by Hall, Linsey
It was after noon now, and the sun shone high overhead. Birds chirped from the trees in the courtyard, and Neve said, “Come on, follow me.”
She led us down the sidewalk away from the Hall of Inquiry, skyscrapers to our left and the long parkway to our right. We ducked into a bar in the lower level of a century-old building. Three-paned windows let in the sun, and the bar was well lit, with high ceilings and dangling Edison bulbs. A slender, tattooed woman was working behind a granite bar top. It was trendy but quiet and cozy at the same time.
Heck yeah, this was my kind of place.
Neve flagged down the bartender and took us to a table in the corner. We seated ourselves facing the door.
“Where are we?” Grey asked.
“The Hideout.” Neve indicated the name of the bar, backwards in the window, written in bold white playbill letters.
The bartender stopped next to our table. She propped on hand on her hip. “Your usual, Neve?”
“No, on the clock. Just squatting. Can you say we’ve been here an hour if anyone asks?”
The woman cracked a grin. “Not a problem. I’ll bring you some water.”
“Thanks, Diana, you’re the best.” Neve turned to us. “Man, I could feel the corrupted magic streaming off that book. Can you tell me what this is all about?”
I drew in a breath and met her penetrating gaze. I wasn’t sure what to make of this woman. At first glance, she seemed unassuming, if fashionable. But there was something extremely sharp about her, a hidden intensity below the surface that I sensed when we locked gazes. I recalled the vision I’d had when I shook her hand. I’d tried to avoid it, but she’d been quick. First had been the sensation of a warm, pleasant breeze, and then my stomach had lurched as though I were plunging downward at limitless speed.
The dizziness had remained even after I’d released her hand.
I had no idea what species she was, but it didn’t matter. She’d put her job on the line for us, and she deserved an explanation.
“That book is linked to something bigger in Guild City.” I spoke quickly, laying out the whole story, starting from the beginning with Seraphia and the book. As I finished, Diana stopped by our table. She sat three plates of sandwiches and three glasses of water in front of us.
“What’s all this?” Neve asked.
“If I know you, you’ve had your head stuck in a book this whole time and missed lunch. Breakfast too, probably.”
“You know I’d never miss a cinnamon bun from the coffee shop.” She grinned at her. “But thanks. Otherwise, you’re right. I’m starving.”
“Anytime, Neve.”
Neve took a big bite of her sandwich and chewed, a far-off expression on her face. I bit into mine, grateful for the sustenance.
Neve swallowed. “So, you’re out of leads, but you’re dealing with at least three curses—one on the book and the city wall, one on Grey’s memory, and one on your friends?”
Curses on everyone except me. I was grateful, but it felt weird to be the odd one out.
“The curses are linked,” Grey said. “The magic feels the same, and it’s all tied together. We need to know what the curse is. Then perhaps we can track whoever cast it.”
Neve nodded. “Sounds like you need a Curse Diviner.”
“Is that the person you mentioned earlier?” I asked. “The one who might be able to help Mac and Seraphia?”
“Yes. Fortunately for us, they don’t work at the Order. We need to lay low there.”
“Where are they?” Grey asked. “Who is it?”
“Madame Duvoir. She lives and works in The Dens.”
Grey’s face tightened. “Who does she work for?”
“The Dockside Boss,” Neve said.
“Just my luck.” Grey gave a wry smile. “First the Order, now this. Not that any of the others would be better.”
I gave him a curious look. “What am I missing?”
“The Dens are run by the criminal underground of Magic Side,” Neve said. “It’s been around forever, but it really hit its stride in the 1920s.”
“Gangsters,” I said, remembering my earlier conversation with Grey.
“Precisely.” Neve nodded. “They run a number of neighborhoods throughout Magic Side.” She gave Grey a significant look. “If I remember correctly, your boy here is on their bad side.”
The corner of Grey’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “Not always.” He looked at me. “It’s an on-again, off-again business arrangement. Currently, we’re off, which means we need to be careful on their turf when we speak to Madame Duvoir.”
