by A C Spahn
I nodded and started to walk away, staying out of reach of Axel the muscleman.
Harrow’s parting words stabbed me in the back. “And Adrienne ... we’ll be watching you.”
Chapter 16
AXEL RETURNED with me to the elevator. The ride to the first floor took longer than the trip up, so the holding cells had to be on a middle floor. I filed that information away for later use, hoping I wouldn’t need it.
The big bald man stood at parade rest in one corner of the elevator, watching me with no trace of emotion. I shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable under his gaze. “So,” I said. “Is Axel your real name?”
He grunted. “No.”
“What is it, then?”
The elevator doors opened and deposited us in a carpeted lobby. A gleaming reception desk stood beside the elevator, staffed by a brunette in professional attire. A sign on the front of the desk read “Standard Systems Ltd.”
The receptionist gave me a perky smile and said, “Thank you for your business!”
I blinked.
“Cassie’s clued in,” Axel said. “She just has to play her part.”
“You guys have a business front?” I asked. Magic in my bones, they even had fake plants by the desk. “Is that why all those empty cubicles are upstairs? You’re using the whole building, pretending to be a company?”
Axel grunted again and took my elbow, shepherding me toward the glass door to the street.
Behind us, the elevator played a pleasant little tune. The doors opened again. This time Desmond stepped out, his arms full. I spotted my purse slung over his shoulder beside his sword gear case and a plastic bag that had my shoes sticking out of it.
“Adrienne!” He dropped everything and ran to me, shoving Axel out of the way. His warm arms enveloped me and lifted me off the ground, squeezing tight.
“I shouldn’t have let them take you,” he said. “I should have come. I should have fought for you.”
Pleasant tingling filled my body. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent. If only for a moment, I pretended I was his, and he mine. “It’s all right,” I said softly. “I’m okay. I’m here.”
It ended when Desmond seemed to realize we had an audience. Slowly he set me down, then retrieved my purple tennis shoes from the bag. As I tied the laces, I snuck glances up at him. His cheeks were flushed, and he stood protectively over me, as if daring Axel to try to take me away again.
I checked my purse and found to my surprise that most of my enchanted gear had been returned. They kept some of the shinier pieces, probably assuming I’d put the most magic into them, but my sensory ring, shield ring, and conjured knife bracelet were all there. The gun bracelet was missing, but all things considered, it wasn’t too bad a loss.
Gathering my things, I prepared to head for the door. I considered slipping my hand into Desmond’s, but I’d told Bane Harrow that we weren’t a couple, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he’d read me correctly.
Just before I stepped through the tinted glass doors, Cassie the receptionist called, “Ma’am, your bill.”
I frowned and returned to the desk. “What bill?”
Still with that pasted-on smile, she handed me a piece of paper. I read it over and my jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
Desmond came up behind me and read over my shoulder. “Adrienne, let’s go.”
“No, they can’t really mean this. I haven’t done anything!”
“Adrienne.”
Desmond pulled me toward the exit. I went unwillingly, glaring back at the receptionist as if everything that had happened since last night was her fault.
“Have a nice evening!” she called as we stepped out onto the busy, narrow streets of San Francisco.
I whirled on Desmond and waved the paper in his face. “They’re fining me a thousand dollars for unsupervised use of magic!”
He gently took my hand and lowered the paper. “That’s actually less than I thought.”
“You knew about this?”
“The Union makes a lot of money through fines on paranormals.”
“That’s unethical.”
“Yes, but we can’t change it. You got off easy. I’ve seen them fine people three times that much for less.”
“So I’m supposed to be grateful?” I balled the bill in my fist. “I can’t pay this.”
“I’ll cover it.”
My eyebrows rose, and a warm feeling sparkled in me. “I appreciate that, but you don’t have that kind of money lying around, either.”
“I won’t let them lock you up for not paying, Adrienne. If you can’t cover it, I will.”
He said it so calmly, so matter-of-factly, like his willingness to pay that much for me was just a fact of nature. I hugged him and felt rewarded when he gave me a return squeeze.
