by Lily Webb
“Sure, can’t hurt,” I said as I stared up at the Academy. Quirky as it was, it was impressive.
“Hey, you,” a voice said, bringing my head out of the clouds. I looked for the source but found only a poster plastered onto a nearby street lamp. When the picture of a witch on it moved, I gasped.
“Yeah, I’m talking to you,” the witch said, jabbing a finger at me, which sprung from the paper and stopped less than an inch away from my nose, making me stumble backward.
“Are you sick of the corrupt Cromwells? Are you ready to see real change in Moon Grove, the kind that means something? The kind that doesn’t rely on empty words and broken promises?”
I tried to step away, but the witch’s finger followed me and hooked itself on the neck of my shirt. I screamed, and Luna hissed and jumped to swat at the witch’s finger but missed.
“Are you tired of our government putting the needs of others ahead of those of our own?”
I nodded, desperate to make the witch leave me alone.
“Good! Can Grace Magnus can count on your vote for Head Witch this election season?” the witch asked as I clawed at my shirt to get free.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who that is or—”
“Combustio!” a voice shouted. The witch in the picture shrieked, her oversized finger disappeared, and the poster drifted to the ground in flames. Luna growled and swatted at the pile of ash.
“What the heck was that?” I asked as I straightened my clothes.
When I looked up, the stern, intimidating face of a witch in flowing black robes stared down at me from the steps of the Academy.
The witch wore her auburn hair in a tight bun on top of her head, which only made her look more intimidating. A large, silver crescent moon pendant beamed from her neck, and a twisted, knotted stick of wood dangled from her left hand.
Had she heard the ad shouting? I blinked, and the witch was beside me.
“That, my dear, was an attack ad,” my rescuer said.
“Sorry, Zoe, I should’ve warned you,” Flora said. “If you look at them directly, you’ll never get away.”
Just when I started to think I was getting a grip on things…
“Aren't they supposed to be attacking their opponent, not their voters?” I asked.
“You’re Zoe Clarke,” the witch said, ignoring my question.
“How does everyone here know my name? This is starting to feel like a super weird episode of Cheers,” I said, and the witch gave me a puzzled look.
“Zoe, this is Raina Woods, Headmistress of Veilside Academy,” Flora said, and I gulped. No wonder she was so intense.
Raina offered me a hand to shake, and as I took it, my body screamed with the itching sensation again. Spidey Senses, indeed. No doubt this woman was chock-full of magical power — and I hadn’t forgotten she was Harper’s aunt either.
“Nice to meet you, Headmistress Woods. Thanks for saving me from, uh, whatever that was,” I said.
“After death, life,” Raina whispered, looking me up and down while she continued to clutch my hand.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked and yanked my hand free.
“You’ve come at the perfect time. There’s something extraordinary about you, Zoe, I can feel it,” Raina said.
“You know, my grandma’s always said that too, but I think she’s just lying to make me feel better about myself,” I said, and Flora giggled while Raina blinked at me.
“You’re without a coven,” Raina said.
How did she know that? And if she knew, why didn’t she also know I wasn’t a witch?
“I’m not a witch, so why would I need a coven?” I asked, and Raina smirked.
“My dear, if you aren’t a witch, then my name isn’t Raina,” she said. “There’s magic in you, make no mistake, though it’s distant, faded. Still, I feel it in the Veil.”
“I don’t have any idea what that means,” I said, and Raina smiled.
“I could help you get back in touch with your magic. I could teach you,” she said.
“No, you couldn’t. I told you, I’m not a witch,” I insisted.
Raina fixed her eyes on mine, staring at me like she was trying to see into my soul.
“What are you—” I started, but stopped when I heard her voice again — in my head.
You hear me, don’t you? Her voice echoed in my mind, and I nodded, more out of fear than anything else.
As I suspected. Maybe there will be justice for my dear Harper, after all.
A whooshing sound roared in my ears and I snapped back into myself. What did she mean, justice for Harper?
“What was that? What did you do?” I asked.
“Each of us has a gift of some sort, and it seems yours lies in the magic of the mind. I would be honored to teach you personally. It’s been decades since Moon Grove has seen a witch with your potential,” Raina said.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to get back to you on that one,” I said. My head felt fuzzy and swollen like I’d developed a cold in a matter of seconds.
“I’m starting a new job tomorrow, and all this is more than a little much for me right now.”
“Take all the time you need. You know where to find me now,” Raina said.
“Right, thanks,” I said.
“The pleasure is all mine. Take care, Zoe. I look forward to seeing you again soon,” Raina said, and a second later she vanished. No sound, no smoke, no sparkles, nothing.
“Are you okay?” Flora asked, resting a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed,” I said. Flora smiled at me.
“Understandably. Raina is a strong personality. Anyway, I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Let’s get you home. I’m just a few blocks up Swiftsage,” Flora said, pointing to my right.
The street that branched off from Crescent in that direction, away from Veilside, turned more floral as it progressed. I walked behind Flora in a daze, my mind spinning off in every direction while I kept my eyes down to make sure I didn’t get accosted by another advertisement.
