It was at this point in a conversation that Milo usually returned to what he was doing before the interruption. Today was no different.
“Keep me posted,” he said as he hoisted himself up, returning to his desk. And with that, they were done.
*
“I think it’s good news,” Jack said. He had asked to meet Annie in person. It was too big to get this wrong.
Annie and Jack were sitting across from the Bean in Millennium Park, downtown Chicago. It was a rather warm day under the sun. Annie shifted to get comfortable. Her arm ached as she sat on the bench.
“That depends on your perspective,” Annie said. She watched several tourists take selfies in the shiny finish of the enormous sculpture.
“I called. I didn’t want to draw attention to this. He hasn’t had any visitors. No phone calls, not even to his lawyer. He reads the classics—Shakespeare, Plato, Chaucer. He keeps to himself, quiet and distant.”
“Thanks for verifying. You could have called, rather than meeting me,” Annie said.
“I wanted your reassurance you will keep me involved. Not just phone calls. It’ll be harder for you to falsely promise me in person.”
“You really want to come with us to dig up the princess and verify who’s in the grave?” Annie said sardonically. “We have to get in and out quickly, and I don’t want to expose you.”
“What about Sturtagaard?” Jack watched Annie for a moment.
“I’m guessing the princess isn’t in the grave. We’ll track him and find him and take him with us. It’s too much to bring you, too, Jack. I’m not trying to keep you away, but you’re a liability for us. I don’t want you getting hurt—or worse, caught.”
Jack reached for Annie’s chilled hand. “Nightly calls. No matter how small the news. This is my case. And I need to know,” he said before he let go.
“Yes, sir.” She mock saluted him. “If we need you to come, we’ll come and get you. Otherwise, I need to go. I have to prepare for this trip. No one is going to like this.”
“Good luck.”
“Same to you, Jack,” Annie said before she slunk away to teleport.
*
Annie sat in Samantha Chamsky’s cubicle. Her sister, ever so meticulous and organized, easily found the book Annie had asked about. She held her hands above the book the pages flipped at her command. When she found what she was looking for, she moved closer to the small print.
“International wizard laws are specific. You have to contact the host Wizard Guard unit before you perform any duties. Even if it’s your case,” Samantha said definitively.
“I can’t. I just need to get there, look in the coffin. If it’s nothing, then no harm.” Annie wasn’t trying to convince Samantha; she was trying to convince herself. She knew, based on Jack’s reaction, that the other guard units would be even less thrilled than Jack had been.
“You can’t go in there without contacting them. This could lead to a Wizard War. We can’t afford that,” Samantha cajoled.
“Fine. I’ll call them.” Annie placed her head in her hands, covering her eyes with her palms.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. This just happened,” Samantha said, trying to comfort her.
Annie just shook her head. “Easy for you to say.”
“I thought I heard you, Annie,” John Chamsky said as he came into the cubicle, his arms carrying a large pile of folders. He was Cham’s older brother by two years, one half of a set of twins. They didn’t look like brothers. Where Cham was tall and slightly pudgy with a head full of curly hair, John was tall and trim, with the straightest hair Annie had ever seen. And it was never out of place.
“Hey, John,” Annie said. He too was a lawyer, with a specialty in family law. “Just getting some advice on international law,” she added.
“It must be big if you’re back in. Bobby doing okay?” His smile shifted to concern.
“Go on over. It looks I need to take a little trip overseas.”
John grimaced and kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek. “Take care of yourself. You’re still healing.” He touched Samantha’s hand, offered one last smile and left the cubicle.
“I’m sorry. But if you don’t follow the rules…” Samantha hesitated to finish. Instead, she slipped the formal agreement to Annie.
Frowning, Annie sat straighter and read the rules. “We just need to verify who’s in the grave. This is too much!”
“And if they came here to do this?”
Annie knew she wouldn’t like it. All American Wizard Guards would feel as though their toes were being stepped on. Annie shuddered.
“I should go. I have a call to make.”
*
“So. Annie Pearce from America. How can we help the American Wizard Guard?” Guenther Grimm, the manager of the Wizard Guard in Amborix, seemed pleasant if not reserved.
“Well. As you know, we investigated Amelie’s death and led the clean-up,” she said.
“Yes. Annie, we are aware. How can we help you?” He sounded impatient and even irritated.
“We have come across some information that needs immediate attention.” She paused for a moment and felt the tightness in her chest. It was no longer from her injury. “It appears that Princess Amelie may still be alive.”
In the long period of silence, Annie waited for Guenther to say anything. She would prefer screaming, shouting, and blame to the angry silence and the typing she heard on the other end of the phone line. Her hand shook when she heard a second male voice begin to speak. She didn’t understand German, but she recognized the accusatory tone, followed by the sound of footsteps and a slamming door.
“This is very disappointing,” he finally said. “I assume you are a trained Wizard Guard. How did you not catch that?”
Since yesterday, it had been all Annie could think about. The autopsy, Amelie’s neck, her wrists, her knees, her ankles. Annie had seen nothing. She’d assumed the kill spell was the cause of death.
I checked.
