Page 17 of Seven Secret Spellcasters
“Great, that makes me feel so much better,” Mia responded as she got out of the truck. She climbed the marble steps and pulled open the tall, wooden door. It felt like she was entering a castle, and as she walked up to the reception desk, she noticed the large sculptures of what appeared to be Greek gods surrounding the circular entrance. The outside of the building had been flat, not rounded, but the room inside had a circle of columns and bright windows. She’d bet that on rainy days, sunshine still filled the room. They’d added magic to the décor.
“Hi, I’m Mia Malone. I’m here for a test.” Now Mia hesitated. Maybe there was more than one type of examination. She hadn’t ever asked Grans what the name of the test was.
“Mia, no worries, you’re in the right place.” The receptionist laughed when Mia gasped at the response. “No, I’m not reading your mind. But your face? That I can read. You should never play poker. The lobby only looks like this for people who have magic. Humans get a boring waiting room at a medical center that looks like it hasn’t been remodeled since nineteen sixty. Orange plastic chairs, if you can believe it.”
“Okay, I’m definitely in the right place then.” Mia grinned. “I don’t think we’ve met before.”
“I’m Cleo. Head of the library, the archives, and receptionist, if the door opens. The book your grandmother ordered is right here. I’ll give it to you when you get done. And there’s your test examiner now. Hugh Charlton, this is Mia Malone. I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”
When Mia turned back to thank Cleo, she and the reception desk were gone. In fact, the lobby was gone. They now stood in a large den or library. Two desks were placed in the middle of the room. Hugh motioned to one, and Mia sat down.
“Good morning. As Cleo mentioned, I’m Hugh. I’ve been doing these examinations for years now, and I’ve never lost a testee.” Hugh Charlton was tall, lanky, and dressed in a light-green tunic and matching pants. He wore open sandals on his feet and a band of silver around his head, pulling his almost silver-hair away from his face. And if that hadn’t told Mia he was fae, the point on his ears would have. The man was too beautiful to be human. He chuckled at his joke, so Mia laughed too. “We’ll be starting with an oral examination so I can get to know you and your goals and wishes. Then, with the hard stuff out of the way, we’ll start the written part. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’m going to be.” Mia nodded.
“Excellent.” Hugh smiled and asked the first question.
By the time the exam was finished, it was past five o’clock, and Mia left the building feeling a little dizzy and starving. She hadn’t been able to eat much before she arrived, so now that she was back in the truck with Trent, all she could think of was food. He handed her a turkey sandwich.
“Here, I bet you’re famished.”
“Starving. How did you know I was done?” She put her seat belt on, then moved the book Cleo had handed to her as she’d walked out of the building to the seat next to her.
“Cleo called me about ten minutes ago. She let me know to come and get you and told me to bring food. She can sense hunger.” Trent pulled out onto the street. “How do you think you did?”
“Surprisingly, I think I did well. Hugh stumped me on a couple of questions, but then I realized they were trick questions, so I answered based on my gut feeling. I either aced it or failed miserably, not knowing I was that much of an idiot.” She wolfed down the sandwich. “How was your day? Anything I should know?”
“I was at the store most of the day. Levi and Christina hung out at the academy, and he got roped into helping cook for tomorrow’s deliveries. Finn is amazing in the kitchen and is making Christina jealous and anxious about leaving,” Trent slowed down for a rabbit that was trying to decide whether it was crossing the street or not. Finally, the rabbit dove back into the brush by the side of the road. Trent sped back up to the speed limit. “So that’s all I heard. Your grandmother has been in the library all day. Don’t worry, Mom’s been checking on her every hour and even took her lunch to her. Are you glad the exam’s over?”
Mia was jolted by the change of subject, but he was probably trying to keep her from freaking out over Grans’s day. “I am. Frankly, the whole thing wasn’t what I expected.”
“It never is. How did you like the lobby remake? Cleo did that a couple of years ago. It gives new meaning to hiding in plain sight.” He paused as they got closer to the school. “Did Baldwin reach you?”
“No.” Mia pulled out her phone. Twelve missed calls. “What’s going on? Anything important?”
“He’s anxious about getting back to investigating Howard’s death. I don’t think the coven has ever pulled him out of an investigation like this. At least not for as long as I can remember. Steve and Dad are back from their fishing trip. Steve stopped at the police station to see what was happening. Baldwin threw him out and told him to ask his friends.” Trent kept his gaze on the road. “I’m afraid that with all this meddling, Baldwin’s going to think I killed the guy.”
“I don’t think that’s true. Mark is as vested in getting to the truth as we are. He’s not a bad cop.” Mia started listening to the voice mails. Marks’ messages went from checking in to worried, to finally, in the last one, he sounded resigned. “Sarah told him I was doing a test for the coven today and wouldn’t be available. Of course, this was after he’d tried to reach me all day. Those two need to learn how to communicate better.”
“So he’s antsy?” Trent parked the truck at the school.
“That’s an understatement. I know you didn’t kill Howard. And, hopefully, neither did Cerby or Buddy.” Mia slipped out of the truck. She hadn’t realized how tired she was. She reached for her half-eaten sandwich, but somewhere between downtown and the academy, she’d finished it.
Trent met her on the sidewalk and put his arm around her. She leaned into his chest, hoping she’d make it up to the apartment before falling asleep. He squeezed her as they walked. “Cerby and Buddy didn’t do this. I told you, dragons don’t leave evidence, like bodies, behind. And Cerby, he would rather play with someone than end their life. That was one of the problems Cerby had at training. The camp directors had a pen full of bunnies. Cerby opened their cage and let them go. He didn’t like the idea that they were being used as food or as training snacks.”
“He has a kind heart,” Mia said. She glanced at the stairs as soon as she walked in. “I’m not sure I can do it.”
“There you two are.” Grans came out of the kitchen. “No going upstairs to sleep. You need to stay awake until midnight, when your results download onto the website. We’ve made margaritas and Mexican food to fortify us while we wait.”
Mia stared at her grandmother. “I don’t think I can make it that long.”
“Don’t be silly. Drink this, and you’ll be as good as new.” Grans handed Mia a drink that smelled like almonds and apples. And maybe a bit of copper.
“I’m not sure,” Mia started but then saw the look Grans had given her. She drank the potion. And felt more awake. She handed the glass back to her grandmother. “What I was going to say was I’m not sure we should be celebrating my other side. Not with Finn in the house.”
“Don’t be silly. We told Finn you were taking a real estate test. She’ll never know the difference.” Grans pointed to a table. “Sit there, and I’ll let the others know you’re back. Abigail was finishing preparing for tomorrow’s deliveries.”
Her grandmother disappeared into the kitchen as she and Trent sat down. “I don’t think I’ve ever won an argument with my grandmother. She’s always covered whatever opposition I’ve had before I even tell her.”
