by Jasmine Walt
“Uh, sure.” Flustered, I said my goodbyes, then headed for the register. I’d obviously upset him with the thought that I’d be turning over an innocent little girl to the Mages Guild. Hell, I was upset myself. What was I going to do? I couldn’t abandon that girl to such a terrible fate…but it also wasn’t my place to decide what to do with her. My job was to find her and bring her home.
My troubled thoughts churned in my head as I left the shop. Even the sight of the Firegate Bridge, stretching tall and proud across Solantha Bay, couldn’t distract me from the knowledge that I’d just gotten myself into a huge mess. And I had no idea how I was going to solve it.
7
“Are you all right?” Annia asked as I picked at my platter of fish. “You look a little down. Did you strike out at Witches’ End?”
I shook my head. “I guess I’m not very hungry.” Annia and I had decided to meet at a nearby seafood restaurant, so I’d headed over here after I’d finished up at Witches’ End. As usual, I’d ordered a huge meal, but now that it was in front of me, I couldn’t bring myself to eat much.
Annia gave me a droll stare. “That’s bullshit,” she said. “I did a bit of digging into shifters this morning, after I finished up the paperwork. You guys need to eat constantly to maintain your energy. If you’re not feeling inspired enough to eat, then something’s really wrong.”
I sighed, twirling my fork in the bed of pasta on my plate. How the hell could I tell Annia what I’d learned? That Cerlina Thotting was a magic user, and almost certainly hiding out for fear of discovery? I couldn’t bring myself to turn that information over to the Enforcer’s Guild. Cerlina was technically young enough to go through the magic wipe, but sometimes the mages who administered them were careless and damaged the victims anyway. I’d warmed up to Annia in the last day, and she’d proved herself competent as an enforcer. But would she put the girl’s welfare above her own desire to claim the bounty?
“Sunaya.” Annia leaned closer, lowering her voice. “You can trust me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I looked into Annia’s dark eyes, round with concern. Her scent told me she believed what she was saying. But could I actually trust her with this?
You don’t have a choice, I told myself. The two of you are partners on this case. Besides, Annia had showed plenty of compassion last night when we’d rescued Larina. She clearly had a soft spot for children, just like I did. I had to believe she wouldn’t throw Cerlina under the bus just for the bounty, especially since she kept claiming she didn’t need the money.
“You have to promise not to go running to the Enforcer’s Guild with this.” Annia opened her mouth. “Just promise,” I snarled.
She held up her hands. “All right, all right. I promise I won’t go to the Guild about this.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Now what’s this all about?”
I leaned in close, lowering my voice so that none of the humans sitting nearby could hear. “Cerlina Thotting is a magic user.”
“What?” Annia sat up straight, her eyes wide. “How do you know this?”
I explained about my meeting with the hedgewitch, and what I’d learned about the potion. “I don’t see why she’d have the potion, if she wasn’t a magic user.”
“Could be she’d just found the flask somewhere,” Annia said, though she didn’t sound very convinced. “Or that it belonged to a friend.”
I shook my head at that. “I don’t think so. And there are always rumors swirling around regarding the next tests—they’re done at random, after all.” I scowled at that. I knew the Mages Guild did things that way because they liked to keep us peons on our toes. Thankfully, there were whispers that Lord Vengar would be retiring soon, and we would have a new Chief Mage. I could only hope that whoever took the office next would be more humane, and he’d actually give a shit about his subjects outside the Mages Quarter.
“So why didn’t you want to tell me about this?” Annia asked. “This information is crucial to solving the case.”
“Because I don’t want to throw Cerlina to the wolves.” I pressed my lips together. “If we report the truth about why she ran away, Captain Galling will hand her over to the Mages Guild to be wiped—executed if the parents refuse the wiping.” Pain sliced deep into my chest at the thought of that poor little girl going through such a thing. “I don’t care how much gold they’re offering—I won’t let that happen to her.”
