by Lyra Evans
A subtle throbbing began just behind Niko’s temple, a feeling he thought he’d likely grow accustomed to for the length of this case. Slamming his own car door and walking around the car to face Cobalt more fully, Niko could already spot certain problems with this tradition.
“And what if they don’t?” Niko asked.
Cobalt cocked his head to the side. “Don’t what?”
“Come back,” Niko said. “What protocols do you have in place to return defecting Selkies to Azure’s Court?”
The wideness of Cobalt’s eyes indicated the sheer alarm Niko’s suggestion caused.
“Defecting?” Cobalt said. “No, no, our people are not kept within the borders of our Court by force. If a Selkie decides they prefer living on Land to living in the Sea, then they are free to stay. Some do.”
“Excuse me?” Chief Banyan was about to have a much worse day than she already was.
“It is rare, admittedly, but on occasion a Selkie falls so in love with the Court of their choosing, they decide to remain there,” Cobalt said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“So they just… pop into the ocean and say ‘sorry, I’m never coming back’?” Niko asked in disbelief.
Cobalt chuckled slightly, the sound deep and grounding, like an anchor in rough seas. “No, of course not,” he said. “They don’t come back. After six months or so, we understand they’ve made their choice.”
Niko stared. Pressing his fingertips to his forehead, he slowly drew lines upward and into his hairline. As they traced back over his skull, he caught his midnight blue hair in his fingers and tugged to relieve the stress.
“You don’t check in on them at all? To be certain they’ve stayed of their own volition?”
Cobalt shook his head. “There has never been any indication that a Selkie not returning wasn’t a decision they made on their own.”
Until now. Fuck.
“Do you have any means of contacting the nine Selkies you say are currently in Maeve’s Court?” Niko asked.
Cobalt thought about it. “There is no communication between Azure’s Court and Selkies on their Land Walks. Maintaining that connection to their culture would defeat the purpose of the experience. Like—” He frowned a moment, searching for the right words. “Like leaving training wheels on your bicycles. They never learn to be on their own.”
“How long have the Prince’s friends been in Maeve’s Court?”
As though the possibilities were suddenly dawning on Cobalt, his expression shifted from confusion to concern. “Three months.”
Niko immediately started walking toward the elevator bay at the end of the parking level. “I’m going to need names and descriptions for all the Selkies in the Prince’s group.”
Cobalt followed along, keeping pace easily with Niko. As Niko jabbed the button for the elevator, Cobalt studied him.
“Why? I am here to find out what happened to Prince Indigo, not interrupt the Land Walks of other Selkies.”
Niko’s frown deepened. “Prince Indigo is precisely why I need the descriptions. Not only might his friends have information about what happened to him or where he’s been and who he’s associated with, they might be in danger too.” The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Stepping inside and hitting the button for the second floor, Niko let his mind race through all the possibilities. He left out the possibility that one of the Prince’s friends might actually have been the murderer. After all, Niko had no real sense of what a Selkie was capable of doing. “And you have no idea on where to start looking? A point of reference for Prince Indigo? Where he might have started his three months in a completely new Court?”
Cobalt shook his head slowly, his expression darkening. For a flickering moment, Niko thought maybe he saw a shadow of guilt flash across Cobalt’s face.
“As I mentioned, knowing where they were going would—”
“—Defeat the purpose,” Niko finished for him. “Yeah. Right.” As the elevator lifted them up into the police station proper, all Niko could do was hope Dr. Aspen would have found something—anything—for them.
My kingdom for a fucking lead.
Chapter 5
The precinct was noisy as usual with the sounds of police officers going about their daily routines. It smelled of watered-down coffee and linoleum, pine air freshener and body odour, and the unmistakable but incalculable scent of disgruntled city workers. Only the occasional fascinated or questioning glance was thrown their way now they’d settled in. Niko leaned over his keyboard, glaring at the screen in front of him, one elbow propping him up on the desk, the other hand scrolling steadily through the list of missing persons reports for the past three months. It was a long shot, but there was a slight chance if one of the Selkies disappeared suddenly, someone they interacted with might see fit to contact police. Again, unlikely, but worth a shot.
