Jinx & Tonic (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 3) Read online

  Gus threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, then help.”

  I reached over, pulled The Magic of Mixology, my beloved spellbook, close enough to read. The book was open to a page titled Spells for the Lost. “Did you lose something?”

  Gus’s face reddened. “No.”

  “Then why are you making this potion?”

  “I’m lost, okay? I’m not looking for anything.”

  “Is that right?” I ran my finger over the list of ingredients, trying to memorize the potion. “Well, where are you trying to go?”

  “Nowhere.”

  “Sorry, I don’t follow.”

  “It’s not a destination. I’m lost—completely clueless—on how to use this stupid thing.” Gus threw a bowtie in my direction. It landed on the table with a light puff of fabric against wood. “Stupid dress code.”

  I hid a laugh, recognizing the bowtie as the very same one Ranger X had tossed out my bedroom window an hour before. Picking up the fabric, I easily adjusted it and leaned over Gus. I paused, my hands an inch away from his neck. “May I?”

  He gestured to go ahead, although the look on his face was one of excruciating pain.

  “Where’d you get your tie?” I asked, keeping my expression neutral, knowing full well he’d picked it up off the ground and recycled it. My voice chirped innocently through the silent storeroom. I patted the polka-dotted bowtie into place. “It’s very lovely.”

  “The stupid thing fell from the sky. Mimsey told me I had to wear one or I couldn’t sit with her, so I took it as a sign.”

  “That Mimsey is full of tough love, huh? It won’t kill you to wear a bowtie for her, you know.”

  “Who said anything about love?” Gus sliced the fruit faster. So fast he nearly cut off his fingers. “Speaking of, where’s your boy toy?”

  “X is not a boy toy. We’re dating. That’s all.”

  Gus rolled his eyes.

  I stood up and rested my hands on the table. “Let’s call a truce. I’ll leave your love life alone if you leave mine alone. Now put your potion stuff away, and let’s get going. Mimsey and Poppy are going to meet us, and they won’t be happy if we’re late.”

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs, sparing us any further conversation. However, when Ranger X stormed into the room, I had a whole new reason to worry. X’s face was dark and volatile, his pupils dilated. He hardly glanced my way as he swept through the room like a thunderstorm.

  My heart pounded. “Is everything okay?”

  He turned an unreadable expression toward me. “Let’s go. Now.”

  I scurried behind him. Gus followed, locking up the bungalow. The three of us left the pink-and-purple beach house behind—in silence, since Ranger X clearly was not in the mood for small talk. Gus shot me a glance, but I raised my shoulders in confusion.

  X’s legs carried him much faster than either Gus or I could move, and eventually I had to shout for him to wait up. He turned around at the sound of my voice. “Sorry, I was preoccupied.”

  “What was the Comm about?” I asked, slightly out of breath as I jogged toward him. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s been an escape,” Ranger X said after a long pause. “One of the most dangerous criminals on The Isle broke free from prison twenty minutes ago. The day of the first public Trial?” He shook his head. “I don’t like it. This isn’t a coincidence.”

  “You said security will be tight at the Trials. Surely nobody would try anything on the first day?”

  His eyes roved over me, stern, even a little sad, and he shook his head. “You don’t understand, Lily. All of the security in the world can’t protect us from her.”

  CHAPTER 3

  I didn’t have long to wonder about who Ranger X meant by her before we were off again. Retreating into his own thoughts, X picked up the pace, leaving Gus and me struggling to keep close to his heels as we crossed The Isle to the arena.

  Normally, the white sand beaches glistened like diamonds, the sky a cotton candy blue, the clouds fluffy and bright. Today, a dark haze hung low over the tide. The salty air had a bitter taste to it, and for the first time in a long while, the lake breeze sent shivers across my skin.

  When we arrived, Gus clomped through the masses of folks—witches and wizards, fairies and elves, pixies and even a few Companions—to find Mimsey.

  “Lily, wait.” Ranger X reached out and grasped my wrist as I turned to follow Gus. “I need to talk to you.”

