by Sarah Noffke
“There is a lot of history that I don’t know,” Rory admitted. “And there’s even more I choose to ignore, although my ancestors didn’t. Magicians and giants, as you know, haven’t gotten along for centuries.”
“I think there’s a way to fill in the missing pieces,” Liv said, looking at the sword in Rory’s hands.
He seemed to understand immediately, his eyes following hers. “It has a story to share.”
She nodded. “And hopefully, it will tell it in time. When it does, will you share?”
He thought for a moment and then agreed. “Yes, I will tell you what I learn from Turbinger.”
Junebug had been trying to get Liv’s attention since she’d entered. She leaned over and picked up the hairball, cradling him. He was having none of that and climbed onto her shoulder, where he perched, watching Rory admire the sword.
After a moment, he looked at her like he’d forgotten she was still there watching him. “I don’t have your sword ready.”
“Because you didn’t expect me to fulfill my end of the deal,” Liv teased.
“Because crafting a sword takes time,” he corrected. “It won’t take much longer, though.”
“Just don’t make it as big as that mammoth one. I’m going to need a massage after lugging that thing around.”
Rory chuckled, something he did so rarely that it always got her attention. “It was pretty funny to see you holding this when I opened the door.”
She joined him, imagining the sight in her head. “Yeah, I bet you not only didn’t expect me to get the sword but also didn’t think I could carry it back to you.”
Rory’s smile vanished. “I never doubted your ability to retrieve Turbinger. I only expected that it would take longer. And I knew you’d find a way to deliver it to me, although it is as big as you.”
It felt like they were on the edge of a moment…so Liv went to the front of the house. “Sorry I kicked your door to get your attention. That thing requires both hands.”
He didn’t look concerned as he set the sword into a holder above the fireplace. Liv hadn’t noticed it was there, but it seemed to be made for the sword.
“Wasn’t there a painting in that spot before?” Liv asked.
“There was,” Rory said, stepping back and admiring Turbinger shining in the firelight. He turned to face her, exhaustion edging his features. “I’ll have your sword ready in a week, or maybe less. And no, it won’t be this big. I’ve made it for you, based on your size.”
“So it will be more like a dagger?” Liv joked.
Rory rolled his eyes. “It will be a sword.”
“Hey, in the meantime, if you want to teach me how to create fireballs, I’d appreciate it. So damn tired of getting flames thrown at me.”
“That’s gnome and elf magic,” Rory said. “I can make you a sword and teach you how to stay alive. Well, if you can learn to keep your mouth shut.”
“So I’m doomed, then?”
Rory flicked his hand at the door and it opened, a hint that it was time for her to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Liv, and we’ll look at adding combat magic to your arsenal.”
Liv pulled Junebug off her shoulder and set him on the floor. He and the other kittens took off for the back of the house, sounding like a herd of cows. “Yeah, there won’t always be a giant’s sword lying in the perfect place to save my ass.”
When she was at the door, Liv turned around. Rory’s gaze was glued on the sword, the disbelief back.
“All right, good night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Rory said absently, lost in thought.
When she’d crossed the threshold, Rory let out a heavy sigh. “Hey, Liv?”
She looked over her shoulder at him.
“Thank you for returning Turbinger home. It’s not my grandfather, but it’s as close as I’ll ever get, and that means…well, more than you could know.”
Liv glanced at the sword hanging over the fireplace, a sharp prickle spreading through her chest. “Oh, I think I understand. Just remember, familia est sempiternurn.”
Rory nodded, a tender expression on his face. “Yes, family is forever.”
Chapter Thirty
Staring at the box on the counter, Liv stood motionless.
“Well, it’s not going to make itself,” Plato said, jumping up on the counter and rubbing his face against the cardboard corner.
“I thought that was how magic worked?” Liv joked.
“And I thought you were trying to learn how to do things without magic before coasting through the rest of your life relying on spells.”
Liv raised an eyebrow at the cat. “I didn’t realize you had such a strong opinion about magic.”
“I just think it’s important not to become overly dependent on it,” Plato explained. “The best magicians I’ve known could get themselves out of a dire situation without their magic, but had the upper hand when they employed it along with their practical skills.”
Liv let out a sigh and opened the box. “Fine. I’ll learn how to cook.”
“The meal kit has all the ingredients and instructions. How hard can it be?” Plato asked.
“Says the cat who doesn’t have opposable thumbs.”
A knock on the door made Liv jump. She had been extra-tense since the museum, expecting the authorities to show up and arrest her for the robbery. The news channels had broadcast many reports about the break-in, all offering zero information on suspects or leads the police were pursuing.
Liv let out a sigh after looking through the peephole. Of course he was early, she thought. That had always been his style.
She opened the door and ushered Clark into her apartment. “Get in here. Did anyone see you?”
He looked over his shoulder. “No. I’m careful not to be followed or seen, unlike someone at the Natural History Museum. I still can’t believe you blew out the windows and jumped off the roof.”
