Winging It

  It was pretty much the only thing in the living room. This made a kind of sense for the piano to reign supreme, as Meagan’s dad was a concert pianist himself – she came by that talent honestly. And the piano got a lot of use. They’d had an enthusiastic discussion on Sunday morning about keys and timing and all the stuff she’d pulled out of Rick about the syntho drums.

  I sighed and cracked open my required reading. It was even more boring than expected. I read the first page five times, Meagan’s aria tickling at the edge of my thoughts. The music was pretty. And it made me concentrate better, as if Meagan was sending me her scholarly vibes.

  I read four pages before I made the connection.

  Then I pulled my new ring out of my pocket and pushed it onto my finger.

  The living and dining rooms were filled with dancing beams of light. They were joyous, not like the confetti that Jared had sung but more like ripples and waves of light. They reminded me of mirrored streamers, and they swirled around the room like a joyous whirlwind. They were all shades of red and purple and blue.

  Meagan glanced up at me and smiled, playing a little trill with her right hand. She looked so happy and at ease. I understood then that her destiny wasn’t with brainiacs and math geniuses.

  It was with musicians.

  Because the ribbons of light told me that Meagan was a spellsinger.

  Crap.

  I was suddenly very afraid that the Mages knew it, too. This put a whole new spin on things.

  Was Meagan their real target, instead of me?

  What could I do? I’d never manage to persuade her not to go to Trevor’s Halloween party, not without explaining everything to her. I was in enough trouble with my dad that I didn’t want to rush into breaking the Covenant again. I couldn’t even beguile her, because she knew the deal and would realize just who – and what – I was.

  I had to admire that Trevor had accomplished his goal. He had ensured that I would be at his party. Despite my reservations, I had to go to protect Meagan.

  From whatever the Mages were planning.

  * * *

  Of course, Liam and Nick didn’t see it that way.

  We had an argument in old-speak Friday night. I was in Meagan’s room and supposedly drawing, but they were a big distraction. They would have gone on and on, but I finally just ended it.

  Meagan had already gotten up to look out the window. ‘So weird that there’s thunder in a snowstorm,’ she said.

  She turned to look at me, and I shrugged.

  ‘Maybe it’s an airplane flying low,’ I suggested and she looked out the window again. I wouldn’t have put it past her to figure it out, though – Meagan is smart and she was already looking for Pyr, armed with data about us. She had that Einstein look, which was trouble.

  I had to end the old-speak.

  And that meant inflicting a decision on the guys.

  ‘I’ve got the ring,’ I said, interrupting Nick. ‘It cut the spells before and it’ll do it again. We won’t be trapped.’

  ‘It’s too risky,’ Liam argued, ready to go at it again.

  ‘It’s more risky for Meagan if we’re not there.’

  ‘I vote we stay away,’ Nick said. ‘You have no idea what they’re planning.’

  ‘But we have to defend our Wyvern,’ Liam said.

  ‘Suit yourselves either way,’ I said, knowing exactly how they’d take that challenge. ‘I’m going. Maybe it’ll be my chance to persuade the wolves to join us.’

  They mumbled and grumbled a bit, but agreed that we’d all go. We set a time to meet and the old-speak fell silent.

  I wondered when Derek would turn up but wasn’t sure how to find out. School was over for the weekend and I didn’t know where he lived.

  Would he just sense it?

  How sharp was his sense of smell?

  Could I find him with mine?

  I watched Meagan at the window until she turned away. ‘Either way, the thunder seems to have stopped,’ she said, getting back into bed.

  ‘Maybe I’ll come to the party after all,’ I said as casually as I could manage it.

  Her face lit. ‘Really?’

  ‘I need a costume, though.’

  ‘Why don’t you come to my piano lesson tomorrow, and then we’ll go shopping from there?’

  ‘Great idea,’ I agreed, knowing it would give me the perfect cover to guard her.

  And maybe I could find Derek.

  I should have known the harmony between Meagan and me couldn’t last.