  I paused. “I know you’re busy. I’ll just join my family for now.”

  “I’m sorry.” His apology was heavy. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you any more information. I don’t know much more than I’ve already said, and I’m…”

  He trailed off, and I could see the physical signs of stress. Under his dark, ruffled hair were eyes that lacked their typical light. Even when he forced a smile it looked tired and weak, nearly breaking my heart.

  “You don’t need to apologize for anything.” I rested my fingertips against his cheek and brought him closer. “I understand.”

  He swept his lips across mine, sending tingles through my body. “There’s one more thing. I’ve assigned a Companion to sit in your box, and that is final. I wish I could be next to you, but since I can’t, this is the next best option.”

  “I don’t need a Companion; my entire family will be there.”

  “He’ll be watching over you, and it’s his job. I’m sorry. Until I can explain about the prisoner, I need you protected.”

  “What about you?”

  He frowned. “What about me?”

  “Your safety.”

  His jaw tightened. “Let her come for me.”

  “But—”

  “I need to address the Candidates.” He pulled me in hard, fast, and held me as if he’d never let go. My fingers grasped at his suit, squeezing tight. “But first, there’s one more thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “This is why I didn’t want to change the rules,” he said, letting go of me. He moved a foot away. A foot too far. “I have half a mind to cancel the Trials and bring you home with me. For good. That option would never have crossed my mind if I hadn’t fallen for you.”

  “You can’t let this . . . whatever, whoever it is win,” I said, my voice cracking. I felt empty without his body against mine. “Fear, or evil, or whatever you want to call it. If you cancel the Trials, she’ll win.”

  He looked down at his feet and cleared his throat. “I have to go.”

  “Everything will be okay,” I said as he turned to walk away. “I promise. The Isle needs to see you and your team more than ever. We need to see people who love this island enough to dedicate their lives to protecting it. With everything that’s been going on lately, this is a bright spot, a ray of hope.”

  Without looking back, Ranger X nodded, and then stepped onto the stage.

  CHAPTER 4

  Still a bit shaken from Ranger X’s words, I took my time locating the special box seats reserved for families and close friends of the Candidates.

  “There she is!” Poppy called, waving me over. “Right here, Lily!”

  I joined Mimsey, Poppy, and the rest of the West Isle Witches except for my grandmother, who hadn’t yet arrived. I did my best to hide any lingering emotion on my face. Not that it was necessary, since everyone’s adrenaline was running high today.

  The air was filled with nerves, excitement, danger, and most importantly, pride. Pride for The Isle, for the Candidates, for a glimpse of light in a darkening world.

  “I can’t believe she’s doing it.” Mimsey clasped her hands to her face. “Zin, a Ranger. Golly gee whiz, that has a nice ring to it.”

  “Candidate,” Trinket said. “She’s only a Candidate, not a Ranger.”

  I watched as Mimsey glared at her sister. The pair were as opposite as opposites could be. If Mimsey was jelly—sweet and mushy and bright—Trinket was the peanut butter at the bottom of the jar. A little bit crusty, sort of old, and sometimes quite dry. Where T
rinket was tall and willowy like a cattail, Mimsey sat short and squat and round.

  “It’s the truth,” Trinket said, returning Mimsey’s gaze with a stern one of her own. “The Trials are challenging. Most Candidates never become Rangers, and that’s just a fact.”

  I laid a hand on Mimsey’s arm before she could respond. Tempers flared easily in this atmosphere. Even Trinket was more on edge than usual; her face was a little too pale, her lips a little too thin, her hands a little too agitated… and she was the queen of stoicism.

  “Let it go,” I said softly, for Mimsey’s ears only.

  She frowned but didn’t comment.

  I glanced at the rest of the group. “Anyone caught sight of Zin yet?”

  “There! There!” Poppy pointed behind us. “All of the Candidates are arriving on the stage!”

  I turned around to watch the whole extraordinary scene unfold. We were somewhere in the middle of The Isle, somewhat near The Forest. Most likely enhanced by magic, the arena had seats as high as the eye could see.

