by WB McKay
Calling it a delicate situation was putting it lightly. It was a powder keg. I was fae, surely, but I was also a shifter. I took the easy out and avoided it. It wasn't my business after all.
Except now, there I was, standing at the wolves' gate. They were harboring elves. Perhaps they're friendly wolves.
The alpha certainly had a nice home. A huge step up from the space under the storage room at The Fuzzy Duck, that was for sure.
I walked past the gate along the fence line, careful to avoid the cactus. I wasn't sure what I was looking for until I found it at the base of a saguaro. Once I noticed the first scorch mark, I used the flashlight on my phone to find a dozen more.
Owen was still ten feet away when he smelled it. "Witch," he said.
"Too much damage to be just one. Do you see where the dust has been stirred up and blown on the cactus? Look at the neat lines; it doesn't look natural to me." I shook my finger at the marks. "I knew it! I knew those witches were not a coincidence! They attacked us because of the elves!"
"But why?"
"I don't know yet," I said. "But I'm going to figure it out! Ha! I knew it wasn't a damn coincidence. I told Hammond. I knew it!" I turned my shaking finger on Owen. "I knew the case wasn't over. I knew the witches weren't a coincidence. I knew this case was weird. I knew it!" I took a big breath and looked around at the scene. "How long ago do you think this happened?"
He went to work looking around the marks, trying to place them, but I answered my own question when I found a second scene another fifty feet down the way. It was a separate scene, and a much more recent one. I called FAB immediately.
"I need you to check FAB files and see if the wolves in Tucson have reported any issues with witches," I said.
"Morrigan?" they asked.
"Yeah, it's me. Did you hear what I said?"
"Hello there, it's Enid again, nice to speak with you, Morrigan. Why, yes, I'm doing well, thank you for asking. Yes, I'll be happy to get on that. When do you need that information."
"Now," I told her. "You're still answering the phone? Long shift. That's rough."
"I suppose," she said. "Can you hold for one moment please?"
"Do I really have a choice?"
"You could hang up," she said.
I knew it was snark, but I said, "Actually, that's good. Call me back when you know something," and I hung up and called Ava next. While the phone rang, I sought out Owen; he was across the drive walking the fence on the other side of the gate. I thought to go after him, to remind him to be careful, but decided against it. He knew that. I went in the opposite direction, looking for more information. The more I knew before I talked to the wolves, the better.
"Yes?" Ava answered.
"I guess you know what I'm doing and why I'm calling, right?"
"Contrary to what you seem to believe, I do have a life outside of your adventures."
"I didn't mean to imply--I mean, yeah, of course. I'm sorry. I was--just--I was trying to make a joke, because, you know--"
"Why did you make this phone call? Did you need something from me?"
"Well, yes, if you're not busy," I said, stumbling over my own tongue. "I'll make sure MOD pays you, of course. Sorry for the late night call."
"Sophie. Often, your behavior amuses me. We both know I get a tickle watching you navigate life's waters. I'm fond of your blustering--usually--but if you don't tell me what you need in the next ten seconds, I will end this call and block your number from contacting me until such a time as I would like to hear from you again. Ten. Nine."
"I'm in Tucson tracking down elves who stole a scepter," I told her, though I assumed she knew as much. I hadn't wanted to call and say those words to her earlier, not when it involved her parents. "They're hiding with werewolves. The outside of their property has evidence of an attack by witches."
"Three. Two," she continued counting while I explained.
"WolvesandwitchesinTucson. Doyouknowanything?"
"I don't know any ghosts in Arizona," she said. "But I'll ask around. I don't know how long this will take, you understand."
"Leave me a voicemail if you find anything," I said, and then quickly added, "please."
"I will do that," she said. "The next time we speak, you will cease to treat me like a victim. It has become intolerable."
"Right. Okay," I said. "You know, if you could tell me how to help you, I'd do it. I want to help you, is all. I feel bad. You know I don't see you as a victim though, right? That's not what I'm trying to do." The phone beeped in my ear. She'd hung up. "Excellent," I told the dark screen in my hand. Maybe I need to do some more googling about this being a good friend thing, I thought, and put the phone away for the time being.
I continued walking along the fence until I found the corner post. Owen's headlights were far enough away that the light was a pinprick in the distance. There was no telling how far back the property line went. If the wolves decided not to hand the elves over, finding them on the property and sneaking them away wouldn't be easy. Not on so much unknown land, and not with the wolves protecting them. I hoped the elves were irritating guests.
My phone rang, and while I didn't recognize the number, it wasn't too unusual for FAB to return a call with an unknown number, so I answered right away. "What do you have for me?"
"The powder of your bones once I finish grinding them with my teeth, crow!"
"Uhhhh, what now?"
"Our revenge will be endless if you don't make things right."
"This isn't Enid," I told them. "Unless you're using a deep voice machine thing? Is there an app for that?"
"Stop your games. You owe us reparations."
"For… rudeness?"
