by Amy Crook
Julian saved his own wish for last before Horace's, and he kissed it as well, pushing as much of his own magic into it as he dared before giving it to Horace for delivery. He let it go and felt his heart lighten just a little, as though the making of it had been enough to give him more hope. Horace tied this one very near the crown of the tree, careful with the little paper rose that Julian had made out of his wish.
"Keep us safe," whispered Julian, too soft for anyone but the tree to hear, though of course it had already heard the words when he wrote them. It sent back another wave of wise, old magic, and Julian sighed. He watched Horace deliver the last wish-knot, a little paper bird that just said, "useful," inside.
"Thank you," he said aloud, and everyone else came over and touched the tree and thanked it, giving little tendrils of energy to it and sheltering for a moment under its aura of hope and possibility.
After that, they were quiet and thoughtful as they packed up and went back inside, filled with the peace and silence of the tree. Work went quickly, and soon enough the terraces were finished and they'd begun to fill them with seedlings, taller plants against the wall and bright flowers along the edges. Julian poured himself into the plants unstintingly, just as he had before he was in danger, and although he was tired when they stopped for the day with one whole side of the room done, he was also happy.
They gathered everyone up and were just sitting down to tea in the empty dining hall with a tired Alex and worried Father Stephen when Julian's phone rang.
"I was wondering when you'd call," said Julian, seeing Murielle's name on the caller ID. "I take it we're to head over for debriefing or whatever?"
"How'd you guess?" she said with a laugh. "When can you get here?"
"We're having tea now, so maybe an hour?" said Julian, relieved when Jones nodded. "Traffic willing, of course."
"Of course. I'll make sure to send Thomas for coffee, he's dying to get away from Fischer's thunderclouds of doom."
Julian giggled. "I can't figure out if our visit will help or hurt, given that Alex was busy with two Temple mages, Dr. Chesterfield, three other Healers, and Grandmaster Elkhort."
Lapointe laughed. "Oh, it'll definitely help me, if not him," she said. "I'll see you soon." She hung up without waiting for him to say goodbye.
"Well," said Julian, sipping his tea, "Now we know what the rest of our afternoon holds."
CHAPTER 15
"So, how is the girl in the hospital?" asked Lapointe, settling back behind her desk after greetings and coffee.
"Jordan's doing better," said Alex. "They think she might wake up soon, now that we've broken the spell connection, purged the magic, and restored some of hers. It's slower with her unconscious, we can't just dump a bunch of potion down her throat."
"Or put her in the salt pool," said Julian.
"I have news, too," said Lapointe. "Wu and I figured out who ratted you out about the spell."
"Ooh, we'll have to bring him a treat to thank him," said Julian, already pondering what might be seen as a friendly gift and not a bribe.
"He likes berry pie," said Lapointe. "We spent about ten minutes talking about pie, and now I am dying for a slice, but we can't take you to the cafe."
Julian grinned. "Berry pie, hm? I'll tell Alys, maybe she can make some tarts for the department and we'll make sure he gets a few."
"Clever," said Alex. "So, who was it?"
"It was our nosy Ms. Eberly," said Lapointe. "You apparently have a good track record for pissing off our senior crime scene techs."
"I wasn't even mean to her!" protested Alex.
"He wasn't, it was actually a little weird," said Julian, trying to look innocent. "She's new anyway, isn't she? So maybe she really thought it was suspicious."
Lapointe nodded, but she didn't look convinced. "She's been hanging around with Fischer a lot, and we've been assuming he's spreading his bias, but what if it's the other way around and she's goading him into continuing to pursue the bad lead?"
"But why bother?" said Julian. He snuggled a little closer to Alex in the cool office and sipped more of the welcome coffee that Thomas had kindly provided before going back to his own desk.
"That's a very good question," said Jacques. "What do you know about this crime scene woman?"
