by Molly Fitz
Parker had either gotten confused or was purposefully lying to the board. Greta had already confirmed that.
But he’d also proudly told me he was a local, born and raised in Beech Grove. In fact, it was one of the first things he said to me—well, after accusing me of being a murderer, that is. I doubted he’d have made an error in calculating the time given his familiarity with the town, and I also doubted he’d tell a lie he knew could be easily disproved.
So why hadn’t the others noticed this inconsistency?
Or had they but chosen not to acknowledge it?
I was missing something big here, and I doubted I was the only one.
See, this was exactly the kind of thing that happened from making decisions too fast! Yet another reason it was so important for me to start my days with a slow, contemplative shower. Thanks to Fluffikins, I hadn’t even gotten a quick and cold shower that morning.
I’d only had a single serving of coffee, too.
And it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Yawn.
I rummaged through the late Mrs. Haberdash’s jewelry box and lifted a large emerald ring to inspect it more closely.
“Drop that,” someone ordered from the doorway in a gruff voice. Despite the added vitriol, I instantly recognized the speaker.
I turned to face Parker, holding the ring tight. “Make me,” I challenged through clenched teeth. I was taking a big chance here and prayed my instincts were bang on.
He paused for a moment, but that was enough to confirm my suspicions.
“You’re not Parker,” I said, slipping the ring onto my finger and placing a hand on each hip in open defiance.
27
Parker unleashed a fiery blast and sent it careening right at me. Yeah, this definitely wasn’t the same guy I’d met the day before.
I tried to dodge, but the surge of magic shot out so fast I didn’t have a chance. The flames crashed straight into me, but I hardly felt a thing. Only warmth, acknowledgment. The light in my chest glowed as the borrowed angel armor absorbed the full impact.
“They know,” Parker growled, and for a moment he looked too stunned to take any further action.
But that moment quickly passed and he hurled himself onto me, trapping my smaller body beneath his large, muscly one.
“Let me go!” I flailed against him.
“Tell me where the others are,” he demanded, but still he couldn’t force me to do it against my will. This wasn’t Parker. He didn’t have the same powers.
“No,” I told him with another grunt. “I won’t tell you anything until you explain who you are and what you want.”
If I could get and keep him talking until Greta returned, then everything would be okay. I was definitely doing my job as bait. Now I just had to hope my fisherman would come to the rescue before the armor took one too many hits and I got gobbled up whole.
“Who are you? Why are you even a part of this?” fake Parker demanded rather than offering any answers of his own.
“I’m Tawny,” I said blithely. The goal was to keep him talking, so if he wanted to hear about me, I was more than ready to offer up some info. “I’m just a temp.”
“They took your magic and kicked you out. Why are you in this house? What are you looking for?”
I absolutely was not going to tell him that I was only here to distract him, so instead I reached for my writer skills and concocted a story—a bit of pure and simple fiction to save the day.
“I live in the guest house out back. When they took my magic and kicked me out, I figured I’d been stiffed. I needed the money, though, that’s why I even took the lousy job in the first place. Figured with everyone’s attention focused elsewhere I could creep in here and find something to hock. Make sure I got some kind of payment for all my efforts.”
“You made a bad choice,” he hissed above me. “Because, see, now that you’re here, I can’t just let you go.”
“Then let me help you,” I suggested, giving up the struggle. The safest way to avoid getting hurt was to make him think I was on his side.
But it was to no avail. “I don’t need help from a normie. This will be easier without you here to get in the way.” He sent another surge of flames into my body, but I felt nothing this time. Just how long could this angel armor hold out? I really, really didn’t want to find out.
“What’s protecting you?” my attacker asked, further proof that he was not the Parker Barnes I knew and had even begun to care about a little.
“I don’t know,” I lied. I would have shrugged, but I still couldn’t move beneath him. “Magical residue, maybe? As you said, I’m nothing but a normie. Please just let me go.”
Another roar of ineffectual flames crashed against me.
“Use me as bait,” I suggested in a squeaky voice. Panic had begun to set it. Would Greta make it back in time, or would the next blast be the one to break through my armor?
“What?” he asked, his hand lifted to conjure another blow, then paused.
“Don’t just kill me. Use me as a bargaining piece for whatever it is you want.” If I could be the bait for the good guys, then I could be the bait for the bad guys, too. Only Greta had the full picture. I had to trust that she would be back soon and make sure I escaped this scuffle alive. I mean, if you couldn’t trust an angel, then who could you trust?
He pondered this for a few moments, and when at last he spoke again, it wasn’t to me. “There you are. Now get in here, and help me tie her up,” he said, pressing me harder into the ground. My face now lay flat against the heavy pile carpet in Mrs. Haberdash’s bedroom.
The echoing footsteps paused just outside the doorway.
“Well? Were you able to incapacitate any of them?” fake Parker pressed.
“No, unfortunately. They went to the power points as you anticipated, but they were unable to complete the ritual,” a husky feminine voice answered.
I couldn’t see much from my unfortunate position, but it was enough to recognize the pair of feet that joined us, dressed in thick black combat boots and a long flowy skirt.
