by Alisha Basso
I took the elevator up to the third floor. This had once been the Capitol Concourse, aptly named because there was a spectacular view of the capitol building to the right. After the sundering, this floor, like the second floor, had been partitioned into numerous offices and cubicles for OS personnel. I easily found Room 317. Inside, men and women sat at desks talking on the phone or conversing with colleagues. It was easy for me to spot Warden Somerset’s craggy face and impeccable suit. I approached, and when he looked up at me, I expected to see some recognition. Unease niggled through me when his eyes showed nothing but mild interest.
“Warden Somerset?”
“Yes.”
Still only blankness. “I’m Lily Starbuck.”
He rose and extended his hand. “How can I help you?”
“You interviewed me about my partner Olivia Vesta a week and a half ago.”
He blinked and studied me for several seconds. “We’ve met?”
My stomach knotted, and a tendril of irritation curled through me like a menacing vine. “Yes, when my partner was murdered in our kitchen. You took the report. You took her body.”
He sat back down and rifled through his notes, as though they might contain a clue as to who I was. My irritation jumped another notch. I tried to relax, frantically groped for reason while I worked to banish the anger, but it continued to fester and grow.
His face remained neutral. “I’m sorry, but you must have me confused with another warden.”
“Are you kidding? Your face is hard to miss in a crowd, Warden. It’s very rugged and distinct.” My voice slid up an octave. My senses were dulling and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath.
Something is wrong...
The thought was so obvious. I got mad at it, too. “Of course something is wrong!”
I was getting lost in my anger. It was consuming me like the licking flames of an intense fire.
Warden Somerset looked defensive and his eyes hardened. “Ms. Starbuck, calm yourself and have a seat. We’ll work this out.”
“I am calm,” I yelled at the top of my voice, and it felt great. As good as eating chocolate, as good as sex. Heads turned in my direction and several people edged closer.
“Lily!” Nock hissed near my ear. He was obviously here and obviously invisible.
It was the last thing I heard. My mind simply winked out and I shut down, descending into frightening darkness.
#
I stirred and lay still for a moment. Several places on my body throbbed with pain and my head was pounding like my brain was about to burst out of my skull.
I carefully opened my eyes. One felt swollen. My first view was of bars—cold, spelled steel enclosing me in a small space.
“Lily?”
“Nock? Where am I?” I asked.
“They locked you up. You went bonkers. I watched the whole thing. You took out, like, six OS wardens. I didn’t know you knew how to kick ass.”
“Neither did I,” I said wryly, while I sat up slowly and gingerly touched my eye. Great, a shiner. Just what I needed.
“What happened?” He peered at me like I was a dangerous zoo animal.
“I have no idea,” I said, moving closer to the bars. “Why are you out there?”
“I’m kinda afraid of you right now.” Nock wrinkled his nose and jerked back. “What’s that smell? Smells like…sulphur.”
“Sulphur?” I said, “It smells like a…curse.”
“A curse? Why would someone put a curse on you?”
“I don’t know.” My stomach clenched into knots. What the hell was going on here? Why didn’t the warden remember me? And why was there no investigation?
“The warden didn’t remember you or that he was ever assigned Olivia’s case? That can’t be good and smacks of tampering with the OS.”
“Agreed. He was kind about it, but he treated me like I was crazy. I got mad,” I said bitterly.
“Probably the trigger. Sounds like someone put a compulsion curse on you and probably erased the warden’s memory. It’s a reckless and very criminal act. Quite a risk to take.”
“Very dangerous. It’s a death sentence. But how did someone put a curse on me? The OS is warded by some of the best mages in the world.”
“Beats me.” He jerked around and stared at the doorway leading to the cells. “Someone’s coming. I’ll be here.” Nock went invisible.
Warden Somerset, a cut on his brow and bruises on his eye and cheek, stopped in front of my cell.
“Ms. Starbuck.”
