“Andi, I’m going to get right to the point here if you don’t mind,” she said, “As you’ve probably been able to tell, the department is understaffed and we all have a ton of work to do.”
“That’s okay,” I said, “Go right ahead.”
Evelyn nodded. “Do you know why you’ve been fast-tracked into the department?”
“I… not really. I mean, the guys—”
“—guys?”
“Oh, um, the agents that picked me up.”
She checked her notes. “Elijah Lawson, Damon Sanders, and Logan Porter, right?”
My cheeks burned red. I’d been living at Eli’s place for almost a week, and it only occurred to me now, this was the first time I was hearing their last names. “Yes, that’s… that’s right. So, ever since the night where we—in the tunnel, I mean. They haven’t exactly… that is to say, they haven’t told me—”
“—take a breath,” Evelyn said, her expression softening. Though she was easily in her early forties, and her frazzled, tired visage wasn’t doing her any favors, the smile she gave me then was one of a much, much younger woman. It made her look more youthful, and really, more relatable to me.
I shut up and let my lungs take in as much air as they could, holding the air in for a few seconds before releasing the breath.
“There’s no wrong answer here,” Evelyn said, “You can take your time explaining things.”
I nodded, swallowed, and tried again. “Okay,” I said, “So, I’ve been living with Eli for about a week. He, they, all agreed it wasn’t safe for me to go back home, and after what happened that night, I believed them. All week I’d known they’d been in contact with you guys, been talking about me, but they haven’t told me anything about that. They said they couldn’t tell me anything until… well, until I came here.”
“I’m sorry about all the secrecy, but it was necessary. We couldn’t tell you more than you needed to know until we were sure.”
“Sure about what?”
“This precinct isn’t in the business of jumping the gun. There are plenty of others that are, but I wanted to do some investigating of my own before I made the call to have you brought into the department. If I hadn’t made that call, you wouldn’t have been told anything at all.”
“But, I mean, I was there. Why the secrecy?”
“Because we have procedures and protocols in place to protect ourselves and the world at large. If we started talking to you, gave you all the information we had, and then you took off and started telling people… well, first of all, you’d be hard-pressed to find any regular, functioning member of society to believe what you were saying. We are, after all, a secret organization; the world at large doesn’t know we exist. Secondly, the odds are you would eventually tell the wrong person, and you could suddenly find yourself in a lot of trouble. As it happens, you’re a member of the team now, so we can talk.”
“That all… I mean, that happened really quickly.”
“I know.”
“And you said you made the call?”
“I did. Eli and I spoke about what had happened that night, he told me a lot about you, told me how it was because of you, because of your dreams, that you were able to intercept those people that night and stop what they were doing. I made the decision to bring you into the department, made a call to the right people, and got you fast-tracked. I don’t remember the last time we had a Harlequin on the payroll.”
I wasn’t sure I had stopped anything at all; made it worse was more likely, but I wasn’t about to say that. “I still don’t know much about what happened that night, or why it happened, or who those people were… or even what the hell I’m doing here. Everything’s still pretty jumbled up.”
“Okay, so, how about we start from the top?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Do you want me to ask you things, or are you going to ask me things?”
“Neither. I’m going to talk, and you’re going to listen. Remember, we don’t have a lot of time.”
I nodded.
“The people you ran into in the tunnels under the city are a radical cell of Mages known as The Circus, a group we had been tracking for over a decade. About two years ago, they dropped off of our radar. The last time we’d heard of them, they were in New York, then they just vanished one day and resurfaced here, only we couldn’t confirm it was them until that night.”
“What do you mean?”
Evelyn sighed. “People go missing all the time in our country. Hundreds of people every single day. In New Orleans, it happens more than it does in most places. But when the Circus is in town, some of the disappearances start showing a pattern. The Circus, it turns out, have a type. When the pattern emerged down here a few months ago, we called for assistance from the Department—they sent Damon and Logan to investigate. As the weeks went by, the suspicion was that the Circus was responsible, but they’re slippery, hard to track and pin down.”
“That’s because they have a Shade.”
A smile spread across her delicate, pink lips. “You catch on quickly.” Evelyn picked up a file and handed it over to me. Inside was a picture of the girl I had seen for no more than a few minutes in that tunnel. I had watched her dash across the cavern, throw herself next to the Hexer, the man who had cursed a fat worm into my throat, and then disappear. I tapped on the page.
“That’s her.”
“We don’t know much about her, only that the Circus picked her up in New York. That picture was taken at Grand Central Station about two years ago. We think she’s the reason they’ve been able to hide so well.”
“I saw her that night. I thought she was pretty powerful. I mean, she must be if she can hide her entire group from you guys.”
“Right, but it looks like she couldn’t hide them from you, which is why I wanted you brought into the department as quickly as possible, and without the need for a training or application process. The Circus has gone to ground again, and we need your help if we’re going to find them.”
I nodded. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Good, then we’re on the same page.” She reached for the file in my hand and I offered it to her.