  Closest to the pitch sat an array of boxed-in seats, family names scrawled across the front of each enclosure. The sign plate on our box read “West Isle Witches.” From our primo seats, we could see a raised platform in the center of a grassy field that resembled a football stadium.

  “Have they announced what will be happening yet?” I squinted, wishing I’d brought binoculars strong enough to see the expression on Ranger X’s face.

  “They don’t tell us,” Poppy said. “It’s a secret until the day of the event. Well, most of the Trials are secret actually, since they happen offstage. The Rangers observe Candidates in their daily lives, sometimes before the Candidates are even aware they’re being considered.”

  “Times are a-changin’, that’s for sure.” The words sounded wise, but they were a little hard to take seriously coming from the mouth of my pipsqueak grandmother, a feisty old witch named Hettie who’d worn light-up “Z’s” strapped to her head like antlers. She stepped through the door into the West Isle Witches box and grinned. “This is the start of a whole new world.”

  “Hi, Hettie,” chorused a handful of voices. I joined in, waving my grandmother up front to an open seat next to me.

  Hettie poked her way into the box, brushing aside a few of Trinket’s other children. All six of them were scrambling for a look at their oldest sister.

  “Out of my way, munchkins.” Hettie threw a few elbows. “I’ve got a granddaughter to watch.”

  The kids groaned, but they parted to allow their grandmother passage. Hettie, with gray hair marching across her head in curly little rows, was barely a head taller than any of the children. She was known to tweak noses and tug ears if the children didn’t move fast enough.

  For this occasion, she’d worn a particularly glamorous outfit. An all-purple suit with a violet bandana tied across her forehead, the glowing “Z’s” bouncing enthusiastically over a glittery plastic headband. Her earrings dangled so low that the bottoms brushed her shoulders, the silvery strands thwacking anyone who dared move too close to her side.

  “Nice shirt,” I said, gesturing to the back of her velvet tracksuit. “Where’d you get it?”

  Hettie pointed to her back where the word Zinnifred had been printed with diamonds. “Thrift store.”

  “I thought Zin’s real name was Zinnia?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. “Who is Zinnifred?”

  Trinket let out a long sigh. “Her name is Zinnia, mother.”

  “I got this on sale,” Hettie explained. “If I wanted the real deal, I’d have had to order it special, and it would’ve cost extra coins. I’m not made of money, you know. It’s not my fault she was named Zinnia instead of Zinnifred; that one’s on Trinket.”

  I turned my attention back to the events on stage. All of the Candidates had lined up on the platform in a single row. They stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind their backs, postures rigid. There was something utterly military about the whole thing.

  “There’s my favorite tush in the universe,” Hettie said. “He looks good up there, doesn’t he, Lily?”

  Scanning the arena, her eyes landed on none other than my boyfriend. She whistled so loudly everyone in the auditorium winced, including the person attached to said rear end. Ranger X squinted into the crowd in my grandmother’s direction, looking for the source of the noise. I hid behind her small frame and stared directly at the word Zinnifred until the coast was clear.

  “Nice, huh, Lily? I like that suit on him, even though he looks like a professor. I always did have a thing for teachers.” My grandma smiled. “You picked a studmuffin.”

  I groaned, my face turning redder by the second as Trinket’s children looked up at me, their faces filling one by one with disgust. At their age, cooties were real.

  “Mother!” Trinket caught sight of her children’s wandering eyes. She muttered a curse that made all the children under the age of ten clasp their hands over their ears. “Watch your language, or I’ll have to keep the Earmuff Enchantment on them all day.”

  “Loosen up,” Hettie mumbled, but she refrained from commenting further. She did, however, elbow me and point toward the stage. “What is that man doing up there? He looks like he’s having a seizure.”

  My eyes were glued to Ranger X. He prowled through the Candidates like a ringmaster, sizing up the crowd, the Rangers, the arena. When he reached the microphone set front and center, he paused, hands hanging loosely by his sides. He looked calm and confident, and if I hadn’t witnessed his anxiety minutes before, I would have never guessed anything was wrong.

