by Evelyn Snow
The shimmering apparition surrounding the gazebo vanished.
There was a moment of stunned silence broken by Cassandra sputtering, “That’s not… It’s so…No. That’s just wrong.”
“There’s my girl,” Devi breathed.
Sullivan chuckled to himself and shot me a lopsided smile that did something to my insides.
Ignoring Cassandra, Devi said, “Congratulations, Evie.”
“No! She failed. I saw her fail. It’s a fact.” Cassandra spun in a circle, pointing from the Seezall to the cluster of people observing from a distance. “Her failure is a public record. You cannot deny it.”
Devi advanced on the other witch. “Is that what you think happened? Is that your final word?”
“Final? Yes! It’s the only explanation!” Cassandra rounded on me, her voice shaking. “Evangeline Jinx doesn’t deserve a badge. She doesn’t belong in the MBI.” She did everything but stomp her feet and threaten to hold her breath until she passed out. I didn’t know whether to be flattered or frightened that I’d inspired her fury to new levels.
At length, Devi said, “As far as I’m concerned, she passed. Sullivan, do you concur?”
“She listed all five steps correctly,” Sullivan said. “They were out of order, but she got them, which, by the way, is the point of the test. An MBI trainee is just that. They’re not expected to be instant experts. On top of everything, Evie also did something every investigator needs to do, which is to respond quickly and effectively when the unexpected happens. In the field, she won’t have time to consult a manual. If you spent five minutes outside the lab or the library, Cassandra, you’d know that.”
“It still doesn’t explain why her spell worked when mine didn’t,” Cassandra said stubbornly.
“No, it doesn’t,” Sullivan admitted.
“You must know the secret, whatever it is, both you and Devi. You know, and you wanted to make me look foolish. That’s why you asked me to come today. You set me up.”
Sullivan scowled. His gaze lasered on Devi who didn’t react or deny the accusation.
Sensing an opening, Cassandra took another swing at me. “Obviously, she cheated.”
Devi raised a brow. “That’s a serious charge. Where’s your proof?”
The tip of Cassandra’s long nose twitched, and her mouth twisted into a grimace, but she remained silent.
Sullivan turned to look across the circular expanse of the garden to the courthouse. “You’re right that with all the wards placed on the government buildings in the vicinity, her spell shouldn’t have worked—”
“You mean they weren’t lifted for my test?” I blurted in astonishment. My gaze slid to Cassandra to note she was equally shocked. How weird we were on the same page.
“No,” Devi said. “All the security wards remained in place.”
“But … why?”
“It was part of the test,” Devi said, as if that answered any of the questions cascading through my brain.
Sullivan pinned me with a flat look. “The wards were secure before the candidate arrived. I checked them personally. None of the spells Evie deployed should have been possible today. There were zero gaps.” He spread his hands wide. “Cassie, if you have an explanation for what Evie did here, I’m sure the sheriff would love to know how she defeated his security system. We all would.”
Cassandra fumed.
“Well? We’re still waiting.”
“I have no explanation,” she admitted.
While the judges had been arguing, a mental alarm had been blaring inside me. I edged closer to the gazebo where the barrier had been placed moments before. What did I expect to see—that the warding wall was still there?
It was gone. Everyone had seen me take it down. The evidence would be on the Seezall.
I kicked what had been Marley’s head and another chunk of mud fell away, revealing the translucent plastic. Everyone was staring at me. “I didn’t mean to break the law. Seriously. If I did, it was an accident.”
“You should have learned your lesson—ignorance is no excuse.” Cassandra’s sideways glance brimmed with resentment. She looked like she wanted to haul my butt off to the nearest dungeon. If Fiona Storm believed I’d committed another magical felony, I’d never see the light of day again—even if I had navigated blindly through a maze of wards during the test.
“Look,” I said, backpedaling for all I was worth. “I didn’t mean to do whatever it was I seem to have done. Since I don’t have a clue what that might be, maybe it’s for the best if I test again? Who knows? I might be a danger to myself and others. What do you say, maybe I test again in a couple of months?”