"Ellora Eberly," said Lapointe. She paused to think, then started to recite. "Transferred into the city from one of the northern branches of the Agency, where she was top dog. She's about the same rank as Armistead, that's why she heads up cases already, but she's not the top of the food chain because several other techs have seniority."
"She's obviously not the guy that stole my hair, though," said Julian, giving a little shiver that he'd ever turned his back on that man. "So if she is involved somehow, she's working with him."
"Nor is she your mugger," pointed out Murielle. "And if she was inside the Agency when you were attacked outside the wards, then she's unlikely to have been the person responsible there, either."
"So maybe she just doesn't like consultants," said Alex with a sigh. "Or we were right the first time, and she's spent too long in Fischer's charming company. What's he busy doing now, anyway?"
"He's been interviewing the other apprentices one at a time, trying to see if there's anyone that they've all seen around," said Lapointe. "It's boring and necessary, and it keeps him away from your doorstep."
"I still can't believe he actually tried to come to the flat," said Julian. "I mean, it's not like he's you. Well, or Smedley, or Geoff, or Thomas..." Julian laughed.
"Do you think he was expecting to be let in from general goodwill, even after all his accusations?" said Alex.
"If he was, he's dumber than he looks," said James, "and that's saying something."
"So who's interrogating this morning's guy?" asked Julian.
"I did that, with one of our Agency mages, who do in fact earn their keep even with Alex around," said Lapointe. "We confirmed that there was a spell on the delivery, and he was merely the carrier. He's been with the courier service for a long time, so right now he's down with Geoff getting purified."
"We'll cover the donation if he wants to go to the Temple," said Alex.
Julian rewarded him with a very sweet kiss. "We will," he agreed. "It's not his fault someone's trying to get to me."
"Watch it, or you'll totally destroy your reputation for being a dick," said Lapointe, amused. "I'll let him know, though I'm fairly sure the Guild would cover it even if you hadn't offered."
"The Temple would allow it regardless," said Jacques. "The system is set up so that no one has to donate if it's a hardship."
Lapointe nodded, and made a little note in her book. "Regardless, now I have to debrief you. You didn't send him through purification again?"
"The magic never got a foothold," said Jacques.
"It reached for me, but it never got past my Guardians, the Temple, and my amulet," explained Julian. "I could feel it reaching out when he caught my gaze, but it was like it broke up against their protections." He gestured to James and Jacques, who looked smug. "And then whatever was left got scraped off when Jacques pushed me back into the proper Temple wards."
"The delivery area has lighter wards by necessity," said James. "Sometimes we get in magic items for study or destruction that wouldn't be able to come in through the front door."
"So that's how the magic got inside the building in the first place," said Lapointe, writing things down. "Okay, let's go over it one by one from start to finish, just to make sure?"
Julian sighed. "Yes, all right, but let them go first. I never got to hear how James took him down."
James laughed. "I didn't, really, he got confused when the mage stopped controlling him and basically just stood there and waited for me."
"From the beginning?" she interrupted pointedly.
"Yes, Mom," said Julian, settling in to listen as James and Jacques both described the afternoon's excitement from their points of view. It was fascinating to listen to their de
scriptions of the magic and the way it looked, especially with the way they used each others' perspectives to get a clearer idea of what magic had been used. Julian added in his own, rather less informative version, and by the time they were done it was well past dark.
"Coming for dinner?" offered Alex, as they all got organised to head home. Jones, being under no particular threat, had spent the afternoon in the coffee shop flirting with Jenny, and now had her number as well as the car ready downstairs.
"No, but thank you for this," Lapointe said, holding up the little box from Saveur. "It'll make the rest of the night's work go more smoothly."
"Any time," said Julian. "Home?"
"Home," said Jacques, and down they headed to the garage and their waiting car. They all gave Jones teasing congratulations over finally getting Jenny's number as they got into the car and on the road.
"So, reading again?" asked Julian hopefully, cuddled up to Alex with Horace in his lap.
"We should work on your protections more," said James apologetically.
"You can come read in my work room if you want," offered Alex. "And I promise to come to bed on time."
