“Please do ask the wiz…Gregory to get my things. Some of yours, as well. You generally need a shower after riding that contraption you call a bicycle.”
I should probably explain. About a year ago, a young vampire went off the deep end, thinking he was in love with me, and got very insistent, even breaking into my house and trashing it. He has since, I am told, greeted the dawn. Good riddance! Now, if there was some elven equivalent to getting fried by sunlight…
“Okay,” I sighed. “I’ll stay with you, at least overnight. But we need to figure out what’s going on, not only with him but with Ev, too. It’s been a week and I’m at my wits’ end!”
“I am trying very hard to be diplomatic with Nelion,” Gregory replied. “But I, too, am starting to lose patience. The initial spell on Ev should have dissipated by now with a week’s worth of sunrises. If their transmogrification spell does not transform clothing, similar to a werewolf’s transformation, an angry, bare-assed ogre running around that state park would have drawn attention. Hell, even a fully-clothed one would. Yet we’ve heard nothing, which means this Obrist character is somehow slipping around to renew it. Then the question begs, why?
“Nelion is being very close-mouthed and very uncommunicative. Perchaladon seems to be infatuated with you but I doubt it has anything to do with romance. I’d also like to know how he’s finding you. Then there’s Althea’s request of you. Something larger than just Ev’s disappearance is happening and I’d like to know what.”
I took a large gulp of my venti latte. “Me, too. In the meantime, what do we do?”
“Keep you off the magical radar as much as possible, for starters. Someone, for some reason, has decided to involve you in whatever is happening. So, you stay at my place for a bit. I’ll take you to and from work. While you’re working, I’m going to have a chat with people higher up the food chain to see if I can find out what the machinations are all about.”
So, for at least one evening, I got to partake of someone else’s good cooking. Once again, I curled up on the couch with the handmade quilt draped over me for modesty’s sake, Fudge making a nest of my hair behind me. It wasn’t my queen-sized bed, but it was comfortable enough.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Gregory accompanied into the office the next morning, explaining that he’d use Ev’s phone to make his calls. Due to demand, Cassandra had started opening the deli on Monday, so I was able to get my usual latte. His presence raised Cassandra’s eyebrows, but she said nothing. I knew she’d ask when she brought my lunch. I tried to get into my usual Monday routine but thoughts of Ev’s (and my) current predicament swirled in my head.
About an hour later, Gregory poked his head in my office. “I’m going down to Council headquarters to have a talk with Althea and Howard.” I mentally slapped my forehead. That’s the Wizard Council guy’s name! “I should be back in a couple of hours. Will you be all right alone?”
I nodded. “I’m not expecting anyone to visit so I’ll lock the door. Sally has her own key and I’ll let Cassandra know to knock when she brings lunch. I’ll be fine. You’ll let me know what you find out?”
I followed him out and locked the door behind him. Then texted Cassandra to tell her I was on lockdown, to text me before she brought lunch, and a full explanation would be given in between bites. Then I turned my attention back to my work, which was almost doubled with Ev’s absence.
Shortly before noon, my phone buzzed with a text message. “Can’t bring lunch up. The elf is here, wanting to know if we know why you’re not at work because the door is locked. He’s got the female customers in a tizzy and the males are glaring at him.
That told me one thing. He didn’t have some sort of tracking spell on me, otherwise he’d know I was right upstairs, locked door or not. Which was a relief, but I still wanted to know how he kept tracking me down.
My phone buzzed again. “You are not at work. Are you ill? May I bring you anything? ~P”
Grr. “I am just a little under the weather. Perhaps a summer cold. Thank you for asking. Now please remember what I told you yesterday and lose this number.” I may not be able to lie well in person but in print? I’m good. I patted myself on the back for even being fairly polite.
A few minutes later I got yet another text but this one was welcome. “He’s gone. On my way up.”
I unlocked the door, ushered her in, and re-locked it. She handed me a plate of what looked like a BLT sandwich and homemade chips. “So, what’s the calamity? I mean, besides Ev’s problem.”
