“I know you’re here,” Honora said, hoping to goad the wizard out of hiding. The disturbance was magical residue from a cloaking spell. Tough to master, especially in motion, the spell gave off a shimmer or refraction in the light when the witch moved. Anger rose in her. Breaking into her apartment had been a bad idea.
“Drop your cloak, you coward. Your spellcraft stinks.”
A chair moved. Honora spun around. The room grew quiet. Barnaby shifted on his perch. The curtain blew from the open window.
Honora breathed deeply. “Cowards always run and hide,” she said. “Come out, Hexer. Fight me to my face.”
Suddenly, Honora felt a shove from behind, and she pitched forward and tripped over the ottoman. A bark of laughter filled the room. Her head jerked toward the noise. Barnaby erupted in screeching sounds, rose from his perch, and dove at a spot a few feet from her. He reared up with talons extended. A scream replaced the laughter. The air was a swirl of motion and reflected light. The spell collapsed. A witch with a shoulder-length, jet-black bob huddled on the floor a few feet from Honora.
It was Jenny Liu. Her hands were raised above her head, and she swatted at the air like a scared child with her eyes pinched closed. “Call off your mad bird. Call him off!”
The witch was wearing a pink vinyl jumpsuit and white leather boots. She looked cute and tiny, like a harmless piece of candy, but Jenny was a tough PI who used her size to her advantage. Her persuasion was physical—strength, power, and flexibility. She’d been both a gymnast and martial arts champion at Haven Academy when they were young.
“Jenny! What the Hazel are you doing here?” Honora asked. She raised her arm, signaling to her owl. Barnaby pulled up and returned to his perch.
Jenny huffed. “Working. What do you think I’m doing?” The witch smoothed her hair and checked the condition of her suit.
“You broke into my apartment. That’s not working.” Honora crawled to her feet, pushing the ottoman out of her way.
“It is if surveying you gets me closer to my target.” She put both hands on her slim hips. Jenny Liu was a rival PI, and though they had been competing for clients for years, they’d never officially been at odds—until today. What was she thinking, breaking in and attacking Honora in her own apartment?
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on and who your mysterious target is? Because as you can see, it’s just me here,” Honora snapped, a look of disdain forming effortlessly on her face. Jenny better have a good excuse for the shove, or she was going to pay.
“Nice place. I hate that familiar of yours, but still, he’s a good watchdog.” Jenny made a slow arch of the room.
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but breaking into my home and shoving me was a mistake. Now you can tell me what this is about, or I can call the cops.”
“First off, you need to work on your sparring skills. You should have been ready for an attack from behind. Second, you aren’t going to call anyone. The last thing you want right now is to explain to “Detective Undress Me” why you’re still hot on the lookout for a certain missing wizard. I came to make a deal.”
“All this is about Rainer?” Honora snorted. She walked to the kitchen and tested the water in the kettle. Then something interesting occurred to her. “You were the investigator Jane fired, weren’t you?” Honora grinned.
Jenny’s shoulders sank, her smug attitude melting away. “No need to rub it in. I hit a wall and couldn’t get any leads. The wizard really covered his tracks. None of the locator spells I used worked.”
“Want a cup of tea?” It was time she and Jenny had a little heart-to-heart. Annoyance aside, Honora needed to find out what her rival knew about her client and why she was so interested in him.
“Sure. Sorry about the back kick,” Jenny said. “But we need to discuss the case. I’m prepared to go in on this job with you, though I’m the one doing all the work.” She slinked over and hopped up onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island.
“You? It looks like you’re just following me around.” Honora grabbed a couple of mugs and a canister of tea leaves off a shelf.
“Hardly. I know Jane has hired you. I also saw that pathetic attempt at casing the Rainers’ house. Not to mention you getting your scrawny butt kicked by that Hexer.” A self-satisfied smirk curled up Jenny’s lip and Honora cringed. Talk about embarrassing. The imp had been tailing her the whole time.
“I don’t want to discuss the Hexer scumbag. He caught me off guard.” Honora was still a little peeved. She sighed. “Jane’s an interesting client. I didn’t find anything majorly incriminating at her house to suggest there was a break-in or foul play.” She kept the blood collected off her wand a secret, for now.
“Luckily for you, I’m here to help.”
“Who says I need help? I’m doing fine on my own.”
Jenny opened a slim pouch attached to her belt and unwrapped a piece of parchment. “Oh, so then I guess you don’t want to see the incriminating evidence I found at the Rainer house long before you even got there.” She innocently batted her eyelashes.
Honora considered her options. Either she relented to hearing Jenny out, or they would play games all day. “Show me.”
Jenny revealed the mysterious contents of the parchment—a long, brown shard.
“What’s that hideous thing? And why does it smell?” Honora wrinkled up her nose at the curved, mottled talon.
“Well, it’s not from Everland, and it’s not witchy.” Jenny peered down at the thing resting on her hand.
“Looks like a fingernail or a claw of some kind. Where did you find it?”
“The Rainers’ master bathroom.” Jenny shrugged. “I’m very thorough. Unlike you, I didn’t lose my wand down the drain.”
