Long Isle Iced Tea

by Gina LaManna

I didn’t have time to agree or disagree because the next thing I knew, Ainsley bolted out in front of me. I leaned forward to follow her, and to my surprise, the broomstick leapt into super-speed behind her. The first rush of air in my lungs sent a crisp, raw freshness through my body that had me feeling more alive than ever.

  Over the next thirty minutes, Ainsley took us on a tour of the countryside. We dipped through the clouds and skimmed the tops of trees. We raced above barns and loop-de-looped through fields with no company except for the cattle, until finally Ainsley declared me a natural.

  “Excellent work,” Ainsley said. “And, we’re here.”

  “Where?” I scanned in confusion around us, but there was nothing. Pastures with horses grazing and hay bales stacked halfway to the sky, but no buildings, no humans, no nothing.

  “There.” Lizzie’s finger shook as she pointed toward the distance. “Do you see the cloud?”

  I squinted beyond a row of fully grown evergreen trees to where the top of a storm cloud roiled and churned in anger. “Looks like a tornado coming through.”

  “Beyond those trees, underneath that cloud,” Ainsley began, “is the property line for the city of Wishery.”

  “The storm cloud’s not supposed to be there,” Lizzie said darkly. “In fact, it’s the reason we evacuated. For now, we’ve set up shop at MAGIC, Inc. headquarters.”

  “Wishery has its own city?”

  “Due to the highly confidential nature of our business, we require a remote location protected from the human eye.”

  “So, humans can’t see anything in the city? Even the cloud?”

  Lizzie shook her head. “They can sense some unrest, though. I’ve been watching the human news and there are stories of things happening that they can’t explain.”

  “Did all of you evacuate?” I asked. “Or are there people still in Wishery?”

  “There are people inside,” Lizzie said, her eyes darkening. “But they are not Wishery citizens. We managed to evacuate before the worst of the curse hit.”

  “What sort of a curse?”

  “We don’t know,” Ainsley said, spinning on her broom to face me. “The city was protected by wish magic—a type of magic that can only be used for good. It’s supposed to protect against curses, so…the short answer is that we’re clueless.”

  “My people, those of us who work for Wishery, live and breathe our jobs,” Lizzie said. “We rarely leave the grounds. Wishery is its own, nearly self-sustaining, community. Or, it was until they ran us out. It started with one cloud. A hint of darkness. By the time the evacuation warnings went out, it was almost too late.”

  “We don’t even know what it is,” Ainsley said. “There are wizards specializing in cracking curses, and they couldn’t touch this one. We have Spell Specialists, and they said the thing—that it wasn’t a spell. We don’t know what sort of magic is being used to block the city.”

  “Do you know what’s happening in there?” I asked.

  Ainsley sucked in a breath, glanced at Lizzie, and then focused her stare on the ground. “We imagine it has something to do with The Faction. It’s incredibly difficult to create a city masked entirely by magic. The Isle is one, Wishery is another. By taking over this area, The Faction has secured a safe place for them to organize, set up shop…or worse.”

  “And The Isle is too big and too well protected,” Lizzie said. “They’d never be able to take it over. At least, not quietly and not without one heck of a fight.”

  “Exactly,” Ainsley said. She glanced toward Lizzie, and when she spotted a tear pooling in the corner of her eye, she looked away quickly. “The people of Wishery were almost defenseless. Their magic is so focused on bringing good to people that when the cloud struck, they had no choice but to evacuate. There weren’t enough witches or wizards skilled in battle magic to fight back.”

  Lizzie swiped a hand across her cheek.

  “Where is everyone staying?” I asked quietly.

  “They’ve been rehomed for now,” Ainsley said. “Some have gone to stay with family, and the others have been placed in safe houses around the Twin Cities. My parents took in three families.”

  “Anyway,” Lizzie said, a sniffle ending her display of sadness and frustration. “The Faction obviously saw an opportunity. They put a spell over the city to keep us out, and now they have a safe and protected space to do…whatever it is they plan to do. We have not been able to stick one toe into the city limits.”

