Dead Over Heels

by Lily Webb

  Zoe locked eyes with Blair. “Dear Lilith, I’m sorry. That’s Luna, my familiar. Unfortunately for all of us, she can talk, but please ignore literally everything that comes out of that cat’s mouth. Seriously. She doesn’t speak for me.”

  “So much for free speech,” Luna grumbled. “Anyway, whatever, I’m just glad to be out of the heat. Is there a PV set around here somewhere? I missed the latest episode of As the Moon Turns.”

  “We’ll get one of the suites on the top floor ready for you and Luna right away,” Blair said, and pulled her wand from her robes to wave it. A distant rumbling sound echoed throughout the walls of the inn as the upper floor rearranged itself magically. Normally, there was only one suite on the sixth floor that Aron, the grumpy dwarven architect who’d built Kindred Spirits, occupied full time. “How long will you be staying with us? You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I just need to know for meal planning since you’re, well, our only guest at the moment.”

  Zoe shrugged. “I’m here on assignment for the Moon Grove Messenger, so I can’t say for sure how long I’ll be in town. Depends on how long I take to write this story.”

  “Wait, did she say meal planning? Maybe this place won’t be so bad after all. Whaddya got, lady?” Luna asked from the carrier as she poked her nose through the holes in the front to sniff around.

  Zoe freed herself from Blair’s grip to take Luna’s cage back from me. For a moment, I thought she might shake it to punish the cat for being so rude, but she tucked it under her arm and shook her head. “Remember: ignore everything she says.”

  Blair chuckled. “Duly noted.”

  “Come on, Zoe. Jadis and I will show you to your room,” I said, hoping to get a few moments alone with the mind reader. She hadn’t wanted to speak openly about why she was really in Starfall Valley while we walked through town — not that I blamed her — but now that we were within Kindred Spirits’ magical walls, I hoped she’d be more forthcoming.

  Blair shot Zoe a confused look. “Is Luna’s carrier all you brought with you, Ms. Clarke?”

  “Please, call me Zoe. And yeah, it’s all I had time to bring. Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll stock up on some things while I’m here. I’m gonna be spending a lot of time downtown.”

  “Okay. Well, if you need anything between now and then, I’d be happy to take care of it for you.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. For now, though, I think I’d just like to freshen up a bit,” Zoe said, and I took that as my cue to head for the elevator. I pressed the button to summon the old-school grated lift, and it dinged right away since it was thankfully already on the ground floor. I shoved the grate open and gestured for Zoe to enter. “It’s full service around here, huh?” she asked with a laugh.

  “We try our best,” I said and closed the grate after Jadis had climbed in with us.

  Blair’s panicked face appeared in the gaps of the grate. “Wait! Do you or Luna have any dietary restrictions I need to let Emile know about?”

  “Emile?” Zoe asked me with her brows furrowed.

  “He’s our live-in vegetarian vampire chef.”

  Zoe snorted, but caught herself. “Wait, you’re not kidding, are you?”

  “Nope. But don’t let any of that fool you; his is some of the best cooking around.”

  “Yeah, I bet once you’ve had a taste of it, you’re gonna be writing a story about that for the Messenger instead,” Jadis said, and Zoe smirked.

  “We’ll see about that. Anyway, Blair, no. I’m a southern girl, so my stomach’s strong as steel, and Luna will literally eat anything, but don’t worry about us. We’re probably not gonna be around for dinner, anyway.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Luna snapped, and I pressed the button for the sixth floor. The lift lurched upward, making Luna squeal.

  Zoe lifted the carrier up to eye level to peer through the holes in the door. “Aw, look who’s a little scaredy cat!” A split second later, she jerked her head away as a lightning fast paw swiped the area where her face had been.

  “Who’s scared now?” Luna taunted.

  “Have you two always had such a, uh, strained relationship?” Jadis asked, and Zoe laughed.

  “It’s not as bad as it seems. Luna just has a big mouth.”

  Jadis fell back against the wall of the elevator and shook her head. “I still can’t believe you’re here and that you’re staying at the inn.”

