Cast Away

  Cast Away

  Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Book 6

  Annabel Chase

  Red Palm Press LLC

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Also by Annabel Chase

  Cast Away

  A Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Book 6

  By Annabel Chase

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  Copyright © 2017 Red Palm Press LLC

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Alchemy

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter 1

  “Today's exercise is all about trust," Lady Weatherby said.

  "Ugh," Millie muttered. "I hate trust exercises."

  "That's because you don't trust anyone," Laurel whispered.

  “Witches? Is there something you'd like to share with the class?" Lady Weatherby asked pointedly.

  Laurel shook her head, but Millie decided that honesty was the best policy.

  “We’re with each other all the time," Millie complained. "Obviously, we trust each other. There’s no real point to the exercise.”

  “Just because you spend a lot of time with someone doesn't mean you automatically trust them," Lady Weatherby said. "If you worked next to Jemima every day in Mix-n-Match, for example, would that make you trust her?"

  “Definitely not,” Begonia said under her breath.

  "If nothing else, it's a reinforcement," Lady Weatherby said. "The coven has an annual retreat that involves an entire evening of trust exercises."

  Millie gave a disapproving snort. "I think I'll call in sick that day."

  “Millie, I think you’ll find it’s witches like you who need these exercises most of all.” Professor Holmes appeared in the back of the classroom.

  “Good morning, Professor Holmes,” Lady Weatherby greeted him and the rest of the class followed suit.

  “I thought I would take part in today’s lesson,” the kindly wizard said.

  “Any particular reason, Professor?” Laurel asked.

  He rubbed the back of his head. “Mainly because the cleaning fairies are in my office and there’s a plumber pulling apart the kitchen in my house.”

  “So you seek refuge, is that it?” Lady Weatherby asked, mildly amused.

  “There are several coffee shops at your disposal,” I said.

  Lady Weatherby silenced me with a stern look. “If Professor Holmes would like to join us, then we are more than happy to have him.”

  Professor Holmes gave a slight nod before joining her at the front of the classroom.

  “An ideal partner for this exercise,” Lady Weatherby said.

  “Indeed.” Professor Holmes retrieved his wand. “Shall I demonstrate?”

  Lady Weatherby swept back her cloak and moved in front of the desk so that we could all see her. “Professor Holmes will perform a trust spell that lifts me into the air. If I fail to trust him, the spell won’t work.”

  Wow. Lady Weatherby was placing her dignity in the hands of Professor Holmes. I was certain she’d want to be the one to perform the spell. Talk about setting an example.

  “Keep in mind that it’s a bonding exercise,” Professor Holmes said. “Both participants must be fully engaged for the spell to be successful.”

  “Indeed,” Lady Weatherby said. “Whereas much of our magic is one-sided, this particular exercise is not.”

  Professor Holmes aimed his wand and said, “Our bond lifts you up/My wand lifts you up/Your trust lifts you up.”

  I watched with interest as Lady Weatherby’s feet left the floor and her body began to rise. She was hovering about an inch above the desks when a gust of wind blew open the classroom door, startling everyone.

  Professor Holmes jerked his head toward the sound, his attention waning. As a result, Lady Weatherby plunged toward the floor, her cloak billowing on the way down. She managed to stop herself with a single word. I didn’t even hear what the word was, only the lash of her sharp tongue and then her feet drifted smoothly to the floor. The intimidating version of Mary Poppins. All that was missing was an umbrella.

  “Apologies, Lady Weatherby,” Professor Holmes said, slightly ruffled.

  Lady Weatherby adjusted her antlered headdress, remaining her usual calm and collected self. “No apology needed, although we must have someone address the issue with that door. It appears to be faulty.”

  At that moment, Sedgwick careened through the open doorway and perched on a shelf in the back of the room. I slapped my forehead.

  Who is she calling faulty? the owl asked.

  Sedgwick, what are you doing? You interrupted a spell.

  You left me behind this morning. What was that about?

  You were asleep. You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to wake you.

  I always look peaceful. I’m an adorable owl. Next time wake me.

  “Miss Hart,” Lady Weatherby’s voice interrupted our exchange. “I do believe that is your familiar.”

  “Yes, Lady Weatherby.”

  “Please advise Wedgewood…”

  “Sedgwick.”

  She doesn’t even know my name? Sedgwick sounded outraged by the slight.

  “Please advise Sedgwick that class begins promptly and, if he cannot arrive with you, he should wait outside until class has finished.”

  Did you hear that? I asked.

  I’m mute, not deaf.

  Mute? Boy, do I wish that was true.

  And be like all the other owls? I don’t think you really want that. I’m special.

  I rolled my eyes. If you say so.

  Lady Weatherby smoothed the front of her dark cloak. “Let us try again, shall we?”

  Professor Holmes nodded, whatever embarrassment he may have felt quickly subsiding. He pointed his wand and said, “Our bond lifts you up/My wand lifts you up/Your trust lifts you up.”

