Fly by Midnight (4 page)

Certainly a witch as powerful as Hazel could create a magnificent new world where witches would no longer be the victims of ignorant humans who feared magic. And that was exactly what she did. The most powerful and courageous witch the world had ever known delivered, creating Everland,
persuading
it
into existence. Witches had taken a stand against the Otherworld and left it behind.

Standing at the marble feet of their young savior, Honora always got chills when she thought about how far the witching world had come. She was startled out of her daydreams as a side door opened and Harper raced out, her face flushed and her usual tidy appearance disheveled. “You won’t believe my morning,” she gasped, her gaze darting around the vestibule.

“What’s wrong?”

“Take this.” Harper pushed a small parchment packet into Honora’s hands. “Hide it until you get back to your office.”

Without hesitation, Honora slid the package into her jacket. “What’s going on? Your hands are shaking.” Worry pulsed through her. She’d never seen Harper this nervous before. The witch dove off skyscrapers for fun. Doing a little research at the council didn’t seem like a frightening task.

Harper stared straight ahead, not meeting Honora’s gaze. She lowered her voice. “There’s nothing in the official record for Jonathan Rainer except that he quit his job about two months ago.”

“That’s it? He just up and quit?”

“It didn’t sound right to me, either, so I kept digging and found some buried files in an old box of documents at the back of a closet no one uses anymore. I didn’t have time to go through all of them, so I just grabbed the ones pertaining to him. I thought maybe Sawyer could sort through them.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m sure he can, but what happened to make you so jumpy?” Honora eyed her friend with concern.

“I didn’t get all the files. I found some more, but the minute I turned my back, they disappeared completely. They were there one second, and then they were gone. Poof.” She took a trembling breath. “Now I think someone is following me.”

“What?” Honora scanned the area without drawing attention to herself. Her heart raced. “Tell me everything.”

“Some creepy wizard I’ve never seen before today suddenly showed up outside of my office after I got back to my desk. He prowled around for about ten minutes, watching me like a hawk. I pretended to go to the bathroom and snuck by him, but somehow he knew and followed me down three flights of stairs and through the witch resources department before I could ditch him.” Her brow was pinched.

“What did he look like?” Honora’s hackles were raised, like a protective mother hen. No one messed with Harper.

“Menacing. He was really pale, like a ghost, and dressed in head-to-toe black with a long, leather field coat and shaded glasses.”

“Sounds like a Hexer.” The Hex Division was known for wearing all-black clothing and not explaining their presence or motives.

“Honora, what’s this all about? Who’s this wizard you’re looking for, and what’s he done?” Her friend bit her bottom lip.

“He wasn’t supposed to be anyone but a cheating husband, but now I don’t know. It’s clear that he’s done something to get the council’s attention.” Honora’s stomach clenched.

The side door Harper had used flung open, hitting the wall behind it, and causing them both to jerk at the sound. With nose pointed high in the air, Beatrice McManus strode across the vestibule right toward them. Beatrice had been three years ahead of Honora at Haven Academy, and though they knew of each other, they’d never been friends. Beatrice was ambitious, brutal, and built like a horse. Her straw-colored hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and was so long and curly, it looked like a mane hanging down her back. Honora half-expected her to whinny at any moment. She’d clawed her way up the council ladder and was now the youngest witch to ever become a full member, a true accomplishment. Her expression was sour, lips puckered.

“Heads up. Councilwoman Vinegar Breath coming our way,” Honora nodded and pulled her shoulders back, preparing for a verbal battle.

“My day keeps getting worse,” Harper mumbled.

“Harper, what’s going on here? Why are you away from your desk?” Beatrice asked in a sharp tone. Her elbow jutted out as she placed her hand on her bony hip.

“Taking an early lunch break, Councilwoman,” Harper said.

“And
you
.” Beatrice glared at Honora. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Honora and Beatrice were complete opposites. Beatrice was a good soldier witch who followed the rules ruthlessly, advanced quickly in the chain of command, and then lorded her power over other witches. She was a game player, a judgmental gossip, plus she wore way too much perfume. Honora wasn’t about to go around and around with her, so she took the blunt route.

“I came here looking for information on Jonathan Rainer. As you well know, I’m a private investigator.”

Harper’s eyes went wide, and her face paled. Honora hated to torture the poor girl, but when dealing with an alpha witch like Beatrice, she had to go tough. “But I’m told there is nothing to tell,” Honora continued. “Harper informed me that he quit his job and no one at the council has seen him since. Officially, he’s no longer the council’s concern.” She hoped the statement would deflect suspicion away from Harper and get the Hexer off her back.