  We were in my fave vintage shop, One More Time. Normally, I could spend everything I had within moments of crossing the threshold, but on this day, I just couldn’t focus. I hadn’t found anything for my costume, because that particular concern didn’t have my attention. Compared to everything else that was going on, shopping for the perfect Halloween costume seemed ridiculously frivolous. I’m not good at keeping up appearances.

  Mostly I was trying to figure out how to warn Meagan without breaking the Covenant again.

  So, I was fingering this crimson feather boa, trying to imagine something really simple that wouldn’t look (quite) like I didn’t care, when Meagan got a call.

  From the look on her face, I knew it was Jessica.

  ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘That’s great. Seven’s no problem. See you then.’ She ended the call and flashed me the stainless smile. Her eyes were sparkling in a way that didn’t make me feel good. ‘Guess what? I’m going to get a ride in Trevor’s MG!’

  I dropped the boa. ‘What?’

  ‘Trevor and Jessica are picking me up. They have to come early, because he wants to be home before everyone arrives.’ She hummed a bit, poking at things as she practically skipped through the store. ‘Isn’t it nice of them to think of me?’

  ‘No!’ I was right behind her, close enough to see how startled she was by my reply. ‘I mean, why don’t you just get a ride with me and the guys, like we planned? I thought you wanted to see Liam again.’ I tried to not sound panicky. ‘Nick is coming at eight. That’ll give you more time to get ready.’

  ‘Oh, but I want to ride in Trevor’s car. It’s so cool.’

  ‘But Jessica is dating him. Won’t you feel out of place?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Meagan pivoted to face me over a rack of kerchiefs. ‘After all, she’s being really nice about it. She knows how much I like him, and she’s not trying to be mean.’

  ‘How can you tell? Sounds to me like she’s rubbing your nose in it.’

  ‘No, you’re wrong.’ Meagan was emphatic. ‘You just don’t know her like I do.’

  There wasn’t much I could say to that. I was freaking, though, at what might happen to Meagan before I got to the party. I had zero data about the Mages’ plans but I do have an active imagination. I didn’t want her to be alone with Trevor – or Trevor and Jessica – for a whole hour. I flicked through the kerchiefs and seized a purple one, not really seeing it. ‘Let’s go.’

  Meagan was skeptical. ‘That’s your costume?’

  ‘And this.’ I plucked a white plastic cowboy hat from a shelf. There was a plastic gun beside it in a cheap toy holster, lucky for me. ‘This too.’ Jeans, boots, a skinny shirt, and I’d be ready for the shoot-out at the OK Corral.

  ‘I think you could try harder,’ Meagan said.

  ‘I think Jessica could be nicer to you.’ I went to the cash register, wondering what I could do to change her mind.

  Short of telling her the whole truth.

  ‘We had a long talk about it. It’s not her fault. She likes him, too.’ Meagan leaned against the counter beside me, checking out the bangles. They had a couple of sweet Bakelite ones, but I barely saw them. ‘She said when she tutored him, it just felt like magic between them.’ Meagan turned a smile on me. ‘Isn’t it romantic?’

  I couldn’t believe it.

  ‘So, explain this to me. You’re Jessica’s friend and so you want her to be happy.’

  ‘Right.’

  ‘I’m you
r friend, so I want you to be happy.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Why doesn’t Jessica have this concern, if she’s your friend?’

  Meagan’s eyes flashed. ‘You’re still jealous of her.’

  ‘I think you deserve better friends!’

  ‘Oh, like ones who don’t confide in me?’

  So, we were back to that. Meagan left the shop and I ran after her, jamming my acquisitions into my backpack. The hat had to go on my head. Nice bonus to look like an idiot while I was trying to be persuasive. ‘Meagan, we need to talk about this.’

  She stopped in the street so abruptly that I nearly ran into her. ‘Go ahead,’ she said, a daring glint in her eyes. ‘Tell me what happened last spring.’

  I was tempted.

  I was really tempted.

  But my back was hurting like hell after taking that thunderbolt and I could still recall the sting of the dragonsmoke on my hand. If I told everything to Meagan, when she wasn’t specifically in danger, it’d be exile city for me.

  I dropped my gaze.

