I stared at Zoe across the table. “How on Earth did Marcus escape? And what are we gonna do now?”
Zoe slowly let out the breath she’d been holding like a punctured balloon. “That’s a great question that I don’t have an answer for. I guess we should probably still get down to the town square to see what Mayor Nash has to say and check on Officer Aimes.”
“What about Blackwood?” I asked. “We don’t have proof, but if he’s not connected to all this somehow, then my name isn’t Selena.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Thorn said. “After what you saw in your vision, I don’t blame you for suspecting Blackwood, but just because he bailed Marcus out before doesn’t mean he’d do it twice.”
“True,” Zoe agreed. “But I can’t think of anyone else who would. After all, according to Selena’s vision, there was still one more shipment of merchandise Marcus hadn’t gotten into town yet, so that might’ve been enough motivation for Blackwood to spring him again.”
Thorn shook his head. “Maybe, but I don’t think so. This isn’t Blackwood’s style. If we’ve learned nothing else about him, it’s that he prefers to operate in the shadows, like with corrupt donations to cops. Making a scene by blatantly breaking into the SVPD to free Marcus doesn’t seem like the sort of thing he’d do.”
“Then do you think Marcus had help from someone else?” I asked. As much as I didn’t want to believe it, Thorn made a good point. Leaving behind a paper trail of questionable donations was a mistake anyone could’ve made, even someone rich and influential, but hiring someone to break into the police department to spring a prisoner was another thing entirely.
“Either that or he broke his chains himself,” Thorn said with a shrug.
“I don’t see how he could’ve,” Zoe said. “The cops enchanted those chains and Marcus’ cell. Without a wand, there’s no way he could’ve dispelled the magic.”
“Then someone must’ve done it for him. But who? And why? It’s not like Marcus had many fans in Starfall after what he did.”
“I dunno, but we don’t have time to worry about it right now,” Zoe said. “Mayor Nash is going to be speaking any minute, and I’d bet my wand Blackwood won’t miss an opportunity to trash him in the press while they’re gathered, so if you want any chance of a run-in with Blackwood, we’d better get moving.”
I stood from the table in a hurry and locked eyes with Jadis. “I need you to find out who’s been taking Blackwood’s money, and I need you to be one hundred percent sure about it.”
Jadis waved me away. “Girl, please. You ought to know by now that there’s nothing I can’t find on the internet. Kiki and I will figure it out, we promise. Right, Kiki?”
Aunt Kiki nodded. “Absolutely!”
“Good. Call or text me as soon as you find anything.”
“Will do, so make sure you actually check your messages this time,” Jadis teased, though the smile she wore blunted it.
“I’m coming with you two,” Thorn announced, leaving no room for argument. “We already know Marcus has no hesitation about killing, and now that he’s on the loose, I have a bad feeling he’s going to be looking for you both.”
Normally, I would’ve pushed back and insisted we could handle ourselves, but this time, Thorn was right. Thanks to Zoe and I sticking our noses and wands where they didn’t belong, we’d painted giant targets on our backs. Though we didn’t yet know for sure who was pulling all the strings, I had no doubt that whoever it was would very much like for us to stop — and would go to any lengths to make sure we did.
“That’s good, actually. No one in Blackwood’s circle knows who you are, so you can be another pair of eyes and ears for us if we have to chase after him,” Zoe said.
“Oh, trust me, I’m not letting either of you out of my sight,” Thorn said, then wrapped an arm around me. “Especially you.”
Though I hated myself for it, I couldn’t stop my face from flushing. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve someone like him who’d literally put his life on the line to save mine, but I sure appreciated it. “Thank you, Thorn. That means a lot,” I said meekly.
“All right, are we ready, then?” Zoe asked as she stood as well. “Oh, wait, you’re gonna need this again, aren’t you?” She pulled the camera I’d used at Leo’s mansion out of her robes and passed it to me. “This time, take pictures of anything — and I mean anything — that looks suspicious. We’re still mostly flying blind here, so we need some leads.”
“Got it,” I said and hung the camera from my neck with its attached strap, then walked around the table with Thorn to link up with Zoe. She cast the teleportation spell yet again, and a few moments later we popped into Starfall’s town square.
As I struggled to get my bearings, I took in the scene, and the lack of commotion surprised me. Aside from a small crew of reporters surrounding an empty podium with their microphones and cameras at the ready, there wasn’t anyone else in the square.
“I can’t believe there isn’t more security,” Zoe said, taking the words out of my mouth. Given that Mayor Nash was about to give a speech while a murderer was on the loose, I assumed the authorities would be on higher alert. “Then again, who are they supposed to call? Officer Aimes is apparently the only member of the SVPD left.”
“Yeah, and where is she? Shouldn’t she be here for this?” I asked.
“She might still be working with the authorities on the break-in. It wouldn’t surprise me if the FBI had gotten involved,” Thorn said.
I grimaced at the comment, but as I looked closer at the shops in the surrounding square, I realized that just because there wasn’t anyone wearing a police uniform didn’t mean there wasn’t any security presence. On a whim, I raised the camera to my eye and aimed the viewfinder at a hulking warlock who leaned against the brick exterior of Bella’s Bewitching Boulangerie, then snapped a quick picture.
“I think they’re here, they’re just undercover,” I said as I showed Zoe and Thorn the thumbnail on the camera’s small screen.
“Huh, that’s weird,” Zoe muttered. “Why wouldn’t they want people to know about the security here?”
“Mayor Nash is probably trying to keep everyone calm,” Thorn said. “It’s a classic PR tactic. When there’s panic, the last thing any leader wants to do is add to it. Seeing their mayor surrounded by armed guards in their town square would definitely make Starfall’s citizens nervous, so he’s got the right idea.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it made perfect sense, and it explained why Mayor Nash wanted to put himself at risk to make a statement in the first place.