Cobalt, meanwhile, sat in an uncomfortable chair next to Niko’s desk usually reserved for witnesses or perps, depending on the circumstance. He bent at an awkward angle over the side of Niko’s desk, using up only the bare minimum of space necessary to fill out the forms he’d been given by the Captain. Niko glanced at the forms out of the corner of his eyes. Cobalt’s writing was slanted and looping, as though very carefully practiced. Through the stuffy precinct air, the scent of the ocean still wafted off Cobalt every now and again, which Niko decided was unsurprising, given he hadn’t bathed in any way since he’d appeared out of the surf. It would fade.
The stack of Selkie descriptions sat next to Niko, and the moment Cobalt looked up, Niko’s eyes diverted to the stack, as though Niko was merely comparing some detail of the descriptions to the reports on his screen. He felt Cobalt’s eyes on him for a long moment, but he stared studiously at the final report in the list, a frown slowly pulling at his mouth.
“Find anything useful?” Cobalt asked, and Niko shook his head slowly.
“Nothing,” he said. “Not one of these reports sounds anything like the nine people you described or Prince Indigo for that matter. Most of the people reported missing are either younger or older than our possible victims, anyway.” Leaning back in his chair, Niko crossed his arms over his chest. “Indigo is all we’ve got to go on right now, so we’ll have to figure out where he went and stayed, and maybe the others will reveal themselves along the way.”
A cloud of concern passed over Cobalt’s face, almost insubstantial, as though he barely held on to any negative emotion for long. He seemed to be about to say something, his lips parting briefly, when his attention was drawn elsewhere, beyond Niko. His crystal eyes fell on something or someone behind Niko, first questioning, then vaguely amused, then slightly confused. Turning to find the source of Cobalt’s mess of expressions, Niko found Uriah standing stalk still in the middle of the precinct, openly staring at Cobalt, his eyes flicking to Niko every so often. By the slack of his jaw and the furrow of his brow, he seemed to be struggling to work out who Cobalt might be and why he was sitting next to Niko without handcuffs adorning his wrists.
Feeling the throbbing at the back of his skull intensify, Niko shut his eyes and turned back to face his screen. But the hope that Uriah might pick his jaw up off the floor and move on was quickly dashed. Within moments, Uri appeared at Niko’s elbow, much closer than Niko wanted him to be. Muscles tensing, Niko tried to ignore Uri, but that had never proved particularly effective.
“Tif was going on about some mind-bendingly gorgeous guy hanging around the precinct, so I walk in here wondering what’s up and find the only guy she could possibly mean is sitting at your desk, having a chat like you’re old friends.” Uriah’s voice was falsely light, the timbre brittle and cracking at the edges. He had never been good at hiding his feelings. Niko’s headache worsened, and he tried to remember whether there were any pain killers hidden in his desk. “So what’s going on, Nik?”
Closing the missing persons database, Niko yanked at the top drawer of his desk, forcing Uri to take a step back to accommod
ate it. Riffling through the chaos of his ‘everything’ drawer, Niko searched for a small bottle of pain killers he thought he’d stashed in here at some point.
“I’m working on a case,” he said, expressionless. He set aside three half-empty packs of gum, a pile of random pens and pencils, and various torn envelopes with miscellaneous contents, only to locate the earbuds he’d lost two months earlier, the extra cellphone charger he thought he’d misplaced, and a silver lighter with a lightning bolt etched into the side.
“You’re really going to try and brush me off?” Uri asked, the disbelief coming through clearly. The brittle quality of his voice pushed to its limit. “You’re not going to answer my question?”
Finally, under a pile of receipts, Niko saw the edge of a little plastic bottle. He snatched it victoriously, shaking it to see if there was anything left inside. The rattling told him he was in luck, and despite the rapidly approaching expiration date on the bottle, Niko popped it open and knocked two pills back without water. When he capped the bottle and tossed it back into the drawer, he found Cobalt watching him with a pointed and amused look on his face.