  Lady Weatherby’s body relaxed as she floated in midair. “Well done, Professor Holmes.”

  With the flick of his wand, he brought her back to the floor.

  “Now who would like to be the first volunteer?" Lady Weatherby addressed the class.

  Sophie raised her hand. "I think I was good at these exercises last year." No surprise there. Sophie was sweet and one of the most trusting people I knew.

  “You absolutely were,” Professor Holmes agreed.

  “Almost all of us were,” Begonia said. “It was Millie who failed…” Her hand shot across her mouth to prevent herself from saying anything more.

  Beside her, Millie stiffened. “I trust everyone, thank you very much. The exercises weren’t designed for my type of magic.”

  “Which type of m
agic is that exactly?” Lady Weatherby asked. “Witches’ magic? Because I can assure you, we’re all witches here. Same type of magic.”

  I slipped down in my seat, guilt overtaking me. They didn’t know the truth—that I wasn’t a witch. My type of magic was different. I hated keeping secrets from my friends. It didn’t comport with the kind of person I wanted to be.

  “Here’s your chance to progress,” Professor Holmes said. “If you can master the trust exercises, you’ll be well on your way to graduating to the next phase of your education.”

  Millie’s jaw was set in determination. “Fine. I volunteer.” She hopped out of her seat and strode to the front of the room.

  Lady Weatherby’s brow lifted a fraction. “Excellent. And now you need a partner. Miss Hart, that will be you.”

  “Are you serious?” Millie blurted, but quickly thought better of it.

  “Am I ever anything else?” Lady Weatherby asked.

  I walked to the front of the class and took my place beside Millie. “What do we do?”

  “Millie will use her wand first,” Lady Weatherby said. “So she’ll do a spell that keeps you afloat in the air as long as you believe that she can.”

  “And if I don’t believe then I fall on the floor?” I inquired.

  “Like a stone,” Professor Holmes said.

  I groaned. I wasn’t in the market for a backache.

  “This sounds like Tinker Bell coming back to life,” I said. “Everyone in the audience had to believe in order for it to happen.” I felt everyone’s eyes on me. They had no idea what I was talking about. “Peter Pan in the theater. It’s a classic.”

  “How interesting,” Lady Weatherby said, in a tone that suggested it was not remotely interesting. “You may begin.”

  I stood rooted to the floor and concentrated on Millie. I believed in her. That part was easy. Did I trust her not to drop me on the floor on purpose? Not so much.

  “Emma doesn’t like heights,” Millie said. “What if that messes up my spell?”

  “I can handle being six inches off the ground,” I said. Just don’t send me much higher. I make no promises about my gag reflex.

  “The critical part of this spell is that Emma trusts you,” Professor Holmes reminded her. “It’s not a reflection on your ability.”

  Millie’s shoulders relaxed and she prepared her wand. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded.

  This is going to be epic, Sedgwick said.

  It’s going to be fine, I said. I trust her.

  Are you sure? he asked. What about the time she made your boobs enormous with that voodoo doll?

  We resolved that.

  What about all the times she made you feel like minotaur crap for not being able to ride a broom?

  Stop trying to undermine me! I focused on Millie, blocking Sedgwick’s voice from my thoughts.

  Millie pointed her wand and spoke the same words as Professor Holmes.

  I believe. I believe, I told myself. Millie is Tinker Bell and I am the audience.

  I felt my feet slide off the floor and into the air. I wobbled slightly but remained relatively balanced as I rose higher in the air.

  “She did it,” Laurel said, trying to mask her disbelief.

  I looked down to see Millie smiling proudly.

  Sometimes it was good to believe.

  Chapter 2

  We gathered in the secret lair, examining the spell in the grimoire that Laurel managed to pinch from the coven library. As remedial witches, we weren't actually permitted in the highly lauded coven library, but Laurel was so small and unassuming that she was able to slip in and out unnoticed. Who needed an invisibility spell when you were a thirteen-year-old witch who flew below the radar?

  "This looks hard," Sophie complained. “It’s like trying to understand a chemical equation.”

  "That's why I'm going to do it," Millie said, straightening her shoulders. "I'm going to show Lady Weatherby and Professor Holmes that I am more than capable of performing advanced spells."

  “Your first trust exercise went well,” Begonia pointed out. “That’s one of the sections that tripped you up last year, but yesterday was a good start.”

  “I have Emma to thank for that,” Millie said, surprising everyone, including me.

  “I trust you, Millie,” I said, despite Sedgwick’s attempts to thwart that trust. “It’s as simple as that.”

  “Of course you do. I’m very capable.” Millie’s nose lifted. “I can’t promise the outcome would have been the same if you’d held the wand.”

  Heat warmed the back of my neck.

  “The coven doesn’t doubt your ability, Millie,” Laurel said. "It's just that you don't excel in every area of witchcraft."