  “I can’t believe you know so much about her,” I teased, and Jadis scoffed.

  “I can’t believe you don’t! Zoe’s, like, a living legend. She’s the youngest woman to hold the position of Head Witch in Moon Grove, and she single-handedly stopped her town from being taken over by a crazy cult of warlocks.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say single handedly. I had a lot of help over the months,” Zoe said, as a tinge of blush appeared on her cheeks, bringing out her freckles and fiery hair. “But thanks. That’s nice of you to say.”

  “Wow. No wonder you retired,” I said, and Zoe burst out laughing.

  “Having a pair of mischievous twins had more to do with it than that, but yeah, it was a lot of stress.”

  “Wait, you have twins?” I asked, stunned. Zoe didn’t look a day over twenty-one, much less old enough to have a set of twins back home.

  “Okay, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said — er, thought — about me since I got here,” Zoe said with a smile. She set Luna’s carrier down on the elevator’s floor and pulled out her cell phone. After a few swipes and taps, she turned the screen to Jadis and I, revealing an adorable picture of a handsome, honey-haired young man holding a toddler in each hand, one boy and one girl. They looked like spitting images of their parents. “That’s Beau, my fiancé, and our little ones, Ellie and Blaise. They just turned two.”

  “Oh no, the terrible twos,” Jadis said, “but they’re adorable, so how bad can they be?”

  “Well, let’s just say I’m looking forward to a few days away,” Zoe laughed. “I love them to death, more than I’ve ever loved anything, but they’re a handful.”

  “Which is exactly why I’m along for the ride. I’ve had my tail pulled one too many times lately,” Luna said.

  “I don’t blame you then,” I said as the elevator arrived at the sixth floor. I shoved open the grate. “You’ll both find Kindred Spirits a lot more relaxing, albeit strange.”

  “Trust me, after what I’ve been through over the last few years, there’s not much left in the magical world that could surprise me,” Zoe said as she hoisted Luna’s carrier off the ground. It wasn’t until we reached the gold-trimmed door I realized I’d forgotten to get the room key from Blair.

  “Oh no, I forgot the key,” I groaned.

  “Doesn’t look like it’ll be a problem,” Jadis said, pointing at the door as it swung open on its own.

  “Huh, weird. Never seen a room do that before,” I said as I pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked into the swanky suite. A giant, covered four-poster king bed sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by more furniture and luxuries than Zoe and Luna could use, even if they stayed for a month.

  “Wow. This has to be one of the nicest places we’ve ever stayed in,” Zoe said in awe as she lowered Luna’s carrier and opened the door to let her out. The black cat slinked away from the carrier and stretched, revealing her shockingly large fangs and sharp claws as she sank them into the plush red carpet.

  A screeching giggle put us all on edge, and a beat later, a tangled bundle of leathery wings came careening out of the suite’s bathroom. The ball of chaos hurtled through the room and crashed into the floor-to-ceiling mirror on the far wall, which cracked from the impact and rocked precariously on its hinge. With a heavy thud, twin imps dropped to the floor, and in the blink of an eye, Luna bounded across the room to leap at them, her claws outstretched. Almost as quickly, Zoe had pulled her wand from her robes and aimed it.

  “Devoco!” Zoe shouted, and with a deafening pop, Luna vanished from thin air
and reappeared in Zoe’s arms, thrashing and flailing to get free.

  I dashed to the imps, who looked dazed and confused from their collision with the glass but otherwise uninjured. “Lox! Keez! What are you two doing in here?” I demanded, though judging from the way their eerie yellow eyes rolled in their sockets, I doubted they’d heard me, much less comprehended what I’d said.

  “What are those things?” Zoe asked as she clutched Luna to her chest like her life depended on it.

  “They’re imps. They live here. It’s a long story,” I answered, “but I have no idea why they’re in your room or how they got in.”

  “H-human girl?” Keez, the blue-haired female, squeaked with her eyes still swimming. “Why you here?”

  “I could ask you two the same question. You shouldn’t be sneaking into guest rooms; you know better!”

  “Imps not sneak or steal. Imps trapped.”

  “What do you mean, trapped?”