“That was in answer to your question,” Niko said.
Uriah stopped, apparently stymied, then said, “You’re working on a case is why you’re chatting this guy up in the middle of the precinct?”
“That was you chatting me up?” Cobalt asked, the mischief in his eyes now fully apparent to Niko. “You may need more practice.”
Niko glared at him. Uri did not take kindly to the interruption. “Already at witty banter, are you? How long have you known this guy?”
Rubbing at his temple, Niko wished he were anywhere else. “We were discussing the case I’m working on,” Niko said. “Not that it is any of your business. And if you’re so interested in this ‘mind-bendingly gorgeous’ guy, then why don’t you address your questions to him? He is sitting right there.”
There was an edge to Niko’s words that Uriah immediately misconstrued. Niko caught sight of him in his periphery, and Uri looked simultaneously hurt and defiant.
“Well I don’t have any reason not to be interested in attractive men anymore, do I?” he asked, and now Niko looked at him full on, his expression icy.
“You didn’t seem to have any reason stopping you before either,” Niko snapped. Uriah’s expression crumpled, and Niko turned, gesturing to Cobalt. “But have at it. Power to you. I’ll even introduce you. Uriah, Cobalt. Cobalt, Uriah.”
“Cobalt?” Uri asked, as though he’d never heard a stranger name.
Cobalt got to his feet, standing several inches taller than Uriah, and offered his hand. “Yes, Cobalt Sincloud of the Northern Reefs. Charmed.”
Uriah stared at his hand, then his eyes travelled up, taking in the whole of Cobalt’s height and attractiveness with a slightly slack jaw again. Niko froze, waiting to see what Uri would do. The moment Uri’s eyes flashed, his hand reaching up to take Cobalt’s, Niko reached out and slapped Uri’s hand away with a warning glare. Uriah frowned slightly, but Cobalt’s eyes were on Niko. He could feel it.
“Northern Reefs? What?” Uri said, turning his attention back to Niko despite Niko’s best efforts to disappear into his own desk. “What the fuck is this guy talking about?”
Niko opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say. He didn’t know if the fact that a Selkie was not only real but also consulting on a case with them was meant to be public knowledge yet. But Cobalt seemed to have solved that problem for him.
“Forgive me, I am a Selkie of Azure’s Court,” Cobalt answered, his smile still polite but clearly tighter at the edges. Niko was inwardly pleased that at least he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable anymore.
“A—a Selkie?” Uri asked, his mouth moving widely but the words escaping barely a whisper, like he’d been choked by the news. “Nik, is this guy a suspect or something? Are you putting in for a psych eval?”
Cobalt’s smile failed now, his hands falling very still at his sides. Niko shook his head, aware that some of the other nearby officers and civilians were diverting their attention to what was happening by Niko’s desk. But before Niko could answer, the Captain’s door opened.
“Spruce, I need to speak with you,” he called over the din of the bullpen. “And bring your new partner with you.”
All the noise seemed suddenly snuffed out, and Niko wondered if there was any pain killer strong enough for the headache that was this day. He got to his feet, ignoring the look of horror on Uriah’s face, and nodded to Cobalt to follow him across the floor to Captain Baobab’s office. He ushered Cobalt into the office, and as he closed the door behind him, he saw Uriah mouthing, in increasing alarm, ‘partner!?’ from across the room.
The office was mercifully quiet once the door shut, effectively blocking out all the chaos of the bullpen thanks to runes carefully set into the floor and etched into the glass windows that walled the office in. Cobalt had already taken a seat in one of the worn chairs opposite the Captain’s heavy wooden desk. Baobab gestured toward the other chair, an indication that this was unlikely to be a quick visit. Niko settled into the vacant seat and waited.
The Captain was still in his suit, though Niko spied a gym bag likely filled with a change of clothes, half-hidden behind his desk. Adjusting his collar slightly, Captain Baobab leaned forward, looking them both over carefully. Niko remained unfazed as possible as he awaited the inevitable bureaucracy that was heading his way.