“What can I say? I get inspired by culture and art.”
Clark pursed his lips and scratched his nose. “You wouldn’t by chance have been involved with the recent theft there?”
Liv held her arms out wide. “Do I look big enough to carry that giant sword that was stolen?”
“Liv!” Clark said, his voice full of tension.
She waved him off. “What’s the Council saying about the incident?”
He rolled his shoulders and sighed. “That’s the thing. Adler is acting like it isn’t our business, telling us we should focus on other cases.”
“Sounds like he doesn’t think magic was involved,” Liv said hopefully.
“Well, no magic that corresponds to the event came up on the radar from registered magicians, but I’m still unsure. How did you do it?”
He asked the last question so casually that Liv gave him props. She smiled. “Nice try, but that’s not why I asked you to come over.”
“I thought we were going to be open and honest with each other?” Clark said, his tone stern.
Liv’s attempt at lightness was instantly squashed by his seriousness. He was right. “Well, I think the less you know about this, the better, but it could be related to what we’re working on.” As she unpacked the ingredients from the box of food, Liv explained what she was doing. She couldn’t help but laugh when Clark flinched every time she mentioned Rory.
He began to pace as she started making baked ziti.
“You’re working with a giant?” he nearly yelled, his face flushing pink. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because for some strange reason, I thought you’d overreact,” she said, stirring the pasta and rereading the directions.
“Overreact? Of course I would. They can’t be trusted. Do you know what they’ve done to magicians?”
“I actually don’t. Do you know? Why can’t they be trusted?”
“Well, they…they…they refuse to have their magic registered with the House.”
“Which makes them different from other magical creatures how?�
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Clark halted, momentarily thrown off. “Well, it’s the same as them. But they are different because…”
“Because?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.
“Liv, it’s different with giants.”
“That’s just the thing, Clark—I don’t think it is. We’ve been fed certain information our whole lives, you more than me, but it doesn’t add up. Why is there a dispute? Why was the giant’s sword put into the mortals’ museum? Who put magical wards around it?”
He pointed behind her. “I don’t know, but your water is boiling. What are you doing, anyway?”
“I’m cooking you dinner,” she said proudly.
Clark’s chin tucked back on his neck. “Why would you do that?”
She shrugged, stirring the water and gesturing at Plato. “I don’t know. The cat said I should.” Liv rummaged through her drawer for a can opener for the crushed tomatoes, but she couldn’t find one. She winked at Plato. “Turn your head. I’m going to use magic to open this can, but in my defense, I already know how to open cans.”
He set his head down on his paws, not looking like he cared in the least.
“You know that restaurants make food?” Clark said. “Actually, the House’s chef, Mario, makes incredible dishes.”
“I remember,” Liv agreed. “But in all seriousness, I’m trying to learn how to do things without using magic.”
“I don’t understand. You had your magic locked for five years. Why didn’t you learn how to do these things then?”
Liv strained the pasta, waving the steam out of her face. “I was learning other things, like how to repair flat irons and fix hair dryers.” What she didn’t say was that she had been trying to figure out how to fix herself, but it hadn’t worked. She had been trying to learn how to survive during the last five years. Now she was looking forward to figuring out how to thrive.
“What’s a flat iron?” Clark asked.
“It’s science. You wouldn’t understand.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, probably not.”
“Anyway, I know you don’t approve of me hanging out with giants and breaking into museums, but—”
“That’s just the thing! The more you make your case, the more I get it. Just like the canister of magic, I’m starting to see that there’s a lot I don’t understand that doesn’t make sense. There is definitely something going on.”
Liv’s eyes sparkled as she pulled the still-sealed envelope from her jeans. “Speaking of the canister, I might have some information.”
“You didn’t open this?” Clark asked after she told him the story about the brownies and what they’d offered her. He ran his finger over the seal on the envelope, his gaze intense.
“I wanted to wait for you,” Liv explained. “We’re in this together.”
Clark gazed at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Thanks. This proves it.” He handed her the letter. “Open it.”
She took the envelope and ran her finger under the seal, breaking the wax. On the front of the card were two words: Zietgort Monastery.
Liv didn’t know what she had expected the note to say, but that definitely wasn’t even close.
“Is that where the canister of magic is?” Clark asked, taking the note and turning it over as if looking for more.
“I guess so. But why would Adler or whoever it was put the canister there?”
“Maybe it’s being used by someone there,” Clark offered.
The timer in the kitchen sounded, pulling their attention away from the letter that offered too little information and yet more than they could have hoped for.
“None of this makes any sense. I recovered the canister of magic and brought it to the House of Seven, and then it disappears, as well as any records of it. Now it’s located in a monastery.” Liv pulled the baked ziti out of the oven. It was perfectly browned on the top, with steam rising from the center. Clark had told her she’d put too much cheese in it, but that had only prompted her to dump another handful into the dish.
