Once Upon Stilettos

Page 123

Trix held up a small figure of a fairy. “But on the bright side, we found the last treasure hunt item, which I think means the Dragon team wins.”
The Dragon team launched into its cheer, which fizzled away a couple of seconds later when they realized that it wasn’t the right time for that sort of thing.
“What’s Idris doing here?” Ethan added.
“Are you sure who did it?” Merlin asked.
“Ari asked us to meet her before we left to get ready for the party,” Trix said, straightening her skirt.
I’d had enough. I stepped forward and grabbed one of Ari’s wings. She yelped. “Does that hurt?” I asked. She nodded. “Good,” I said, and dragged her forward to the foot of the stairs. That position made it easier for me to keep an eye on Idris and still run the inquisition on Ari.
“Now, would someone please explain the enchanted shoes to me?” Merlin said.
“What enchanted shoes?” Ethan asked. “Did we miss something? What’s going on?”
“There’s no spell on these shoes,” one of the bystanders I’d tossed my shoes to shouted.
Ari whirled in surprise. “Yes, there was!” she blurted.
I grabbed her wing again. “And how would you know?”
“They were enchanted,” Owen said. “They were affected by a rather powerful, layered spell that not only altered the perceptions of people around Katie, but also gave the caster some degree of control over her and served as a way of transmitting other spells to her and others around her. I broke it, of course. I can provide the documentation, but I will say that Ari’s fingerprints were all over it.”
The shoes were passed forward through the crowd. Owen took them and handed them to me. I put them back on, and this time they didn’t have to be enchanted to make me feel confident and powerful. I faced her and said, “You were my friend. How could you?”
“Like I’d ever really be friends with you,” she said with a haughty sniff. “It was all an act, and you bought it.”
“Yeah, stupid, nonmagical me. But why is it that if I’m such a weakling, you had to resort to magic and removing my abilities in order to come even close to getting in my way?”
I realized as I said it how true it was. I had my own power, and it was maybe even more powerful than magic. I held myself taller and continued, “You may think I’m a pushover because I’m nice, but being nice means people like me, and they’re willing to trust me even when I’ve been afraid to trust them.” I couldn’t help but glance at Owen when I said that. “They’re willing to talk to me and listen to me, and they stay at my side no matter what. You have no idea how much power my friends give me.” Owen’s smile at that moment reinforced what I’d just said, and I felt a surge of strength.
“You probably wouldn’t think much of my father. He’s a simple Texas farmer, totally unmagical, but he taught me how to read a person’s eyes to look into her heart. I don’t need to be able to see past illusion to see the truth. I’ve had that skill all along. In fact, I had you nailed as our traitor even when I’d totally lost my immunity, while you were drugging me and putting the whammy on me. Something about you didn’t add up, and in my gut I knew the truth. I just didn’t have the evidence to pin it on you. But now, thanks to you, I do.”
I turned to Merlin. “Wouldn’t you consider much of what she’s said here a confession?”
“She does seem to know too much for someone who wasn’t involved,” he agreed. “Security, please take Miss Ariel into custody.”
Sam and some of his colleagues flew in and grabbed Ari. “Are you going to let them do this to me?” she shouted at Idris as they dragged her away.
We all turned, prepared for a fight. I noticed Owen flexing his wrists. But Idris simply shrugged. “Hey, all that was her deal. I was just her date. I thought it was only a little prank. And I think I’ll be leaving now.” He put his hands in his pockets and sauntered away.
I turned to Merlin. “You’re not going to let him get away, are you?”
“He’s right. He’s done nothing.”
“And he was very careful to keep his fingerprints off Ari’s work,” Owen added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who devised that particular variant on the Cinderella spell, mostly because that kind of work is beyond her abilities, but she was certainly the one who cast it.”
“So we’re letting him go?” I couldn’t believe this.