom is finally proud of me.”
Sara’s eyes began to well with tears, and I reached over and enveloped her in a big hug.
“We are all proud of you, Sara,” I told her. “You’re so good on a broom, it’s wonderful to see that you’re finally getting the recognition you deserve for it.”
“Thanks, guys. You really are the best friends a witch could ever ask for.”
Chapter 13
I was shocked at how quickly the day went by considering how little we actually needed to get done. The broom competition was to start at four o’clock Western Woods time, and Sara had to be in Desert Plains at the stadium by three. We decided to arrive by two o’clock just to be on the safe side, and despite that leaving us with a couple of hours in Western Woods, the time absolutely flew by.
“I’ve got your outfit ready in a special suit bag,” Ellie said after breakfast. “It’s guaranteed to stay wrinkle free, stain free, and basically be in perfect condition until you put it on.”
“Good,” Sara said with a smile. “I have no idea if I’m going to win or not, but even if I come in dead last, I’m going to look good doing it.”
I laughed. “That’s the spirit! I highly doubt you’re going to come in last, though.”
Sara shrugged. “This isn’t me trying to beat down on myself or anything, but I think there might be a good chance I will. After all, you heard some of those other competitors. Lisa, Derek, Jack, Sean, they all knew each other growing up, and they all used to practice their broom riding together. It seems like everybody who was any good at broom riding knew each other from an early age, and I was definitely not part of that club.”
“Oh, please,” Ellie replied. “That’s just four of the competitors in a group of twenty. Besides, just because they practiced together doesn’t make them any better than you. You used to race birds when we were little, and you would often win. Just because you didn’t grow up in the same environment as they did doesn’t mean you’re any worse at broom riding that they are. You probably practiced just as much as them, if not more, since you were always looking for an excuse to avoid practicing your spells.”
Sara laughed. “That much is true. I was always happier riding my broom around coven headquarters than staying in those stuffy classrooms.”
“See? I’m sure you’re just as good as everybody else. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have been accepted into the group,” I said.
“Fine, you guys have convinced me. To be honest, though, I kind of wish that I was in the second or third group instead of the first. It’s going to be pretty nerve-wracking having to go up and do this race with other people never having seen one happen.”
“Fair enough, but just remember, everyone else is in the same boat as you are,” Ellie said. “Don’t let it get into your head. None of the people you’re competing against have ever seen this competition either.”
Sara nodded sagely. “That’s a good point. I am going to remind myself of that.”
“Now, I think we should get going,” Ellie said. “I know it’s a little bit early, but I think the longer we sit here and just talk about it, the more nervous everyone is going to get. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with getting to the stadium early and getting used to things.”
Sara jumped up. “That’s a good plan. Thanks for suggesting it, Ellie. I really would like to get to the stadium so I can picture what I’m going to do and really imagine myself being successful tonight.”
Ellie went upstairs and got the suit bag that held Sara’s Broomarella outfit, and the three of us left the house, deciding to walk to the portal to get a little
bit of fresh air. I figured we all kind of needed it. As much as this was Sara’s day, and it was going to be Sara’s night when she finally showed everybody what she was capable of, I had to admit I was also a bit nervous. I was nervous for my friend. I wanted her to win, I wanted her to be successful, but most of all I wanted her to leave the stadium tonight with a sense of self-worth. Sara’s self-esteem was so fragile it was like she didn’t dare to think anything good about herself for fear of having it snatched away a few minutes later. I really hoped that her first experience in the broom competition was going to be a positive one.
When we got to Desert Plains, the three of us hopped straight into one of the chariots, and we were taken right to the stadium.
“Do you need anything, Sara?” I asked. I thought coming here this early was a good idea; this early in the day, there was absolutely nobody around. I was sure that in just a few hours the whole area around the stadium would be filled with people milling about, trying to get tickets, or waiting to get in with the thousands of other people who were going to be watching tonight. But right now, everything was peaceful, and it was like we were just in front of any other normal building on any other normal day.
Sara shook her head. “No, thanks. I think I’m fine.”
“Okay. Let me know when you get hungry, and I’ll go find something for lunch. Ellie is right; you need to eat to keep up your strength, even if you don’t want to.”
“I’m not hungry just yet,” Sara said with a smile. “I’m not going to lie, after I took the potion and my anxiety went away, I may have eaten like four of those scones. They were actually really good!”
“I know, I tried to make them extra delicious to encourage you to eat more,” Ellie said with a grin. “Good to see it worked.”
The three of us made our way into the stadium and followed the signs toward the dressing rooms for the athletes. It was pretty cool to see just how luxurious everything was set up for the broom riding competitors. We found Sara’s dressing room pretty easily; it was the fourth door on the right, prominently labeled Sara Neach, Coven of Jupiter, Broomarella.
I put a hand on the handle and pushed down to open the door, but nothing happened.
“Do we need a key?” I asked, but Ellie shook her head.
“My bet is it’s a magical lock,” she said. “Sara, you try to open it.”
Sara put her hand on the handle and pushed, and this time, instead of meeting the resistance of the lock, the door popped open and I couldn’t help but grin.
“That’s a cool spell! So only a person who’s been magically authorized to open the door can enter?”
“That’s right,” Ellie nodded. “It’s a pretty common spell in the paranormal world. This way, Sara can get into her dressing room, and in all likelihood so can Eli and all of the cleaning staff, but that would be it. No stalkers, no thieves, nothing like that.”
Sara pushed the door open and we made our way in. The room was a really decent size, probably around eight hundred square feet. Against the wall on the right-hand side were a floor-to-ceiling mirror and a small dressing room where Ellie immediately hung up the bag that held Sara’s suit. Around the rest of the room couches were scattered haphazardly, and a mini-fridge held water, fruit, and a few other snacks. The carpet was plush, the lighting soft and warm, and it was basically a super inviting place to spend some time and relax before a competition.
