Changeling Hunter

by Frank Hurt

  “And what? Are you friggin kidding me? Are you saying you never made your rounds?”

  Dennis shrugged. “I got to talkin’ with someone, and then when I realized my badge was missing, I assumed Ember swiped it from me.”

  Rodger frowned. “Why would you assume that?”

  “Because she…uh…she was giving me shit for talking with Amee. She came by right before I noticed my badge was missing.” Dennis shrugged again. He touched the belt holding up his khaki cargo pants. “I just figured she must’ve taken it.”

  “Dammit anyway, people.” Rodger tucked the Styrofoam cup beneath his chin and spit. “My two best officers and both of you dropped the ball. You’re just damn lucky that she found the badge before someone else did.”

  “Hey, Rodger, we never say anything about you coming in late every day,” Dennis pointed at his supervisor with his laminated name badge. “It’s an unwritten rule, we cover each other’s—”

  “For cryin’ out loud, you’re gonna turn this on me?” Rodger’s jowls shook and his face reddened. “That’s it, I’m writing you up, too. Both of you are getting written up. Don’t think this won’t come up when your performance reviews are due. One more word, and you can kiss your holiday bonuses goodbye.”

  Ember turned a hand up, raising her arm at the elbow. “Do you need me here for any of this?”

  Rodger’s tone softened by a degree. “No, Investigator Wright. I’m sorry you had to witness all…this.”

  “Oh, that’s quite alright, really. None of my business, yeah?”

  “Thank you for returning the badge. I apologize for the lack of professionalism you’re seeing.” Rodger sat the saliva-and-snuff filled cup down on his desk. “If it’s not asking too much, would you mind not mentioning this to anyone? I know you’ve got the Viceroy’s ear, what with you pursuing that Changeling Hunter and all. It’s just that it would make things uncomfortable if—”

  “Say no more,” Ember showed the man both of her palms. “As far as I’m concerned, this is an internal matter. These kinds of things happen, Rodger. No need to get the suits upstairs involved, yeah?”

  Rodger relaxed. “Yeah. You got it. Hey, listen, Investigator Wright…if there’s anything you ever need from me, you let me know, okay?”

  “Brilliant. I’ll keep that in mind. It was nice meeting you.” She nodded once at Rodger. When she glanced at Debra, she saw the woman’s head was facing her desk, but those tempered bronze eyes continued to watch Ember.

  “Smiley, see you around.” Ember raised her chin up at Dennis. The man continued scowling in silence and didn’t look at her.

  She called the car and was relieved when the doors promptly opened for her. She left the cramped office and exhaled once the elevator began moving. Ember patted the front pocket of her pants and felt the reassuring lump of the Leystone pin. That certainly could have gone worse. Why did Debra cover for me? Either that was one bloody impressive act of friendship, or she’s got ulterior motives.

  “You two can use my office if you want.” Stephanie Schmitt leaned out from a room off the main floor hallway. “I’ve been updating the boys’ accounts receivable all afternoon. I could use a break.”

  “That would be lovely, Stephanie. Cheers.” Ember pushed the chair back and stood next to the kitchen table. “Shall we, Doctor Rout?”

  “Bah,” Gloria looked away, waving a dismissive hand at her. “I just don’t understand why you insist on having us tucked away. Why can’t we just meet out here? I’m already sitting.”

  Ember clenched her jaw but kept her voice calm. “I have to discuss something with you, that’s all. It’s about a request you made of me.”

  “Huh? I made a request? Does this have to do with the soup last night? Muriel told you I complained about the soup, didn’t she? I told her it was too salty, and she told me that I was welcome to fix my own supper if her cooking wasn’t good enough. She’s another one, always with the drama.”

  “Soup? I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about, Dr. Rout.” Ember crossed her arms. “It might do you some good to treat your hosts a little better though, you know. They’ve gone out of their way to make you feel at home, as far as I can tell.”