“I didn’t have a lot of time. Plus, the rank smell was getting to me,” Honora said, pouring hot water over the tea leaves. “That was you in the yard? I knew I saw a disturbance.”
Jenny smiled. “Don’t feel bad for not detecting me. It’s a new cloaking and camouflage combination spell I’m working on. You didn’t even know I was there.”
Honora had to admit the talon was a good find. “What do you think it is? Could it be some kind of wild animal? Or creature?”
“Not sure. I’ve got a guy doing a little research.” Jenny returned the shard to a case on her belt. “Do you want to team up, share info? I know it’s not our style to work together, but I’m willing to team up with you on this case.”
“Why would I do that? Plus, I need the money. I’m not forking over half of my payment if I can work this case alone.”
“Come on. I just shared a prime piece of evidence. Now it’s your turn.” Jenny gave Honora a cocky grin. Her features were small and feline. “You need me.”
Honora snorted. “Tell me, why should I even trust you? You’ve been following me, broke into my apartment, and kicked me in the back. And now you’re gloating. The only reason you’re still here is because I want to know more about Jonathan Rainer.”
“You should trust me because we’re colleagues, and we went to school together. It’s not like we’re strangers. When did you get so sensitive? I’m just suggesting that between the two of us, we could make quick work of this case.” Clutching her cup, Jenny blew on the hot surface and took a sip of tea.
Honora tried to think of something completely harmless to share with Jenny that wouldn’t give her the upper hand. “Jonathan Rainer is working on a top-secret job with the council. And when I say top-secret, I mean of epic proportions. You should try there.”
“The council can’t find him, either. Why do you think the Hexer is following you?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.
“Do you know what he was working on for them?” Honora asked. She was beginning to think teaming up with Jenny might not be such a bad idea.
“No, I can’t get clearance.”
“I was wondering if any of the usual detection spells would help. I figured the cops tried them alrea
dy.” Locator spells made finding someone pretty routine for a witch with magic-detection skills. Hiding took talent, cloaking was a tough spell to master, and any magical object that could hide a witch left an energy signature. Someone was using serious magic to keep Jonathan Rainer’s location a secret.
Jenny shook her head. “The wizard’s a ghost.”
Now that Honora could agree with. “Why are you still working on the case if you got canned? You don’t need to waste your time.”
“I’m still working it for the same reason you took it. Because it’s big. Huge, even. I think it could affect all of Everland, and I want to be a part of it. Plus, I didn’t deserve to get fired. I’m a good PI, and I’m going to prove it.”
Honora hated to admit it, but she could use the help, or at least another pair of eyes on this case, especially if she was headed north. Also, Jenny was seriously dedicated when it came to investigating. She never gave up, and she wasn’t going to let this case go. Honora really had no choice. “I’m not splitting the fee, so you’d be doing it for free.”
“I can live with that. But we share all information, and the credit when we blow this case wide open.” Jenny had confidence to spare. It was one of the things Honora liked about her. “Also, think of me as a silent partner, and don’t tell Jane.” She narrowed her gaze.
Like she would ever tell Jane. Honora wasn’t a total amateur. “Then we have a deal. I’m going out of town for a few days, and I suggest you don’t follow me unless you want to freeze your butt off in that pink suit. But I’m not totally against the two of us sharing some information.”
“So share.” Jenny gave her a victorious little smile.
Honora filled her in on what she’d learned so far. Then they agreed to continue working the case and stay in touch.
“I gotta go. Let me know when you get back. I want details on whatever you find.” Jenny strode across the room and took a diving leap out of the window. She landed on a hover bike that had been parked on the ledge of Honora’s building. She waved as she kick-started the bike and it roared to life with a burp of smoke and sparkle of magic. A high-pitched squeal and rumbling engine noise trailed off into the distance.
That bike has seen better days.
After the visit with Jenny, Honora headed to the gym to meet up with Slader.
They had a standing morning workout session, and she hoped he’d prepare her for the trip to the North Woods. He was already at the gym when she arrived. This wasn’t your typical gym. It was a place where witches and wizards learned and practiced combat magic. After what she’d seen in the manual, she knew the wardens were trained in the magical art of butt-kicking, which just happened to be one of her favorite sports. But she was also humble enough to know she needed survivalist training.
A weapon was really just an extension of the witch handling it. Witches used many devices to channel magic—a wand, a staff, or even a ring could be used to channel a spell at another witch or object. Honora laid out her arsenal on the weight bench for Slader to examine. She’d brought her trusty short staff, her new knife, and a wand. Not a lot, but enough, especially for a flyer. Her flying skills and physical strength were her greatest weapons. She trained hard to stay in shape. The one area in her repertoire where she was lacking was combat magic.
“What do I need to know?” Honora asked after giving Slader the rundown on the case.
Slader rubbed his chin. “A combat magician will use everything against you, especially your strengths and weapons. They practice jump spells, kicking spells, shielding, and blocking spells.” Dressed in a short-sleeved black T-shirt and sweatpants, he held a thick wooden staff in his hands.
“That’s doable.”