“Hello, Warden. First, let me apologize for my actions. I don’t know what came over me. I think I might have been under a curse.”
“It’s easy enough to discover and highly unlikely. The wards here are much too strong for any spell or curse to get through the detection equipment and the wards.”
“I’m just trying to find out what happened to my business partner. She was murdered. I swear. Why would I behave that way when you are the only one who can find out who killed her? I’d have to be insane.”
He eyed me like I just might be.
“I’ll get an OS witch down here to examine you. But if nothing is found, you are facing some serious charges. I’m sorry for the loss of your partner, but I wasn’t assigned to the case, nor did I speak with you or remove your partner’s body.”
“I spoke with you and saw it with my own two eyes. I’m not crazy.”
“I’m not in the habit of forgetting about murder victims,” he growled. “I take my vow and my job very seriously.”
“I am convinced you’re very dedicated to your job,” my tone was conciliatory. “But if I’ve been compelled...” I stood and gripped the bars. The warden took a step back.
“I’ll be back.”
I sat down. The implications of the trouble someone had gone through to derail the investigation made my heart thump.
“Lily.”
I jumped. “Nock! Do you have to do that?”
“As often as possible. It never gets old.” He grinned and I felt some of my tension drain away.
“You should be glad there are bars between us, little man.”
“After what I’ve just seen you do with your hands and feet—which could be classified as deadly weapons—I’m very glad I’m on this side.”
“All I want to do is get out of here.” My limbs deadly weapons? I couldn’t imagine doing anything more dangerous than boiling water. I certainly wouldn’t have come down to the OS and attacked the wardens. Talk about a death wish.
“He’s coming back.”
Warden Somerset walked into the lockup and approached the cell, a red-headed witch in tow.
“She said she was compelled. Could you...”
“Most definitely she was under a curse, and from the residue, it’s clear it was a very powerful one. I think whoever did this was hoping you’d be killed, Ms. Starbuck.”
“How is it possible that a curse, especially one as powerful as you believe, went undetected?” the warden asked, his skepticism clear.
“I don’t know. Just a moment.”
The woman extended her hands and moved them around my body from outside the cell. “Bring her quickly, but bind her hands.”
“Turn around and don’t try anything.”
I did as instructed. But when the cell opened, I felt the anger build in me again and realized it was happening again. The warden bound my hands.
“Quickly,” the witch said urging us on. “Bring her to the shower.” We moved at a brisk pace, offices and people a blur. The anger was getting out of control, and I started to struggle.
“Hurry,” I shrieked with my last remaining shred of sanity.
We started to run and burst into the shower area. Without preamble, the witch pushed me under the showerhead and pulled a cord. Water cascaded over me, and there was an audible snap. Pain drove me to my knees and I cried out. I tasted salt on my tongue.
The witch inspected me. “The curse is broken.” She reached down and gently helpe
d me to my feet. “You can unbind her hands now.”
“Come over here, Ms. Starbuck,” she continued once my hands were freed. “This is fresh water. Rinse off the salt water, and I’ll get you something dry to wear. Warden, please go ahead and wait in my office. I’ll be there with Ms. Starbuck shortly. I’m sure you’ve got paperwork to start. You can use my computer.”
“Are you sure...”
“Quite sure. Ms. Starbuck was the victim here. Whoever cursed her is the criminal. I would suggest you remember that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I was shivering, reacting to both the breaking of the curse and my wet clothes. The witch returned with a towel, a plastic bag and a black jumpsuit.
“Thank you,” I said through chattering teeth.
“You’re quite welcome,” she said. “By the way, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself. I’m Elmira Shore.” She waved her hand off to the right. “There’s a changing room over there. Put your wet clothes in the plastic bag. Take your time.”
I walked there on unsteady legs, quickly shucked my wet clothes, and set aside my shoes. After toweling off, I slipped into the dry jumpsuit and the comfort of familiar shoes.