  “Imps were counting shinies when room moved. Next thing imps know, imps here,” Lox, Keez’s red-haired twin, answered as he tugged at the knot of their two tails that were permanently tied together to coax Keez back into the air.

  “Human girl, what is black four-legged demon?” Keez asked, pointing one of her clawed fingers at Luna.

  I snorted. “That’s a cat, Keez, not a demon.”

  “Yeah, talk about the pot calling the kettle black,” Luna scoffed with her hackles still raised, though she’d at least stopped trying to tear Zoe’s arms to shreds.

  “Anyway, stay out of this room. Zoe saved you this time, but next time you might not get so lucky,” I said as I scooped the imps off the ground into my arms. To my surprise, they were both shivering. I’d never seen either of them so scared. “It’s okay. Let’s get you two out of here,” I said, attempting to comfort the imps as I carried them out of the room onto the sixth-floor landing. I set them gently down on the ground. “And I meant what I said: I’d better not catch you in this room again.”

  “Human girl not need say twice. Imps not like black four-legged demon,” Keez said with a shudder and rubbed her hands on her tiny, twig-like arms.

  “No, not like. Imps glide and hide,” Lox said, putting an unsettling, razor-toothed smile on Keez. The imps linked arms and began jumping from foot to foot as they shouted in unison, “Glide and hide! Glide and hide! Glide and hide!”

  “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Less gliding and more hiding, okay?”

  “Glide and hide! Glide and hide! Glide and hide!” the imps shouted before they jumped into the air and, with the help of their furiously fluttering wings, soared over the railing and disappeared.

  I marched back to Zoe’s room, embarrassed, and closed the door behind me. Zoe and Jadis were sitting on the edge of the bed and taking turns petting Luna to calm her down.

  I sighed as I joined them. “I’m so sorry about that.”

  Zoe laughed and shook her head. “Don’t be. It was pretty funny. I mean, they scared me half to death, but I liked them. What were their names? Rocks and Peas?”

  “No, but close,” I said with a laugh as I joined them on the bed. “Lox and Keez. You know, like a lock and key? I don’t know if that’s where their names came from, but the two of them hoard stuff like keys, so it just sort of stuck.”

  “Oh, is that what they were talking about when they mentioned counting ‘shinies?’” Zoe asked.

  “Exactly. I can’t promise they won’t weasel their way back into your room — they don’t really listen to anyone — but if they do, just throw something shiny down the hall and they’ll chase after it, guaranteed.”

  Zoe laughed. “Good to know. I’ll keep it in mind. Any other quirks about this place you want to fill me in on while we’re on the subject?”

  “Well, that depends on how much time you have,” Jadis said, making all of us laugh. It was strange; I’d just met Zoe, who was apparently one of the biggest names in the magical world, and yet I already felt like I’d known her for years. Sitting on the bed with her and Jadis reminded me of our girls’ nights with our roommates back in Denver, and I realized how much I missed those evenings.

  “I’m glad I ran into you two at the police station,” Zoe said, and I couldn’t help wondering if she’d been listening in on my thoughts again. Even if she had, I didn’t mind, though now that I thought about it, could she ever turn it off?

  Zoe fixed her eyes on mine. “Sometimes, believe me, I really wish I could. It’s exhausting hearing what everyone’s thinking all the time.”

  “Couldn’t you, like, I dunno, cast a spell on yourself or something to block it?” Jadis asked.

  Zoe shrugged. “I guess I could, but it would sure make life less interesting. Besides, you never know what you might overhear that could come in handy.”

  “Oh really? Like what?”

  Zoe hesitated while she rubbed Luna’s head, whose purring rumbled the entire bed. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I have a feeling I can trust you. Besides, I’m gonna need all the help I can get.”

  “We’re all ears,” I said, and I meant it.

  “The police think Mr. Blackwood killed the witch his staff allegedly ‘found’ on his property.”

  “What? Really? But why would he do that?” I asked, struggling to make sense of it.

  Zoe tossed her hands in the air. “I dunno, and apparently neither do they.”

