Death Be Blue (The Terra Vane Series Book 1)

by Katie Epstein

  “Good thinking,” I told him eventually as I let out an exasperated sigh. “So, what next? Do we dig in the trenches? Contact people around here who are willing to talk?”

  “I’ll ask around with the other agents.” He checked his comms. “Next shift is due in about half an hour and I know Cat Revola is in, along with Booker Faraway. They head out for a drink with some of the Ground Patrol Officers from other territories on the odd occasion. I’ll see if they’ve heard of these guys.”

  “Yeah, okay.” The thought of going back to the agency to fill out reports and deal with the other shifters—not to mention Cole—had me groaning out loud a little. But then an idea came to me. “How about we strike a deal?”

  “Oh, here we go.”

  “A win-win deal.” I patted his arm. “Why don’t you go back to the agency and fill out a subtle report to keep Cole and Dan off our backs while I head home and get a few hours sleep? Then in the morning, you can lie in while I go and interview the shopkeepers who live separately from their stores to try and find out more about this SQR. I need to go and see Mayra tomorrow anyway. Two birds, one stone. We can meet up once I’m done.”

  He thought about for it a moment, then said, “Deal.” I knew the morning lie in had done it for him. Wolf shifters were more like night owls. “I’ll head to your place to meet up with you in the afternoon,” he continued. “Don’t get into any more trouble.” He grinned to take the edge off the lecture in his voice and I waved at him dismissively.

  “Whatever. I’m going to catch The Rail back to the Crystal Quarter if we’re calling it a night.”

  “I’ll come to the station with you.”

  When I didn’t hear his footsteps fall in line with my mine, I turned back around to see him watching me with a very satisfied grin on his face.

  “Will you stop checking out my ass?” I demanded when I saw where his eyes were.

  “Maybe, when wolf shifters can fly, I might.”

  “That might be sooner than you think,” I muttered, before shaking my head in disbelief as I headed off home.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  After a restless night’s sleep riddled with dreams of blue people dancing around popping pills into their mouths. It was clear that this case was crossing over the boundaries of work and into my personal life. It wasn’t a nine to five job, I got that, but I also realized that both Kaleb and I seemed to develop obsessive tendencies when either of us were on a case. There hadn’t been any more to the dream other than some random images though. And disappointment ran through me that it hadn’t led to a vision that could help us out in this frustrating maze of pompous Ground Patrol Officers and sadistic wendigos.

  Once I’d showered and dressed, I decided to head out for Mayra’s shop early before it opened. As soon as I finished up there, I would head over to Desire Street, ready for when the other shop owners were about to start their businesses for the day.

  The shop front of Mayra’s place was painted with a deep purple backdrop that played host to the pretty, silver lettering that read The Mystical Moon. Mayra loved the color purple. In fact, she was the one who had convinced me to dye the ends of my hair that color. It had been a compromise after she had threatened to cast a spell to turn the whole lot that shade to see whether I would like it or not. But the color was something that I’d come to love.

  Mayra often changed the window display to show off her wares, and today the theme was influenced by a book, titled: ‘Whimsical Wands and What to do with Them’. A purple fabric flowed down boxes of various sizes, with the wand manual in question positioned tactfully on top of one of them. A variation of wands sat on the other boxes, from those that stayed more true to their original form of wood or crystal, to others that were smooth and refined. They circled a larger wand that acted as a centerpiece to them all.

  With a moss-covered hilt and long piece of crystal quartz at its end, vines twirled around the wand’s handle to meet the metal fairy symbols that bordered the quartz. Tiny, white beads had been carefully added to the stems that poked out from the vines, and it was the only one out the collection that didn’t have a price tag next to it. I could imagine why. It was truly beautiful, and no doubt reserved for the more experienced magical user, meaning it would cost a packet.