  Meagan sniffed and walked away. I trailed behind her feeling like ninety-seven thousand kinds of loser.

  It wasn’t an easy choice.

  It also wasn’t one I didn’t question over and over again for the rest of the day.

  In fact, I sent my dad a message, asking for permission to break the Covenant because I feared Meagan was in danger. I didn’t say what danger, because I knew he wouldn’t believe anything I said about the Mages, and I also didn’t want him reminding Mrs Jameson that I shouldn’t be allowed to go to a Halloween party at all.

  This did undermine my argument.

  The lack of those details was probably why he immediately declined my request.

  But then, providing those details wouldn’t have done me any favors, either.

  I was getting tired of no-win situations.

  Meagan and I returned to her house in silence. I mostly was thinking about how nice it would be to catch a break once in a while.

  Before the party would have been good.

  The doorbell rang promptly at seven and Meagan practically flew to the door in her excitement. I was right behind her.

  She’d made a change from her Mozart idea, maybe because I’d finally gotten through to her. She was dressed as Rapunzel, an idea of her mother’s, with long hair made of yellow yarn coiled around one arm. She and her mom had argued about her glasses ruining the costume and the immediate necessity of contacts, but Meagan had lost.

  We were both sure who was at the door, but we were both wrong.

  It was Derek.

  Dressed as he usually was for school.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, nodded at both of us and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked uncomfortable.

  I was ridiculously glad to see him and it probably showed. Meagan was looking between us (Einstein all the way) and started to smile when Derek didn’t say anything more. I didn’t say anything either, because everything I wanted to tell him couldn’t be shared in front of Meagan.

  ‘You two probably have lots to talk about,’ Meagan said, flashing a smile. ‘I’ll just go back inside.’

  Before she could do that, we heard the roar of a car engine. The MG peeled around the corner, going way too fast, and squealed to a halt in front of the house. The top was up, but Jessica was waving out the window and calling Meagan’s name.

  Trevor honked the horn.

  I wanted to shout, but Derek gave me a look and shook his head. I decided to trust his view of the future.

  Meagan scooped up her miles of yarn hair, and ran to the sidewalk. Jessica got out of the front seat and they hugged. My eyes nearly fell out of my head. Jessica was wearing a superhero costume, all form fitting spandex that could have been painted on. She was far more curvy than I’d ever imagined. She turned so I could see her face and my mouth fell open in shock. She had ditched her baseball cap. And she did have one whopper of a secret – she was so gorgeous that she could have been a pin-up girl.

  Was this Trevor’s influence?

  Then Meagan piled into the backseat and all my fears returned with force.

  ‘Hey, Zoë!’ Trevor shouted. ‘If you’re ready, why don’t you come, too?’

  ‘No,’ Derek said, fast and low.

  ‘Not quite ready, thanks,’ I shouted. ‘I’ll see you later.’

  I heard Meagan say something to Jessica about me and Derek and hoped wolves didn’t have as sharp hearing as dragons do. Jessica giggled and Trevor squealed the tires as he pulled away.

  ‘You’re sure?’ I asked Derek.

  He inhaled deeply. ‘There’s nothing good ahead, but it’s still brewing. I don’t think anything bad will happen before you get to the party.’

  ‘But she’s a spellsinger and doesn’t know it.’

  He looked at me in shock. I realized I’d never surprised him before. ‘So that’s it.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘A scent I didn’t know.’ He nodded and I watched him add that information to his knowledge. ‘Okay. That makes sense.’

  ‘Are you still sure she’s okay?’

  Derek shot me a look. There was just a glimmer of doubt in his eyes, and only for a second, but I saw it.

  ‘The guys are coming soon to pick me up. I’ll be okay.’

  He stepped back then. ‘See you there,’ he murmured and disappeared into the shadows. I saw the blue shimmer of light only because I was watching closely.

  I had to watch even more closely to see the silhouette of a wolf slipping through the darkness, heading toward Riverside Drive.

  Almost a whole hour to wait.

  It was going to kill me.

  Almost exactly an hour later, Nick parked down the street from Trevor’s house.