The voice on the other end roared at me. I pulled the phone from my face, and with that distance, I placed that roar. "Oh! The ogres!" They roared some more, but it died down. "Is this the owner of The Grinding Bones?"
"Yes."
"It was part of your prank war. I was barely a bystander in the whole thing. You can take it up with the harpies." I knew that wasn't going to fly. Sometimes I hated being right.
"You stole it, crow."
"Can't we both agree this is really your fault for not catching me on the way out?"
Oh boy, did that ogre roar. "We're going to get you, crow."
This was the part where it would have been smart to apologize and offer something in compensation for their loss. This was the time for politeness and eating crow. But I've never been in to cannibalism. "Bring it, Shrek." I hung up the phone while he was still raging on.
He called back a few times after that, never bothering to shield his number. Halfway back to the car, Enid's number popped up.
"Hello, Agent Morrigan."
"Yes, hello, how are you? Have you…" I tried to think of a polite question. "...eaten well today?"
"Um, yes," she said. "So there's no record of any recent issues. I made some calls to other departments, spoke to the MOD agent for the Arizona area and asked them to check in with a Tucson contact of theirs."
"I didn't ask you to do all that."
"And yet I did. The Tucson contact says she's heard rumors of problems between the wolves and witches. She knew enough to warn me never to speak to either group, but that's all she was able to tell me. If I had some more time I might be able to dig something else up. Not everyone answers their phone at this time of night."
"That's all the time I have," I told her. "I appreciate the effort you made. Good work."
"Oh, a compliment from Sophie Morrigan herself. Did that hurt? Are you feeling all right?"
"Of course it didn't hurt. What are you talking about?"
"Nevermind," said Enid. "Good luck out there, Agent Morrigan. Call me if need anything else."
I hung up the phone and shook my head. I wondered if she said everyone's name that much.
When I got back to the car, I was half surprised the wolves hadn't come out to investigate. An SUV with its headlights on had been sitting by its f
ront gate for at least twenty minutes. We were on the outskirts, I couldn't see their nearest neighbor, so I doubted they had much traffic in the middle of the day, let alone the night. Territory meant something to wolves. They knew we were there.
"What are you thinking?" asked Owen. "Are you cold?" The second part was sarcasm, I was pretty sure. It was warmer there at night than it had been at midafternoon back home.
"The wolves haven't chased us off," I said.
"Good sign, or bad?"
Now that I knew to look for it, I noticed a black mark at the base of the concrete post that held the intercom. It was old enough that I didn't scent the magic I knew must have caused it. I tapped my fingers over the top of the post, kicked the burn mark, and squinted at the drive beyond the gate. It was a long driveway. The house was large, but unlit. If the occupants were human, I'd assume they were asleep. "I suppose we're going to find out," I finally said. "Do you think it's more polite to push the intercom button, or call at this point?" I didn't really care about the politeness of it all. If I pushed the button, I was telling them I was at the gate, which they must have already known. If I called, I had the opportunity to see if they would pretend not to know. I hated those games, but the more information, the better.
But what information did it tell them about me?
"I'm not sure what's more polite," he said. "I could tell you what my parents would think was more polite, but I bet the wolves have their own ideas."
"Right, right," I said. "This is why I prefer normal jobs. Retrieve an object, tell the people involved how it's going to be, end of story. No need to worry about angering an entire people."
"Oh, come on," said Owen. "There are things you don't like, sure, but you like how exciting this case is. Admit it."
"I will do no such thing."
"You forget I was just witness to your little 'I knew it!' dance. You aren't fooling me."
"Hmph."
"Translation: you're right, Owen. You know me so well."
"Hmph," I repeated. "Maybe you know some things."
I shook my head at his proud smile.
The bright light of my phone screen hurt my eyes. I waited for my eyes to adjust without touching anything. I had a feeling the smart agent thing to do was call and see what they'd do, but the knot in my gut made me push the button for the intercom.
"Hello?" I said. This was the part where I announced myself as an agent of the government and asked for a moment of their time, polite but firm, never apologizing. That was protocol for FAB agents talking to wolves: establish yourself as the authority in the situation. Remind them that they'll have to answer to the council if they fail to comply. The people who wrote those protocols never tested to see how they worked. I was of the opinion that a good agent followed her instincts. "My name is Sophie Morrigan. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour." I let go of the button and counted. I got to seventeen before someone replied.
"Sophie Morrigan. Who are you and what do you want?"
"I work for the M.O.D of FAB," I said. I had to stick to acronyms until I was face to face, in case of humans. "I would appreciate it if I could speak with you in person."
"And why should I let you in, faerie?"
Why should he let me in? Why should he… "Because you want to, obviously."
"I do not."
"Yes you do. If you didn't, you would have told me to go away from the beginning, wouldn't you? You would have come out here and run me off when I started walking around your property. Maybe you're curious, or maybe you have motivations I don't know about. But you definitely want to talk to me, so how about we get to it?"
He pushed the button just to let me hear his laugh while the gate opened.
"That worked," I said, both pleasantly surprised and… uneasy. "You could stay out here," I told Owen. "I shouldn't be long."