  Silver stars hung from the top of the window on strings of non-identical lengths, and two dragon statues stood on either side of the display as if guarding the coveted treasures. I doubted they were for decoration. Knowing Mayra, the dragons with the emerald eyes had been used in some form of magical ritual to protect what was hers from any potential thieves. Not that they would have gotten very far anyway, if that was their intention. I’d seen what happened as a result of messing around with Mayra, and let’s just say that rolling in poison ivy would be a breeze in comparison.

  The bell above the door jingled when I entered the shop and an incense I recognized to be Dragon’s Blood hit my nose. Mayra had added a bit of vanilla and orange to the amber smelling sticks, so that made it a little bit more tolerable in my eyes—or nostrils. But it also meant she’d been casting certain spells this morning and, due to such, she may have needed extra protection.

  “Mayra!” I shouted when I saw that the shop was empty.

  “Hey Terra,” a voice said as I saw Dawn, Mayra’s only employee, pop up her pixie-like face from the other side of the counter. Her cap of blood-red hair was covered in cobwebs and dust, and she brandished a feather duster to wave at me.

  “Spring cleaning,” she said in a way of explanation.

  “But it’s the summer?” I questioned the four-foot woman, who didn’t quite match the picture of someone who would be seen wielding a feather duster. She wore a studded dog collar on her neck, with four piercings in her nose, and she had enough tattoos on her arms to show a limited canvas for any more.

  “So, we’re a bit behind,” she said as she rubbed away some of the cobwebs from her short locks. “Mayra’s in the back. She’s been expecting you.”

  “Thanks, Dawn.”

  Pushing my way through the red velvet curtain, I headed through the hallway that led to a smaller back room where Mayra performed her readings.

  The Reading Room, as Mayra called it, was decorated with all colors of silk, from purples, to silver and greens draped around the place. A Calavera skull sat in the center of some form of an alter, graced with candles and pretty stones. It’s diamond encrusted eyes watched over a circular table where Mayra was cleansing her crystals, and she jumped in surprised when I knocked on the door to get her attention.

  “Terra!” Mayra greeted as soon as she laid eyes on me. “Take a seat.” She waved me forward to a chair opposite hers.

  “I’ve disturbed you,” I said as I sat down upon her orders. A turtle shell filled with water stared back at me, and I knew from past experience that the water would have been sourced from some form of magical fairy spring if Mayra was letting her crystals anywhere near it. She got up and quickly moved it out of the way.

  Today, my dear friend was wearing some form of green and gold velvet gown that covered her from neck to feet. It clung to her waist before flaring out into a full skirt decorated with gold glitter bordering the hem. The tartan collar folded down to the large, gold buttons on her chest, and short, white sleeves puffed out at her shoulders. On anyone else it would raise a few eyebrows—even around here—but Mayra managed to make it all work somehow. There was something different about her today though, as if she wore the weight of the world on her shoulders.

  “Are you okay?” I asked with concern. Mayra and mood swings went hand in hand due to the different magic she could wield, but today she seemed darker than normal.

  “I’m fine,” she replied, waving me off. “And you haven’t disturbed me. I told you to come by today.” She walked to the unit behind her and pulled out a small, wooden box. I knew exactly what was in there.

  “Shuffle these.” She handed me a pretty, patterned pack of tarot cards. I hesitated so she shoved them clos
er under my nose as she sat down opposite me. “Shuffle.”

  “Fine.” I shook my head. Mayra would never give it up when she set her mind to something.

  “You know the drill. Open up as much as you can without lowering your shields and let it flow. You’ll know when to stop.”

  “Yes, Mom,” I replied as I shuffled away. My skin tingled, as it always did when dealing with something of Mayra’s. There was a big difference in working this kind of stuff when it had gone through the process of being handled by a witch. It was as if their secrets had been unlocked somehow, waiting to be discovered.