Melony had arrived.
“Why not?” the man holding me down asked with a growl.
“One of their members suspected something and came to alert the others. I was just about to converge on the cat when it happened.”
“What did she say? Come out with it already!” My attacker shoved me into the floor with all his might, but the angel armor held strong.
Melony drew closer but remained a couple steps back. “I couldn’t hear, but the two of them took off together.”
“They’re going to warn the others. That means we don’t have much time,” the man said. “We have to finish this now. We might never get the chance again.”
I swallowed hard.
Whatever came next, I knew it wouldn’t be good.
28
“Why are you doing this?” I shouted, but my words got lost in the thick pile of the carpet. “What do you want?” I tried again, forcing the question from the side of my mouth.
“You think we wanted my stupid aunt’s town magic? Please,” Melony spat as she bound my wrists behind my back. “We’ve got much bigger fish to fry.”
Well, at least she was keeping with the established metaphor, even if she hadn’t exactly been let in on the whole thing.
“Melony, hush,” the fake Parker scolded from where he was tying my ankles together.
She pulled back for a second before applying herself with even more vigor. “Sorry, Grandpa.”
Oh, no. The family bond. This was exactly what Greta and the others had wanted to avoid.
Panic wrapped around my chest even tighter than my bonds. “Where’s Parker? What did you do to him?” I mumbled again.
“He’s dead,” the Parker clone said with a laugh. “And soon you will be, too.”
Oh, no. Were we really too late?
If they’d been able to kill Parker with his double dose of magic, then I didn’t stand a chance. I was just one no
rmal magic-less person up against two very magical people with an amplified family bond. I couldn’t even get my hands or feet free to try to fight my way out of this or to make a run for it.
Would the other members of the board be able to defeat this villainous pair, or was the town of Beech Grove now doomed—and the entire region of Peach Plains right along with it?
A crash sounded from downstairs. Had my help finally arrived?
“Stay here,” the fake Parker—Melony’s grandfather—said. “I’ll go investigate.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked the girl when the two of us were alone. “Is your life really so bad?”
“I don’t have to answer that.” She crossed her arms over her chest but remained standing sentinel over me.
“Is this even something you want? Seems to me like your grandpa is the one calling all the shots. What makes you think he’s going to share any of the magic he gains with you?” If I found the right words, perhaps I could sway Melony to my side. She’d had the chance to defeat me and Greta earlier, but she’d chosen not to. There had to be good in there somewhere.
She glowered at me. “Hush up. You don’t know anything. Grandpa promised that if I help him with his plan, he’ll make sure I take up my rightful place as Town Witch.”
“If you say so,” I responded casually.
She dug a heel into my back, but the armor of light held up, keeping me from feeling any of the pain. Okay, so maybe she was capable of inflicting some pain—but murder?
Everyone believed she’d come to town in order to kill her aunt, but what if they were wrong? What if Melony was after something else?
As we waited alone in that room, I turned Melony’s last statement over and over in my mind. Her grandfather had said he’d make sure she became Town Witch.
As in future tense… As in it hadn’t happened yet…
Which meant Melony didn’t already have the town magic. Her grandfather wouldn’t have killed Parker himself if he’d promised the magic to Melony. I still didn’t know what they were after, but it was clearly something much bigger than the Beech Grove town magic.
They weren’t after Parker. Perhaps they’d never been.
Chances were he was still alive.
Bigger fish to fry, Melony had said before her grandfather cut her off. Could I trick her into revealing more?
“What are you going to do with me?” I asked, turning slightly so it was easier to speak.
Melony’s eyes met mine, and she flinched.
Perhaps she would have offered an answer, but I never got the chance to find out.
A strained cry rose from downstairs, silencing both of us.
Melony crept toward the door, and I remained on the floor, unable to do more than wriggle in place.
The next thing I heard was fake Parker shouting, “You’re not going anywhere. Now march.”
Melony ran out of the room to help, and I was able to move myself into a position that afforded me a better view of the doorway.
A minute later, the two of them strode in, pushing a burned and bloody Greta into the room before them. Without her angel armor to protect her, she’d been badly wounded by grandpa Haberdash’s magical blows. She was barely conscious as they pushed her into the floor and tied her up as well.
She’d come to save me but had ended up in the line of fire herself.
Parker was missing, and the two of us had been captured. That left Fluffikins, Connie from Commerce, the old guy, and the slightly younger one who headed up Agriculture.
Would they be enough to stop Melony and her grandfather before they got their hands on whatever they were after?
Think, Tawny. Think!
If I couldn’t unravel their plan, maybe I could still put a few chinks into it.
I didn’t know how the family bond worked, but maybe I could still find a way to sever it.
Maybe I could still save the day.
No magic required.
29
“Where are the others?” Grandpa Haberdash kicked and barked at Greta, but his latest blow had rendered her unconscious and unable to answer. I hated seeing him use Parker’s likeness to hurt us. No matter what happened after today, I knew I’d never be able to shake the image from my mind.