  Gloria gripped the edge of the table and stood herself up. Her other hand fumbled with the cane and she began shuffling towards Stephanie’s home office. “I know, I know. She thinks I’m ungrateful. Heaven forbid the old woman expects any comforts from home, what with leaving everything I know to help these people.” Her neck remained stiff as she turned her torso to look back at Ember. “Well, are you coming or not? Are you waiting for a formal invitation?”

  Ember glared at the Healer from across the room. Stephanie shook her head and shrugged.

  “Stephanie, would you mind telling me where the Aedynar Artifact is, please?

  “Sure, Ember. It’s just downstairs.” The brunette changeling pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “Want me to fetch it?”

  “That would be brilliant, thank you.”

  The woman returned a minute later with the artifact. The Aedynar Artifact’s alien, oleaginous energy glowed so brightly it hurt Ember’s eyes. She squinted and accepted the cold, brass-colored object. Five spheres were molded seamlessly along one side of the hollow, leaf-shaped artifact. Her fingers tingled when she held the artifact and the air crackled with an energy only Ember’s ears could detect. Her tongue tasted of copper—like she’d been sucking on a dirty penny. She joined Gloria in the office, closing the door behind her.

  Gloria chose the office chair, sighing as she eased herself into it. She hooked her cane on the armrest and adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses. Cloudy, grey eyes peered through smudged lenses. “Now where’s the fire? All this cloak-and-dagger.”

  Ember wordlessly placed the heavy, compact artifact on a cleared space between paper invoices on the roll-down desk. The dark mahogany wood accepted the weight with a dull thud. She felt distinctly relieved to let go of the Aedynar Artifact. The dense object was a burden far exceeding its weight.

  She tucked her fingers into the front pocket of her pants and touched the Leystone pin. A surge of excited energy traveled across her skin, raising the small hairs on her forearm. She revealed the pin, placing it on the surface next to the artifact.

  Gloria licked her lips, then whistled. “I didn’t expect you to go through with it.”

  “What choice did I have?” Ember crossed her arms and frowned. “You told Anna you were out of options, that you’d done all you could.”

  The Healer nodded imperceptibly, her cloudy eyes fixed on the two objects. “I wasn’t exaggerating, you know. I’ve been trying everything I can to figure out a way to use this thing’s power, to unlock its energy.” She frowned, exaggerating her wrinkled features. “I have to…I have to tell you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t…oh, how can I say this?” Gloria touched the Leystone pin with a bony fingertip. “Oh my, this is a powerful one, isn’t it now? This is a much purer Leystone than what we usually get to use. I’m surprised they let you borrow it.”

  Ember pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. “You know they didn’t let me borrow it, Doctor.”

  “Oh? Then how did…how did you get it?” Gloria’s voice trembled.

  “I stole it,” Ember hissed. “I broke the law. I broke my oath to bring this to you. It’s an act of desperation, and it’s going to haunt me, but I can’t let you give up on these folk. You and I need to find a cure. I’ve done my part by bringing this to you. Now it’s time for you to do yours.”

  “Oh, I…I wouldn’t have wanted you to do that.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ember’s tone crescendoed. “Am I losing my mind here? You said you needed to bring the Aedynar Artifact to the Ley Line. I told you that wasn’t possible. So you said the only other option was to bring a Leystone to it. To here.”

  “I…I may have overstated things,” Gloria’s fingers ran over the zaffre pin
, as though she were petting it.

  “You’d better start explaining yourself, or I’m going to lose the plot.”

  “Now listen here,” Gloria scolded. She stopped stroking the Leystone to wag a finger at Ember. “I don’t like your tone, young lady.”

  “You’re going to like it a lot less if you don’t get to work and use this bloody Leystone to unlock this bloody artifact.”

  “That’s just it,” Gloria dropped her hand in her lap. “It’s no good.”

  “What?”

  “I might be able to pressure this artifact if it’s exposed to the Ley Line, or at least close enough to it. But an individual Leystone?” Gloria waved at the desk and dropped her hand limp at the wrist. “This artifact is stronger than any Leystone. Even a Leystone as strong as this one you brought. You’d need five or six of these, and then maybe, maybe that might be enough to overwhelm this thing’s mana.”