  Mayra took them out of my hands when I stopped shuffling and then lay them out one by one into the Celtic Cross spread. It was one I was familiar with, and one of the more common layouts of the tarot. But I had to admit, what happened next even had my mouth dropping open. Every card—like Mayra had said—was coming out with a blue orb above it. Every card was from the Sword Suit. And every card was from the air element. I didn’t know what the hell it all meant, but I was wise enough to know that the odds of this happening again were pretty low.

  The look on Mayra’s face didn’t comfort me either.

  “The order is slightly different,” she said eventually. “Someone is behaving badly. You need to dig deep as there is someone cheating, not playing the game by the rules. Someone will be looking for you, and I think this connects to work. I don’t know why they’re looking, but it isn’t good. You need to watch your back …” She pointed to one card overlaying the other. “This here is what’s influencing you. And here you have the Three of Swords. This can mean a few things, but right now I feel it is a deep sorrow and pain burrowed within you. Some of it’s rising to the surface as your ego bruises, and there is a relationship here that’s not connecting.” She waved her hand as if to brush it off and continued on to the next cards. “Be careful where you place your trust. Someone is not who they appear to be. It could be an unintentional arrow thrown your way, but it will sting nonetheless. Instability hovers as doubt kicks in and something, somewhere, is pulling you in two different directions creating great anxiety and fear. Rise above it. Find your strength and trust your instincts. But most importantly, you need to watch your back.”

  I went to say I got that part. But then her brow furrowed together and she slammed her fist onto the table. The suddenness of it made me jump out of my skin.

  “Conflict. Manipulation. Like chess. You’re in the middle of a game and you’re to be used as a pawn. Something will come and a door will open. Something big. You’re going to be right in the middle of it. Corruption. Heartache. But you won’t be alone. There is strength in not only one partnership, but two. I see a strand of a working one, and that of a lover. Even though there is no major arcana present, there is a strength in that message. But it will be dependent on how others stir the pot and how you react to it.” She put her finger in the air prompting me to start blinking again when I realized I’d actually stopped doing so for a minute. “Trust your own instincts, for emotion will jade them for a time. A powerful force operates before you, but help will come in a group of people who will rally around you. I feel it …”

  “There is an opinionated man,” she continued, “but one who I feel holds something close to his chest. A government office … this man is linked to it, but it’s not close by. He will become an important part of your life. One of the strands. As will the other … A target.” She nodded and finally looked up at me. “I keep seeing a target on your back. You must promise me you will be careful?” She leaned forward and held my arm in a forceful grip. “Promise me?”

  What I was promising her right now, I didn’t know, the messages being pretty vague aside from the fact I had an apparent target on my back—that message had been pretty hard to miss. But in the end, I said all I could at that moment, “I promise.”

  “Good.” She nodded and released my arm. “Deceit is challenging you and your warrior self needs to be exposed. You need to trust those around you and not turn your back away from those you don’t. A sword in the back. A threat. Someone is not happy with you and they’re going to try and take something away. A decision you make will have far reaching consequences and the outcome may have dire repercussions. The swords are all about reflection and change. Protection, openness, reflection.” She let out a sigh. “I know it’s not much. It’s vague. I see two swords crossed in front of me like a barrier. That means there is still a lot to play out before the path is truly clear. I’m sorry, Terra. Maybe your own visions will reveal more. Just keep those shields of yours up. Do not fully lower them. Don’t go without any barrier. Your mind is a precious thing, and so much of your gift is unknown. Promise me again that you’ll be careful?”

  “I promise,” I said again, the look on her face causing goose bumps to flare up along my arms. I tried to recall what I’d learned about tarot, and I knew that the major arcana cards were the most powerful. They were the driving force of fate and more powerful than their minor arcana counterparts. Surely not having any of them turn up in the spread would put her mind at ease. “Only minor arcana are present here, Mayra,” I reassured her. “That means I can influence a lot of this. Don’t worry.”