“You’re probably allowed to bring stuff from home and leave it in here,” Ellie said. “Whatever you need to make this a comfortable space for yourself.”
Sara nodded as she looked around, incredulous. “Is this seriously all for me?”
“Looks like it,” I replied. “It’s a pretty cool place.”
“You should use this to your advantage,” Ellie said. “Tina and I will leave and let you get used to being in here. Set it up the way you want, so that you’re comfortable with it. If you want to meditate, or calm down a little bit before your competitions, this is the perfect space. We’re going to go out; we’ll come back with some food for you in a few hours. Are you going to be okay here?”
Sara nodded. “Yeah, I will. Thanks. Honestly, I think having a little bit of time alone here with my thoughts is going to be good for me.”
“Good,” Ellie said with a smile. “We’ll be back later. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely see you before you go out and compete.”
“Thanks, you guys,” Sara said. “I appreciate you being here. I just think I need a little bit of, you know, alone time. I need to think.”
“Of course. Whatever you need,” Ellie said, and the two of us left the dressing room and made our way back into the hall.
“While we’re here, we should speak to Eli,” I suggested. “He’s bound to be around, isn’t he?”
“Absolutely,” Ellie nodded. “I was about to suggest the same thing.”
Chapter 14
By wandering around a little bit, we eventually found a management office, where Eli Ring, the wizard from the coven of Saturn who ran this entire operation, was floating around in his human-style wizard robe and hat, waving his wand around as he spoke to someone on the phone.
“I don’t care what it takes! I want fireworks. This is the first event in what I’m making sure will be one of the biggest sports the paranormal world has ever seen. Young witches and wizards will want to grow up to be these kids. I want it to be a celebration. We’re not looking cheap. I want people to think the whole darn stadium’s been set on fire. That’s how many fireworks I want.”
A small voice on the other end of the line muttered something, and Eli seemed pleased.
“Good. That’s better. I know it’s going to cost money. That’s what businesses do, they cost money. But this one is going to bring me back ten times what I’ve spent on it, I guarantee that. Which one of us has more money than Saturn himself? That’s right, it’s me! I know what I’m doing, Steve. I will make this competition a hit. I guarantee you that.”
Eli hung up the phone and turned to look at us, surprise on his face for only a split second.
“Hello, witches. You’re friends of Sara’s, aren’t you? Ellie and Tina, isn’t it?”
“That’s right,” I said with a smile. This guy definitely was smooth, to manage to remember both our names. “We know you’re busy, but we were wondering if you might have a minute to chat.”
“Of course, of course. I always have a couple of minutes for the good friends and supporters of one of my star athletes. I trust you’re excited for the show this evening?”
“Absolutely,” Ellie replied. “We know Sara has what it takes to put on a good show. But we are curious as to what’s going to happen now that Jack isn’t going to be here.”
“Right. What an absolute tragedy,” Eli said sadly, shaking his head. “I still can’t believe it really happened. And on what was probably the best night of his life, too. Jack was one of the best flyers we had. He had actually been the fastest through the audition circuit. Of course, there’s more to the competition than pure speed when you pit four different flyers against one another—strategy and skill with spells become issues as well. But there was no denying that Jack was one of the fastest flyers in the competition. He had a very good chance of winning the whole thing, as far as I was concerned.”
“We were wondering if you have any idea who might have done this?”
Eli shook his head. “I’m afraid I wouldn’t have a clue. I knew virtually nothing about Jack other than what he told me in his audition tape and at his audition. He seemed to me to be the kind of overly cocky young man who would be great with the crowd and have a ton of fans, but who might end up losing simply because he was overly confident. But I knew nothing about his personal life, and nothing that might give any indication as to who might have killed him.”
“We were a little bit worried that it might be some crazy person who killed him, maybe someone who wanted one of the other competitors to win.”
“Well, I’m sure there’s no ev
idence of that,” Eli said. “I certainly haven’t heard anything of the sort, and Chief Enforcer Hound has promised to keep me in the loop with his investigation.”
“Have you had a lot of dealings with Chief Enforcer Hound?” I asked. “After all, you do live in Desert Plains, right?”
“That’s right, I do. I do know Chief Enforcer Hound fairly well, and he seems to be alright as a Chief Enforcer. He certainly does manage to keep the reputation of the town in good standing, even when bad things happen here.”
“That’s one of the problems we have with him. It seems that’s more important to him than actually solving crimes,” I said.
“Maybe,” Eli replied. “But in a tourist destination like ours, the perception of safety is more important than the reality.”
I raised my eyebrows. I certainly hadn’t expected Eli to defend Chief Enforcer Hound’s strategy of simply hiding the fact that Jack had been killed here.
“Did you know that Jack knew some of the other competitors from childhood?” Ellie asked, moving the subject back to the murder.
“I had heard something like that, yes,” he replied. “I think possibly Jack knew Derek, and also Lisa, the Englishwoman. And another one as well. Sean?”
“That’s right,” I nodded. That was all of the people that Lisa knew Jack had known as well.
“Well, I’m sure that Chief Enforcer Hound will do his best to find Jack’s killer. In the meantime, to answer your original question, we do have alternates ready to step in at any time. The first alternate on the list is a wizard from the coven of Rhea. He would certainly have known Jack as well, since their covens are both earth-based and they come from twin cities next to one another. So it’s fitting, in a way, that Jason is going to be the one to take over. It’s such a tragedy what happened to Jack, but Jason being the first alternate is definitely the closest way to have Jack competing with us tonight.”
Five Charm Fire Page 7