  “No, look to the right,” Hettie said. “I know you like looking at X, but I’m talking about the guy at the end of the line. His name is Trent.”

  I followed her pointed finger. “What is he doing?”

  “Heck if I know.”

  Hettie and I watched the last Candidate in the lineup. He was average in size, broad shouldered with a ruddy face and red hair. He was neither handsome nor ugly, but somewhere in between. It was the robotic motions of his hands, however, that held my gaze.

  Trent’s fingers jerked in twitchy motions, the polar opposite of the other Candidates’ absolute stillness. Zin stood next to him, her posture so rigid her chest barely rose and fell with each breath.

  Then Zin moved. Her eyes, ever so slightly, flicked toward Trent. They rested on him for a long moment as she watched his odd behavior. Even from here, I could see the passive, empty expression on Trent’s face, his eyes staring into a realm nobody else could see.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Ranger X began, drawing everyone’s attention. Even Trent stilled, the Candidate’s gaze refocusing on X. “Today, we make history.”

  The audience quieted to nothing. Even the children were silent. We waited and watched, the air brimming with anticipation.

  “Before you, we stand—ready to protect our island at all costs. Today we have ten Candidates, each with something unique to offer. They have trained hard. The process ahead promises to be a grueling one. Some of them have already sacrificed great things in the name of The Isle.” Ranger X’s gaze slid toward Zin so quickly I might have imagined it. “To be standing here today is a feat of its own, and I want you all to join me in welcoming our Ranger Candidates to the Trials.”

  “Let’s get to the good stuff,” Hettie muttered while Ranger X gave his prepared speech in a powerful, captivating voice. “I want to see some blood.”

  “I wasn’t told there would be blood!” I bit my lip. Having heard bits and pieces of this speech a hundred times, I zoned out, focusing on Hettie. “I thought these Trials weren’t dangerous.”

  “You’re crazy,” Hettie said, giving me a look of disbelief. “Of course they’ll be dangerous. I mean, it’s not like in the really old days when people died in these events left and right. But, you know, I’m always hoping for a little smacking around. Makes for a more exciting show.”

  “I didn’t think anybody was in danger of dying.”

  H
ettie rolled her eyes. “They’re not. That’s what I mean, the Ranger program’s gone soft.”

  A wave of nausea flooded my stomach as I surveyed the lineup. Zin was the smallest of the bunch except for one—short male with a missing front tooth, slanted eyebrows, and a smile that bordered on crazy. If things got physical, Zin’s size wouldn’t exactly set her up for success.

  Ranger X continued on, introducing each of the Candidates. Zin was the only female in the lineup, as expected. I recognized two males from random run-ins around The Isle, but the others I’d only read about in the media. The local newspaper had posted continual Candidate coverage since the Trials had been announced; it was all people had been talking about for weeks.

  When X finally wrapped up the introductions, he went on to explain what would happen next. There would be five public Trials, one per week. Closing ceremonies were to follow the final Trial, and the whole thing would culminate with a masquerade ball.

  I glanced at the crowd, the seats filled to bursting with an excited sea of bodies pressed together. Rooting, cheering for the Candidates. It helped that there was no direct competition between the Candidates—all of them could become Rangers if they made it through the Trials. A highly unlikely event, but a possibility.

  “It seems a little bit selfish to put the Candidates through this,” I said. “If it’s only for the fanfare. It feels a little like a dog and pony show.”

  “On the contrary.” Hettie crossed her arms, looked up at me. Though her eyes were shining, there was an underlying severity that caught my attention. “These Candidates need to see the people they’re protecting. They need to love The Isle more than anything. From the deepest, most primal level, they need to understand those who inhabit it—human and otherwise. They need to feel appreciated and essential. Otherwise, why would these men—and now women—give their lives to a career filled with danger?”

  Her words soaked in as I caught a glimpse of Zin. Though she still hadn’t moved from the militant position, she tilted her chin high, a calmness flashing through her eyes. Zin had been wired with nerves for the last few months but now, finally, she stood where she belonged.