  We could hear the music clearly, even a block away. There was the sound of laughter as well, and, courtesy of my ring, I could see those Mage spells spinning in the air over the house. A spiral of orange Mage spell light surrounded the house, as if it stood at the center of a vortex.

  Or a hurricane.

  ‘I’ll bet his parents are gone,’ Nick said. ‘It sounds like a good party.’

  ‘That’s because they’re spellcasting already, just as we thought.’

  ‘Shit,’ said Liam.

  ‘Look, just so you know, there’s something different about this spell,’ I said. ‘It’s not a net, like last time, that’s closing around the perimeter. It’s more like a vortex. It seems to be drawing in, kind of the way water goes down a drain.’

  ‘Shit again,’ Liam said, eyeing the house. ‘I don’t like that they’re learning new tricks.’

  ‘Or maybe trying out different ones,’ I said.

  ‘I think it sounds like a great party,’ Nick said and reached for the door handle. ‘We might have fun.’

  I grabbed his arm in sudden understanding. ‘You’re supposed to think it sounds like a great party. You’re supposed to want to go in. It’s a lure.’

  ‘The spell’s already working on you,’ Liam said. I wasn’t the only one remembering that Nick had been susceptible to Adrian’s spell in April.

  ‘A trap,’ Nick said with a nod, his gaze locked on the house. I could almost feel him fighting the spell.

  Liam leaned forward, his tone urgent. ‘Remember that they can make you think whatever they want. That’s what they did before, Nick. We’ve got to listen to Zoë.’

  ‘Right,’ Nick said, but he couldn’t seem to look away from the house.

  This was not good. And we hadn’t even entered the house yet. ‘Maybe you should wait for us,’ I suggested. ‘Hang with the car in case we need to make a quick getaway.’

  ‘Are you kidding?’ His confident grin flashed. ‘I’m not going to miss a great party.’

  Liam and I exchanged a look as Nick got out of the car with purpose.

  ‘I’ll stick with him,’ Liam said. ‘You have other things to worry about.’

  ‘Right.’

  We looked funny gathering on the s
idewalk in our costumes. Nick was dressed as a football player, his shoulder pads so huge that I had barely fit in the car beside him. Liam had made a Viking costume for himself out of some furry fabric. He had a blond wig and fake beard, an axe and big mukluks. I was a gunslinger.

  I reached for Nick, but he was already striding toward the house, his cleats tapping on the sidewalk. Liam swore and went after him.

  Just what I needed – someone else to guard.

  The orange spell net swirled with greater speed as I watched. The sight made me dizzy, a carousel of throbbing light that almost obscured the house. I thought I might puke. I took off the ring and shoved it into my pocket, unable to deal with the eye candy and think straight at the same time. I had let Meagan go in there, with a bunch of Mages and who knew what else.

  They knew that she was a spellsinger, and one way or another, they intended to recruit her.

  They’d have to get past me first.

  A shadow separated itself from the landscaping as I marched down the sidewalk. I glanced sideways to find a wolf loping beside me, his head down and his ears folded back.

  ‘Derek?’ I asked and the wolf glanced me a look that was filled with disdain.

  Right. Who else could it have been? He didn’t have to talk for me to understand what he meant.

  ‘Liam, Nick, this is Derek.’ It was a bit strange to be making introductions to a wolf, but the situation demanded it. Derek regarded them steadily, as if assessing their power.

  ‘You told us about him,’ Liam said.

  ‘Hey, Derek,’ Nick said and reached to scratch his ears.

  Derek backed away, lifting his lip to display a large sharp fang.

  ‘He’s a wolf, not a poodle,’ I said and thought his eyes glinted with humor.

  ‘Right,’ Nick said. ‘Glad to have you with us either way.’

  ‘In which form are you going in?’ I asked Derek.

  Again, I got the unblinking stare.

  ‘Going with the element of surprise. Okay.’ I considered our costumes and made a choice. ‘You’d better stay with Liam, since you two look as if you might belong together.’

  ‘You can help me remind Nick to not listen,’ Liam said to Derek.