Winging It

by A. A. Albright

  She swung her leg over her broom. ‘How about you just watch me, and then copy what I do? I don’t use an incantation any more, but I’ll use the one I used to when I was a girl, to give you an idea of what you might want to say. Mine is more of a chant, really, but you can choose whatever works for you.’

  Without waiting for me to reply, she spoke to her broom. ‘Bonded, flying, we are one. Bonded, flying, we are one. Bonded, flying, we are one.’

  She looked at me. ‘As I said, you can say whatever you like. Just connect with your broom. Feel the magic flowing back and forth between you. Remember – the magic used when making a broom means that this wood is not dead wood. This wood is alive. It sings to you. You sing back. It’s a partnership.’

  I swung my leg over, and muttered the first thing that came to my mind. ‘You remind me of a broom I rode once with my father. I’d like to bond with you, if that’s okay?’

  I felt a slight leap beneath my fingertips. Amelia laughed. ‘That’s it, Wanda. Now, it’s all about intent. Think of it like riding a horse. The best riders don’t kick the hell out of the animal. They don’t yank the bit in its mouth. Rider and horse develop a subtle language together. It’s the same for rider and broom. You lift the broom to rise, but you don’t yank it. Not unless you want to fall right off, anyway. A gentle lift. When you feel the broom leap, lift your feet.’

  I did as she said. Sure enough, I felt a slight leap. As I lifted my feet, it turned to more of a judder. I hovered about a foot and a half above the ground, not going anywhere.

  ‘That’s okay. You’re doing fine. Judging by the way your broom is reacting, Wanda, I’d say that it’s brand new – or at least no one has ever used it, anyway. Usually there’s a test flight or two at the factory, but some people insist on the broom being touched by no one but the maker until it’s theirs. It’s okay, though. It just needs strong direction, strong magic – and I know you have that. You’re already bonded. Bend down slightly, angling your head in the direction you want to go. And set your intentions forward.’

  Again, I followed her instructions, and the broom lurched forward. An odd certainty hit me, then. This broom really was buzzing with magic. It was raring to go, wanting to really let loose and fly. I felt kind of sorry for it, seeing as its first flyer was me. But nevertheless, I tried to give it a little more of what it needed. I kept zooming ahead, my body naturally bracing and bending to balance the flight as we flew in circles around the perimeter of the field. Slow at first, increasing in speed until I began to feel dizzy.

  I could see and hear Amelia, laughing and whooping, flying close to me all the while. Even though I was limited to six feet above the ground, I felt more alive than I had in ... ever. Until suddenly, I felt a small body crash into mine. Before I could do anything about it, I was hurtling to the ground.

  ≈

  The landing was gentle, I’ll say that much for it – Amelia hadn’t been wrong about the super-soft ground. As I picked myself up, I noticed the person who had sent me flying. Or rather, sent me falling. It was the skinny boy, the one called Roger.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I tried to keep going around the perimeter, but I sneezed and ... well ... I lost control.’

  I began to laugh. Then I laughed some more.

  Roger looked in concern from me to Amelia. ‘Is she okay?’ he asked. ‘Maybe she banged her head?’

  I tried to calm myself down. ‘No. Sorry. I’m fine. It’s just ... I was afraid of crashing. And now I’ve crashed. It’s a relief, that’s all.’

  The kid looked at me like he was still questioning my stability, picked up his broom, and sauntered off.

  ‘The hour’s up anyway,’ said Amelia. ‘Do you want to grab lunch together?’

  ‘I’m so sorry – I’ve arranged to meet Finn Plimpton here for lunch, and it’s gonna be shop talk. But maybe after our next class? What day does it take place?’

  She gave me a warm smile. ‘Any day you like. I’d like to give you private lessons, if you’re up for it. No charge. It’d just be a privilege to teach Aengus Wayfair’s kid to fly, to be honest.’

  ‘Wow.’ I grinned back at her. ‘I accept. Graciously. As long as you let me buy that lunch we’ll be having afterwards.’ I glanced over at the other kids, who were packing up their things and making their way to the club house. I’d been so excited by the flying lesson that I’d forgotten the real reason I was there. ‘I was hoping I might bump into a kid I know while I was here. Candace Plimpton? She was in my Simple Spells and Incantations classes. I heard she was a member.’