“The warden will be hard to get close to and even harder to talk with. He’ll spellcast first and ask questions later. He’ll know everything I’m going to teach you and more. He’ll also probably have a guardian with him, so most likely you won’t even make it to him. The guardian will take you down first.” Slader crossed his arms, showing off his massive biceps. He didn’t mince words.
“How do you know all this?” Honora asked, realizing how lucky she was that her flyer club friend was so well versed in the magical fighting arts.
“I’m a fan. Plus, I’m on the waiting list to become a guardian.” His bearded face was expressionless, except for a little twinkle in his eye.
“What? Why am I just hearing about this now?” Honora wasn’t sure if she should be insulted or awed. Maybe a little of both. “Don’t you trust me?”
“It has nothing to do with trust. I never saw the reason to tell anyone. If I were ever called up, I would have to disappear, and no one would ever see me again.”
Slader was the toughest wizard she’d ever known. It didn’t surprise her that he volunteered to be a guardian and devote his life to protecting Everland. He was both a gentleman and a fierce fighter, but the idea of him leaving without saying a word stung. “You wouldn’t even say goodbye?” She averted her gaze, a pout forming on her face.
“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s a long shot. I’ve been on the list for over fifty years.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not. I’ll hunt you down and kick your butt if you do.” She gave him a good-natured shove.
He snorted. “Good luck with that. Now let’s focus on the job.”
“I really need your advice. Looks like I’m going to have a hard time even talking with the Woodsman. How close do you think I can get?” she asked, changing the subject.
“My suggestion is to try and reason with the guardian. He’s the one who can help you get the message to the Woodsman that you’re looking for Rainer. That’s your best chance.” He picked up the staff and threw it to her. “Let’s start with defensive counterblows.”
“I’ll do the attacking,” Honora said before taking a direct hit from Slader’s wand, flinging her across the room into a pile of crash mats. Her new substitute wand went flying. “Damn! I can never hold on to those things.” She pounded her fist on the mat.
Honora’s biggest strength was flying, and though she had a short staff she used in close-contact fighting, she was not as adept at using a wand, especially in flight. She had dropped more than a half-dozen wands in her academy days before realizing she needed a new way of conducting magic.
Slader bounded toward her in a crouched stance, his staff raised. “Too late. You’re dead.”
“Give me a second.” She raised her head off the mat and rubbed her back. “Ouch. That’s the second cheap shot I’ve taken today.”
“No one fights fair in the real world. Sometimes that one shot is all you’re going to get.” He threw another blast at her, but Honora rolled out of the strike path just in time.
Slader backed off, taking a defensive stance. Once on her feet, she crept out of hiding behind a support beam and slinked to the center of the room. She crouched low. Her muscles tensed. Her senses heightened. She was ready for whatever her flying buddy was about to throw at her. Honora couldn’t help but smile at her burly friend.
Slader’s eyes glowed black and gold—the night vision. Her stomach lurched. Suddenly all the lights went out, and they were shrouded in darkness.
“Illuminus!” Honora screamed, and the tip of her wand glowed, but it was too late. Slader’s shadowy form barreled toward her. He took three steps and used his staff to vault over her head. Within seconds he was behind her. She hadn’t seen it coming, but that was what made Slader one of the best sparring partners.
Instinctively, she dropped to the mat and spun around. Slader’s spell shot toward her in a jagged bolt of pulsating energy. She didn’t have time to move; the spell hit her in the chest with a warm crackle of energy that shot through her limbs, making her fingers tingle. She screamed, “Hazel’s heart!”
A thin, translucent shield sprung to life in front of her, taking a direct hit with a deafening crack as another attack spell crashed
into the ward. Honora winced, but the shield held, not a scratch on it. She felt a distinct hum of magic directly under her belly button, where her belt buckle rested. The shield was seven feet tall and wide, giving her a protective berth.
Slader cursed, whispered a spell, and the lights came back on. “What the Hazel is that?” he huffed. His eyes were wild with both curiosity and anger. He hated being bested in a fight.
Honora backed up a few feet as he advanced. “Just a little something I came up with to take a quick hit. Like it?”
He studied the shield and then his shoulders relaxed. “Like it? I love it. You never cease to amaze me. That’s a brilliant idea.”
“Thanks,” Honora said, and deactivated the spell. “You never know when you might need an instant shield.”
“Where you’re going, you’ll get some good use out of it.”
Honora was a fan of charms and potions, but they were totally impractical to use while flying and fighting at the same time. She had needed to come up with something better and less likely to be misplaced, lost, or dropped. It had to be a magical spell she could wear like a charm, but more practical than having a dangly bracelet or necklace with detachable charms loaded with spells. The shield belt had been the perfect invention.
It was unexpected and strong. She could wear the belt and not worry about it falling off, and the magic could be easily loaded up into the buckle. She chose a defensive shield she could pull up with a short phrase.
They worked on more defensive techniques, until Honora felt she had a good arsenal of combat magic at her disposal. Then Slader taught her survivalist training techniques—fire-starting spells, camping skills, and what plants and proteins were edible. She made a mental note to take extra granola bars, because there was no way she was eating worms.
Fly By Midnight (A Sister Witches Mystery) Page 9