“This is Harrow’s doing,” I said, stuffing the wrinkled bill in my purse. “He offered me a job. He’s trying to bully me into taking it for the pay.”
“He offered you a job? Doing what?”
“Three guesses.”
“Seriously? The Union Legionnaire wants you to ...”
“He’s a hypocrite.”
Desmond’s lip curled. “He’s a lot of things, but I’ve never known him to be selfish. He probably has a good reason for asking you to do this.”
I started to protest, and he held up a hand. “I’m not saying you should do it. Just that, in his mind, it’s probably a justified request. Don’t worry. I’ll come up with the cash somehow.”
“No, you don’t have to.” I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “And don’t try to talk me out of paying my share of our booth rent at the craft fair, either. I’ll just have to work extra, try to sell more projects. If that doesn’t work, I can always try teaching classes at libraries or even the community colleges. Maybe Kendall can connect me with—” I froze. “Kendall! She’s still in there! We have to go back and—”
Desmond tapped my shoulder and pointed above our heads. I looked up. On a branch of a struggling and leafless tree sat a bright red squirrel, happily munching a chunk of a sourdough bread bowl.
I rolled my eyes. “Gross, Kendall. Was that dropped by a tourist?”
The squirrel twitched its ears at me, then ran along the tree and disappeared into an alleyway. A few minutes later, Kendall sauntered out, in an outfit she must have stashed between the buildings before shifting. “It’s not gross when I’m in squirrel form,” she said. “That’s what squirrels eat.”
“Now that you’re a person again, can we get some people food? I haven’t eaten since last night, and I’m starving, and I have to think up a way to earn a thousand bucks.”
Kendall whistled. “That sucks. You must’ve really pissed them off.”
I thought of Bane Harrow’s practiced smile, of the way his eyes had bored holes in me. “Actually,” I said with a shiver, “I think he liked me.”
The Union had searched my car. I grumbled as I knelt on the back seat and reset my decorative pins in the rear deck. Someone had also pulled the head off my bobble-head wizard. I thought of nasty enchantments I could throw at Maribel as I tried and failed to reattach it. It was nothing a bit of hot glue wouldn’t fix, but the pettiness of it irked me.
After I changed into a spare shirt, Kendall rode with me, and Desmond drove his own car to That Place on the Corner, a small diner near Crafter’s Haven. They served beer and sandwiches and twenty-six kinds of fries themed around different countries. It wasn’t packed on a weeknight, but most tables were full. I ordered a serving of Italian-style fries, which came topped with oregano, sautéed onions, tomatoes, and big chunks of sweet sausage.
“So,” said Kendall, helping herself to one of my fries, “where you gonna get the cash? Can you make a money charm like you did for Mrs. J?”
“Unfortunately, no,” I said. “There’s no magic for making yourself instantly rich. The charm I gave her was more of a poverty ward, something to ensure h
er granddaughter never went completely broke. Even if I could craft an enchantment to attract income, it wouldn’t work overnight. I can put more pieces in my online shop, but even that might take too long. I don’t know how quickly the Union will want to be paid.”
“Assume they want it fast,” said Desmond, sliding into the upholstered booth opposite us.
“Wait,” said Kendall suddenly. “Switch seats with me.”
Desmond frowned. “Why?”
“I want to look out the window. There’s a neat tree out there.”
Desmond rolled his eyes and traded places with Kendall, sliding his loaded burger across the table so he sat by me. Kendall winked at me as she took his vacated spot.
I flashed her a look. We’d just escaped near-execution. This was not the time to be playing matchmaker.
But I didn’t object, and I let her snatch another of my fries.
She swirled it in her strawberry milkshake. “So you need to come up with money fast. Wanna rob a bank?”
Desmond choked on a mouthful of bacon.
“That’s not really my style,” I said, laughing.
“Come on, I bet you could make it easy with your magic. I’ve always wanted to try bank robbery. I think I’d look good in the ski mask.” Kendall popped the fry in her mouth and took another. “No? Life of crime isn’t appealing to you?”