  ‘Oh, she’s a member all right,’ said Amelia. ‘But she was done with beginners’ classes a long time ago. Candace got her power at four and a half, and was flying better than most by the time she was five.’ She nodded to a far field. ‘Johann over there, he’s her teacher. He was training her round the clock for the Under Sixteens’ Advanced Everest Climb. Until recently. She’s got the flu, I hear.’

  ‘Oh, poor Candace. I was really hoping to catch up.’ I shrugged casually. ‘Maybe I’ll pop over and bring her a Pick me Up Potion.’

  ‘Good luck with that,’ said Amelia with a snort. ‘The poor kid’s been quarantined.’

  ≈

  When I walked into the club restaurant, the smell of perfume was stronger than the smell of the food. Finn was sitting at a table by the window, and he stood up when he saw me approach. Judging by the twitch in his mouth, he was getting ready to laugh at me.

  ‘I was watching your lesson,’ he said, confirming my suspicion. ‘That was just about the clumsiest crash I’ve ever seen.’

  ‘Probably,’ I replied as I took as seat. ‘But I don’t care. Flying is awesome. And after all that exercise, I feel like I could eat a horse. Well, a vegetarian horse anyway.’

  ‘Aren’t all horses vegetarian?’

  ‘You know what I mean.’ I turned my attention to the menu. ‘I don’t see any bean burgers on here.’

  ‘There’s a veggie lasagne.’

  ‘It’s got cheese,’ I complained. ‘Dairy cheese. I hardly ever eat it anymore, thanks to Max. It kind of turns my stomach these days. Ooh. The nut loaf. I’ll have me some of that with the garlic mash.’

  Finn rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone get so excited about nut loaf. Anyway, did you manage to find out anything more about Candace?’

  I waited to reply as a server arrived. After he went away with our orders, I shook my head. ‘Nada. At least, nothing we don’t already know. I might have to check out the home front. Knock and bang on Candace’s front door. I can brazen it out. I’m good at being brazen.’

  ‘You said it.’ Finn took a long drink of his water. ‘At least that way you’ll be able to get a read on her parents.’

  I looked more carefully at him. It was strange to see him out of his uniform. He wore a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans. His fair hair looked like he’d forgotten to comb it, and the lower part of his face was covered in stubble.

  ‘So how are you doing? Do you think your aunt might back down?’

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Finn spluttered. ‘You’ve met the woman. She fired me because I’ve refused to do her bidding at every turn. When you talk to Agatha she’ll tell you exactly how that Wyrd Court session went down. Agatha supported my Magical Law amendment, adding that she wanted the Wayfairs to take control of the unified force. An addition I wholeheartedly agreed with. Your mother has more experience than all of the Peacemakers combined. My aunt said no way, no how. She said I would be the captain, all of you would be Peacemakers instead of Wayfairs. And your mother would answer to me.’

  ‘And you disagreed?’

  ‘Darn tootin’ I did. Agatha is right. Unifying the Wayfairs and the Peacemakers will only work if your mother gets to run the show. Peacemakers need an example like her to aspire to. And you, too. You’ve accomplished amazing things. You’ve put your head down, and gone after what’s right, no matter the consequences. That’s what we need in any police force. Not of
ficers who serve the government. Officers who serve what’s right. Plus, the Wayfairs were doing all of this long before we were. Hell, your namesake started it all.’

  Aw shucks! I couldn’t resist smiling. I’d come to trust Finn, and to respect the way he went about things. But I never realised that it went both ways. Our food arrived before I could gush too much, and we turned our attention to our plates. Finn had gone for the lasagne, but he didn’t do much more than prod at it. I was just as dejected about him being fired as he was, but the thing about me, is that I need a lot of calories to get my brain ticking. I had my entire meal polished off before Finn took two bites.

  ‘Wanda, I asked to meet you because I need to talk to you about what’s going to go down tomorrow night. I know that the weredogs are planning an enormous rally at the Wyrd Court. I was hoping you could help me steer them in a different direction.’