“We’ve got to go there and find out more,” Clark said, watching as Liv piled two large scoops onto a plate and handed it to him. “This is too much for me.”
“No, it’s not, because it’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten and you’re going to eat all of it and then want seconds, but I will shut you down since I’m eating all of the rest of this,” she said, waving to the casserole dish filled with baked ziti. “And I agree about going to this monastery, but there is no ‘we’ about it. I’m going by myself.”
Clark put down his fork and regarded her with a disappointed look. “What happened to working together?”
“We are, but we don’t have to be sloppy,” Liv said, blowing on her bite. “If we’re caught together, we’re screwed. However, if I’m caught, you can plead innocence.”
Clark considered this for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Hopefully you won’t be discovered by the House of Seven, but if you are, you can just make up some excuse like you did with the museum. I think the Council is starting to expect you to do random weird stuff.” He set down his fork again, a look of surprise jumping to his face. “Hey, you started working with the brownies. Does that mean you didn’t enforce the new regulations on them?”
Liv took a bite, the warmth and creaminess filling her mouth. “Of course not. I’m not even working the current case they gave me. I’m just going to let a few more days go by and tell them I completed it.”
Clark shook his head. “That’s not going to work for long. We’ll figure it out.”
“No, the Council won’t, because they are only assigning me dumb cases to keep me out of their hair.”
“That’s completely true,” Clark stated, finally taking a bite. His eyes widened as he chewed. “Wow, this is actually pretty good.”
Liv rolled her eyes at him. “Of course, it is. You can’t even taste the poison I put in it.”
“Ha-ha. I watched you make the entire dish.” Clark shoveled another bite into his mouth, bigger than the last.
“Good. That means that you know how to do it and can make it for me next time.”
“I don’t think so, Liv. Doing things without magic might be your thing, but it isn’t mine,” Clark stated, pointing at the casserole dish with the leftovers. “You’re not going to eat all that. I say we split it when I’m done with this.”
“And I say you fight me for it,” Liv countered with a wink. “I need to practice my combat magic.”
“Fine,” Clark agreed, taking the last bite from his plate. “But get ready to pee yourself.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“I’ll see you later, John,” Liv called from the back of the shop.
“Not if I see you first,” he replied, ducking his head through the door to the front and smiling widely.
“Oh, you and your dad jokes. Don’t forget to eat a vegetable today. And take your medication.”
He held up the donut he was working on. “Does this count? It was fried in corn oil.”
“No. Eat a carrot.”
John grimaced. “No, thanks.”
“I’m bringing you some carrot cake tomorrow.” With that parting shot, Liv and Plato exited through the back. The sun was just setting, casting the alley in shadows. She pulled her hood up over her head and began striding away from the store’s door. After some practice, Liv had found the perfect place to open a portal from the back area that couldn’t be seen from the road. That ensured she didn’t have to go all the way home to use portal magic, which was making commuting much easier.
“Liv…” Plato began, his voice tentative.
She halted, knowing exactly what he was referring to without him saying it. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
Spinning around, Liv lifted her hand, releasing a disarming spell. Thanks to her sparring match with Clark, she’d mastered it. He’d also taught her how to use fire magic, although she still needed a flame present to do it.
Stefan appeared, seemingly out of no
where, stumbling backward into the dumpster. He caught himself, a fierce look on his face.
“This is considered stalking.” Liv crossed her arms over her chest with a determined expression. “Why are you following me…again?”
Stefan’s eyes bounced between her and Plato. “And here I thought you didn’t know I was trailing you. I was going to offer you tips on how to move around without being followed.”
“I prefer to allow others to think I’m oblivious. Being underestimated is one of my key strategies when facing an opponent.”
“I’m not your enemy,” Stefan said, brushing off his leather jacket and coming a few steps closer.
“Why are you following me, then? Does the Council want you to babysit me?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m doing this on my own. I know you’re working on something besides your Warrior cases.”
Liv held her hand out, indicating the shop. “Yes, I work here fixing appliances. Do you have an electric razor or a toaster you want me to fix?”
Stefan hazarded a smile that lit up his blue eyes. “No, I use magic for those things.”
She shook her head and clicked her tongue, looking down at Plato. “All these magicians who rely on magic for everything. If it was taken away from them tomorrow, they’d be helpless.”
Stefan nodded in the direction of the cat. “And this must be the cat who can enter the House of Seven uninvited.”
“Are you going to tattle on me? Adler is looking for any reason to put me in timeout or whatever they do to punish uncooperative Warriors.”
“Liv, I’m not following you because I want to get you in trouble. I wouldn’t tell Adler or the other Councilors a damn thing about you. I have a feeling that you and I could be working together, but I need to know what you’re up to. Like why you broke into the Natural History Museum, and why you stole that sword.”
“What? A sword was stolen?” Liv feigned surprise. “I was there for a late study group. We’re putting together a really rad insect collection.”