Julian pretend-pouted for a moment, then grinned and kissed him. "It's still a quiet evening in, so I suppose I can handle that. Even if I won't get cuddles."
"You'll get more than cuddles later, I suspect," teased Jacques.
"I will, but it's not the same," said Julian with a big, fake sigh. "Naked cuddles are totally different than reading cuddles."
Julian was grateful for the laughing banter that buoyed him on the way home. He didn't want to fall into guilt or worry about the situation, the girl in the hospital or the other apprentices without his talent or resources, who were consequently more vulnerable.
"You're not going to carry me upstairs again, are you?" asked Julian, when Jacques directed Jones to pull up right next to the elevator.
"Why, are you starting to see the benefits of being in the arms of a man who isn't all elbows and ribs?" asked Jacques.
James elbowed him. "No, but this way you're out of the wards less time. Alex is going to follow us up with the lunch boxes, aren't you?"
"Apparently," said Alex dryly. "You're all in the wards now, anyway."
They got out and scanned the garage, James calling down the elevator before they'd let Julian out of the car and its small but significant protections. Julian was grateful for their care, even if it did feel silly to hurry from car to elevator with the two fit men Guarding him from stray dust motes in the otherwise empty parking area.
"See you soon," teased Alex, waving as the doors closed.
Julian waved back, then leaned against the wall with a sigh. "I really like you guys," he said, "but I can't wait until things are back to normal."
"We'll be happier when you're safe, too," said James.
"And when we don't have to listen to you two through your wards anymore," said Jacques.
Julian stuck his tongue out, and then stood up as the elevator reached their floor. The doors opened, and everyone tensed; there were plants of all sorts arranged around their front door. It was strangely ominous, for all that it would seem like a harmless kindness any other day. The anonymous delivery was far from innocent here. Julian could already feel something reaching for him, the draining magic that was already becoming distressingly familiar.
"We need Alex," said James, pushing the button to close the doors and take them right back downstairs.
"I got his flute," said a voice near Julian's thigh, and then Nat appeared. "We can't move or touch 'em, someone knows ye've got brownies, but I can get around easy enough."
"Th- um. That's really good," said Julian faintly. "Alys is fine?"
"Oh, aye, she's holding the fort inside. Yon wards are very good," said Nat. "You should call your cop lady, though."
"Right," said Julian, fumbling with his phone. "She'll want it all taken into evidence." He made a noise of pure frustration. "Why does he want me so badly? I've got better protections than anyone else, between Alex and you guys. What's so special about me?"
"You're really a lot more powerful than you think," said Jacques, almost apologetically. "We've been keeping an eye on you while you work, and you've got amazing natural rapport with the plants and the earth, and you replenish power at an impressive rate."
"Which is good, because you still leak like a sieve whenever there's plants around," said James dryly.
The elevator doors opened just as Julian got Lapointe's number up on his phone and hit send.
"Something's happened," said Lapointe.
"There's a booby trap around our door," said Julian. He heard a noise and looked up, then gasped to see Alex and Jones wrestling, with Alex whistling desperately and some kind of magic like a fog of emotion swirling around them both. "Oh, god, something's happened to Jones, you have to send someone."
"We'll take care of him," said James. This time he was the one who stayed with Julian, pulling him out of the elevator and into a corner while Jacques moved forward, doing some magic of his own. There was a blur of movement, and then it was all three of them fighting, and Julian felt panic rising up in his throat.
"Don't hurt him," said Julian softly, worried for all of them.
"What's going on?" asked Lapointe. "I'm heading out with Thomas, who else do we need?"
"Geoff," said Julian. "Jones got, I dunno, bespelled or something, he's trying to do something to Alex. I don't really know, they're fighting but James is trying to hide me."
"We're on our way. Stay on the line if you can," said Lapointe. "I'm going to put you on speaker for the drive." There were noises from her end of the line, but Julian ignored them, peering worriedly around James.