  Ainsley kicked her broom into action. I followed while Lizzie trailed behind us. We moved without speaking, slow and cautious, until the tendrils of black wound their way around one another just inches before our face. I leaned forward, watching, studying as Gus had taught me.

  After a few minutes, I shook my head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s not a spell, and it’s not a curse.”

  “So we’ve heard,” Lizzie said. “Can you help?”

  I reached into my travel belt and withdrew a vial. Gus had gotten me into the habit of carrying one or two with me at all times—for moments like this. Moments where a new and unexpected thing needed to be gathered and studied.

  I uncorked the vial, extended the tip toward the cloud, and murmured a chant to collect the smoke. Ainsley and Lizzie watched from behind me as the first inky finger of black hesitantly dipped its way into the vial. I repeated the words louder this time, and louder again, until the vial filled with enough smoke for me to slam the lid shut.

  Pocketing the vial, I turned to Lizzie. “I’m really sorry I can’t do more right away, but I promise I’ll take it back to the bungalow and study it. If there’s anything I can possibly do, I will.”

  Lizzie nodded and murmured a thank-you. “I’m going to take a lap. I’ll be right back,” she said, then kicked off and began to sail the outer limits of her city.

  “I feel so helpless,” I told Ainsley, watching as Lizzy flew high above the city. “I can’t believe a whole city was displaced. How many were there?”

  “Nine hundred and sixty-four,” Ainsley said. “Counting the families, children, and employees.”

  I shook my head. “Do you think it’s really them? The Faction?”

  “Who else can work magic like this?” Ainsley asked. “The most terrifying part is that they couldn’t have come up with this magic overnight. It’s a whole new revolution in the art of magic…or whatever this might be. It would’ve taken a lot of planning.”

  I bit my lip. “You know that I’ll do everything I can to figure this out, right? But I’m still shocked… I had never intended for my wish to actually be… I don’t know, received.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Ainsley said with a smile. “Lizzie’s bound by confidentiality to not share specifics, but I haven’t seen her this excited about a wish in many months.”

  “Are you coming back to The Isle anytime soon?”

  “They need me here,” Ainsley said. “But I’ll be sure to check in with you on The Isle. And if you need me, I’ll be there in a second.”

  Lizzie made her way around Wishery and back to us. As she approached, she began to speed up, brushing right past us as she sped toward the cities.

  “I guess it’s time to get back,” I said. “I should get Gus’s opinion on this, too. Maybe he’ll have a thought, or maybe he’ll have seen something like this before.”

  “I trust you,” Ainsley began. “But I have to remind you that you’ve signed an NDA. You must keep Wishery a secret—it’s imperative.”

  “Understood.”

  “Come on,” Ainsely said, spinning her broomstick to face MAGIC, Inc. “We should leave.”

  “Ainsley, wait,” I called as she sped off. She paused, waited for me to catch up. I took a deep breath as I floated next to her. “Why me? I’m nobody special. If your best witches and wizards were stumped…I don’t know that I have much of a chance.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Lil,” Ainsley said, offering me a gentle smile. “Like it or not, you’re t
he Mixologist. You have powers that most of us can only dream of.”

  “But I’m still new, and I’ve never seen this before, and I—”

  “—and you’ll figure this out, I guarantee it,” Ainsley said. “I wouldn’t have asked if we didn’t need your help.’’

  “But there must be someone else.”

  “I’m sorry, Lily,” Ainsley said. “Like it or not, you are the only option we have.”

  Chapter 5

  “WHAT DO YOU FEED THAT thing?” Poppy asked as she stepped through the door of the storeroom. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Blinking, I shook my head and rested my hands on the table before me. A familiar table. “Umm…”

  “I mean, it’s blooming like crazy!” Poppy made her way over to the calla lily I kept potted in the corner. “I didn’t think they could bloom so many times. I swear I’ve seen three different flowers in the last week alone. Unless I’m imagining things?”

  The realization that I was back home in the bungalow finally dawned on me, and with it came the slight tingling from being Zapped.