  “Bollocks! You told me you needed a Leystone, I brought you a Leystone. A strong Leystone at that.” Ember’s fingers curled into fists, which she placed on her hips. “Now you’re telling me you want me to smuggle out five or six more of these? Do you know what risks I took just to get one out of there?”

  “I didn’t expect you to do it. I thought you’d give in, let me bring this artifact to the Ley Line. I thought—”

  “You manipulative, old woman.” Ember bared her teeth. “Mum tried to warn me about you. You lied to me.”

  “I didn’t lie. Not exactly. I was being persuasive—”

  “Bloody hell.” Ember threw a hand up in the air. “I betrayed my oath to the Investigator’s Creed, all predicated on a lie.”

  “What do you want me to say? That I’m sorry?” Gloria’s face pinched with frustration. She looked up at Ember. “I’m sorry. Okay?”

  “No. Not okay. Not even bloody close to okay.” Ember ran her fingers over her scalp. “Nothing about this is okay.” She plucked the deep blue pin from the desk, ignoring the surge of excited energy that flowed over her as the Leystone touched her skin. “Now I’ve got to figure out how I’m going to smuggle this back into the sub-basement of the embassy.”

  “While you’re at it, you could bring the Aedynar Artifact with you. I could try to—”

  “Oh, now you want me to smuggle you down there, too, while I’m at it?” She involuntarily snarled. “Why don’t I just sneak all ten of the Mandaree Incident scouts along with you? We could get pizza, make it a party. I’m sure nobody would notice.”

  Gloria waved dismissively at her. “There she is with the drama again.”

  29

  What Foolery Are You Pronouncing

  “No, you are holding your hands improperly. You must imagine that you are holding a large ball in your arm. Cradle it, instill mana within it and make it grow. Only then may you cast it to your protectorate.”

  Ember muttered, “I thought I was cradling the bloody ball.”

  Sand slid across aluminum foil whenever the ghost spoke. “It is the intention behind the words you use, the movements you make. It is not enough to posture, you must commit yourself, your mana to the action. You insisted that I teach you how to extend an Aura Shield upon others.”

  “I know. And I do need to learn that.”

  “Yet you seem distracted, Ember Wright.”

  “I suppose I am, Barnaby.” Ember combed her fingers through her hair. In the chilly evening air, her breath formed mist, made visible by the pale silver-blue glow of the ghost’s figure. “In truth, I just wanted to seek out your advice. I’m in a bit of a quandary.”

  “I see.” It was an ironic statement for an apparition with empty eye sockets.

  Ember chewed on her bottom lip. Confessing to a dead man should have been easy. She hugged herself, the sleeves of her black leather jacket sliding over each other. “I can’t believe I did it, Barnaby, but I broke my oath today.”

  “Your oath?”

  “The Investigator’s Creed.” She looked up at the star-filled sky. Here on the open plains without the light pollution of cities, the galaxy was visible to the naked eye. Or at least some tiny part of it.

  “That would be egregious. Explain.” The spirit’s tone was remarkably calm, nonjudgmental.

  “Remember how I told you about the Healer I was working with? The one who is attempting to unlock the Aedynar Artifact by using a Leystone?”

  “I remember.”

  “Well, I did as she asked. I stole a Leystone.”

  Barnaby held his transparent chin with one hand, while the other supported his elbow. “Did this Healer’s attempt prove fruitful?”

  “No. She wasn’t able to use the Leystone to unlock the artifact. In fact, it was all just a wasted effort.” Ember grit her teeth painfully as she remembered. “You’re missing the point, though. I stole a Leystone. I broke the law.”

  “Which law? What do you mean by ‘steal’?”

  “I mean I took a Leystone from the sub-basement of the embassy.” She stared at the glowing eye sockets. “That’s against Council Law.”

  “That is not against any law,” the gritty voice responded. “Certainly, you must sign for a borrowing. They are precious, rare after all. But you are recognized as an Associate Investigator. It is well within your rights to check a Leystone out for a time.”