“Being an enchantress is crime enough for me, thanks.”
“How about selling some of that jewelry you keep around for enchanting?”
I ate a couple of my fries before Kendall could finish them. “None of that is real. It’s all steel and rhinestones. I can’t afford the real stuff, and I don’t want to attract thieves to my magic gear anyway.”
“Can you tell fortunes?”
“I was thinking something more on the mundane side of my work. I can make more pieces for the art fair this weekend, but I’d like something more consistent, too. Do you know anybody who needs an art tutor?”
“Anyone who does will want a tutor with a degree.”
“I can’t exactly enroll in university with people hunting me.”
“I can ask around.” Kendall shrugged. “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up. The economy, you know?”
I sighed and shoved another fry and a bite of sausage into my mouth before sliding the rest of the tray across the table to Kendall.
“You eat like a bird,” she said.
“You eat like a squirrel,” retorted Desmond.
Kendall shoved a bit of sausage in her cheek so it puffed out, then stuck her tongue out at him.
Desmond lowered his voice. “Would it be so bad to work for Harrow? Maybe you could negotiate what he wants you to do. Stick to consulting and refuse the things that are ...”
“Reprehensible?” I said hotly.
“That works.”
I shook my head. “I’ve known people like him. They agree to your terms, but slowly over time they whittle away your boundaries. First it’ll be just one enchantment, a defensive talisman to protect a Union ally, because the streets are getting dangerous and we need to keep people safe. Then it’ll be something a little stronger, something that can hurt others. Just for self-defense, of course. Soon they have you making magical weapons and throwing magic around wherever they want, and when they ask you to sacrifice your only child for the good of the cause—”
“I don’t think Harrow is like your cult,” said Desmond. “I don’t think he’d push you like that. He really believes in what he’s doing.”
“So did Geralt,” I said softly. “So did my mom and dad. People who believe in what they’re doing are the most dangerous. Harrow may not be leading a cult, but any interaction, any relationship can turn into one if you don’t keep your guard up.”
Desmond’s brow furrowed, and a pained look crossed his face.
Crap. He thought I was talking about him. Foot, meet mouth. Oh, you already know each other?
Before I could dig myself any deeper, Kendall cleared her throat. “So what would be your sacrificial child, then? Your glue gun?”
I threw a balled napkin at her. “Maybe I should just keep trying to find the enchantress behind these attacks. They have to give me a reward if I solve their case for them, right?”
“Adrienne, no,” Desmond said. He reached over to enclose my hand in his. His rough palm warmed my fingers. “They’ve made it clear they don’t want you involved in this. Don’t give them a reason to arrest you again.”
“Geez, what’s got you so protective?” Kendall asked. “I don’t see any such concern for my safety.”
Desmond didn’t look away from me. “Please, Adrienne. If not for yourself, then for me and your other friends. Don’t get any deeper involved in this.”
I frowned. Kendall was right. Desmond had been acting strangely ever since he visited me in the holding cell. Just what had happened while I was a captive? “Desmond, do you know more about what’s going on?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“I can’t say.” He winced. “I may not be with the Hunters, but they still get to boss me around. Maribel doesn’t want you around this case. All she needs is an excuse, and she’ll start a fight with you.”
“Let her,” I grumbled. “She’s no Void. My magic can protect me.”
“Then she’ll claim you attacked her and throw you in a cell again, and this time you won’t walk out. Bane Harrow may have an interest in you, but even he won’t stop the execution of an enchantress who goes around assaulting Union Hunters.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “Trust me, Adrienne. Stay away from this.”
“Adrienne!” A voice broke through the buzz of activity filling the restaurant. I turned to see Mrs. Jacinta approaching our booth.
“Hey, Mrs. J,” I said. “Nice to see you.”
“Yes,” she said quickly. Her lined face was tense, her golden-brown eyes wide. “Adrienne, may I speak with you for a moment?”
“Can we make an appointment for tomorrow? I’ve had a long day and—”
“Es importante. I promise not to take much of your time.”