"Your magic trick didn't work?" Julian asked, remembering how they'd knocked out the brawlers at Padma's during his Courtship.
"It doesn't always," said James. "This influence is too strong."
"Are you helping him? Can I do anything?" asked Julian, biting his lip. "I hate being the damsel in distress."
"You're not very damsel-like," said James. "Put your hand on my arm and give me a little energy, I'm already feeding to Jacques."
"I can do that," said Julian. He took a deep breath and found James' hand, then slid his grip up to James' bare wrist. He tightened up his power and sent a trickle just through that point of contact, making sure it wasn't leaking out anywhere else, increasing it to a slow but steady stream. He made sure to keep tabs on his own energy after today's expenditures, but he accepted that he'd be depleted when they were done no matter what.
The three men were wrestling, though no one really threw any blows except Jones. Alex and Jacques concentrated on blocking and trying to wrestle him to the floor, but something in the magic was giving him extra strength and speed. Or maybe Jones was just really good in a fight; Alex wasn't really much of a physical fighter, though Jacques should have more than made up for that with his bulk and training both.
"Jones, Paul Jones, you trust Jacques, let Jacques in!" said Julian, trying to see if anything could break the stalemate. "Jones, Jones, Jones!"
Julian heard a giggle from somewhere nearby. "I don't think that works on humans," said the still-invisible Nat.
"It was worth a try," said Julian, crouching back behind James again, though he kept up the contact.
"Are you still there?" said Lapointe, her voice tinny and distant.
"Yes, sorry," said Julian, putting the phone back up to his ear properly. "Jacques and Alex are trying to subdue him."
"We're bringing a tranquilliser," said Lapointe. "I know he's your friend."
Julian made a distressed noise at the thought of having to shoot Jones with anything. "Isn't there another way?"
"Hold my hand," said James softly, and Julian slid his hand down to mesh with James' automatically. He felt something, some kind of complex burst of magic that pulled from himself and James and somehow Jacques and even Alex, and finally, finally Jones went limp. Jacques lowered him to the grou
nd and Alex pulled out a packet of latex gloves.
"I think he'll have to have something on him," said Alex. "It would have taken time to work past the amulet's protection, or else he wouldn't have waited so long."
"There's a trap upstairs," said Julian, feeling rather faint. "Nat brought your flute."
Alex slipped his little watch fob into the back of one glove and then whistled a little tune, sharp and probing, and Julian could see his attention focus inward and outward in the strange expression he got when he was listening to magic. "Here, this," said Alex, rifling in Jones' pocket and bringing up a palmful of coins. "It must have been in his change from the diner."
Jacques pulled out one of the little strong boxes, and the whole pile went jingling into it. When he snapped it shut, Julian could feel the air clear, and Jones started to stir.
"There's still the trap upstairs to deal with," said James. "Jacques, can you carry Julian, or should I?" They were still holding hands, and Julian found himself reluctant to let go. "He needs to get inside and lay down, that last burst took too much magic from him."
"Sorry, I don't really know how to control it yet," said Julian, swaying on his feet.
"I've got him," said Jacques, standing and coming over to them in a few quick strides. He swept Julian up and held him. "You're light as a feather."
"Tired," said Julian, leaning into Jacques' warmth. "Alex, can you take us home?"
"Yeah," said Alex. "James, you'll stay here?" Alex's flute appeared beside him, and he plucked it out of the air. "Useful, now go be safe."
"O'course," said Nat, and then the sense of him vanished, so the parking garage felt even more empty.
Fortunately no one had called the elevator away, and it opened as soon as Alex hit the button. James took up vigil beside the stirring Jones, and Julian said into the phone. "M'sorry, Jones is better but I'm just so tired."
"We're almost there, get safe," said Lapointe. "Just don't hang up."
"Won't," said Julian, and then he yawned hugely. "Need a potion or something."
"We'll give you one," said Jacques, steady as a rock as the elevator took them up the seven floors.