Beatrice shot Harper a sharp glare. “That’s right. Is that a problem for you?”

“No problem at all. I just don’t believe it. As much as I hate to admit it, council jobs are very prestigious and coveted. Even the most menial tasks are considered honorable. Rarely does a witch up and quit such a great job,” Honora said. That was what Detective Corder had meant when he’d said it surprised him Jonathan Rainer left his life. “I plan on continuing my investigation without the council’s help, especially since your employees’ mouths are shut.”

Beatrice grunted. “Our employees know what’s good for them and for the council.” She gave Harper an approving nod. “As for you, Ms. Mayhem, I wouldn’t expect a fringe witch like you to understand. You dwell in the underbelly of Everland. You make your living lurking around, spying on witches and wizards, invading privacy and sucking the gold out of poor wives desperate for any good news. My sympathies are with Witch Rainer, but you disgust me. Taking advantage of a heartbroken witch who’s lost her husband. Are you that desperate for gold?” A look of disdain formed on her disapproving face.

Honora dodged the insult. “You could save us all a lot of trouble and just tell me what Jonathan was working on,” she probed, hoping to pierce Beatrice’s glacial exterior. “Maybe I know someone who could fill his position.”

“It’s time for you to leave, and if I were you, I’d forget about Jonathan Rainer. Stay out of council business or you’ll regret it.”

“Is that a threat?” Honora took a step toward Beatrice.

“Yes, it is. One I advise you take seriously. Get out, or I’ll have Hexers crawling all over you and your little PI shop.”

Honora’s body tensed but not with fear. Threats were like adrenaline to her and spurred her on. “Looks like power has gone to your head.”

“Let’s not argue,” Harper interrupted.

Honora backed down. The last thing she wanted was to get her friend into trouble.

“Get back to work, Harper.” Beatrice spun on her four-inch heels and stomped out of the vestibule.

“What a nasty witch,” Honora harrumphed. She exhaled like a kettle letting off steam.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Harper said, shaking her head. “Something isn’t right.”

“Just be careful. Let me know if you see the creepy Hexer again, and I’ll take care of him.” Honora patted her jacket pocket. “Thanks for the files. I didn’t mean to drag you into anything dangerous.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Harper scampered across the vestibule and through the door like a rabbit darting down a hole. Honora stared up at the statue of Hazel, her brow creased. This case was getting stranger by the minute. She wasn’t sure what was really going on beneath the surface with the council and their missing star wizard, but that was what made her job so much fun—untangling the truth from the lies. Was it just a case of a cheating husband who ran off with his mistress, or was there something more calculated going on? Honora headed out into the crisp winter air. More questions meant more digging.

4

H
onora flew back to her office, trying to shake off the nasty encounter with Beatrice. Whenever she felt bad or needed space to think, she took to the sky, the wind washing over her. The first time she’d realized her
persuasion
was flying, she’d been eight years old and had a nightmare of being caught in a terrible storm, her tiny body thrown through the air, caught on a wicked wind, and when she’d woken up, sweat-soaked and terrified, her back was pressed against the ceiling. There was no wind, no storm. To her shock, she didn’t plummet to the hard wooden floor of her bedroom. She hung in the air. At the time, she had no idea what she was doing up there or why she was able to stay suspended like a cloud, but she soon learned.

Her mother, Elspeth, had coaxed Honora down from the ceiling and explained what was happening to her. Her mother had tried to nurture her through the treacherous years that followed, flyers grew fast and furious in a painful spurt, and it took its toll on their relationship. Honora’s bones were thicker and stronger than other witches, and though flyers appeared normal, their skin and skeletal structures were sturdier, to handle the resistance of flying. She became fearless, verging on overconfident, when it came to sports and physical activities because she was tougher, faster, and more agile than the other witches and wizards in her classes.

Like most flyers, Honora thought she was invincible. It turned out she wasn’t, and she amassed a collection of eggplant-colored bruises on her body and some invisible ones on her ego as well. Though a natural flyer, learning how to control her
persuasion
took practice. She started to think there wasn’t anything she hadn’t accidentally crashed into—houses, trees, buildings, other witches, unsuspecting birds, and a few innocent parked hovercrafts minding their own business.