Raina insisted I was a witch, but that was absurd. Nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened to me in my twenty-one years on Earth, much less anything magical — until today, anyway.
And what did she mean when she said I had “magic of the mind?” It seemed like everyone in Moon Grove knew more about me than I did. More than ever before, I wanted to talk to Grandma Elle, even if she wouldn’t believe a word I told her about what I’d seen in this town.
Three blocks down Swiftsage, we stopped at a house built into a large mound of grass and surrounded by flowers, many of which I’d never seen before and could only assume were magical. In any case, they all gave off a soothing scent.
A white gate with frilly accents surrounded the yard, and a stone path led to the oak front door. Two large circular windows were set into the mound on either side.
“Here we are. Welcome home,” Flora said as she opened the gate and stepped onto the path.
“It looks like something out of a fairy tale,” I said and winced when I realized what I’d said. “Sorry, bad habit, no offense.”
“All tales have some root in reality, don’t they?” Flora asked, smiling.
She waved her hand, and the door swung open to reveal an interior space much larger than should’ve been possible. It was at least three thousand square feet, far more than enough for two people.
“Your room is to the left,” Flora said. “I hope it’ll be enough for you and Luna.”
“I’m sure it will,” I said as I stepped inside. Flora waved her hand, and my luggage moved its way through the house and into the open door of my new bedroom.
“I think I could get used to this,” Luna said as she trotted in behind us.
“Please, make yourself at home,” Flora said.
“Careful. If you aren’t, Luna will be sleeping in your bed,” I said, and Luna scowled up at me.
“I’m more than okay with that,” Flora said.
> “Maybe I’ll trade you in after all,” Luna said.
“It was only a matter of time,” I sighed, and Flora giggled. “Is there a phone here I could use? I need to tell my family I’m alive and mine doesn’t appear to work anymore.”
“Oh, right. Nothing technological from outside Moon Grove will work here, but there’s a phone in your room by the bed you can use until we can get you a Paraphone,” Flora said.
“Right, a Paraphone, of course, silly me,” I said, and Flora laughed.
“Don’t worry, Zoe, you’ll get through all this. Mitch and I will make sure of it,” Flora said.
It wasn’t adjusting to life with magic that worried me most.
“Jury’s out on that one,” I said. “But thanks for all the help anyway, and for, you know, letting a stranger move into your house.”
“I’m happy to have you,” Flora said. “I’ll be around if you need anything else. Now go get some rest, I’m sure you need it.”
She had no idea how accurate that was.
“Thanks,” I said and turned to go down the hall to the left wing of Flora’s house — er, our house.
Inside the bedroom, which was bare save for a nightstand topped by what looked like a regular cordless home phone, Luna was already curled up and asleep on the massive four-poster bed. A chill swept over me as I walked inside. Harper lived here, and even though there weren’t any of her things left in the room, I felt her presence.
It was hard not to think about the fact that the woman I’d been hired to replace was murdered — and that everyone I’d talked to seemed too scared to find out who’d done it or why. Who scared them into letting the murder go unsolved? And what if the killer came after me or someone else at the Messenger next, just to reinforce that fear?
It should’ve made me want to run screaming from Moon Grove and pretend like none of what I’d seen really happened, but something about Harper’s story pulled at me. If no one else wanted to pursue it, maybe it would have to be me. Maybe that’s what Raina meant when she said — or thought or whatever she’d done in my head — there might be justice for Harper after all.
“There’s only one way to find out,” I mumbled as I reached for the phone to dial Grandma Elle and tell her I wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon.
Chapter Six
Flora and I walked to work together the next morning after working through the awkwardness of sharing a bathroom. It wasn’t pretty, but we managed.
“Did you sleep well? I didn’t hear a peep out of you all night,” Flora said.
“Like a baby,” I said. “All things considered, I’m amazed I didn’t have nightmares.”
“Good, I think you’re gonna need all the energy you can find to get through today,” Flora said.
“Why’s that?” I asked as we rounded the corner of Swiftsage to Crescent Street.
Though we were still a few blocks away from the Messenger, from where I stood, it looked like things had actually settled down in the town square compared to the day prior. Maybe Beau was right about the full moon activating people.
“Council meetings aren’t easy to cover, especially if you don’t know all the intricacies,” Flora said. “There are so many witches and warlocks, and they all have alliances and disputes with each other, which only seem to have gotten worse since Claudette passed away.”
“And yet Mitch wants to throw me, a total newbie, to the wolves,” I sighed, and Flora giggled. I clapped a hand over my mouth.
“Oops. I really need to pay more attention to my phrasing.”
“What Mitch doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Flora said, smiling.
“Claudette must’ve been an amazing witch if everything went off the rails after she died,” I said.
“She really was incredible. All the other witches and warlocks looked up to her, and they didn’t dare cross her. She had a gift for bringing people together, even when they most disagreed,” Flora said.
“No wonder everything went haywire then,” I said. “How am I supposed to cover this meeting when I know next to nothing about it?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure Mitch will send someone with you to help.”
“Someone like you?” I asked, and Flora frowned.