  ‘You say that like I have some sway with the weredogs.’

  He pointed at the black studded ring I wore. ‘Yeah. Because you do. Rover doesn’t hand out collars to just anyone.’

  An image of Benny and the Jeffs rushed into my mind. No, Rover didn’t hand out collars to just anyone. He gave them to people he liked, and trusted. He gave them to people who wanted unity instead of discord. Basically, he gave them to supernaturals who also managed to be decent human beings. And in that regard, Rover’s nose was never wrong. I had the feeling that if he spent more time with Finn, he would be giving one to him, too. ‘I’m not saying I do have sway with the weredogs. But if I did, why should I get them to do what you say?’

  His mouth curled into his cockiest smile yet. ‘So, you might have noticed that the Peacemakers have a very interesting form of transport these days.’

  It was true. For weeks now they’d been going about in armoured, horse-drawn carriages. Or at least – carriages drawn by creatures that looked like horses. Púca were shapeshifters, currently loyal to the sióga – the Irish faeries. They had nothing to do with our world for decades, other than causing mischief here and there. I had been shocked to see them ferrying the Peacemakers about. With the Púca in the harnesses, the carriages were able to travel almost as fast as by finger click.

  ‘The rumour is that your aunt went down on her knees before the Queen in order to get the Púca.’

  The cocky grin intensified. ‘Oh, she went down on her knees and hands, as a matter of fact. But the Queen had no interest in a word she had to say. It was only when I rose to captaincy that she suddenly changed her mind. She called me to her court. It was an … interesting experience. After meeting with me, she agreed the Púca would act as our horses, and she promised that their magic would be able to transport us almost as quickly as a finger click. But all of that was based on me being in charge of the force. Now that I’ve been fired...’

  My eyes turned round. ‘The few Peacemakers that are left are going to have a very hard time getting around. Hardly any of them can even fly, let alone travel by snapping their fingers.’

  Finn finally began shovelling his food into his mouth. Watching him eat was making me hungry again. ‘Exactly. So ... it seems to me that if the weredogs wanted to stage something big, then they’d be best off doing it where the Peacemakers can’t get to so quick. Like here, at my aunt’s constituency office in Riddler’s Cove. Dessert?’

  ‘Definitely. But ... won’t there be Peacemakers stationed in Riddler’s Cove?’

  He shook his head as he called the server back over. ‘Shift change takes place at six. That’s when the people leaving work go back to the Wyrd Court to clock out, and the people starting on shift turn up to clock in. They’ll all be there, in the one place. And once they are there, they’ll be stuck, because that’s precisely when I’m going to ask the sióga queen to take her Púca back. Oh, one or two Peacemakers might manage to transport themselves. But the point is, it’ll take time to respond. So far, time is what the weredogs have been lacking. Every time they try to speak, they’re arrested. Tomorrow, they’ll have a chance. And I think they should take it, because it’s going to be the only chance they have for a while.’

  I narrowed my eyes. ‘You say that with a tad too much certainty, Finn.’

  ‘Yeah, well ... that’s because I am certain. See, once this goes down, my aunt is going to contact me. She’s going to beg me to speak to the Queen. I’m going to say, well, sure, Auntie Crazypants – but only if you give me my job back.’ He threw his fork down. ‘Even thinking about it makes me feel sick.’

  ‘Because once she reinstates you, you’re going to pretend to be all in with her, right?’

  He looked at me, a relieved smile lighting up his eyes. ‘I’m so glad I didn’t have to convince you. You already get it. I have to do this, Wanda. Pretending to lick her boots is the only way I’m ever going to get into her inner circle. The only way I’ll find out anything that I can use against her. And because I know how ridiculously wrong these kinds of plans can go ... I’m asking you to keep this between you and me. Tell no one. Not your coven. Not your mother. Not even Max.’

  I felt my lashes flutter. ‘But ... just how far down this road are you going to take things, Finn?’

  He shrugged. ‘However far I have to go to find what I need. I’ll have to do what my aunt says. Be what she wants me to be. By the end of it, I just hope you don’t hate me too much.’