  “Who is this witch, anyway? You said earlier that you hired her to investigate someone,” Jadis said. “Was it Mr. Blackwood?”

  “Her name was Rory Hallewell. She was a paranormal investigator, and though I didn’t hire her to look into Mr. Blackwood specifically, I’m not surprised he ended up being a suspect.”

  “A suspect in what?” I asked, growing more confused the more Zoe told us. Not for the first time, I wished I could hear her thoughts.

  Zoe laughed. “All right, I heard that one loud and clear. You took me in, so I guess the least I can do is tell you the truth. “Jadis had the right idea in the elevator.”

  “Wait, does all this have something to do with the Black Brotherhood?” Jadis whispered with her eyes wide.

  “The black what?” I asked, completely lost.

  “The cult, Selena. The one Zoe took down in Moon Grove.”

  Zoe nodded. “We don’t have concrete proof, but in the last few months I’ve heard from some of my sources here that, rather than calling it quits after we snuffed out their leadership in Moon Grove a while back, the Black Brotherhood branched out to other magical communities to stay under the radar while they rebuilt.”

  “So you hired Rory to come and check it out quietly,” Jadis said.

  “Exactly. She and I were in constant contact about the case — until she stopped responding. That’s when I knew something was wrong. Like, really, really wrong. I contacted some of my sources here in Starfall before I came to town, and no one knew anything for sure, but they said they’d heard rumors that Rory had died in what the authorities were calling an accidental fall. I didn’t buy it.”

  “Then what do you think happened?” Jadis asked.

  “Rory’s one of the most cautious and meticulous people I’ve ever met. I guess anyone could’ve had an accident, but something about it just doesn’t fit. I think she either got into some sort of confrontation and fell, or someone pushed her.”

  “But her body was found on that rich warlock’s property. What was she doing there?”

  Zoe shrugged. “I don’t know, but that’s what I came here to figure out. That Blackwood guy might not be connected to this or the Brotherhood at all, but Rory had to be on his property for a reason.”

  “Hm, you’re probably right. But wait, if you’re the person who brought this cult down in Moon Grove, isn’t showing your face around here risky?” I asked.

  Zoe laughed. “It is, but I didn’t have a choice. No one else would do it, number one, and number two, I’m unfortunately the only one who’s qualified. I know more about this organization than anyone
else.”

  “Then why not at least use a disguise or something?”

  “Word would’ve gotten out eventually, and that would’ve only made things worse. Besides, if it’s really them behind this, I want the Brotherhood to know I’m here. There’s no one they’re more afraid of than me… But that’s where you two might come in handy. Especially you, Selena.”

  “What? Why me?” I asked as my heart thumped against my rib cage. Jadis slapped my shoulder.

  “Oh, come on, Selena, don’t play dumb! You know exactly why Zoe would want your help,” she said, and tapped the side of her head several times to illustrate the point.

  Zoe smiled at me. “I’m not the only one with a reputation, Selena. I didn’t know it was you when we met at the police station, but I’ve heard about your powers and what you’ve been up to around here,” she said, though I didn’t know whether I should be flattered or worried to hear it. “Even with that, you can move around Starfall a lot more freely than I can, and without making as much noise. I can’t force you but I’d really appreciate the help.”

  “Are you kidding? How could I ever say no to Zoe Clarke?” I asked, and Zoe beamed at me.

  “I knew I liked you for a reason.”

  “So, what’s the game plan, ladies?” Jadis asked as she rubbed her palms together mischievously.

  “I already have an interview scheduled with Mr. Blackwood tomorrow morning,” Zoe said, surprising me. She moved quickly! “Obviously, I’m using the cover of writing about his candidacy for mayor, but that’s not all I’m digging for. People know about my powers though, and someone rich and cunning like him will be ready with something to block them, so I’ll have to find some other way to get information out of him.”

  “Leave it to me. If I can get close enough to touch him or even some of the random objects around his place, it might prompt one of my visions,” I said.

  “That’s a good idea, but how are we gonna get you into Blackwood’s mansion with Zoe? It’s not like he’s just going to let any old witch waltz in there,” Jadis pointed out.