When I came out, Elmira smiled at me. “Do you require healing from one of our shamans?”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“All right, follow me. You can also tell your gnome friend he might as well materialize. There’s no need to hide.” She flashed me a secretive smile.
“Sayyyyy, can you teach me how to see him when he’s invisible?” I asked.
Nock swore and she laughed.
Chapter Seven
“Your little friend’s ability is innate and more an extension of him than magic. I can’t see him when he’s invisible and know of no spell to make it possible. He was obviously worried about you and must have been distracted enough to materialize briefly. I saw him then. That’s all.”
“Oh. Too bad.”
Nock materialized and snorted, but he looked way too pleased with himself.
Elmira led us to the elevator and her fourth floor office. Warden Somerset was sitting at her computer typing, apparently preparing my statement.
I sat in one of the chairs across from the warden, and she took the other one. Nock nestled cross-legged in a corner. The Warden gave him a glance, but then returned to his work.
“I checked my files. If what Ms. Starbuck tells us is true, then I would have already put her partner’s information in the system.”
“No file?”
“Correct, no file. We both know how methodical I am. So either I was never there and I was impersonated using illusion, or someone has not only tampered with evidence, but taken it one step further and erased my memory of it. I checked with the morgue as well. They have no record of ever receiving Olivia Vesta’s body.”
He paused, jaw rippling with obvious frustration. “I am inclined to believe I was impersonated. It would take a considerable amount of magic wielded by a very powerful entity to accomplish even that much, even more so since special safeguards are in place to protect OS employees. But why is the bigger mystery. Why is this woman’s body missing?”
“Ms. Starbuck.”
“Please, call me Lily.”
“All right, Lily. This is what I can surmise based on what has happened. Your partner was killed, and we’re not sure what happened in the case of the warden, or what happened to your friend’s body. I suggest we take the time now to go over all of this in detail again. Leave nothing out. Once we have all the information, we can proceed. Make no mistake; we are dedicated to figuring out what is going on. The curse cast on you was cleverly hidden. It was entwined with your aura. To achieve it requires high magic and a very skillful magic wielder. Did you come into contact with anyone?”
“No. I drove my car here and no one...” My brow furrowed and I remembered. “Wait, someone bumped me when I got here. In the lobby. It was a man, and it was a very brief contact. I don’t even remember what he looked like. I’m not sure if he was robed or dressed like the wardens.”
“That had to be when he cast the curse.”
“It had to be then, because right after that I started to feel irritated with the receptionist, who was just doing her job. It was very subtle. But I’m a witch. I should have recognized the signs.”
“The curse was integrated into your aura, and it is why our scanners missed it. It would have been difficult for you to identify as well.”
“Well, the witch at the scanner must have seen something, because she stopped me, studied it for a moment, but then let me go through.”
“I’ll speak with her. I’ll also give this information to our scanner techs so they can recalibrate the scanners to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
“Now, let’s go over the information you gave to the person we now believe was an imposter posing as Warden Somerset.”
The warden scowled. “Yeah, and if I ever find out who it was, I’ll slap handcuffs on him and throw his sorry ass into lockup.”
I nodded, stressed I would have to go through all this again, but it was too important not to. It was clear Olivia had been more than just my friend and a caterer. Now that it had come to light, it wasn’t so surprising to think Olivia took all our money and had a suitcase packed and ready to go. What she used pure fairy dust for, other than to make melt-in-your-mouth-out-of-this-world-cream-puffs, was another mystery.
It took a better part of an hour to go over everything again, including the mirror spell, but omitting the royal fairy dust, the FDA, and the visit to Nock’s uncle, of course. When we finished, I took both the witch and the warden’s cards.
“I’ll walk you down to the lobby,” she said.
I picked up my sodden clothes and Nock joined us. We walked in silence until we reached the lobby. Elmira grabbed my arm before I could exit the building. “Lily, I can’t shake the feeling you are in personal danger. That what happened to Olivia goes a whole lot deeper than a simple murder. If there is such a thing,” she murmured. “I think the curse was cast on you so you would be killed by the OS so someone could get you out of the way. Do be careful.”