  ‘And the Queen – you think she’ll go for this? She’ll take the Púca back and then return them again all because you ask her to? I mean ... does she know the whole plan? Can she be trusted? You don’t think this is some way for her to get a foothold in our enclaves?’

  ‘She doesn’t need a way in. Her kind are older than witches, and a lot more powerful. If she wanted any of our territory she could take it without breaking a sweat. She’ll do what I ask now for the same reason she gave me the Púca in the first place. She doesn’t like the way things are going. She wants it stopped before it causes ripples in her world. And getting my aunt out of government is the best way to stop it. I trust the Queen – I mean, I know she has her own agenda, but it’s an agenda that aligns with ours. So ... what do you say? Do you think you can get the weredogs to move their rally? And also pretend you know nothing about the reason why I’m going to turn into my aunt’s golden boy – and possibly even her bully boy – in a couple of days’ time?’

  I was just about to answer, when the volume on the club house’s television was suddenly turned up very loud. After a chorus of, ‘Shush!’ throughout the room, everyone went silent.

  There, on the screen, was Justine Plimpton. Her mousey hair was pulled up in a tight bun. Her shoulder pads were larger than any I had ever seen.

  ‘Good afternoon, citizens,’ she said. ‘This is an emergency announcement by me, the Minister for Magical Law. As you all know, I recently enacted the Leadership Clause. Today, I have put my new power to good use. I have personally vetted and hired two hundred new Peacemakers. As we speak, they are being rushed through training and will be on the streets by tomorrow. These new officers will be trained to take no nonsense. They will be tougher on criminals than ever before. Thanks to these quick actions of mine, there will be no more rioting, and no more crime.’ A smile stretched across her face. ‘I have been asked many times recently what I’m going to do to streamline our law-enforcement operations. Today, thanks to my new powers, I have finally been able to bring those questions to an end. As of midnight, tonight, the force known as the Wayfairs will cease all operations. From that point onwards, their duties will be carried out by the Peacemakers. That is all.’

  The screen went blank for a moment, before yet another advertisement for Plimpton’s Brooms began to play.

  It took Finn and me a moment to notice that all eyes in the club house had turned to us. And another beat went by before I realised that two of those gawkers were Mandy Parker and Will Berry.

  They sat at a table in the centre of the room. Mandy wore a fifties-style dress and had a bow in her hair. Will was wearing his usual unfathomab
le expression. But there was more going on right now than how much I’d like to throw a bucket of fish heads over the pair of them. I looked at Finn. ‘I’m heading to Wayfarers’ Rest. You?’

  He stood up, nodding his head. ‘Definitely. But I’ll only stay for a while, because I need to head to the sióga world.’

  As we walked out of the room to silent stares, I pasted a smile on my face. I was going for defiant, but I have a feeling I may have looked deranged. Just as we were almost at the door, I heard Mandy Parker’s voice ring out.

  ‘Hey, Wanda! You have spinach in your teeth.’

  6. Of Rats and Men

  I was about to snap my fingers when a text message came through from my mother:

  Coven meeting. An Pháirc Eile.

  I gave Finn a guilty glance. ‘Um, so an emergency coven meeting has been called.’

  ‘Of course it has. What’s the problem with that? Oh.’ He gave me a sardonic grin. ‘It’s in your secret lair, right? Which means it’s for Wayfairs only.’

  I stood there, dumfounded.

  ‘What?’ Finn’s left brow quirked upwards and he shoulder-bumped me. ‘You think I chose a snoopy career because I’m not the curious sort? I know all about it, Wanda. St Stephen’s Green, right? But don’t worry. I can meet with you guys afterwards. It might be better if I go hang out with my own coven before I head off to the sióga. See what I can find out.’

  I finally found my voice. ‘Good luck, Finn. I’ll talk to the weredogs, okay? And when you do go dark, just so you know – I’ll really miss you.’

  He gave me a watery-eyed smile, said, ‘Well, hopefully we won’t have to miss each other for too long,’ and then clicked his fingers, and disappeared.

  ≈