“One year,” Cassandra stated grimly. “Six months with good behavior and weekly check-ins. She reports directly to me.”
Devi tilted her head, regarding the wizard. “You’ve never worked with a partner before, have you?”
Sullivan startled. “No. Forget about it. I don’t want one. I’m a terrible teacher. Besides, I don’t have time. There’s a case on my schedule I need to close. I’ve been putting it off and—”
“Being able to circumvent the security wards is a valuable skill,” Devi mused as if Sullivan hadn’t spoken. “Her training period will be an opportunity to discover how she does it. If that happens, we can teach others.”
“Since when is breaking the law something we want to encourage?” Cassandra demanded.
“If Evie can get around the security wards, that means it’s not impossible as we once believed,” Sullivan answered. “Like it or not, there could be others with the same ability. We can’t defend against something that’s supposed to be impossible.”
Folding her arms, Cassandra said, “That’s a great argument. Hire a criminal to stop other criminals. Where will it end? If this were anyone else, they’d be wrapped in mage rope and headed for a dungeon, but her? The rules are always different for Evangeline Jinx. She can’t be an agent. We don’t know what she is, let alone what she can do.”
“Those skills will be even more valuable once Evie learns to control them,” Devi continued without missing a beat. “But until then, she needs to shadow someone who knows what they’re doing. She needs a mentor.”
When Sullivan jerked a thumb at himself and Devi nodded, Cassandra groaned.
“A partner is a good idea in theory,” he said, “but not me, find somebody else. I need to deal with Duncan.”
“Where is he, by the way?” Devi asked.
“Ecuador.”
“Since when? I don’t remember authorizing the trip.”
“You didn’t.” Sullivan studied the ground, looking up again a moment later with a sheepish expression. “After what happened in Wichita, I figured keeping him out of sight might be for the best. That’s why I didn’t tell you. For Evie, what about Krasinski?”
“Anybody but Krasinski. He has too many bad habits,” Devi said. “Maybe Bloodworth?”
“Hello?” They were talking about me as if I wasn’t here. “I don’t mind testing again. Really. No big deal.” I didn’t want the badge if it came with a babysitter attached and the threat of jail time hanging over my head every time I screwed up. I’d had my fill of probation and endless suspicion.
“Bloodworth is too new,” Sullivan supplied, shaking his head. “Put those two together, it would be the blind leading the blind—or blinder—if that’s possible.”
“Which brings us back to you, Sullivan.” Devi propped her hands on her hips, regarding him as if it was a done deal.
“This is unbelievable,” Cassandra said. “You’re actually going through with it. I can’t believe both of you are delusional enough to expect me to rubberstamp insanity.” She snatched the Seezall from where it fluttered just above head height.
Devi’s gaze never left the wizard.
Finally, Sullivan groaned. “Oh, all right.”
“Excellent.” Devi beamed.
“Full disclosure, I refuse to let this decision ride.” Cassandra displayed the Seez
all on a flat hand. “Whatever she did will be on here. I’ll find it, and then I’m taking the evidence to the Wheel.”
“If that’s what you want to do,” Devi said with a shrug, “you’re within your rights. The exam is a public record. When you do, say hi to your mom for me.”
The lack of opposition must have confused Cassandra. She thrust the Seezall at Devi. “Everything is right here. Don’t you realize it will show that she’s a—”
“Don’t I what?” Devi’s eyes went wide and challenging.
Cassandra opened her mouth as if to speak only to close it abruptly.
“Last chance,” Devi warned, “to give us all the benefit of your insight.”
“Um … no. I guess it can wait until after the evidence has been reviewed.”
“Well then, it sounds like you’ve got a lot to do. Don’t let us keep you.”
Before leaving, Cassandra added, “It’s not over. You will hear from the Wheel.”
“I’m counting on it.”