“Will she talk to us if she works for a mob boss over there?” I asked.
“For the right price,” Neve said. “She’s a woman who does what she wants.”
“Why does the Order allow a bunch of old mobsters to control part of Magic Side?” I asked.
Neve shrugged. “Why does organized crime exist anywhere? Corruption, greed. They’ve got an arrangement, and we do what we can to keep everything as safe as possible. Most importantly, they make sure their goons don’t start showing up and dropping spells in Mainland Chicago.” She met Grey’s eyes. “He’d know all about the delicate dance between crime and city.”
“True enough.” Grey shrugged. “The Council of Guilds can’t stop me.”
“That’s because you own them,” I said. “And you can control their minds.”
“It’s a handy skill.”
Neve shook her head. “Well, it’s not too dissimilar here. We definitely want to avoid their goons. They don’t like me any more than they like you, and Carrow is an outsider, so she won’t be welcome either. But I can get us in by boat once it’s dark.”
“By boat?” I asked.
“The Dockside Den occupies the area around the old freighter docks, which the thugs now use for whatever they want to smuggle. The Great Lakes reach the sea, you know.”
I nodded, finally starting to get a more complete picture of Magic Side.
Neve finished her sandwich, leaving a bit of crust on her plate. “Ready to go find a boat?”
I ate the last bite of mine and stood. Grey joined us, laying a stack of bills on the table.
“It was on the house,” Neve said. “Diana sometimes feels bad for me because of how hard I work and throws me a bone.”
“Then it will be a tip.” Grey turned toward the door.
I shrugged and followed him. The gesture didn’t surprise me. He wasn’t the type to owe anyone.
But I definitely owed him.
It took Neve the rest of the afternoon to rustle up transportation, a sleek wooden speedboat we rented off an older gentleman at the local yacht club. It cost Grey a pretty penny. By the time we were ready to depart, the sun was sinking behind the horizon. Waves gently rocked the vessel as we climbed on board.
Neve took the wheel.
From the dock, the owner scowled at us. “Be careful with her,” he said.
She saluted. “You can count on me.”
He grumbled and turned away, as if he couldn’t bear to look.
“Can he count on you?” I asked.
Neve shrugged. “I’m not bad with driving. It’s the docking that’s hard.”
The old man groaned. “Just bring her in slow.”
“Will do, Cap.” Neve pulled away from the dock and looked at the dim sky. “This timing should work well enough. The moon won’t rise until a bit later, so we should have some good darkness.”
Grey stood on the other side of the boat, staring out at the lake ahead. The cool breeze swept his hair back. He looked like a movie star headed to the Venice Film Festival. I’d always liked looking at those pictures in magazines—images of far-off travel I’d never get to do.
Now I was in America, and I’d been in Romania before that. My life had taken an adventurous turn.
The breeze was cool as the boat sped over small waves. Neve directed us toward the Dockside Den, looking like an expert at the wheel.
As twilight faded, I
stared out at the city. It rose tall from the shore, shining skyscrapers reaching for the sky. Lights gleamed in the windows, more and more flicking on as the hour grew later.
“It’s beautiful.” I said.
Neve nodded. “Yes, at night. And some parts during the day. This is your first time in Magic Side?”
“Yep. It’s quite different to Guild City. The people are so open with their magic. I mean, I saw a blood sorceress striding down the street. Magic radiated off her. It was clear as day what she was. You could never be openly…powerful…like that in Guild City.”
Neve shrugged. “Never been there. Heard stories, though. It doesn’t make sense to me. This is a magical city. We’re a magical people—it’s literally who we are. Why hide our powers?”
“Except you do.” The words were out of my mouth before I had time to think. Neve’s jaw tightened, and I instantly regretted it.
She was silent a moment, then she spoke, not making eye contact. “It works for me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
There was a long, awkward silence. Grey was far enough away that the wind drowned out our conversation.