  “Where’d you go?” Gus remained standing along the back wall, a jar in his hand as he watched me with curiosity. He said it so quietly that Poppy, still invested in the flower, couldn’t hear.

  “What?” The last thing I remembered was Ainsley giving me a hug goodbye, a kiss on the cheek, and then a whisper to hold on tight.

  Glancing down, I found my fingers gripping the table so tightly my knuckles nearly matched the calla lily in the corner, which jolted my attention back to Poppy’s question.

  “Oh, right—er, uh. I don’t do anything special to it,” I said. “But this week it has been going crazy, and, uh—”

  “Are you feeling okay?” Poppy strode to me and rested her hand against my forehead. “You feel a little warm. Are you catching that bug going around? My mom had it last week. Gus knows.”

  Gus scowled. It was common knowledge that Gus and Mimsey had been spending more and more time together, but he didn’t like to discuss it. Especially not with his girlfriend’s daughter. Or me. Or anyone, really.

  “No, I’m feeling fine,” I said. “Just a little warm outside today. Anyway, what brings you around?”

  “I’m looking for Zin. Have you heard if she’s started planning my birthday party yet?”

  “Sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “She just left a few minutes ago, but she didn’t mention any plans. Is there something specific you’re wanting to do for it?”

  Poppy’s expression took a dive into disappointment. “Oh, no. I don’t really like birthday parties anyway. I was actually just finding her to tell her not to plan anything. Nothing fancy at least, and no cake. Definitely not that triple chocolate fudge double decker cake that I love.”

  “I’ll let her know.” I felt bad playing along, but it was the only way to keep Poppy’s real party a surprise.

  Zin, Mimsey, and I had been planning it for months. Poppy loved birthday’s—hers, along with everyone else’s. She’d been throwing birthday parties for all of us, but nobody had ever given her the surprise party she deserved. This was the year.

  We had not one, but two of her favorite cakes lined up for the occasion. Balloons that sang and danced. Even Glinda’s fairies were working on a dance routine to perform in the air—they’d write Happy Birthday, Poppy! in the sky while we popped champagne below.

  I’d been selected to create a potion for each guest to drink when they arrived at the party. Its purpose was to change everyone into the costume they most desired. Poppy would love it. She had a thing for personalized potions. I’d once made her a Glo potion when I’d first moved to the Isle, and she hadn’t stopped talking about it since.

  As Poppy’s lips trembled while she reiterated one more time how much she didn’t want a party, I curled my fingers into fists to stop myself from reassuring her. The end result would be worth it, but watching her walk around in misery these days was becoming increasingly difficult.

  “Maybe I can have a little something here,” I offered. “Small cake, and—”

  “No, really.” Poppy held out a hand. “I don’t want anything. And… there it goes again! Seriously?”

  Before our eyes, the lily grew inch by inch until the petals bloomed into a perfectly white flower. Every time it did this my skin chilled, my heart pounded, and my warning senses went on the fritz.

  I suspected the flower was tied to my father. I had reason to believe he’d left it for me as a sign he was coming. A sign that we’d meet. Soon.

  I’d also learned recently that my father, Lucian Blackmore, was most likely the leader of The Faction. Trinket had broken the shocking news to me. The more curious part, however, was that my mother had chosen Trinket, above anyone else, as her sole confidant. Unfortunately, that was one mystery that would never be solved.

  I had yet to share the news with the others. I owed it to The Core, at least, to pass along the information I’d learned, but I just wasn’t ready yet. Some part of me clung to the hope that maybe there’d been a misunderstanding. Maybe it wasn’t my father leading this rogue group of witches and wizards in an effort to wipe out the humans. Maybe it was all one giant mistake.

  “Leave it alone,” I said of the flower. “Maybe it’s enchanted.”

  Poppy frowned at me. “Wouldn’t you be able to tell?”

  “I…I guess so,” I said. As a vampire, Poppy didn’t possess the same magic as witches. “It doesn’t feel enchanted, but something’s not quite right.”

  “Why don’t you get rid of it?”

  Because I need to know when he’s coming. I didn’t dare say it aloud.