I smiled at the nice witch cop and nodded. She promised to be in touch. I was to go home and continue with my routine. I squeezed her shoulder and left OS Headquarters.
Back in the apartment, I slumped down on the living room sofa, my aches and pains throbbing and stinging. Maybe I should have taken Elmira up on her offer of healing attention.
The sofa softly welcomed my tired body. Nock had gone invisible about halfway home. I’m not sure where he went, but he must have had his reasons. Maybe he’d needed to sneak into someone’s house and do some cleaning. I knew it gave him peace when he was troubled, although he would have cut out his tongue before admitting he even did that sort of thing, much less that it comforted him.
Maybe I should have told the OS about the embroidery on the cowled man’s cloak. I was pretty sure it meant he belonged to a specific order. If I concentrated hard enough, I could reproduce it. But being cursed and then fighting numerous wardens had taken its toll. In the middle of my musings, I slipped into sleep.
And found myself back at the pool. The sky was still dark and looked like an open wound. The water wasn’t calm, this time, but swirling and angry. I stood at the edge, peering into the swirl like it was a crystal ball. Peered as though my life depended on it—or someone else’s.
I felt a presence, but couldn’t see beyond the swirling water. The turbulence took my attention and yanked it around into a jumbled mess. The urgency I felt was painful, jabbing at me with merciless fingers, plucking at my soul with relentless insistence. I felt lost and disconnected and fragmented with the knowledge that I had caused my own pain. The swirl increased its spinning and it was as if I’d been caught up in a tempest and was being ripped apart. My head pounded in rhythm with my heart, pumping terror into my bloodstream like noxious gas.
Then it seemed as though
worlds collided, and their crash was a loud, ripping, discordant wail, a sundering which tore not just me, but everything, apart.
The pounding increased and I jerked awake, groaning at my stiff muscles and sore cuts and bruises.
Someone was at the door.
I rose more slowly and carefully than usual and decided I would go to the local clinic to get some hands-on healing.
When I pulled open the door, I just couldn’t stifle the groan which escaped me. Agent Talon Sunstrike and his two faithful sidekicks stood on the threshold.
He looked as delectably fabulous as the last time I’d seen him. I’d kissed him, but I was going to chalk it up to his attempt to enrap me. Yup, I was laying the blame totally on him. His eyes went to my mouth, briefly, yes, but the glance still electrified me. His hair and eyes simply radiated vitality and some kind of inner glow. Fae were incredible. Too bad these guys were much too dangerous to get involved with. I needed to get my hormones under control and get my head in the right place.
“Lily,” he said softly in that provocatively musical voice. “You look like you’ve had another very bad day.”
“Yes, I think I need to stay away from places with acronyms. So, yes, I have, and thank you so much for pointing it out.”
“Been busy over at the OS as I understand it. Sneaking in spells in your aura.”
“It was one curse…and aren’t you well-informed? But then I guess you bastards all know each other, so it’s not a big surprise. I’m busy licking my wounds and contemplating my death, so no time for chit chat.”
“Are you, now? That is intriguing.”
Before I could tell him to go to hell, he brushed the back of his fingers against my bruised and very sore cheek, then my eye. Wisps of green curled and twirled from his fingertips. Warmth infused me, and even as I jerked away the heat spread and doused the pain like water over fire. It simply wasn’t there anymore.
I stared at him wordlessly, my cheek tingling and my eye back to normal from his touch. He gave me a winsome smile which made my stomach jump, his red hair stark against his pale skin, the deep green of his eyes capturing me gently, like a bird in his hand, and with the same ease holding me spellbound. When he walked past me into my living room, his provocative scent of meadow and blue sky and the secret part of the forest compelled me to follow him with my eyes.