While Cassandra stomped off, I stared at her retreating form. Fear trickled down my back. I wanted to earn my place in the Bureau; not be treated like a dangerous, marginally useful freak one step removed from an outlaw.
The good news was that I’d passed.
The bad news—my status might be all too temporary. How was that going to be any different from probation? With Sullivan Freaking Shield as my babysitter and stormbringer junior gunning for me? How would that work out any way but bad?
Devi smiled and stretched out her hand. It held a silver MBI badge. “Evangeline Jinx, welcome to the Magical Bureau of Investigation.”
Chapter 8
After making vague promises about getting in touch soon to start my training, Devi and Sullivan left on urgent MBI business.
The knot of watchers had dispersed earlier, as soon as Cassandra stalked off, leaving me alone. They hadn’t been a happy lot, going by their body language and the few snatches of conversation I couldn’t avoid overhearing. Most had lost money on a bet that should have been a sure thing.
Cleaning up the muddy and magical mess left after my test took about an hour. There isn’t much that’s more deflating than the grunt work of cleaning up after yourself. The whole time I worked—pushing a sodden sponge over wooden floorboards, scrubbing sticky enchantment from the underside of the roof—the badge rested in my pocket.
It changed everything.
Still, nothing had worked out the way I’d hoped. My certainty that Devi would always have my back had been shaken. By leaving the magical wards in place for my test, she’d set me up. And not just me. She used Cassandra, as well. How strange was that?
In a world where Cassandra didn’t hate every gut in my body, I would have tracked her down and questioned her until she spilled whatever she’d been about to say before Devi silenced her.
I hated considering that my uncle might have been right about the MBI. What I couldn’t ignore included Devi with her secret agenda; Cassandra’s fears that Devi was playing fast and loose with standards and procedures. Then there was whatever Sullivan and Cassandra had been sniping at each other about. Maybe the truth fell somewhere in between. I’d received a dose of reality to replace the fantasy version of the MBI I’d harbored until now.
All this passed through my head while I finished cleaning and then lugged Marley’s remains four blocks west.
Before leaving today, Devi mentioned it would be okay if I stashed Marley in the magical composting bin in her backyard. It was a better option than trying to pass him under Ballard’s nose again on the way home. Marley’s head looked like a demon had chewed its way through the layers of plastic, cloth, mud plaster and magic. Singe marks streaked down his arms and legs. Were they from the animation spell going haywire or a reaction of the elder wood to the spell? The top edge of the single pink boot had melted and now turned down like a funky ruffled cuff.
Ballard would take one look at Marley and have a fit, possibly accuse me of trying to sabotage the bridge. With Cassandra poring over the evidence on the Seezall, I couldn’t afford to court trouble.
When I reached Devi’s house, the gate to her garden locked. I didn’t want to take Marley with me to The Demon’s Horn, so I left him in a heap on the ground next to the fence. I made a mental note to stop by again on my way home. With any luck, Devi might have returned by then.
Poor Marley. His fate wasn’t fair. All the same, it was ridiculous that I cared. Sticks and mud and burlap did not a person nor a creature make. The neighborhood was quiet. As far as I could tell, no one was watching, so I whispered Marley a quiet goodbye before leaving.
The house where I’d lived with my parents was two houses down and across the street from Devi’s place. Holden and I hadn’t realized it, but when security stopped us that first trip, we’d only been a few blocks away.
Continuing along on the opposite side of the street, I noted the curtains were still closed, the windows dark, a faint shimmer barring the door. No one lived there, and no one had ever opened the house in sixteen years. That was because my mother had magically sealed everything before we’d left on our long-ago trip. The wards were still in place.
About three years ago, Devi had offered to break through them so I could go inside again. I’d turned her down.
My throat tightened at the thought of walking through that door again. The magic protecting the house was the last of my mother and all that she had been. If I let a master witch destroy the seals, what would I have left?
It’s yours now. Let me know whenever you’re ready, Devi had said, and I’ll open the house for you.
Never. That’s when.