Memories of her early days in the air always brought back good feelings. She had come far as a flyer and an investigator, and she’d done it through hard work. This case was no different.

Once back in her office, Honora peered over Sawyer’s shoulder, eager to get a look at the mysterious files Harper had given her. Council documents were often magically encrypted and had to be unlocked with special spells, but it only took him a few minutes to read, decipher, and give her a briefing on the information.

“What did you find?” Honora asked, pacing the floor behind him. “We know he was working on a major project for the council. We just have to figure out what it was.” She was babbling, unable to keep still. Patience was not her forte. “Anything?” she asked again.

“Yes,” he said, his brow knitted. “But I’m not sure I believe it.”

“You found something good, didn’t you?” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Sawyer spoke a complex decoding spell and waved his wand over one of the pieces of parchment that Harper had given them. The inky writing sprang to life, shifting into an elaborate grid.

“What is that? It looks like a blueprint of some kind.” Strange architectural diagrams and magical rune marks emerged on the parchment.

Sawyer ran his hand across the top of his head. “It appears this guy was working on the wall. See this,” he said, pointing to the series of runes. Literally hundreds of marks created columns of magical spells on the page. “Layered advanced spellwork. It’s where magic and science connect.” He took a deep breath. Magical science was the hottest
persuasion
to emerge in the last century. “I thought I was smart, but compared to this stuff…whoever wrote these spells is a genius. Wands down.”

“Hold on, back up. Did you say
the wall
? Are you kidding?” Excitement flooded through her. It made sense. The information from Jane had pointed to a large-scale project, and the wall was basically a huge network of barrier spells. “The witching wall!”

“From what I can tell, this guy is seriously talented in magical-barrier spellcraft. In fact, the parchments suggest he’s
deeply
involved.”

Honora’s gut tightened, and she paced the office, trying to absorb the enormous implications of a wizard of Jonathan’s skill level gone missing.

The witching wall was an invisible magical barrier and was Everland’s best-kept secret. No one talked about it, because it simply was. The council had built the magical barrier to keep all other entities out of Everland and to keep the witching world hidden and safe. Maintaining that separation took a lot of powerful magic. It was Everland’s last defense against the Otherworld.

The wall was so secretive, powerful, and magical, it was practically a myth, and only the basics of its existence were ever disclosed. No one had ever seen it. The wall’s magic and location were unknown to the public, and the witches and wizards who worked to maintain the magical barrier were even more secretive than the Hex Division. All Honora knew was they were called wardens of the wall.

“Can you determine what kind of work Jonathan Rainer was doing with the wall?” Honora pulled a chair up to Sawyer’s desk. “I need to know for sure. Was he a magical consultant? He’s an academic, but how involved was he?”

After a few minutes of staring at the material, scribbling notes across a parchment pad, and deciphering the runes, Sawyer turned to Honora with a grin. “These magical codes and spells are amazing. It’s unbelievable,” he gushed, and then cleared his throat. “I believe Jonathan Rainer is one of the council’s top
persuasionists
on barrier spells, magical containment, and illusion. He’s doing a lot more than consulting.” Sawyer squinted as a new string of magical runes appeared on the parchment. “The rune spells are old, like ancient. If I’m reading this information right, it’s based on the
original
magical spells that built the wall. It reads like a history lesson.”

“I’ve got photos showing two different identities, which would make sense if he’s involved with a high-level security project concerning the wall. He’s probably using a disguise. Depending on her clearance, Jane might not even realize what her husband does for a living.”

“Interesting. The wizard who wrote these spells couldn’t be young, unless he’s some kind of genius.” Sawyer scratched his head. “He’s got to be much older, highly experienced, and knowledgeable on historical spellcraft of the wall.”

“You don’t think he’s a warden of the wall, do you?” Honora couldn’t believe what she was asking. A shiver trailed up her spine.

“I don’t think so. The parchments clearly state that the wall is maintained at the four quadrants—north, south, east, and west. There’s a station building at each secret location, housing a warden and a guardian to maintain the barrier. So I don’t see how he can be a warden if he’s living in the suburbs.”

“If he isn’t a warden of the wall, then who is he, and what’s his role? The council doesn’t seem too concerned about his well-being, but they also don’t like me sniffing around, if Beatrice has anything to say about it.”

A faint burning smell filled the office. Pale-gray wisps of smoke suddenly rose from the stack of parchments on Sawyer’s desk. A spiderweb of glowing orange cracks appeared on the singeing documents.