  “Maybe in your time, but not anymore. We aren’t even allowed to use them in the spa without good reason. Leystone inventory is strictly monitored, and removal of one from the premises is never allowed.” Ember thought of the dark blue pin in the front pocket of her pants, and how it matched the one Higginbotham wore. “Though that rule doesn’t seem to apply to Director Higginbotham. The one I chose matches a tie pin he’s always wearing. It’s made of a Leystone more powerful than any other I’ve felt.”

  Barnaby canted his head. “There are different grades of Leystones, different qualities. This is known. The purer the Leystone, the more mana it can store, and the faster it recharges.”

  Ember flicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she interpreted his words. “So it’s a better battery.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Never mind.” She leaned against his headstone and gazed at the stars. “Since the Mandaree Incident scouts are being denied treatment for their injuries—”

  The ghost turned to watch her. “Why are they being denied treatment?”

  “I thought I explained that to you. No Healers have been able to find a cure for them, and so these changelings were turned away from the Magic City Spa—from the medical center located above the Ley Line. It’s because Higginbotham and whoever else he is working with are trying to crush the truth. They don’t want anyone to know that their actions—sending those changelings into the so-called toxic cloud to investigate an illicit new Ley Line—caused seemingly irreparable harm. Their actions weren’t sanctioned, at least not officially.”

  Barnaby shrugged. “If this is so, then these changelings must rile up their representatives on the Druw High Council. They have a legitimate grievance, and they will be heard by the changelings on the Council.”

  She squinted at the ghost. “Barnaby, there aren’t any changelings on the Council. There has never been. It’s the role of government bureaucrats to sit on the Council. All government bureaucrats are Malvern, ergo—"

  “Preposterous! It is the Druw High Council, is it not? It is intended to represent all Druws, not just Malverns. There have always been changelings sitting on the Council, for as long as there has been a Council.”

  “I’m not saying it makes sense, I’m just telling you how things are.” Ember sighed. “At least, how things are now, during my time.”

  “This is an injustice that must be corrected.” The ghost groomed his muttonchops whiskers with transparent fingers. “Regardless, I do not see how your action breaks the Investigator’s Creed.”

  “I’ve already told you: I effectively stole a Leystone. That’s against Council Law.”

  “Be that as it may be in your time, you do not serve th
e Council. You serve the Druwish people.”

  Ember shook her head. “Indirectly, sure. But the Investigator’s Creed specifically says ‘I will well and truly serve the Druw High Council.’ That’s pretty straightforward.”

  Barnaby stopped grooming. “What foolery are you pronouncing, Ember Wright? Nowhere in the Creed is the Council even mentioned. You are mistaken.”

  “You’re gonna have to translate that for me, Barnaby.”

  The ghost leaned forward. “Recite the Creed to me. All of it.”

  She cleared her throat and repeated the oath she made twelve years ago. “I, Ember Wright, do swear by the spirits of my ancestors that I will well and truly serve the Druw High Council and uphold The Council's Law in words and in deeds. I will do right to all manner of people after the laws and usages of The Council, without fear or favor, affection or ill will.”

  “No, no, no!” Barnaby’s voice lost its calm. The glow around his form intensified, and a stiff, frigid breeze swirled around him, picking up twigs and grass clippings in a whirlwind.

  “Easy! Hey!” Ember shielded her face from the debris. “What’s gotten into you?”

  The ghost at the center of the maelstrom growled. Twin eyes burned cobalt. His voice boomed, echoing within her skull. “That is not the Investigator’s Creed. You are citing an abomination. A perversion. A corruption. It is an insult to our shared lineage.”

  “Bloody hell, Barnaby!” Ember shouted, her voice all but lost in the wind. “Take it down a notch, would you? Use your indoor voice!”

  The whirlwind died, but the booming echo in her head continued. His voice was raw with emotion. “I do swear by the spirits of my ancestors that I will well and truly serve the Druwish people and uphold justice in words and in deeds. With our Supreme Inquisitor's enlightened guidance, I will do right to all manner of people, without fear or favor, affection or ill will.”

  Barnaby’s chest heaved, his hands forming fists at his sides. “This is the Investigator’s Creed. These are the sacred words we pledge. It has been this way since time immemorial.”