Not Just Voodoo

by Rebecca Hamilton

  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, and 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.”

  “You’re welcome.” The man glanced between us. “Thank you so much for everything you have done. I can only hope Marlin will be able to get Cerlina safely out of the country before anyone finds out.”

  “If they do, they won’t hear it from us,” Annia promised.

  “Thank you,” he said with feeling. A puzzled expression crossed his face, and he added, “I do wonder where she got her talent from. She’s the first to be born with magic in the family, that I know of.”

  “That is pretty strange,” I said, knowing all too well how unwelcome and inconvenient magic could be. “Good luck to your family.”

  We bid Melan goodbye, then left him and his family to their uncertain, but hopefully bright, future.

  “By Magorah, this is so bittersweet,” I said over my beer. Annia and I had gone back to the Guild to fill out our report, then back out to grab a celebratory beer at a nearby bar. It was only four o’clock, but there were few hours left in the day and we’d just closed the case, so I didn’t feel guilty about leaving early.

  “Yeah,” Annia agreed. “We solved that case in record time, and got ourselves a nice bounty, but I feel so bad about that little girl. I would have been crushed if I’d had to leave the country at her age.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but she’ll adjust. Once she learns the local language in Naraka, I’m sure she’ll have friends in no time.”

  “That’s true.” Annia pulled out the check the Guild had issued to her and set it on the table. “So how do you want to split this? Should I just keep this, and you take the gold?”

  “Yeah, I think that’s the easiest.” There was no way for me to cash a check anyway—I didn’t own a bank account yet. Giving in to temptation, I reached beneath the table and drew out one of the coins from the pouch still tied to my belt. “I wonder how Melan was able to afford this,” I mused as I held the piece of metal up to the light. The coin had a faint, not entirely pleasant smell…like some kind of weird floral extract.

  Geranium oil, I realized with a jolt.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure either.” Annia shrugged, then narrowed her eyes as she noticed me stiffen. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I slipped the coin back into the pouch before Annia could inspect it further. “I was just thinking about what would have happened if there really had been a test at the school. The Testers would have immediately been suspicious if Cerlina had been missing.”

  “You’re probably right.” Annia pursed her lips. “In a way, I guess it was good that she chose to run now, instead of during an actual test. And that we were the ones that found her.”

  We finished our beers, and Annia ordered another round. As I waited for the bartender to bring us our drinks, I stared into my empty mug and struggled with my conscience. Melan was obviously involved with those bank robbers—his pretense of job hunting would be the perfect cover for scouting out additional targets. If I turned him in, then used him to track down the rest of his gang, I could snag a sizable share of that humongous bounty.

  You’d be able to get a new apartment and a steambike, easy, a very tempting voice whispered in my head. And you could buy yourself new leathers, like Annia’s.

  That was true. But if I did that, I’d draw attention to Cerlina’s family, and very possibly prevent them from leaving the country. No, I wouldn’t have that on my conscience. Someone would catch these guys eventually, hopefully after they’d left Solantha and moved on to more lucrative prospects. Better to let sleeping dogs lie, and give that little girl a chance at freedom.

  A chance you’ll never really have, a bitter voice pointed out.

  Maybe. But I’d solved my first case, and I had some money now. I’d have to wash the gold thoroughly. Even then, I wouldn’t be able to use it safely for another couple of months. But between now and then, I’d earn more bounties and establish my reputation. I wasn’t about to give up my integrity just so I could take the easy path to riches. I’d earn that steambike, and that new apartment, by protecting the innocent. That was the reason I’d signed up for this job in the first place.

  A movement from the corner of my eye distracted me, and I turned to see a couple making out by the pool table. The sight of them locking lips stirred up my ever-growing hormones, sending a flush through my body. Maybe I’d head back to Witches’ End and spend a bit more time with Comenius. He was cute, and there’d been a spark between us that I was very much looking forward to exploring.

  “What’s that grin on your face?” Annia asked as our beers came. “Your moods change like the wind, Naya.”

  “Nothing. Just realizing that life is pretty good, that’s all. I solved my first case, and I’ve made a new friend.” I lifted my glass to her. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

  Annia laughed, then clinked glasses with me. “You’re a wild one, Sunaya Baine, but I’ll be happy to have you at my back. I have a feeling you and I are going to get into a whole lot of trouble together, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “Now that’s something I can drink to.” I said with a grin. And so, we did.

  The End

  About Jasmine

  NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY and WALL STREET JOURNAL Bestselling Author Jasmine Walt is obsessed with books, chocolate, and sharp, pointy objects. Somehow, those three things melded together in her head and transformed into a desire to write. Usually fantastical stuff, with a healthy dose of action and romance. Her charact
ers are a little (okay, a lot) on the snarky side, and they swear, but they mean well. Even the villains sometimes.

  When Jasmine isn’t working on her next book, you can find her practicing her dao sword form, spending time with her family, or binge-watching superhero shows on Netflix. She loves to hear from her readers, so if you’ve got a question or just want to say hi, feel free to contact her via her website at www.jasminewalt.com

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  More from Jasmine

  “Magic and I have a complicated relationship. I can’t live without it, but it’s bound and determined to be the death of me.”

  In the city of Solantha, mages rule absolute, with shifters considered second-class citizens and humans something in between. No one outside the mage families are allowed to have magic, and anyone born with it must agree to have it stripped from them to avoid execution.

  Sunaya Baine, a shifter-mage hybrid, has managed to keep her unruly magic under wraps for the last twenty-four years. But while chasing down a shifter-hunting serial killer, she accidentally loses control of her magic in front of witnesses, drawing the attention of the dangerous and enigmatic Chief Mage.

  Locked up in the Chief Mage’s castle and reduced to little more than a lab rat, Sunaya resists his attempts to analyze and control her at every turn. But she soon realizes that to regain her freedom and catch the killer, she must overcome her hatred of mages and win the most powerful mage of all to her side.