“They’re burning!” Honora yelled. “Do something!”

“There’s nothing we can do! Ouch!” Sawyer yanked his hand away from the now fully flaming parchments. “Someone’s using a remote combustion spell.”

Honora grabbed her wand and extinguished the burning parchments. Their documents on Jonathan Rainer had been reduced to a charred mess. “It had to be the council. Harper said the other files on him
disappeared
.” She coughed and waved the smoke away with her hand. Her eyes stung.

Sawyer groaned. He swept the burned parchments into the trash. “Whoever did this went from using vanishing spells to complete incineration.” He cracked open the window. “Someone really doesn’t want you to know anything about Wizard Rainer.”

“What’s the council playing at? They’ve stooped to destroying documents to keep him a secret. I understand the council’s secrecy, but what I don’t get is why Jane didn’t mention her husband’s importance.” Honora’s thoughts raced as she tried to decipher her client’s motives. Suddenly an idea flashed into her mind, and she made the connection. “She’s afraid, afraid of the council. That’s why. I should have seen how nervous she was acting at the bar. I didn’t take her as seriously as I should have.” Her shoulders sank.

“Don’t blame yourself.” Sawyer gave her a sympathetic look. “Jane could have confided in you and expressed her fears, but she didn’t.” He snorted. “Told you the council was trouble. Honora, I have a bad feeling here. What if this guy is the wizard who
invented
the wall? What if he’s the
top
wizard? The inventor’s identity is one of the best-kept secrets in Everland.”

“That’s impossible, right?” she asked, considering the possibility. “The council would be doing more to find him, not hurting our efforts. Wouldn’t they?”

“The council works in strange ways. That’s how they do things—a need-to-know basis. Why do you think I don’t trust them? Hazel only knows what their motives
really
are for finding or not finding Jonathan Rainer.” Sawyer inspected his casebook for singe marks.

“Hold on, Mr. Conspiracy Theorist. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to look at the facts, not speculations. I thought the wall was centuries old. So Jon couldn’t be the inventor.”

“Originally, the wall really wasn’t a wall, just a series of protective spells maintained by teams of witches and wizards. It was only about four hundred years ago that the wall in its current state was created,” Sawyer said, leaning back in his chair. “You were right. My hobby is conspiracy theories, especially when they pertain to Everland myths and legends.” He grinned sheepishly. “If Jonathan Rainer is as important as we think, without him and the wall, all of Everland is in serious danger. Do you have any idea what would happen if this information got out? Anyone or anything in the Otherworld could invade Everland.” He pushed back from his chair, stood, and cracked his knuckles. “This is epic.”

“I’m not signing on to your theory yet. I need to talk to Jane first and get her to spill everything once and for all.” Honora bit her bottom lip. She knew Sawyer was good, but could it really be true? She plopped onto the couch, rested her head back, and blew out an anxious breath.

“You said it yourself, I know my stuff. The parchments that Harper gave you were filled with hidden rune codes and top-secret information.” Sawyer sighed and collapsed back down in his chair. His foot jerked nervously back and forth. “Who do you think has been keeping the existence of the wall quiet for so long? It’s not like we don’t know it exists.”

“I never understood why the wall was such a big secret. The council claims the secrecy is for security from the Otherworld.”

“We aren’t the only ones, Honora. Dangerous creatures exist outside of the wall, and I don’t just mean humans.”

Many fabled creatures existed outside of the witching world and lived in the Otherworld: fairies, nymphs, sprites, and creatures of night and shadows like vampires, ghouls, goblins, and werewolves, not to mention the magical beasts of the forest, desert, air, and sea. The magical species didn’t all get along, and not all of them liked witches or the fact that they lived in a separate world.

It was becoming pretty clear that the missing wizard could be one of the most important wizards in Everland. The ramifications of his going missing were hard for Honora to process. Could it possibly have a simple explanation? Had Jonathan taken time out from his life? Had stress gotten to him, and he checked out for a few months? Maybe he needed a break? Or was he really having an affair like the police suspected? Honora doubted it, and knew better than to pin her hopes on a long shot.

Sawyer glanced at her, his big brown eyes welling with concern. She wasn’t used to seeing his sensitive side. If there was another wizard out there less emotional than Honora, it was her intellectual assistant. That was why they got along so well—they were logical, methodical, tough, and didn’t let emotions get in the way of work.

“I know one thing for sure,” Honora said. “We have to find Jonathan Rainer, and fast.”