Happily Never After
Page 12
More silence. Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to dig for more information but he stops me.
“What do you know about the upcoming election?”
My eyebrows rise. This is not the direction I expected this conversation to take although I should have. I like to stay out of politics. It’s a messy business.
“You’re in the lead,” I say. “But your rival is putting up a good fight. I don’t know much about her. She’s new to the political scene.”
He grunts, crosses his arms, and leans back in the chair. “Your father recommended you because he’s one of my biggest supporters and he’s invested in helping me find this girl.”
“Why?”
He blinks. “What do you mean?”
“My father wouldn’t be helping you unless there’s something in it for him. What is it?”
Magnus narrows his eyes. “Does it really matter?”
I snort. “Yes. I haven’t decided if I’m going to take this case. Knowing that my father is involved means that politics and magic are in the mix. I don’t do politics and have my reservations about magic. I want to know what I’m getting myself into before I agree to anything.”
Magnus chuckles, his beard bobbing with his laughter. “He said you would need convincing.”
He runs a hand over his bald head. “I’d better start at the beginning. We found the girl in the woods near the mine. She was lost, stumbling around in the dark.” His eyes travel the room, never resting in one place.
“We brought her home, cleaned her up and gave her a somewhere to stay for the night. Her witch of a stepmother threw her out. She didn’t have anywhere to go.” His face is somber, full of suppressed emotions.
Something about the way he tells the story sends up red flags. He’s lying or at least not telling the whole truth.
“She lived with us for weeks. I came home from the mines not long ago to find her asleep. She wouldn’t wake up. Someone cast a sleeping death curse.”
“Let me guess, her stepmother?”
He nods. “I can’t prove it, but I traced the spell back to her. My men and I cast a preserving spell and placed it on a crystal coffin. It will keep her alive until we can wake her up.”
The glisten of unshed tears in his eyes surprises me. Perhaps the story isn’t a complete lie.
“How do you plan on waking her up? The only way to break a sleeping death curse is True Love’s Kiss.”
He shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. She’s missing.”
“How can she be missing? You said she’s locked in a crystal coffin.”
“We were searching for a way to prove her stepmother cast the spell. One day the girl was there and the next the coffin was gone. I’ve tried scrying, but she’s disappeared without a trace.”
“A crystal coffin with the girl inside disappeared without a trace?”
He nods.
I rub a hand over my chin. “And the stepmother is a witch?”
He nods again.
Lovely. Witches like to deal in curses, death magic, and the darker spells. They’re hard to track and even harder to stop. Nothing like a witch to complicate matters.
“This sounds dangerous. I’m not sure I can take this case.”
He takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. I tense, waiting for the anti-social behavior dwarves are known for.
He reaches into his overall pocket and pulls out a small leather pouch the size of my fist. I hold my breath, wondering what he’ll do.
He tosses me the pouch, and on instinct I catch it, feeling sharp edges through the thick leather.
I dump the contents onto my desk. Diamonds the size of my thumbnail spill out. I pick one up and hold it to the light, letting out a low whistle at the blue fire that burns in the depths of the gem. Mage diamonds. Used to augment spells and protect mages from magic addiction. It pays to be the head of the Dragon Conclave.
“Do I have your attention? This pouch is just a down payment. Find the girl and we will give you six more like it.”
My eyebrows climb to my hairline and I let out a little cough. This girl is worth a lot.
“Who is she?” I ask.
“Nobody important.” He looks away from me.
“I’m not stupid, Magnus. You don’t offer a payment like this for nobody.”
“I won’t lie to you. This case will be dangerous. You’ll earn every one of those diamonds.”
I set the gem back on my desk. “Any case involving a witch is dangerous, which is why I’m reluctant to take this one, even if you’re offering a king’s ransom. How does my father fit into all of this?”
“Your father and her father were good friends. I thought your father might know of a way to wake her up.”
“And he informed you that the only way to wake her up is True Love’s Kiss.”
“Yes.” His hands tighten on the arms of the chair. “I know you and your father aren’t on the best of terms.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“But, he said you could help me.”
Magnus pulls a crumpled photograph from his pocket. He stares at it for a moment before handing it to me. A young woman smiles at me, her eyes full of joy. Something about her tugs at me.
“I followed the trail to the city, but lost it when it went Underground.”
“There’s more to this that you’re not telling me.” I trace the edge of my desk with a finger. “What else do I need to know?”
He stares at me. Minutes pass and I wait in silence.
“There is a lot more to this, but I can’t risk telling you. Not right now.”
Pointing at the diamonds, I say, “You’re offering me an enormous sum of money, Magnus, which means there’s more to this than just finding the girl. Tell me or you can find yourself another private investigator.”
Magnus heaves a sigh and pulls at his beard. “Her stepmother is Melania Hughes.”
“Your opponent.”
He nods.
“And your real connections to this girl?”
His jaw clenches before he responds. “She’s my goddaughter.”
Looking out the window, I debate the wisdom of getting involved in this case. A case that involves magic is risky. Unpredictable. I spent two days as a frog after a client had decided she didn’t like the information I brought to her about her cheating husband. But this goes much deeper. Family connections that are tangled in a web that could strangle me.
“What’s her name?” I ask.
“Lily Whitaker,” he replies.
This case could be my last, sending me into early retirement or straight to the grave if things go wrong. Sunlight sparkles on the mages diamonds, making them glitter, winking at me like a dozen glorious eyes. They sit next to the pile of predictable cases, reminding me of what waits if I turn down this offer.
I stretch my hand across the desk, offering it to the dwarf. “You have yourself a deal.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sonya M. Black lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, son and kitties. She enjoys reading books in a wide range of genres and takes her inspiration from fairy tales, folklore, myths and legends. She enjoys working with children, especially of the teenage variety. Writing is her passion and she loves using her imagination to explore the endless possibilities.
Visit www.sonyamblack.com to learn more about her upcoming projects.