“I’m trained. I’m very good at my job. If you read the notes we sent you, you would know I followed the protocol and checked for vampirism. Beyond what most guards check. So please don’t go down that road. This is a problem and I’m asking for permission to exhume the coffin and verify if the princess is still inside.” Annie could feel herself shaking.
“No. I think that you and the American Wizard Guard have done enough. I think that we shall take over from here. And thank you for your information.” His voice was terse and sharp.
“According to international law 4.15. 667, this is our case, and the fact that we have formally asked for permission, leaves you no choice. You are free to join us, or you can leave us be. But we simply need to verify she’s no longer in the coffin.”
“I don’t recall receiving it,” Guenther said.
Annie pulled up her notes. “His name is Karl Klein. He signed for the request and forwarded an acknowledgement just minutes ago. Ask him.”
“Yes, well. This is highly irregular.”
“Are you giving us your blessing, or are we noting that you are making it difficult? Either way, we will be there at nightfall,” Annie retorted.
“I will send a team to meet you. I will send the coordinates soon,” he said. He hung up before she could reply.
Chapter 4
“Annie. You should send someone else. You need your rest,” pleaded Annie’s godmother, Kathy Connelly. She folded another T-shirt, laying it on the bed. As much as Annie would have loved to curl on the sofa and sleep, it was too late.
“They’re meeting us at the gravesite. I have to go,” Annie said. It didn’t matter to Annie that her shoulder still ached when she moved and her lungs still burned from smoke inhalation. This was her case and she had to see it through.
Amelie is alive, and it’s my fault.
Rather than arguing, Annie slid into the bathroom for some toiletries while Kathy continued to place clothes into her bag.
“If she’s in the coffi
n, we’ll come home. If not, we’ll search out Sturtagaard for help.” Annie reached into her closet, grabbed several sweatshirts, socks, and a stack of underwear, tossing them on the bed.
“You know it’s her,” Kathy commented, shoving the socks and underwear inside the bag.
“Yeah. It is. I just need to confirm it.” Annie dumped the rest of the clothing she thought she would need on her bed and entered the bathroom for her toiletries. “This could be worse than Rebekah Stoner,” Annie said. She cringed with the memory of how close the reporter came to finding out what Annie was.
What the hell are we going to do if it’s her?
Annie glanced into the mirror. The bruises across her cheek were fading, and breathing was easier though not great. “Crap, the medicine.” She summoned several asthma sprays and dumped them in the pile.
“What did the Amborix Wizard Guard say?”
“They’re hesitant to let us in. But international law allows it. They had no choice.” Annie sat on her bed.
“You look tired.” Kathy reached for Annie’s hand. “You have been through so much in the last week. I wish you would let someone else take this case.” Kathy, the only mother Annie could remember, pulled her into a warm embrace. Annie thought of it as a mother’s hug.
“I’ll be fine. You should worry about Zola though.” Annie turned toward her Aloja fairy, a creature destined to protect children and pregnant women. She had been with Annie as far back as Annie could remember; they had been magically linked together when Annie was a baby, and they would be for Annie’s natural life.
Zola hobbled into the room, still injured from being kidnapped and chained in the dungeon beneath the Black Market. With the help of magic, the welts and burn marks from the iron shackles had begun to heal. Even in her discomfort, Zola came to assist Annie and placed a bag of food on the bed.
“For your trip.” She took a pair of jeans to fold and waved Kathy away when the woman objected.
“You should rest too,” Kathy said.
“I need to keep busy,” Zola whispered. She absently shoved items into Annie’s bag.
Zola’s thin, delicate fairy wings hung limply behind her, ripped in several spots. Weary and exhausted, the fairy eventually gave up and sat. “While you’re away I’ll stay with Samantha.”
“We don’t expect to be long.” Annie placed a hand on Zola’s arm. The fairy shuddered and offered a wan smile. Zola’s eyes, normally the shade of an emerald, were now dull and gray, like a cloudy sky during a storm.
“I will feel better when you are home and resting. So please don’t worry about me. Stake that vampire and get back home. I’ll be fine.”
“You have no idea how sorry I am this happened to you. Had we been aware of what was happening at the market, we all could have avoided the outcome,” Annie whispered.
Even in her pain and discomfort, Zola was Zola. She reached for Annie, caressing her cheek. “You wear the weight of the world on your shoulders for someone so young. You did not cause the Black Market to fall. All Wizard Guard units across the world are responsible for the market.” She kissed her cheek. “And you most certainly did not create this problem with Amelie. I’m sure had there been vampire tracks visible on the body, you of all people would have known what to do with her. You are bright, so smart, so powerful. You will fix this, but remember, it is NOT your fault.”
Zola pulled herself up. Her wings blew in the breeze she created when she moved. “It’s my job to protect you. And look what happened to you.” She smoothed the back of Annie’s hair with long thin fingers, and grazed her cheek. “Janie and Dave are downstairs to see you,” she said before exiting the room.
“Zola’s right. This isn’t your fault.”
“I think I have everything I need.” Annie ignored Kathy’s remark.
It is my fault!
“Go see Janie and Dave. I still think you should stay home, but I’ll finish up,” Kathy said.