In between mouthfuls of sandwich, I explained what had happened at the lake the previous day and what both Gregory and Fudge had to say about it.
“Okay, that’s a little more than creepy. What is it with you and stalkers? First a vampire and now an elf. Sheesh!”
I nodded. “I know, right? I’m just a nobody, even for the first eight years of working for an ogre and all of a sudden, everyone’s clamoring for my attention. I’d very much like to go back to anonymity. Because I’m not all that important, I’m putting it down to Ev’s stupidity. He’s gotten himself – and me – into some situations lately, hasn’t he?”
“Ain’t that the truth. Hopefully, Gregory can get some answers. I’ve noticed he’s pretty good at that. Are you done? I have to get back.”
I handed her my empty plate and walked her out the door. “I’ll keep you posted.”
Since Cassandra got married, a brief chat at lunch four or five days a week and an occasional girls’ night out was our only chance to catch up. I missed our Friday night pizza-and-gab fests.
A key turned the lock a short while later and Sally’s voice announced her arrival. “Why’s the door locked?”
“Lock it back up and come on in. I’ll catch you up.”
Once again, I had to go through the entire weekend story. I was getting to the point I was just going to write it down in a blog somewhere and tell people to check that so I didn’t have to keep repeating myself.
“You and men, I swear! At the rate things are going with other species, you should probably stick to fully-human ones.”
“As if I pick these guys! Okay, yes, I did pick Tony but it wasn’t my fault he got killed. The others were – or are – just plain crazy which, I believe, has nothing to do with me. Although, if Perchaladon doesn’t go away soon, I may consider entering a convent.”
Sally laughed. “He may be able to track you there, but I’ll bet he won’t like the location! What do you have for me today?”
“Not a lot. Sort the mail. Decline any party invitations Ev might get, and continue doing what you do so well – avoiding answering questions as to where Ev is.”
“I’ll be glad when he’s back and I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m running out of creative excuses.”
An hour later, I was sorting through contracts, trying to figure out how Ev might match up guards and clients, when Sally buzzed me with a phone call.
“Can you take the rest of the afternoon off?” Gregory asked.
“Ummm. Probably. What’s up?”
“Do you remember Ed Bartz, the security guy?”
I had to think for a moment, then it came to me. “He heads up the Council’s investigative arm, right? Looks sort of like a pumped Michael Chiklis?”
“That’s the man. He has an interesting theory I think you ought to hear. We’ll meet you at Cork’s in a half hour?”
“Okay. I might be a few minutes late, but I’ll be there.”
He hung up and I went back to reviewing contracts, noting which pairings I thought would work, and making myself notes as to which needed to be decided almost immediately and which could wait a few days, in the hopes we got Ev back and I wouldn’t get blamed for a mismatch.
Grabbing my purse, I waved goodbye to Sally and headed across the street. Cork’s was my favorite watering hole and at this time of day, it would be fairly quiet. Cork would ensure we had whatever privacy we needed.
I had to let my eyes adjust after the bright sunlight but that was okay. Just that brief jaunt in the summertime heat and humidity had me sweating. Standing there, apparently letting my eyes adjust, allowed the air conditioning to dry me out a little. I saw Gregory wave at me from a booth in the far corner.
Ed stood and extended his hand as I approached the table. “It’s nice to see you again, Ms. McCollum, and under perhaps slightly better circumstances?”
I shook his hand, blew a kiss at Gregory, and told him, “Please, call me Amy. And I’m not certain if these are better circumstances or not. Just as weird, anyways.”
The men nodded their agreement as Cork set a glass of merlot in front of me. You see why it’s one of my favorite spots? I don’t have to order or anything.
After Cork returned to the bar, Gregory said, “I’m casting a privacy spell. Although Cork is as discreet as they come, who knows what ears are listening?” I felt my standard magic-being-done tingle then my ears popped as the dome of privacy covered us.