  “It also means that others can influence it, too. You have the Page, Queen and King of Swords all here in this spread. That means their actions will influence yours. The ripples will ripple. I’ll say a protection prayer for you because a protection spell will be too confining with so much to still play out. The protection prayer will be more about manifesting the protection without the bells and whistles that a spell requires. And you know the drill. If I play with the strings of fate too much, I could make things worse for you. Just stay positive and have good intentions.” She paused, and looked at me as if debating something. Then she made me jump when she let out a very un-Mayra-like chuckle. “Forget it all for now,” she waved her hand as if to wave away her prediction of doom. “You know the cards are all about guidance and not a rule to live by. And don’t forget free will always has a part to play. Let’s have a girl’s night out soon so we can get you drunk and you can forget about swords and government men coming into your life.”

  She patted my hand and a reluctant smile formed because I knew it wasn’t an empty gesture. There would be a girl’s night out in my near future if Mayra had anything to do with it. I didn’t need a crystal ball to see that.

  After a cinnamon spiced tea and a more relaxed chat later. I said my goodbyes with fifty promises (it could have been more) that I would be careful and watch my back. When I finally managed to get out of her shop unscathed, I headed to the other shops on Desire Street to question some of their owners.

  After what felt like an age of incessant questions and vague replies, I headed for the last establishment located at the end of the street. It wasn’t as if I needed to question them for anything they would have seen the night before. But I wanted to build up more of a profile on SQR as their protection detail. Something still wasn’t sitting right with me, and it was an angle I needed to tie up if nothing more.

  The sign above the pretty green and pink shop read Tranquil Tea Leaves, and I pushed the door open to hear another tinkering bell that alerted my presence.

  A dainty woman who appeared to be in her early fifties came forward to welcome me. She wore her hair in ringlets with a neat, little bonnet on the top. Her shop looked like a doily and floral monster had come in here and vomited in every direction. There wasn’t a bit of space free from the floral invasion. Everything from the counter top to the couple of tables and chairs she had in the corner was suffering from flower overload. But the shop was also empty. Not that I was surprised. It was still pretty early. But the woman looked grateful for a patron to actually be walking inside.

  “Welcome, welcome,” she said as she waved me forward. Several boxes of teas sat stacked neatly behind the counter. Each box wore a distinctive name scrawled in italics across its brightly colored packaging. Mandarin Medusa sat next to Paloma Punch, wh
ile Devilish Daisy sat next to a box titled Wandering Water Lily. I couldn’t avoid scrunching up my nose, having no inclination whatsoever to learn what they tasted like. It didn’t put the woman off, though. She walked behind the counter and chattered away while pulling out a box with lilacs on it.

  “This one would suit you. Especially with your hair.” She started to package up the dried leaves and I had to put a hand on hers to halt her progress.

  “It’s fine. I’m not here to buy anything.”

  “Oh.” Her hand shook and she put the box back down again. “Y-you’re not?”

  I held out my badge for her to read. “I’m an Enforcer Field Agent from the PCA, ma’am. I have a few questions for you.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  The disappointment on her face caused me to feel guilty. Before I could stop myself, I was pulling out my citizen badge for her to swipe for currency.

  “A small bag,” I said, before I changed my mind. Her eyes flashed with pleasure.

  “Of course. I’ll put it together for you.” Her hands were busy as she worked. “Make sure you distill it for three to four minutes before drinking. And you will need a strainer. Do you have one? We sell them here if you don’t.”

  “Alright. Scan for that, too.” I internally kicked myself for being such a soft touch. It was a good job Kaleb wasn’t here.

  “Thank you so much, Agent. That’s very kind of you.”

  “Business not going so good, eh?” I dared to ask, and the woman’s cheeks colored.

  “It could be better, I suppose. But every business has bad days. That’s life, right?”

  “You can say that again. May I ask if you contribute to the SQR Ground Patrol protection around here?”

  She said nothing and continued with what she was doing as if she hadn’t heard me.

  “Ma’am, can you please answer the question?”

  “O-oh,” she stammered again. “I’m sorry. Yes. Yes, I do pay for protection. It’s a good service. Very good.”