Annia regarded me curiously. “I’d say that was treasonous talk, but as a shifter, I figure you don’t care.” She held up a hand, cutting off my protest. “Don’t worry—I won’t give up Cerlina to the Mages Guild, and we’ll keep the case report short and vague. But we do have to find her. Her parents are worried sick, and who knows what kind of trouble the girl might be in. I’ve heard that the more agitated a child is, the more prone they are to having magical accidents.”
Don’t I know it, I silently agreed. Aloud, I said, “Didn’t Mr. Thotting mention that Cerlina had moved to her current school a year and a half ago?”
Annia paused, a forkful of food halfway to her lips. “Yes. What about it?”
“Well, we asked all the girls at her school if they knew where she was, and none of them did. But what if she’s been in touch with her old friends?” A burst of excitement rushed through my veins. “Do we have the name of her old school? Maybe we can go over there right now.”
“You’re a genius, Naya,” Annia declared. “We’ll finish up here, then go back to the Guild so we can call Mrs. Thotting and get the info.”
“Excellent.” I picked up my fork, then paused. “Naya?”
Annia grinned. “Cute nickname, isn’t it? Now hurry up and finish eating.”
I shoveled down the food, then reached for my purse to pay for my share. To my consternation, I was short on the bill. “Don’t worry about it,” Annia said, tossing some coins on the able. “You can pay me back when we get our bounty.”
I sighed. “I’m going to need a lot of extra bounties if we keep eating out like this,” I complained as we left the restaurant.
Annia clapped me on the back. “You know how you can earn extra money? Keep an eye out for any gold that smells like geranium oil. I overheard some guys from the main crew saying that the last batch of stolen gold had been sprayed with the stuff, so the shifters are gonna try to trace it. If you find any and use it to apprehend the robber, you might just be able to cash in big.”
“I sure hope so,” I said fervently, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath. Let the Main Crew worry about their fancy case. I had a scared little girl to find, and that was more important than a bag of gold.
8
“Looks like your hunch is paying off, Naya,” Annia said as she hung up the phone. “You ready to go and follow up this new lead?”
“Hell yeah.” After lunch, Annia and I had gone back to the Guild and used her desk phone to call Mrs. Thotting. The quick call had revealed that Cerlina had another best friend, Galia Brennan, with whom she was still quite close, even after almost two years at her new school. Mrs. Thotting had called Galia’s mother right after Cerlina went missing, and was told they had not seen her. But little girls could be very good at keeping secrets, and maybe Cerlina had found a way to hide out there without alerting Galia’s parents.
We got the address for the Brennans’ home, then hopped on Annia’s steambike and headed over there. It turned out to be a two-story semi-detached house in one of Rowanville’s nicer areas, with a fence that stretched around to what looked like a large backyard, although we couldn’t see much of it from the front.
“Doesn’t seem like anyone’s home,” Annia remarked after we’d rang the doorbell a few times. “You hear or smell anyone inside?”
I shook my head. “If there’s anyone in there, they’re being very quiet.” But I could scent magic coming from somewhere, very faintly. Could it be Cerlina, or was there some magic user nearby? I glanced toward the fence. “Why don’t we have a look out back? Maybe Cerlina’s hiding out
in the garden shed or something.”
After making sure that no prying eyes were watching, Annia and I climbed over the fence and into the backyard. What we were doing wasn’t strictly legal, but I didn’t think the owners would mind if they knew why we were here. From what Mrs. Thotting had told us about the Brennans, the two families were well acquainted and on good terms.
“Well, would you look at that?” Annia said as she straightened up from her crouch. “That looks like a pretty good hiding spot, don’t you think?”
I followed her gaze to the large oak tree standing toward the back of the yard. It shared the space with a barbecue grill and a swing set. Cradled in its branches was a treehouse. Not a very big one—the space was made for children, and I doubted more than one adult could fit up there very comfortably. A rope ladder dangled from below the house where it jutted out of the tree. As we got closer, I could see there was a trapdoor up there.