“So, what do you need me to do?”
“There are two things I need you to do. First, I need you to go through the same training program all trainees go through; I want you to learn the procedures, learn how to defend yourself, and grow further into your powers. Usually this is done before an agent is given their first case, but since this is an exception…”
I was handed another file, this one with the word CLASSIFIED written on it. “What is this?” I asked.
“Your first case.”
I looked up at her. “Wait, so I’m not going after the Circus?”
“You are, but we’re under-staffed here and everyone has to pull their weight. You’re part of the team, so you get a case to look into.”
“What is it?”
“Take the file with you to your desk, read it, understand it. Whatever you don’t understand, ask Eli.”
“Wait… you’re not briefing me?”
Evelyn solemnly shook her head. “Unfortunately, no.” She pointed at the stack of files and papers on one side of her desk. “These are my files, and there’s no one else around who could possibly brief you, so you’re going to have to work on this with Eli, Damon, and Logan. But everything you need to get you started is in there.”
My eyes went to the file again, then I looked at her. “Look, I appreciate that you’ve taken me under your wing and everything, but my experience as an investigator begins and ends with way too many episodes of CSI. I’m not qualified for this kind of work.”
“No, but you’re a Harlequin, which means much of what you’re going to be doing is relying on your instincts; instincts which are probably far stronger than those the rest of us have. Procedures you can learn, you can also learn how to defend yourself. The abilities you have… those are unique to you. Use them on this case.”
“What
about the Circus?”
“That group spooks too easily. The likelihood is they’ve gone to whatever safehouse they have and they’re going to hole up there until this all blows over. The last time we tried to engage them at their safehouse… people died. Even if you could tell us where they were, I wouldn’t feel comfortable making a move on them until they feel safe enough to come up for air again.”
I nodded. “Okay… so, I’ll just… go out there?”
“Yes. Ask Eli to set you up with a desk, a computer, and to hook you into the network. Take a lunch break whenever you like, we go home at five.”
I stood, walked toward the door to the office, and just as I went to leave the room, I craned my neck around. “Evelyn…” I said.
She turned her eyes up at me again. “Yes?” she asked.
“About the… Death Jester.”
“Yes.”
“You know it’s real, right?”
Evelyn hesitated before answering. “I know you heard something. I know you dreamt about something. But the Death Jester is little more than a myth, a boogeyman young Harlequins are told about to stop them abusing dream magic, and we have other things we need to be focusing on right now.”
I swallowed. “Fear of the boogeyman is the reason people still check their closets and under their beds sometimes.”
She watched me but said nothing. I took that as my cue to leave.
CHAPTER TWO
Maybe I spent more time thinking about the last thing I had said to Evelyn, my new boss, than I wanted to, or should have, but I had been warned about her opinion on the Death Jester. It was a myth, nothing more; something young Harlequins used to be told to warn them against using dream-walking magic recklessly.
The Death Jester really was the boogeyman, an old wives tale, a not-so-urban legend, and yet, I had come into contact with it. I was sure I had; every instinct in my body told me so, and so far, my instincts hadn’t led me astray. But I didn’t know much about the magic world I was now part of, I hadn’t read any books, I hadn’t heard the old wives’ tales. All I had was the word of a renegade Mage to go on.
“That’s it,” Eli said, standing and moving away from the chair—my chair—he had been sitting on, “All set. You can take it home now and work from there.”
“Really?” I asked, sitting down and checking my new laptop out. “That’s gonna come in handy.”
“Oh, yeah, totally. I don’t have to come in to the office often, only when I want to talk to the chief or fix a computer problem.”
“She doesn’t use a phone?”
“She does, but there’s certain things you don’t wanna say over the phone. You never know who’s listening.”
I nodded. “Right,” I said, folding the laptop closed and examining my desk. I had a computer there; on the screen was the American crest. I also had some fresh stationary to use—pens, notepads, pencils, a cork board, and multi-colored pins and lengths of string. “It’s nice to have my own desk.”
“Pretty swanky, huh? I know the place doesn’t look like much, but it’s modest. I like it.”
“I think I like your house better.”
Eli grinned. “And why’s that?” he asked, his voice suddenly going a little low.
Because there are beds there. I didn’t say that, but I wanted to. Instead, I returned his grin and shook my head. “No reason,” I said, picking my brand-new laptop up and standing. “So, where do we go now?”
“Well, Damon and Logan are across the street picking up lunch. Let’s get them, swing back to the house, eat, and then I thought we could go out for a couple of drinks.”
“Drinks?”
“It’s been a long week, Andi… we’re all really stressed, but you just got a new job, as well as your first case. I think we should go out, sit at a bar, and have a drink to celebrate.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Would it make you feel better if we went over the case notes over lunch?”
I looked down at the file sitting on my desk. “I haven’t even opened it yet.”
“So, why don’t you?”
“Because I don’t know if I’m ready. Do you know how insane it is that you guys have just pulled some random waitress off the street and made her some kind of detective?”