I ducked my head and set off down Spidersilk Way. By the time I turned left onto Rowan Avenue, I was breathing easier, and I’d managed to let go of some of my worries.
Conducting magic always left me feeling jangled and out of sorts. I blamed it on living outside the realm of my birth for two-thirds of my life. That and being a half-witch because my father had been an ordinary human.
There were benefits, too. My hybrid status protected me from diseases that afflicted full supernaturals. Most were illnesses related to magic gone wrong. That was one of the reasons there were so many rules and rituals, devices and protocols, surrounding magic.
My uncle hadn’t been wrong about one thing—no matter who you were, it was a tricky business to take up a wand. Whenever power flowed through a body, there were consequences.
My personal theory about why I was a head-scratcher regarding magic and surviving the bridge disaster went straight back to my dad (but had nothing to do with Ballard Kepler’s accusations). As a hybrid, I was different. Therefore, magic worked differently in my case. It seemed obvious. What was hard to understand? It explained what happened in the park today. Obvious perhaps, but not simple; certainly not simple enough to satisfy Miss Witch of the Year, but then, what would?
Dark stone against the bright blue of the afternoon sky, the central tower of Battenborne Castle loomed over the town. It housed the university library. Cassandra was probably holed up there right now, reviewing the recording on the Seezall and listing all the laws I’d broken. The person I was a few years ago would have been shaking in her boots at the thought of a powerful witch having it in for me. Not going to lie, I didn’t appreciate her. The difference now, I realized, was that I’d expected her attitude and her threats. That was new. Some part of me must have callused over the old wounds.
I took my time walking since there wasn’t any reason to hurry. My friend, Kerri, had promised to join us as soon as she got out of class at Battenborne. Also, Holden would have to wait for the big payout on his bet.
The brewery was situated between the university campus and a wedge of residential streets on one side and Serenity Point’s business district on the other. Across the street from The Demon’s Horn sat the magical law offices operated by Kerri’s parents, Nora and Oberon Shade. Sheriff Laramie Crowe’s office was down a block. He was a byrd shifter with a
hard-nosed attitude toward strangers. He’d treated me fairly, though, five years ago.
If events had gone the wrong way this afternoon, I would have been the sheriff’s guest now instead of on my way to meet friends. So what if there’d been a few snags? I wasn’t in a dungeon, and that was a win on any day.
* * *
A cheer went up when I shouldered through the doors of The Demon’s Horn.
Surprise stopped me in my tracks.
A couple of regulars parked at the bar half turned on their stools and lifted their mugs. So many smiles. What was up?
The bartender, a burly warlock with a tattooed forehead and a cauliflower nose, gave me double thumbs up and grinned, indicating the odds board on the wall behind him. Someone had draped it with enchanted tea lights that sparkled, alternating from white to pink to fuchsia and back again. They were fit for a princess tea party. On the big board itself, someone had spelled the four letters of my last name in blinking golden stars.
I was used to whispers, suspicious looks, and outright dislike from acquaintances and total strangers. A few hate-filled glances winged my way as soon as certain patrons caught sight of me. Most originated from a cluster of witches in the back. I recognized them as belonging to the same coven as Fiona and Cassandra. There was something comforting about the predictability of their dislike. I wouldn’t know what to do with too much goodwill.
Holden flagged me down. I headed back to his table, mugs and glasses lifting in my honor. Passing the tables, I put it together. Thanks to his big win, Holden had been buying rounds. I still couldn’t stop a grin from taking control as I fist-bumped well-wishers. Not being hated on sight felt good. I could get used to this.
I slid into a chair opposite Holden.
A tall pitcher and several mugs covered the round surface of the table. He pushed one toward me. When I didn’t immediately pour, he said, “So that’s how it is. No more fun for Evie now she’s hit the big time, now that she’s a very special agent.”
“Correction, I’m a rookie. Make that, I’m a trainee rookie, which is a beginner’s beginner. It’s so far from the big time there probably isn’t a name for it.”