Holding in a sigh, I waited for Desmond to clear the seat, then slid out. Mrs. Jacinta shepherded me to a secluded corner near the hallway to the bathroom. She kept glancing over her shoulder, and a creepy-crawly feeling began in my neck. “Mrs. J, what’s wrong?” I asked.
She took another look around, then whispered something.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
She pulled me in until she was practically kissing my ear. Her gnarled fingers dug into my wrist. Her breath was hot as she hissed, “Did you put a spell on my wind chime?”
My breath caught. I swallowed, trying to summon a lie, but my entire body had gone rigid at the question. I tried to pry my hand free, but her grip was like iron.
“I’m afraid I’m losing my mind,” she said. “Please. Tell me the truth.”
“Mrs. J ...”
“I need to know. It’s important, Adrienne.”
The haunted look in her eyes convinced me. I took a deep breath. “It’s not a spell. It’s an enchantment. And it’s not harmful. It was just a charm to ward off poverty.”
She stared at me, as if seeing me for the first time. “Prove it.”
“I can’t—”
“Show me. Convince me this is real. Convince me I haven’t lost my last few marbles.”
kadum ... kadum ...
Mrs. Jacinta’s grip clung to my arm, and I worried her octogenarian bones would shatter if I tried to pry her off. Quickly I plucked a hair from my head, wound it around a button on my shirt, and held the loose end against the wall. There was only an average amount of magic here, but I drew in a small amount and focused it on the wall. More specifically, on the wall’s light green color. Be green, I chanted. Be verdant. Become this shade.
The magic channeled through the hair, setting it to smoking, and flowed into the button. In seconds, the button had taken on the springtime hue of the wall.
&nb
sp; I unwound the hair and blew on it before it could fully catch fire. Mrs. Jacinta released my other wrist and stared at me. “It’s true. You can do ...” She swallowed. “Magic.”
“How did you find out?”
“My granddaughter’s housewarming party. One of her guests was ... a tad strange. Tattoos, nose rings, black eyeliner.” Mrs. Jacinta’s lips pursed. “He touched the wind chime, and he looked like he’d seen the afterlife. He asked me where I’d gotten it.”
My heart leapt into my throat. “Did you tell him?”
“No, I was too disturbed. I said a friend made it. He didn’t press for more information, but he said I should avoid accepting anything else from you. He said you had cast a spell on the chime.”
I closed my eyes. This was inevitable, I supposed. “He was probably a minor enchanter. Able to sense magic, but not channel it himself.” I looked at Mrs. Jacinta. “I’m sorry for deceiving you. If you want to return the chime—”
“No, no, mi querida artista. I believe you meant no harm. You have the soul of an artist, and that means you can’t be too tainted. I don’t love all this new cultural fascination with witchcraft and the like, but I believe in miracles, and I’m comfortable accepting that some people can perform them.”
“Thank you. But Mrs. J, it’s important that you don’t tell anyone else what I can do. There are people who would make it difficult for both of us if—” I noticed she still looked troubled, her eyes roaming the restaurant, her arms wrapping protectively around her chest. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze fell to the floor. “I never thought I would mix myself up in the occult.”
“It’s not really the—”
“I need your help.”
My eyebrows rose to my hairline. How could this little old lady who loved fake flowers and potpourri possibly be in paranormal trouble? “What happened?”
“It’s one of my students. You know, the Sunday School classes? One of the girls is straying onto a dangerous path, and I want you to talk to her.”
“I’m not sure I can talk about this with a little kid.”
“She’s sixteen. We have youth classes and adult ones, not just for children. Samantha used to be a great student. Very quiet, but bright and studious. A couple months ago, she came to class looking troubled. I asked her what was wrong—she doesn’t have the best home life, you see, and I thought she’d had trouble with her father again—and she asked me if I believed in magic. I said I believe in miracles, and she asked if I’d ever seen one. I told her no.” Mrs. Jacinta glanced at my green shirt button. “I suppose that’s no longer the truth.”