“They’re coming. I just know it,” Melony said, then worried her lip as she waited for her grandfather’s acknowledgment.
He cracked his knuckles and scowled, not even looking at Melony as he said, “Stay put, and make sure these two don’t cause any trouble. And do not under any circumstances leave this house. Do you hear me?”
Melony bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yes, Grandpa.”
And with that, her grandfather charged out of the room and down the long staircase. I listened but couldn’t hear the door downstairs open or shut. My guess was that he had remained inside, lying in wait and ready to ambush whoever arrived next.
“So…” I wiggled onto my side so I could see Melony as I spoke. Perhaps her face would reveal something her words would not. I was fighting for my life here and had to use everything I had at my disposal. “Since we’re both stuck here, want to tell me your master plan? I’m sure it’s super smart.”
She crossed her arms and looked away. “No.”
Hmmm. If I couldn’t appeal to her vanity, perhaps I could poke at her insecurities. I tried to shrug, but that didn’t quite work considering my bonds. “I understand. I mean, we’re both useless anyway. Might as well let the tough guys fight it out and tell us about it later.”
Melony scoffed. “You may be useless, normie, but I’m not.”
“Hey, why are you calling me a normie?” I tried to look hurt as I asked this. Vanity and insecurity hadn’t worked, so what about humanity?
She rolled her eyes. “Because you don’t have any magic, duh.”
“Don’t I, though? I’m the Town Witch.”
She studied me for a moment, then shook her head. “No, the guy who killed my great aunt is.”
“Maybe he’s the official Town Witch, but as a temp for the PTA, I have an exact replica of the magic right here.” I struggled against my bonds, then sighed.
She glanced back to me, uncertain. “Right where?”
“Well, I was instructed to keep the magic vessel close to my heart so that it would work best.”
Melony took a step closer. “Where is it? Give it to me.”
“I put it in my bra,” I said with a grunt.
“That’s gross.”
“Well, do you want it or not?” I asked casually, trying to convey that it didn’t matter to me if she accepted my help. A plan had started to form in my mind, though, and if I could get Melony to do her part, then Greta and I just might have a chance here. “I bet you’d be even more powerful than your grandpa if you had this extra jolt of magic. He wouldn’t leave you on daycare duty then.”
“Give it to me,” she said again. Her eyes didn’t light on fire the way Greta’s had, but I recognized a spark of greed.
I grunted and struggled against my bonds again. I had to make the show good. “I can’t,” I moaned, then flipped onto my back. The motion would have really hurt my tied-up wrists, but the angel armor was still protecting me from pain, thank goodness. I pressed out my chest as far as I could. “Come get it yourself. I can’t exactly get it for you.”
“Eeew, no.” She sniffed in disgust and took a giant step back.
We both fell silent for the next couple minutes.
Neither of us moved until the sudden sound of a door banging open caused us both to jump in our skins.
“Last chance,” I mumbled, trying hard to hide my desperation. “Take my magic and go be part of the action. I mean, if you’re not there with him, how can you be sure your grandfather will even cut you in once he gets what he wants?”
Melony bit her lip again, then hurried over to my side. “I’ll untie you for just a second, and just one hand. Give me the magic vessel, don’t do anything funny, and I’ll make sure you live. It’s not
like Grandpa and I have a use for you, anyway.”
“Deal.” I flashed her a relieved smile. Not because she was offering me a way out, but because she’d fallen so perfectly into my trap.
I gave myself a quick mental pep talk as Melony struggled to untie just one hand. Downstairs, I heard Fluffikins shout, “Who are you, and what have you done with Parker?”
A series of crashes and slams followed as Melony used a fresh length of rope to tie my left wrist to the bonds that held my ankles before she finally got to work on freeing my right hand.
I was patient with her, like a good hostage.
“Okay, give it to me,” she said when at last my hand was fully freed. I reached into my bra and found the decoy brooch Greta had entrusted to me. Huh. Who knew this thing would actually come in handy?
Melony accepted it greedily, wiping it off on the hem of her shirt before pulling it to her face for a closer inspection. She was too distracted by both the brooch and the action downstairs to immediately retie me, just as I had counted on.
While she studied the empty magic vessel, I brought my free hand back to my chest and pressed it against my heart, summoning the light within. It started small like a pinprick but then grew into a magnificent fruit-sized orb.
By the time Melony realized what I was doing, I had already thrust my hand toward Greta’s unconscious body and allowed the light to flow out of me and into her.
The angel’s eyes snapped open, full of white heat. I watched in awe as her wounds closed up and she regained full vitality.
Now that I no longer had her armor, I gasped as a sudden wave of pain crashed over me. The wrist that was still held captive behind my back had been twisted at an unnatural angle when I flipped myself onto my back. And when Melony had fastened it to my feet, that only made the break worse.
Yup, it was definitely broken.
Greta shouted beside me and ripped through the ropes that had held her.
“Go!” I urged in a hoarse whisper. “Take Melony out of here. Out of the… house.”
I didn’t see what happened next, because I passed out from the pain.