“By the Ur-god,” Annia said quietly, her dark gaze on the ratty curtains rippling in the two windows that had been cut into the plywood walls. “It has to be freezing in there. How could she have survived out here for more than one night?”
“With lots of blankets, probably.” The chilly breeze brought Cerlina’s scent to me, laced with fear and magic. She knew we were here. “I don’t think we’ll both be able to fit in there, so I’ll go up. You stay down here and keep a lookout.”
I grabbed onto the rope ladder and gave it a firm tug. Once I was confident it could hold my weight, I climbed up easily. When I reached the top, I placed my palm against the trapdoor and gave it a light push, expecting it to open. But it didn’t budge, and the wood felt a lot warmer than it should, given the weather. It was almost as if someone were sitting on it….
“Cerlina,” I called. “I know you’re there. Can you move out of the way so I can come up?”
Silence. Then, “You’re strangers. I don’t talk to strangers. Go away!”
“That’s very smart of you,” I said, keeping my tone light and friendly. “I bet your mother taught you that, didn’t she? She’s worried sick. Your father and Uncle Melan are too. They asked me to find you and bring you home.”
“I c-can’t come home,” she said, her voice trembling through the wood. “I can’t let them find me.”
“You mean the Testers?”
More silence. Then, “How did you know?”
“I found the empty potion flask in your room. Can you please let me come up? I promise I’m not here to hurt you, or take you anywhere you don’t want to go.”
The floorboards creaked as Cerlina moved her weight off the trapdoor, and I sighed in relief. Once I was sure she was out of the way, I pushed the door open, then clambered into the small space. The ceiling was maybe five feet tall—too low for me to stand up—so I pushed the trapdoor closed, then squatted down and leaned against the back wall. Cerlina was sitting in the opposite corner only a few feet from me—the space was probably no more than seven-by-seven feet total. Her hazel eyes were round with fear and suspicion, and she clutched the blanket around her tighter. There were more blankets in the corner. On the floor, empty wrappers and boxes of junk food were scattered about, as well as a few books.
These were all expected and normal things to find with a girl hiding in a treehouse. But what I didn’t expect was the warm air circulating inside the cabin. The breeze filtering in through the curtains should have been icy, but it was as warm as a sunny summer day.
“You’re using your magic to keep the place warm, aren’t you?” I said admiringly. “That’s very intelligent of you.”
Cerlina blushed, looking away. “You don’t mind? I thought shifters hated magic.” She glanced furtively toward me again, and I knew she was looking at my shifter eyes.
“Not all of us do. And I couldn’t hate you for using your magic to survive.” In fact, I was very impressed with her ability to control and use her magic at such a young age. I didn’t have that kind of control, and I was eight years older.
Cerlina’s expression shuttered. “Is the testing over yet? I want to go home, but I can’t until after the Testers have gone.”
“Cerlina, there was no test.” I smiled gently, suddenly understanding. “There were rumors going about that there would be, weren’t there?”
“Y-yes. I was told they were coming any day now.”
“Well, there was no testing, and I don’t think there will be any time soon,” I assured her. “Those rumors are very unreliable, you know.”
Cerlina only clutched the blanket tighter. “Yes, but they could come tomorrow, for all I know. And if they do, I can’t be there. I can’t let them take me away.”
“I get it.” I thought for a moment. “Do you think your parents would turn you in if they knew the truth?” Cerlina shook her head. “Then why didn’t you tell them?”
“I was frightened.” Cerlina sat down, curling herself into a ball. “And I didn’t want Mother to worry.”
“She’s very worried now.” Slowly, I crawled over to the little girl, then put an arm around her. “You’re her only daughter, you know.”
“I know.” Cerlina sat stiffly for a moment, then leaned her head against my chest. “Do you think she’ll be very angry with me if you take me home?”