“I’m still mastering my powers.” I was trying to offer up something, but that didn’t get any result, either. She had locked up. I continued anyway, trying to smooth the moment over. “Sometimes I just sense things. About people. Objects. I wanted to join the police, be a full detective. It didn’t work out. Maybe it would have been better for me here.”
Neve gave me a sympathetic look and shrugged. “This place has its own pitfalls. I’ve been trying to make investigator for years. Haven’t managed it yet. It sounds like you have some interesting talents for it.”
“None that have helped me in Guild City. I didn’t have a lot of options, so I kinda had to strike out on my own—start my own detective agency.”
Neve gaped. “That’s amazing. Your own agency! I’m jealous. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be my own boss.”
I beamed a little at that. “Honestly, I’m making it up as I go along.”
She smiled back. “Hey, any help you need, give me a call.” She studied me for a moment, then gestured to the wheel. “Want to drive? Might as well learn some waterborne infiltration skills.”
“I’m not sure the captain would approve. I haven’t done it before.”
She stood aside. “Nonsense. Come here.”
I took her place. Beneath my palms, I felt the powerful thrum of the engines vibrating through the wheel.
Neve pointed at the controls. “Throttle up, throttle down. The wheel makes us turn to port or starboard. This button scuttles the ship, and we drown in Lake Michigan.”
“What?”
She grinned. “Just kidding. Try not to hit land. You’ll be fine—it’s a big lake.”
Handling the speedboat was exhilarating. As soon as I had got the hang of things, Neve had me punch up the engines, and we raced through the night along the dark, curving shoreline. The speedboat surged and hummed beneath my hands, begging me to go faster.
I shot a grin at Grey, then turned to Neve and shouted over the roar of the engines, “How do you know where we’re going?”
“I’ve done this before,” she yelled back.
“At night?”
“Yeah. For work.”
“So, do you go into the field a lot? Hunting down bad guys?” It reminded me of my own work.
“I wish. Primarily, I’m a researcher, so they generally keep me chained to the archives.” She grimaced.
“I’ve heard you’re very good.”
“Yeah, I’m so good I’ve been pigeonholed. They only let me out of the cage if they need me to read some ancient spell.”
“Jerks.”
Neve turned to look at me. “Totally. It’s really frustrating. I do the groundwork for a lot of cases, but I’m never part of the bust.”
I gently bit my lip. “Damn. That sucks.”
“Yeah. I have a lot of repressed sleuthing.” She grinned at me. “So what do I do? Find a healthy outlet? Noooo. I sneak a mob boss into the Order archives, then I shuttle him into the territory of another gangster. I need new hobbies.”
“I’m sorry we’re putting you at risk.”
“Please, this is the most fun I’ve had all month.” She looked back. “Anyway, I’m intrigued now. I want to push the case forward. All we have to do is not get shot.”
“Is the Dockside Den that dangerous?”
“Only if you aren’t supposed to be there. I mean, it’s a free city. In theory, we should all be able to go where we want and talk to whomever we like. Normally, I would be fine going in. They might give me a hard time because I’m a known agent, but they wouldn’t mess with me too much.”
“So why are we trying to slip in under cover of night?” I asked.
Neve nodded back at Grey. “He makes this a lot harder. Bosses are supposed to stay out of each other’s territory. Professional courtesy and all. But since he’s the one with the curse…”
Neve looked at the dark shapes looming along the shoreline. The buildings here weren’t as tall, and few were lit. “Speaking of getting in the hard way, I think I’d better drive.”
I gave her the wheel, and she turned down the throttle. The engines reduced to a low murmur as we puttered along the shorefront.
“Just whispers now for this last part,” Neve said in a low voice. “Sound carries over water.”
I quit the chitchat and watched the structures of the dockyards slip by. Their enormous, looming piers had once been used for freighters and were backed by abandoned factories and unlit warehouses. The dockside area was expansive. There were a few harbors for small boats, and a motley assortment of vessels were tied off to bobbing orange buoys further along the shore. We came to an area of old wooden docks, which led to a cluster of warehouses and tall brick buildings that lined the waterfront.