Eli picked the file up. “First of all, you’re not just some random; you’re a Mage—a Harlequin. You have skills none of us have. Second of all, no one’s asking you to become a forensic pathologist overnight; that’s the chief’s background, not yours.”
“She’s a pathologist?”
“Yeah, didn’t you see the MD on her name?”
“I did… sorry, I’m just a little intimidated by all this.”
Eli wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me in for a half a hug. “Here’s what we do,” he said, “We’re gonna go to the car and we’re gonna sit down. Damon and Logan are gonna show up with lunch. Then we’re all going back to the house, we’ll eat, and we’ll look at the case together. It’s your case, but the three of us are your resources, so we’ll help you with it.”
“You guys aren’t working on anything else?”
“I am—I’ve been assigned to you as your partner.”
“My partner?”
“Detectives work in pairs, don’t they?”
I nodded and started walking out of the office with Eli. “Yeah, you’re right. What about Logan and Damon, then?”
“They’ve been assigned to investigate the Circus, but we’re not actively pursuing them right now, not until they come up from hiding again.”
“Do you think I should try and find them anyway? Even if we aren’t making a move on them?”
“How about we don’t keep the Circus in mind so much? This case is our top priority right now. Well, that, and training you.”
“Oh, right… what kind of training is that?”
“You know, the usual.”
“No, I don’t know. Isn’t there a whole series of tests that people are put through before they become agents?”
“There are. You’d need to know procedure, rudimentary detective skills, magical skills… physical skills.”
“And who’s going to teach me all that?”
“The three of us. Damon’s going to give you procedures, I’m going to give you detective skills, we’re all going to teach you how this whole being a Mage thing works, and Logan is going to teach you physical skills.”
“Logan…”
“Well, I mean, you know. I could do it, but…”
I grinned. “I’m sure you could. You’re a big guy.”
“Being a good fighter isn’t all about being big, it’s about your mindset. You need to have clear instincts, know what you want to achieve, and know what your body can do. I know how to defend myself, how to move, how to throw a punch, but what works for me won’t work for you. Logan has taught agents before, he’s the best guy to do it.”
“Am I going to get a gun and a badge?”
“Sure, we get badges.” Eli showed me his, which he kept in a special wallet attached to his belt. On one side of the wallet was a laminated card with Eli’s face and full name on it, along with the letters DPA, a special crest which looked similar to the one used by the FBI, only the scales of justice had flames coming up from them. On the wallet’s underside there were two things—one was a declaration card signed by the director of the DPA, Harold Murdock, granting the agent powers of investigation and enforcement of the law, on order of the attorney general; the other was the actual brass badge, a shield with the words DEPARTMENT of PARANORMAL AFFAIRS and the letters DPA embossed on it.
On top of the badge was the same eagle I had been expecting, being that this all looked so similar to how the FBI badges looked on TV, but also something else—there was a serpent under the eagle, the eagle looking gone way, the serpent hissing in the other direction. It was a cobra, by the way its neck fanned open around its face.
“That looks pretty badass,” I said.
“They’re enchanted, too. Regular police will recognize us as a body with authority over them, but they also won’t ask questions about the DPA itself. To them we’re just special investigators.”
“So, cops don’t know about us?”
“Top brass does, the people who matter do, but your rank and file beat cop don’t and neither do the general public.”
“That’s good to know… so, what about my gun?”
“You’ll need to learn how to use one, first. Do you know how to use one?”
I turned my eyes up at him and cocked my eyebrows. “I’ve lived a sheltered, boring life under the watchful eye of two incredibly overprotective parents. I’ve never even touched a gun before.”
By the time we reached the car, Damon and Logan were waiting for us with a couple of take-out bags from the deli down the road. Eli unlocked the car as we approached, and Logan got inside with the bags, but Damon opened the passenger door for me and waited with a satisfied look on his face.
“I take it everything went well?” he asked.
“Define well,” I said.
“Are you more or less comfortable than when we got here?”
“I wouldn’t say more, but I’m also not less.”
“Welcome to the world of Mages.”
I stepped into the car and Damon shut the door for me. A few minutes later, we were on the road again, cruising down Saint Charles’ Street and headed for Eli’s place. I’d been tempted to open the case file sitting on my lap while we drove, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to try and put my mind to it yet, not while I was hungry. Inside that file was the very first job I would ever do as an agent of the DPA, the last thing I wanted to do was screw it up.
Lucky for me, I found myself in the presence of three guys who weren’t just curious to see what my first case was—they also wanted to help me with it. I guessed that made sense given that, if there was a level below rookie, I was it, so the potential of me messing something up was pretty high. But I didn’t think they were trying to babysit me, or wrest control of the situation out of my hands, and that was pretty refreshing.
After we had eaten, Damon, Eli, and Logan all stared at me from across the coffee table in the middle of the room. I looked at the file in my hands and then looked up at the three men sitting across from me, glancing at each of them in turn.
Harlequin Dreams_A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy Page 2