“Maybe a little,” I said, stroking the girl’s hair. “But mostly, she’ll be happy. And your parents will put their heads together and figure out what to do about this. We just need to get you back to them first. Now what say you and me grab some donuts to take home with you?”
In the end, Cerlina did come down from the tree, after writing a note to Galia to explain where she’d gone. As promised, we swung by a local bakery and picked up a dozen donuts, then took a cab ride back to the Thottings, since the three of us couldn’t fit on Annia’s bike together.
“I still can’t believe I have her back,” Mrs. Thotting exclaimed, her arms banded tightly around Cerlina as they sat on the couch together. She kissed the top of her daughter’s head. Cerlina had snuggled in close to her mother as she munched on the donut in her hand. I wondered of Mrs. Thotting realized that the girl was getting powdered sugar all over the couch, or if she just didn’t care. “Thank you so much for finding her, Enforcers. I truly don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Yes,” the father emphatically agreed. He had Cerlina’s free hand gripped tightly in his as he sat next to her on the other side of the couch. “We owe you both more than we could ever repay.”
“You’re very welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Thotting,” Annia said, smiling. “But we were just doing our jobs.”
“I will make sure to call Captain Galling personally to tell him how pleased we are that you found her so quickly,” Mr. Thotting promised.
“That is an excellent idea,” said Melan from where he was standing next to them. All three family members had descended on Cerlina with hugs and kisses, and more than a few tears on Mrs. Thotting’s part, the moment we’d shown up on the doorstep. “And I did promise to double that bounty of yours. Let me get it for you.”
“That’s not—” I began, but he was already hurrying up the stairs. My stomach squirmed with both guilt and delight—was it right to take that extra money, when the Guild was already paying a bounty? But then again, servers got tips for giving good service. Maybe this was the same kind of thing?
“What are you going to tell the school?” I asked, even though it was none of my business. “We won’t mention anything about Cerlina’s…abilities…in our report, but I’m sure you’ll have to tell the school something.”
“We’ll inform them that she’s gravely ill, which will give us time to sort out our affairs,” the father said. “An old academy friend of mine has a successful accounting practice in Naraka. I can probably get a job there, and then we’ll transfer Cerlina into one of the local schools.”
“Naraka?” Cerlina asked, sounding fearful. She bit her powder-caked lip. “Daddy, that’s all the way across the ocean. How will I be able to see Galia, an
d what about Grandma Tillie and Uncle Melan?” Tears began to fill her eyes.
Mr. Thotting’s face softened, and he cupped his daughter’s cheek. “We won’t, not unless they come to visit. If you don’t want to go through with the magic wipe, then we can’t keep you here in the Federation. All the states here do magic wipes.”
Cerlina began to cry in earnest, and Mrs. Thotting also looked distressed at the prospect of having to leave their friends and family behind. The parents excused themselves, and Mr. Thotting gathered Cerlina up in his arms and carried her upstairs, murmuring soothingly all the while. I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I watched them go, feeling both relieved and saddened about the family’s decision.
“What an awful choice to make,” Annia said quietly as we rose from the couch. “My father was a merchant marine, and he often took trips to Naraka. It’s a two-week journey each way, and passage is expensive. They won’t be able to come back very often, if ever, or bring family out to visit.”
“It’s a tough choice,” I agreed. “But better than the alternative. And at least she has loving parents who will be with her every step of the way.” That was more than I’d had—my mother had been loving, but I’d never had a father. After my mother died, I’d had no one until Roanas scooped me up. He was the closest thing I’d ever have to a father…but for all that we cared for each other, he still wasn’t my real parent.
We were just about to leave when Melan hurried back down the stairs. “Apologies for the wait,” he said, holding a brown leather purse. He tossed it to me, and though it was not fat, it made a very satisfying clink in my palms as I caught it. “That should be roughly equivalent to the bounty.”
“Thank you very much,” I said, tying the bag to my belt. I wanted to peek inside, but I had a feeling that might be rude. “We appreciate your generosity.”