"Nope," he said. He went around the SUV and opened my door, his face resolved.
I didn't have time to argue with that face, and backup was a plus in this case, but I just thought that, well… "It was too easy, wasn't it?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "Maybe you're that good." I harrumphed at that. "Maybe he is curious. Or maybe he figures this is the fastest way to get rid of us. We don't have to go in if you don't want to."
"The scepter's here," I said, and that felt resoundingly true. I knew it. "Okay. What are we waiting for?"
And so we went into the wolf's den.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The elves didn't show themselves. I don't know why the possibility they might face me head on had ever occurred to me; they'd done nothing but run so far.
The werewolf opened his front door and gestured for us to sit on the sofa in his living room. We sunk in deep, like the cushions were made of quicksand. He sat across from us on a hard chair. The easier to jump up and eat you, my dear…
He hadn't spoken a word. Burly with a beard, he looked more like a bear than a wolf. Not that anyone would necessarily look at my human form and say crow. The way he studied Owen and I gave me the impression he wasn't so much trying to learn anything from looking us over as he was trying to unsettle me. As uneasy as I felt behind his gates, I'd been at the Kinneys' only hours before. He'd have to try harder than that.
"So," I said, "why are you letting the elves stay with you?"
"What are you?" he countered.
"I get asked that a lot. I don't answer most people, but I like you." I paused to smile. He laughed. "I'm fae, a crow shifter. The weird daughter of The Morrigan."
"The Morrigan," he repeated. "Who's that?"
I genuinely smiled at that. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to be asked that. She lives in Faerie. She's an Unseelie boogey monster."
He raised an eyebrow at that. "You're the boogey monster's daughter?" He looked to Owen for confirmation, but Owen was busy doing his best impression of a statue.
"Yep," I answered. "Your turn. Why are you protecting the elves?"
"I'm protecting them, am I? A moment ago I was merely letting them stay with us." He looked like he had me all figured out. Arms crossed over his chest, legs crossed, leaning back in his chair--he was done talking with me. No longer curious. Done.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean by that?" he countered, but not like he was genuinely asking. He thought he knew.
"I honestly don't know what you mean."
"Pfft."
I looked at Owen and back at the unnamed man before me. "Did an alpha werewolf just pfft at me?" Yes, he did. "You think I'm a liar. I'm not a liar. I'm one of the fae who can't lie."
"All fae can lie, you may do it differently, but all fae can lie."
"Fair enough." I tilted my head, thinking I understood him now. "You respect honesty. That works for me. I've been speaking plainly. I told you who I am without being cagey. I've made it clear I'm looking for the elves. I'm happy to be honest with you. Are you willing to be honest with me?"
He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, back in the conversation though he still looked suspicious. I struggled against the cushions to lean forward to, to let him know I, at least, was still in this. "The elves promised us payment for protection. That's all we need to know."
"So you are protecting them," I said. "I had a feeling."
His eyes widened at that. "You trust your feelings?"
"Sure I do. Wolves don't?"
"Wolves do, faeries don't."
"I would tell you that wolves are fae, but I guess you'd pfft at that."
He chuckled. "Okay, boogey monster."
"I didn't say I was the boogey monster."
"But you didn't say you weren't, either," he pointed out. "Are we done here?"
"Absolutely not," I said. "What are you protecting the elves from?"
"Anything that threatens them."
"Threatens their lives? Because I can assure you that I have no interest in harming them. In fact, I would like to take them into custody, where they would be protected. And befor
e you decline that offer, I think you should know that they are currently a danger to all of fae."
"We don't care about dangers to fae."
"I understand if you don't see yourself that way, but you are fae, and the danger applies to you as well. Respectfully, sir, do you know what they have stolen? I believe they've brought it onto your property, and that makes it a direct danger to you and yours. As I understand it--"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Respectfully." He spread his hands out in front of him. "We've accepted payment. We've made a deal with them. That means something to us."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a dirty lying fae, you can keep flinging those judgments at me all day, that's fine, because we have a real problem that deserves attention. Have you seen the scepter? It…" I stopped myself, suddenly aware that a glamour breaking scepter might be of interest to a wolf. What if he was one of the wolves who wanted to prove to a human that they could shift forms?
"It what, Miss Boogey Monster?"
"It's dangerous." I swallowed hard.
"There's that honesty you were talking about." He stood up. "We know all we need to know. I let you state your case. It's time for you to leave."
"I've offended you. I'm sorry. Please, don't let it dissuade you from doing the right thing. You said wolves listen to their guts. Don't you feel it? Doesn't something feel wrong about the story they've told you?" I was fishing. I was desperate. I remembered what Joanna had said, and decided it was my best bet. "Before they stole the scepter they were seen visiting the witches in Tucson."
He bared his teeth in a flash and stormed away to open the front door. I had no choice but to go through it. I pulled a card out of my pocket. It was crumpled up bad enough to be hard to read; I never handed them out. I was glad I had it now. "Call me when you change your mind."
