I relaxed back in the couch. “Okay, good. What would be the objective of this group?”
“Self-regulation,” she said frankly. “And a kind of higher court system. A parliament. It did not escape my attention that I myself had very few options when it came to punishing Morgan, save actually killing her.”
“You want to start a penal system?”
“I want to start a conversation.”
I thought that over for a minute. “Would this conversation include the topic of who the hell sent a bunch of gunmen to collect Morgan Pellar this afternoon? And who’s been bankrolling her whole rebellion?”
Her face lit up a little, the way it did when she approved of something. “Indeed it would. I have an idea about that, but it bears further discussion.”
“So if you don’t want me in your parliament, what do you want from me?”
“Well,” she said slowly, “I think it would benefit from having its own . . . well, for lack of a better term—its own knight.”
“A knight?” I repeated.
“A paladin,” she continued. “A marshal, a—” She turned to Quinn. “What was that word, from the television? One riot . . .”
Quinn’s lips twitched. “A Texas Ranger.”
“We may need to work on the title,” I said, though I was dying to know what the hell TV show Maven had been watching.
“At the moment, this is all rather speculative, but if I can get the parliament up and running, you will still be my representative, but you will begin carrying out bigger assignments, like helping to recruit new members, or investigating crimes against the parliament.”
I glanced at Quinn. “For that I would need my investigator.”
“You’ll have him,” she promised. “When you need him. And a significant raise, of course.”
“All right then, I accept,” I said. “Under one condition.”
Maven looked a little surprised, but not put off. “What is it?”
I thought of Sashi, and Katia. “How does one go about starting a new witch clan?”
Acknowledgments
As wonderful as it was to return to Lex’s world with this book, I couldn’t have done it without plenty of help. Thank you to Jill Pope and her team at Cheyenne Trolley Tours for taking the time to answer all my ridiculous questions—and help me look for evidence of tunnels that may or may not (but probably do?) exist. If you’re interested in Wyoming history, Jill’s book Haunted Cheyenne has some great stories of local ghost sightings.
Thank you also to the nice folks at the Wyoming State Archives, who taught me how to search historical blueprints and put up with the machinations of my five-year-old “research assistant” for much longer than anyone should have to. A big thanks to my team at 47North: Adrienne, Angela, Sharon, and more. You’ve made this book so much better than I could ever have done alone. My gratitude also goes out to Elizabeth Kraft and Amelia Barr for the superb photo that graces this cover. I’m so lucky to have you on this.
Speaking of my team, thank you to Brieta Ventimiglia, who was a huge help with local knowledge and even went cave-exploring with me for research. I’m sorry it ended up being a distressing experience for some members of the party.
A final, special thank-you to all those who have been asking me for the next Boundary Magic book. Whenever I get stuck or lost in the writing process, I think of your continued support, and it’s the push I need to keep going. I hope you enjoy this adventure as much as Lex’s previous outings.
About the Author
Photo © 2017 Elizabeth Kraft
Melissa F. Olson is the author of numerous Old World novels and stories, as well as the novella Nightshades and its two sequels. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, two kids, two dogs, and two jittery chinchillas. Read more about her work and life at www.MelissaFOlson.com.
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