  "No one does," Millie exploded. "And the sections I’ve failed aren't even important ones. It's an antiquated system and it needs to be overhauled." She pointed a finger at me. "Like your criminal punishments. You don't think those are fair so you're trying to change them."

  She meant the sentencing guidelines for convicted criminals in Spellbound. "I agree with you, Millie. But it's hard to get people to make changes when they’ve been doing something the same way for a long time. They don't want to feel like they’re wrong so they dig their heels in.” I'd seen it over and over again in the human world. People willing to make situations worse only to avoid admitting an error in judgment. Not an entirely human trait apparently.

  “I’m worried this will backfire,” Sophie said. “Felix was a wizard, not a remedial witch.” Felix was an upstart wizard who turned me invisible and then was able to make me visible again-- when he decided it was time to kill me, of course. Part of the joy in making new friends in a new town.

  "Felix was a wizard, but not a particularly accomplished one,” Millie reminded us. "If he can do this spell, then so can I."

  I had to admire Millie’s confidence. Although it often bordered on arrogance, it was a worthy trait. So many young women were prone to question themselves and look to others for approval. As annoying as Millie could be at times, I preferred her confidence to dithering.

  Millie reviewed the spell on the page one more time. "There’s more involved than I would've expected."

  "It just shows you that Felix had planned his attack on me in advance," I said. “I knew the spell was premeditated."

  "I was able to get most things on the list," Begonia said. "I had to get them from a variety of sources, though. I didn't want anyone in Mix-n-Match asking questions. Jemima was already giving me the side eye.”

  "Did she ask why you were buying tail of newt?" Laurel asked.

  Begonia shook her head. "No, but she did make a comment when I picked up the jar of bee pollen. I told her it was for Claude. He suffers from seasonal allergies so I said it was for him."

  "So you two are still a thing, huh?” Millie asked.

  Begonia blushed. "He's a sweetheart. We get along well. Like old friends.”

  "Wish I would meet someone," Millie grumbled. "Maybe I should do a spell that makes everyone think I'm new in town. Then I could have my pick of the litter like Emma."

  “You seem to forget that Emma doesn't want the pick of the litter," Sophie said. "She only has eyes for Daniel.”

  The mention of his name was like a dagger in my heart. The town could talk of little else besides Daniel and Elsa's upcoming nuptials. The ceremony was to be held at Swan Lake in three weeks with the reception to follow at the Spellbound Country Club. That didn't leave much time to perfect this spell and prevent the wedding from taking place.

  "Well, I'm not doing this for Daniel," Millie said.

  Begonia rolled her eyes. "Yes, we know Millie. You're doing this for yourself. Gods forbid you do something purely for someone else's sake."

  Millie glared at her friend. "I'm here, aren't I? This isn't exactly a low risk operation. If it backfires, we can get in serious trouble."

  "Even if it succeeds, we could get in serious trouble," Laurel said.

  We
all looked at one another, the realization settling in. We were embarking on a path that was fraught with potential landmines. Then again, it was better than watching Daniel marry someone he didn't really love. We were breaking rules, but Elsa's behavior was much worse and needed to be stopped.

  "What do you think will happen to Elsa?" Sophie asked. "Do you think Mayor Knightsbridge will try to protect her?"

  It was difficult to say. The mayor took her role as leader of Spellbound very seriously, but she was also a doting mother. Maybe if she hadn't doted so much on Elsa, the younger fairy wouldn’t have turned into such a spoiled brat.

  "I just hope the mayor doesn't take her anger out on us if we prove Elsa’s guilt," Laurel said.

  “The mayor is fair,” Millie said. “I trust she’ll do the right thing.”

  "For the record, I'm too young to go to prison," Laurel said.

  "No one is going to prison," I said. "The worst that can happen is…"

  Everyone fell silent for a moment.

  "Emma could stay invisible forever and fade away," Begonia said quietly. "If we mess up, that's the worst that can happen."

  I hadn't really been thinking about it that way. I’d been too focused on the potential for expulsion from the Arabella St. Simon Academy. I hadn’t been thinking about the true danger involved. It didn't matter, though. Daniel's freedom was worth it to me. Even if we broke the spell and he rejected me anyway, it would still be worth it. That was how much I loved him.

  "Where’s the lizard saliva?” Millie asked, examining the various bottles and jars on the coffee table. "I'm looking at the checklist and that one seems to be missing."

  Laurel began to recite the list of ingredients. "One tail of newt. One fly’s eye. An ounce of lizard saliva is right here.” She produced a vial that had rolled behind a fat jar.

  "Ew,” Begonia said, scrunching up her nose. "I'm glad we don't do advanced spells. Some of these items are disgusting."

  “Some?” Sophie queried. “Which ones aren’t?”

  "What do you want your specialty to be when you're older?" Laurel asked.