“Here we go,” Neve whispered.
She cut the throttle, and we coasted silently in, sliding under the tall dock and navigating between the tall pilings. They were in bad shape, covered with crustaceans and tattered bits of old rope. Everything smelled of dead fish and something strange, like smoky tar.
Neve pointed to a piling with wooden slats nailed to it. “That’s how we get up.”
She secured the speedboat, tying off the bow and the stern, then turned off the engine and pocketed the keys.
By then, Grey was already at the ladder, scaling it swiftly and naturally despite his suit.
“I don’t know how that man makes a suit look so appropriate for everything,” she mused.
“He’s like James Bond.”
Neve nodded. “Yep.”
I followed Grey, and Neve brought up the rear. At the top of the makeshift ladder, a small wooden hatch was propped open. Grey was already on the dock, and I shimmied through the hatch to join him.
It had begun to sprinkle lightly, a faint rain that was cool against my skin. Shipping containers towered around us, blocking our view. We tucked ourselves into the shadows as Neve joined us.
“This way,” she whispered, leading us out of the maze and toward the glow of lamps.
We reached the edge of the crates, and I caught a glimpse of the dock. Gas lamps flickered gold in the darkness, their light gleaming on the puddles and glass windows of the crumbling factories along the waterfront. Wooden slats ran between us and the buildings.
Everything was brick and iron, a remnant of an industrial past that had been abandoned in this part of the city.
Something moved in the shadows.
“Guards.” Neve pointed to the two men. “Those are the boss’s goons. Marsh Men.”
I frowned. “Marsh Men?”
“People say they came from the lake, but I don’t know if it’s true.” Neve indicated a guard roughly twenty feet away. “I’ll take that one.” She crept forward, soundless and lethal. Stepping from the shadows, she called, “Yoo-hoo!”
The Marsh Man turned in surpri
se, but Neve was on him in seconds. She ducked a blow and spun behind him, bringing her elbow down hard on his shoulder. He dropped to his knees, and Neve followed with a swift blow to the back of his head. The guard stiffened and toppled facedown.
Neve shot me a grin. “He’ll be out for a while.”
"Holy crap. You move like the wind. How did you learn to do that?”
“It’s Silat, a Southeast Asian martial art. A lot of law enforcement agencies use it.”
To my right, Grey darted out on silent feet, his movements a blur. A moment later, I spotted him dragging the second guard into an alley between two of the old factory buildings.
“Looks like he’s taken care of the other one.” Neve stood. “Come on.”
She sprinted across the open section of docks and disappeared into the alley where Grey had dragged the Marsh Man. I dashed after her and found Grey standing over the guard, whom he’d bound with his own belt. There were gills on the side of the guard’s neck, and he glared at me with green eyes.
“The boss will have your heads for this,” he said.
“He’ll have to catch us first.” Grey removed his tie in a sexy one-handed gesture, then crouched and gagged the Marsh Man with it. “But tell him that the Devil of Darkvale sends his regards.”
“You play a risky game, Devil,” Neve said.
Grey grinned. “What’s life without a little risk?”
He stood and stared down the alley. “Is this the way to your Curse Diviner?”
“Madame Duvoir lives at the end.” Neve hurried quietly down the road. One end of the building abutted a small Art Deco tower, and Neve cut around to the back, where she pointed at a fire escape that hung out of reach. Grey sprang up, grabbed hold of the metal ladder, and pulled it down.
“Will she mind that we’re sneaking up on her?” I asked.
“Friends’ entrance,” Neve said. “And she’ll know we’re here by now.”
“The boss knows you’re here as well.” A feminine voice, tinged lightly with a French accent, sounded from above.
I looked up, spotting a woman with dark, curly hair and unusually bright eyes. She wore a flowing dress with long sleeves, bangles around her wrists, and a broad amber necklace. She grinned widely. “Long time no see, Neve.”