“As I’m sure you can understand, this case presents not a few logistical problems,” Baobab began, as though he had heard the same words thrown at him only moments earlier. He probably had. “The complexity of a joint investigation between two Courts is already great, but add to that the difficulties of dealing with the first official contact between foreign governments and we’re effectively in uncharted waters, pardon the expression.” Cobalt nodded pleasantly. Niko crossed his arms over his chest, wondering when he would get to the actual point. Clearing his throat slightly, the Captain continued, “That said, Chief Banyan and I have been in contact with Councilwoman Maple, who has, in turn, communicated the situation to Queen Maeve. As I understand it, the authenticity of the document you provided has been confirmed—” Cobalt casually raised one eyebrow, as though he wasn’t aware the authenticity was under question. “—and you have been approved to act as a consultant with the MCPD on this matter.”
“Wonderful,” Cobalt said. But Niko knew more was coming.
“There are, however, a few caveats,” Baobab added, and Cobalt’s pleased expression faltered only slightly. “MCPD will take lead on the investigation, which means all collected evidence, all witnesses and reports go through us. Should any information regarding the case come to you and you fail to share it with Detective Spruce, you will be guilty of obstruction of justice. Do you understand?”
Cobalt nodded. “Understood,” he said.
“Good. Whatever your role or laws in Azure’s Court, you are in Maeve’s Court now, and are expected to operate within the limit of the law as set forth by Queen Maeve. Clear?”
Cobalt nodded again. His silver hair still wafted lightly to and fro, despite the lack of moving air in the room. After a moment, he said, “I shall conduct myself lawfully and otherwise submit myself to the full force of the law.” Something prickled at Niko’s neck, and he studied Cobalt carefully out the corner of his eye. “Is that all?”
Baobab frowned slightly. “Afraid not. As a representative of your Court with the authority of a Royal Envoy, you are also expected to meet with Queen Maeve and facilitate a—how did Maple phrase it?—a continued and mutually beneficial relationship between Courts.” Baobab shrugged and leaned back in his chair finally, as though giving up the façade. “Your guess is as good as mine as to what that means precisely. But the point is you will have to present yourself before the Royal Court. But given the circumstances, the Council has generously granted you leeway. You need only report to them for your official visit once the case is conclude
d to both your and our satisfactions.”
A very Fae-like smirk played across Cobalt’s lips, and Niko was again assaulted by a torrent of vivid imagery. Cobalt had him up against a wall, Niko’s feet spread wide, Cobalt pinning his hands to the wall on either side of his head.
Niko looked away, blinking quickly as though that might dispel the images.
“An understandable requirement,” Cobalt conceded, and Baobab relaxed slightly.
“Good, now that that’s behind us, have you made any progress on the case?” the Captain asked. Niko shook his head.
“Missing persons database turned up nothing,” he said. “We could spend the time creating sketches and approximations of the nine Selkies still to be located and circulate them with the descriptions, but who knows how long that would take. Or whether it would pan out at all.”
“Not to mention it would alert the entire Court to the existence of Selkies before any formal agreements between Courts can be reached,” Baobab said. Maybe the politics was rubbing off on him.
“We’re waiting on Dr. Aspen’s report,” Niko said. “Hoping she’ll find something that might turn into a feasible lead on the victim once she’s cleared the blood and sand. And done her full examination.” Niko tried to ignore the way Cobalt’s muscles tightened when he mentioned the victim, but he couldn’t. He had yet to confront Cobalt about his relationship with Prince Indigo, mostly because he couldn’t be certain Cobalt would be honest about it. So Niko waited. “Otherwise, we’re going to have to wander to the usual spots with a photo and hope someone recognizes him.”
Baobab nodded slowly. He glanced at the clock on the left wall of his office. “Well you best go check in on Dr. Aspen. See if she has anything preliminary to give you, at least. I’ve got the top brass breathing down my neck about this case, and now the Queen herself is invested in the outcome, as well…” He paused, taking in the full scope of the case. “Just don’t fuck this up.”