Annie gingerly walked the stairs, her friends were there surrounding Cham as he rested in the corner of the living room sofa, his legs stretched across the chaise. Janie held his hand and glanced at Annie. Dave made a quick motion to assist her, but her glare forced him to stop.
The quirky grin on Cham’s face eased Annie’s anxiety, if only for a moment of time. Then she noticed a pile of folders on the floor.
“You’re working?” Annie asked as Janie moved to make room for Annie beside Cham.
“Not exactly. Just your notes on Amelie. Milo wants me to manage it instead of him. He didn’t sound so good,” Cham said.
“No, he really doesn’t.” This was Milo’s way of managing his guards when they were out on a case. If they should need him, he was always their contact. Today, Cham would do that for her and Spencer. Annie wasn’t surprised.
For now, Annie lay against him. He wrapped his arm around her.
I wish I could stay.
“Don’t do anything you don’t have to do. Just confirm whether it’s Amelie or not, and we’ll send backup,” he murmured. “You’re not ready for a fight.”
“Annie, can we do anything?” Janie asked. Her cool hands rubbed the back of Annie’s.
“No. I’ll be careful. Just checking for a body.” Exhausted, she squeezed Janie’s hand and pulled away from Cham. All the extra attention made her feel uncomfortable. “Take care of him,” she commanded as she looked from Dave to Janie.
“We will. But I’m sure Marina will be around soon,” Dave surmised. Cham’s mother had been cranky since the fire. Annie was surprised she wasn’t here yet.
She pulled herself off the couch, with some help from Dave. Feeling exhausted from all they had been through, she glanced back at Cham,
Wizard Guard protocol, set in place several millennia ago, was designed to protect the guards in the event they were injured when working. Compensation time—days, weeks or months, whichever was required—was always taken, no exceptions. Until Princess Amelie was discovered alive.
It was something uncharted. The high risk of exposure was something they had never had to face, not on this level. And it was her case, her mistake; she would have to go, no matter how shaky or nauseated she might feel.
“You need anything, we’ll come,” Dave offered. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. Behind her, Janie squeezed her good shoulder.
“We’ll watch him,” Janie whispered.
Annie knew they would be there for her, yet she still felt anxious. She bent down and kissed Cham on the lips.
“I love you,” he whispered and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
“I love you.” Annie touched the blond stubble across his chin. “We should be home tomorrow,” she told him.
A gust of wind rustled against the house. Annie shuddered. She still felt on edge from the memories of Gladden Worchester breaking through her protection spells around the house and nearly killing her. There hadn’t been time to heal physically or emotionally. She glanced toward the back door.
If it’s not Amelie, I can come home.
Only a small group of people could get to either door. Upon glancing at her phone, she realized it was Spencer who waited for her outside.
“I need to go,” Annie said.
“Call me,” Cham reminded.
“I will,” she promised. Leaving Janie to sit with Cham, she took her field pack from Kathy and shrunk it, hiding it away in a secret pocket in her work pants. While Dave walked with her to the front door, she felt her friends’ eyes boring into her, worry and concern palpable. She couldn’t bear to watch them as she left.
“Hey,” Annie said to Spencer as she let him inside.
“Feeling okay?” he asked.
“I’m okay. I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“She’s not,” Dave insisted and smirked when she frowned at him.
After saying quick hellos, and goodbyes in succession, Spencer led her back outside, wrapping his strong arms around her, steadying her tired body again
st him for the teleportation to Amborix, to the coordinates given to them by the Amborix Wizard Guard.
“Ready?” Spencer asked before he took off.
“Yeah,” she said and pressed herself against him for support.
“Tell me if you need something,” he whispered. “Any pain, exhaustion, you tell me.”
Annie felt him lift off. She watched the blurry landscape before her, and then she saw nothing.
Chapter 5
Teleporting was short and uneventful. Landing was another story. Jumbled and dizzy, Annie pushed away from Spencer and fell to her knees in the mud as a wave of nausea overcame her.
“You’re not okay.” Spencer reached for her.
She held up her hand and dry heaved. “Yeah. Give me a sec.” She took a deep breath; it caught in her throat and she heaved again. The motion pulled on her injured shoulder. She fell backward into the rough bark of the tree trunk beside her. He summoned a bottle of water and held it for her.
“I can meet the Amborix guards myself and have a look at the coffin. You can stay somewhere safe until we’re done.” Spencer helped her up as his eyes darted through the trees.
“I’m good. We’re about two miles from the edge of town?” she inquired, handing him the empty bottle.
“You sure you can do this walk?” He knelt beside her, cleaning her pants of dirt and mud.
“Yes. I’m fine. Let’s move,” she said, leading him out of the trees until they found the road to town.
It was afternoon when they landed. The sun was up and high, beating on them as they walked along the roadway to Paris. It was slow, hot, and Annie’s strength waned. She was exhausted when they came to the edge of town.
“Come here.” Spencer dragged her into a desolate alley, handed her another water, and perused the map of Paris. “Keep drinking. I’m going to teleport us again. You look awful.”
“Thanks.” Annie grimaced, concerned by her own lack of energy. She watched him choose their next location.
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