“Well, I think he’s going to have a hard time with it,” Zoe said, and I followed her gaze to the opposite side of the square. Leo Blackwood strode confidently in a crisp navy suit toward the gaggle of reporters and the podium that they circled like sharks — without a single member of his security. Was that part of his stunt, or was he really so fearless?
“What in Lilith’s name does he think he’s doing?” Thorn asked as Blackwood broke through the ring of reporters and stepped up to the microphone mounted on the podium. He tapped it a few times to test it, filling the square with the sound of amplified thuds, and cleared his throat like he was about to speak. The reporters scrambled to get their cameras and recorders ready, and the three of us hurried to get closer to the commotion.
“Good morning, everyone, and thank you for being here,” Blackwood started, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the undercover security agents had stirred and were communicating with each other. Blackwood had clearly caught them off guard, too; they’d been expecting a speech, but not from him. Where the heck was Mayor Nash?
“Last night’s unfortunate events are frightening, but unlike our current mayor, I stand before you unafraid to face the dangers in our community head on,” Blackwood said, and offered the cameras a confident, borderline cocky smile. “This, folks, is what the true face of leadership looks like! Those who seek to terrorize our people have no place in this town, and it’s time we elected a leader who’s not afraid to say so!”
As Blackwood spoke, his words seemed to fire up the reporters watching him. A few among them nodded and mumbled their agreement, which seemed unusual to me. I wasn’t a journalist, but as far as I was aware, their job was to cover speakers impartially, not publicly agree with them.
“This is so weird. Everyone’s thoughts are fading,” Zoe said with her face scrunched as she strained to keep their signal.
“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.
“I dunno, it’s bizarre. When we first got here, the noise from all the thoughts flying around was so loud I couldn’t even make out individual streams. But ever since Blackwood started talking, it’s steadily gotten quieter.”
Thorn shrugged. “The guy is definitely a talented public speaker. And you know what? He might have a point.”
My eyes shot to Thorn’s. “You can’t be serious,” I said, but Thorn never answered. Instead, his gaze stayed glued on Blackwood as he hung on every word that left the man’s mouth.
“Though there’s a murderer on the loose, I’m sure Mayor Nash will be out here any moment to assure you all that everything is fine, and that he and the rest of his administration have everything under control. But I know everyone watching me right now has a pair of eyes. You all see the truth as plainly as I do: Under Morgan Nash’s leadership, Starfall Valley is no longer safe,” Blackwood droned on, then looked dramatically out at the empty square. “We have to change that, together, but we can only do that if you vote for me in this week’s election,” he finished, letting his voice echo around the square.
Even the guards behind Blackwood, who’d been stirring like they were going to intervene, stood rooted to the spot. Unable to believe what I was seeing, I raised the camera to my eye again and zoomed in on the face of the guard I’d first noticed leaning against the boulangerie. He stood expressionless, vacantly staring at Blackwood’s back. I snapped a series of photos, first of the guard, then the rest of the small crowd.
“I’m getting something again,” Zoe said, so I lowered the camera and found her standing with her eyes squeezed shut as she strained to lock onto it. “Someone’s clearly not buying what Blackwood’s selling,” she continued, which was a shock to me based on how almost everyone in the square seemed to be enamored by Blackwood — until a crackling ball of magic tore through the square and collided with the podium Blackwood stood behind, sending him tumbling backwards and splintering the podium into a hundred pieces that sprayed out across the crowd of reporters like shrapnel.
All at once, the square erupted in chaos as the reporters scattered and, finally, the guards sprung into action. They piled on each other in front of Blackwood, covering him with their own bodies as they dragged him out of the square. Without thinking, I dropped to my knees but held the camera high and started blindly snapping pictures in all directions, hoping to capture something of the scene that might be useful later.
“We’ve gotta get out of here!” Thorn shouted over the pandemonium, and though I knew he was right, I couldn’t take my eyes off the camera’s screen — because I realized I’d gotten a shot of Marcus Drach firing a killing curse at the place where Leo Blackwood had been standing moments before.
“It’s Marcus!” Zoe shouted, taking the words out of my mouth, but she hadn’t seen him on my camera; instead, she stared at him in horror as he stood frozen with a wand dangling in one hand. He stared down at it in puzzlement, as if he’d just woken from a trance with no recollection of how he’d gotten there, then scowled in anger when Leo’s blond head peeked up from the pile of guards.
“He’s gonna fire again!” Thorn cried and tried to force me to the ground, but I fought to stay upright and cupped my hands around my mouth.
“Marcus, no!” I bellowed, and amazingly, I got his attention. His wild eyes shot to mine. “You don’t have to do this! Please, just put the wand down!”
Marcus smiled sadly at me and shook his head, then jabbed the wand through the air at Leo and shouted, “Interficio!” Another ball of crackling, sinister green magic hurtled from Marcus’ wand toward Leo, who seemed to have lost all his confidence, but at the last second, a guard batted the spell away with a counter. It crashed into a nearby shop’s second-floor window and sent shattered glass raining down on the square, followed by another round of panicked screams from the reporters who were trapped in the middle of the confrontation.
While everyone was distracted, Marcus turned and dashed down the street behind him. Shocked, I watched his bald, shining head bounce away for a moment before I snapped back into reality.
“He’s running! We have to stop him!” I shouted and forced myself out of Thorn’s grip to chase after Marcus with Zoe and Thorn right on my heels. Though I had a good guess why Marcus had just tried to assassinate Leo, I wasn’t about to let him get away with it — or hurt anyone else.