Ed cleared his throat. “As strange as it may sound, based on what Gregory has told me and certain information I have uncovered, I believe there is a conspiracy between some of the younger elves in the Louisiana enclave and some younger witches and wizards.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline. “To what end?”
“I’m not entirely certain. As you probably have noticed, some young elves are making themselves known in the human world, which in this day and age is extremely odd. The elves have more or less kept themselves hidden for the last, oh, five hundred years or so. Yes, they participate in human commerce – that’s where the majority of their money comes from, but up to now, it has always been through human agents who thought they were working for humans.”
I looked at Gregory. “But Nelion and Alberon came right to our hotel door and were walking in the streets with us.”
“You probably did not notice because it’s so subtle, but they had glamoured themselves to look human. I saw it as an overlay to their real appearance. You’re magical, so the glamour wouldn’t have affected your sight.”
I shook my head. “No, I saw no “humans.” (I used air quotes.) Or a ‘human overlay.’ Just normal elven appearance, complete with pointy ears and flowing robes.”
“You are a young witch, Ms. Mc…Amy. While we generally can’t tell they’re casting, sometimes we can see the results of their casting, but that takes practice,” Ed interjected.
“So what do you think the conspiracy is?” I asked.
“As I said, I’m not certain. But as you know, although paranormals are generally accepted in society, it’s more of a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ scenario. It’s my belief some of the younger set is tired of being in the closet, so to speak, and wants to do something about it. I’m not sure what, but I’ve been seeing signs of discontent.”
“And what does this have to do with me?” I was majorly perplexed.
“You are one of those younger witches. It’s possible you’re being felt out to join their, um, movement.”
“And Ev’s disappearance?”
Gregory answered that one. “To get to you. It’s well-known you’re protective of Ev, no matter how odd some might think it. And, you’ve just come into your powers. If he disappeared mysteriously, you might be willing to do something in the open to get him back. At least, that’s a theory.”
“Is this why Ms. Fitzsimmons wanted me to stay in touch with that creepy elf?”
Ed nodded. “None of us are able to get close to a younger elf and it was thought you might relay news of this movement back to the Elders. However, based on what Gregory told me this morning, that idea has been taken off the table. Your peace of mind, and perhaps your safety, are more important.”
I sighed in relief. But on the other hand…
“May I ask what sort of dangers bringing the paranormals more out into the open would pose? It seems to me it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
“Violence, for one thing,” Ed replied. “Things haven’t changed that much in the course of human history. People fear what they don’t understand or what is out of their sphere of normalcy. Weres would be killed because they might harm someone. Magic users, too, because you might cast a spell to harm someone who couldn’t retaliate.”
“Your circle of friends is accepting of almost anyone,” Gregory added. “But trust us, there are people out there who would fear you just because you use magic. That’s one of the reasons I have always taught you away from where people could see what was happening. I don’t want any unfortunate incidents to hamper your learning.”
“But what of the obvious paranormals, like Ev? Or Cork? They can’t hide themselves or their nature, y’know?”
“And if you notice, Ev keeps to the paranormal crowd in his social endeavors. Business is either with paranormals or those accepting of them. He doesn’t even go to the grocery store on his own. He keeps as low a profile as possible to avoid confrontations. Even still, there have been times when his feelings have been hurt because someone’s said something derogatory within his hearing or have shunned him just because of who he is. Cork is probably pretty much the same. We look human. For those who do not, it can be difficult.”
“Okay, I’ll buy that. So what am I supposed to do about all this?”
“Althea and Nelion are working together to try to smoke out the instigators. Nelion believes his son and friend are two prime suspects. I have my eyes on a couple of young wizards at the University of Minnesota who make frequent trips to Chicago and New Orleans.
“So, apart from cozying up to Perchaladon, I repeat. What am I supposed to do? Dating a college kid isn’t exactly in my playbook.”
“We’d like you to go get your boss back,” Ed said.