  “It’s too dangerous to get rid of without understanding it,” I said instead. “I have to figure out what it means.”

  “You’re braver than I am. I’d throw it as far into The Forest as I could. So anyway, what was Zin doing here?”

  “She said she was tired. I think her and Trinket are having trouble getting along again. I told her she should move in here if she’s so sick of it,” I said with an eyeroll. “They’re fighting nonstop.”

  “Forget Zin. What about your offer for me to move in—is it still standing?” Poppy sat at the table opposite me and leaned her arms on the table. “Somebody—I’m not naming names, but he’s in this room—has been spending more and more time at our house, and he’s a grouch.”

  “You forget,” I said, glancing over at Gus. “He’s here more than he’s at your mom’s house.”

  Poppy let out a frustrated sigh. “I just can’t seem to win these days.”

  I wanted to wrap my arms around Poppy and tell her to hold on, that things would improve if she could just wait for the surprise on her birthday. Since I couldn’t, I smiled instead.

  “Seriously, consider moving in here! There’s plenty of space, and it would be fun.”

  “X wouldn’t mind?” Poppy asked. “I don’t want to interrupt your private space.”

  “Go on, interrupt it,” Gus said. “They’re all over each other.”

  “You should talk,” Poppy shot back.

  Gus’s face turned red as he struggled to prepare a retort. Eventually he gave up, stomping out of the storeroom and over to Magic & Mixology, the outdoor bar attached to the bungalow.

  “Well, I should be going,” Poppy said. “I’m working dispatch today at Ranger HQ. We’re starting to send the trainees out on actual missions. Exciting, huh?”

  “Has Zin gone out yet?”

  Poppy scrunched her nose. “It’s been pretty quiet here on the island. Almost too quiet, if I were a more suspicious person. Her turn hasn’t come up yet.”

  “I’m sure she’s disappointed.”

  “It’s a little alarming how ready she is for something to go wrong.”

  I shook my head. “I wish she’d listen about moving in here. She doesn’t need to be stressing over her mom while she’s on the new job. You too, Poppy.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Poppy took one last
glance at the calla lily, then pointed at it with her thumb. “Do me a favor and have Gus take a look at that. It’s not natural. I should know with the amount of time I spend in Hettie’s gardens. She doesn’t have a thing like that.”

  “Sure. I’ll ask him—”

  Poppy pulled open the door before I finished speaking, and both of us jolted in surprise. There on the porch stood a man three feet tall with a scowl on his face.

  “Discrimination!” He pointed a stubby finger at Poppy. “And you call yourself the Mixologist!?”

  “Me?” Poppy snorted. “Yeah right. I can barely mix coffee and cream. You’re looking for Lily.”

  I straightened. “Can I help you?”

  By now my brain had caught up with my eyes, and I realized the man before us was likely a gnome, or something of the sort. He had beady little eyes and a bulbous nose that looked like a misshapen tomato. Grunting, he swiveled his finger to point in my direction instead.

  “I’ve been trying to reach the doorknob for ten minutes. Not even a stool,” he said. “How do you expect the height-challenged folks around here to get inside?”

  “I’m, uh, sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize—”

  “Of course you didn’t. Nobody cares about the little people.” He scowled around at us. “I have a complaint to file.”

  “I think maybe you need Poppy?” I raised my eyebrows and nodded in my cousin’s direction. “She works for Ranger HQ, and they handle most complaints.”

  “I tried that,” he growled. “Nobody listened. I can’t get anybody to listen. You’re my last resort.”

  “Wow, thanks,” I said. “What an honor.”

  “There’s a house near the edge of The Forest, and it’s haunted.”

  I looked at Poppy first, then back to the man. “Sorry, but…what? How can I do anything about that?”

  “I thought you were supposed to be smart,” the gnome said. “And good with magic and all that crap. Us gnomes are lacking in the spell department. Can’t you figure something out to help us?”

  “I really think this is a job for the Rangers. I’m not trained to…get rid of haunted houses. I work with potions and charms and…” I thought of the vial in my pocket. “Curses.”