“I wish. I’m always trapped behind a desk doing edits now. I can’t remember the last time I was out in the field,” Flora said.
“That’s a shame, I bet we’d have fun,” I said.
“Maybe it’s better we don’t work together then,” Flora laughed.
“Probably,” I said, shrugging.
We walked the rest of the way to the Messenger in silence, and with each step I took my anxiety grew. I had no idea what to expect when I walked through the doors of the Town Hall later, but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it.
Covering city and government back in Charlotte was so easy for me I could’ve done it in my sleep, but they didn’t have witches and werewolves in Charlotte — or at least not that I knew. As nervous as I was, the Council meeting might shed some light on Harper’s death, so that alone made it worth sucking down my fear to attend.
We reached the Messenger, and my eyes swept its roof and the roofs of the nearby buildings for signs of gargoyles. If they were worth their salt, they wouldn’t be out in the open, but I still wanted to see them — if for no other reason than to have the illusion of protection. They must’ve been good, or turned to stone or something because I didn’t see anything.
“Good morning, ladies,” Mitch greeted us as we walked through the front door as if he’d been waiting for us. Was he actually smiling? It was hard to tell through his beard.
“You’re awfully chipper today, Mitch,” Flora said, winking at me. “Did you wake up on the right side of the full moon?”
“Very funny. Zoe, can I talk to you for a sec?” Mitch asked, and I gulped.
“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it,” I said, and Mitch smirked.
“You aren’t in trouble. Not yet, anyway,” he said and left for his office. Flora shrugged at me, so I followed him.
“What’s up?” I asked over the noise of the door closing.
“Nothing, I just wanted to go over the assignment today. I’m sure Flora filled your head with all kinds of things about the Council,” Mitch said.
“Not too bad. She just told me about the background politics,” I said.
“Good. That’s really what we need to focus on,” Mitch said. “Don’t worry about all the specifics. I’m coming with you to the meeting today, I’ll fill you in on who everyone is.”
“You will?” I asked, surprised. Of all people for him to send to accompany me, I wouldn’t have guessed he’d choose himself.
“I’ve been the editor of the Messenger for ten years. No one knows this Council and its members better than I do,” he said.
“Fair enough. What are they meeting for today anyway?” I asked. “Do they have an agenda?”
“Just procedural stuff, nothing too interesting, which is why I thought it’d be a good first assignment for you. You know, let you get your feet wet,” Mitch said.
“Well, that’s a letdown. I was expecting fireworks,” I said, and Mitch smiled.
“Oh, you’ll see those sooner or later, I’m sure. The election is two weeks from today, and it’s darn close if the talking heads over at Channel 666 can be believed,” Mitch said.
“Two weeks, huh? No wonder the ads are literally grabbing people,” I said.
“Oh no, an attack ad got you already?” Mitch laughed.
“Sure did,” I said.
“They’ll be gone soon enough. Anyway, the meeting’s set to start in five minutes, so we should get moving or we’re gonna be late,” Mitch said as he led me out of his office. “You got everything you need?”
“All I need is pen and paper,” I said. As if the room heard me, a pad and pen zoomed through the air into my hands.
“Let’s go,” Mitch said and set off across the newsroom.
“Brett, I’m heading out to
the Council meeting with Zoe. You’re in charge,” he called, and a tall man in coke-bottle glasses I didn’t recognize nodded and waved at Mitch from his desk.
“You have any questions before this thing gets started?” Mitch asked as we stepped outside. I made sure to look both ways for any rogue witches on broomsticks before crossing Luna Street with Mitch to the Town Hall.
“Oh, I have a million questions, but we don’t have time for all that right now,” I said.
“Whatever comes to mind, write it down, and we’ll talk it over later,” Mitch said. We approached the massive, oak double doors that adorned the front of the Town Hall and as soon as Mitch pushed them open a wall of sound washed over us.
Creatures of every type and size sat in perfect, straight rows of wooden chairs that fanned out from the raised dais at the front of the room, where another empty thirteen sat. The two at the center of the dais were high-backed and decorated with black satin and a crescent moon. They must’ve been for the Head Witch and Warlock.
Mitch shoved his way through the crowd of people to the front row and two seats saved for us by a piece of paper with the Messenger’s gothic font logo. We’d no sooner sat down before a bell rang and silence fell through the hall as the attendees took their seats.
“Citizens of Moon Grove, your eighty-sixth Council,” a voice boomed throughout the hall, and in the next second, twelve witches and warlocks appeared in the raised seats in front of us — the Head Witch’s seat remained empty.
A willow-thin man in deep violet robes sat in the Head Warlock’s chair, his salt and pepper hair neatly combed and swept back from his forehead. He smiled out at the crowd, his deep blue eyes twinkling, and cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for joining us today,” he said, his voice deep and slow.
“As you are all well aware, I’m Heath Highmore, your Head Warlock. Your Council has gathered today to hear grievances from the community at large, and judging from the crowd it seems we’re in for quite a few, so let’s get down to business,” Heath continued, and the audience laughed.
That explained why so many people were present — city government meetings back home never saw this kind of attendance.