Huh? Hadn’t I been discouraged from doing exactly that?
“And how am I supposed to accomplish that? And if he’s still a bat, how do I change him back?”
Gregory gave me one of his “teaching moment” looks. “I will accompany you. For one thing, it’s probable Obrist is watching the area. We have no idea exactly what they’re up to, but we might be able to draw him out into the open. We obviously don’t trust him, so I will be there to watch your back.
“Alberon and some of his trusted people will be nearby. They hope to be able to catch Obrist doing something he’s been forbidden to do. As well, once we have the bat, Alberon should be able to unravel the spell and give us our ogre back.”
“I don’t get it. Why didn’t they just go get Ev and snatch Obrist while they’re at it?”
“Because they haven’t been able to find either one. Unfortunately, I am unable to effectively describe the area you saw in your dream. Without knowing exactly where to look, they’re incapable of doing much. You, on the other hand, should be able to pinpoint the location once we’re walking around, yes?”
This was a lot to handle. Yes, I could still see the area vividly in my mind but that was a lot of walking to do. However, it seemed to be the only solution.
“Get my boss back. Check. But how does this help with your conspiracy?”
“Nelion assured Althea once they have Obrist in custody, they’ll be able to find out exactly what is going on,” Ed answered. “She did not ask further, nor would he tell us anything else, anyways. We just have to trust that they can get some information and that they will share it.”
“You listening to all this?” I mentally asked.
“Of course. If I understand correctly, you are to go retrieve your employer and help capture rabble-rousers?”
I chuckled. Sometimes my familiar used some antiquated words. I think the last time I heard ‘rabble-rousers’ was from one of my elderly college history professors. But I knew what he meant.
I turned my attention back to the table. “Okay. When?”
“We will leave Wednesday morning,” Gregory said. “There are some things that need to be put into place. I will pick you – and Fudge – up at your apartment. Pack hiking clothes, includin
g some waterproof shoes.”
“I will have to travel in one of those flying contraptions?”
“Fudge wants to know if he will have to fly.”
Ed raised his eyebrows. “You have a talking familiar?”
I nodded but before Ed could say anything else, Gregory answered.
“Unfortunately, yes, he will have to fly with us. I do not know what accommodations we will have, and I would like to use him as a scout, if possible. He has a better nose than any humanoid.”
I heard a grumble in my mind, then, “Very well. I will assist in retrieving your employer. But I demand extra tuna as payment.”
I finished my wine, headed home, and called Sally to see if she could work full-time for a few days starting Wednesday.
“After rearranging some things, yes, I can. What’s up?”
Without going into detail, I told her Gregory and I were going to find and retrieve Ev.
“Okaaay…and once you get him, then what?”
I sighed. “It seems there’s a lot of political bullshit going on, but the elves have agreed to turn him back to his irascible self. Of course, I’ll probably get to deal with the fallout.”
“Politics. It figures. I thought the human political system was bad but paranormals seem to be worse.”
“Yep. I thought what with being minorities in the greater scheme of things, that would make pulling together easy, but apparently not. I have some things to do to get ready. I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”
I hung up and immediately called Elinda, one of the witches upstairs, to ask if I could borrow a cat carrier again. Fudge usually walked beside me wherever we needed to go so I never bothered buying one. If things continued, I should probably rectify that.
“Of course, darlin’,” she replied. “I assume he hates those things, so I’ll bring the larger one down. Can we do anything else?”
“Nah. Hopefully, I won’t be gone that long. But thanks.”
Then I had some shopping to do. Hiking clothes? Waterproof shoes? Not in my city-girl wardrobe. I let my fingers do the walking on the internet, first to figure out what exactly was meant by “hiking clothes.” It seemed my normal jeans would be fine and with the heat and humidity I expected, just a lightweight jacket to protect my arms would suffice. Then there was the issue of shoes. Well, boots. I found what I thought would work on a sporting goods website, heaved a sigh and paid for overnight shipping.
Transformation! Page 13
