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“The one that backed a wizard coup, and attempted to take out the fae empress back when she had just been made Queen of the Night Court?” Charon asked.
“Yes. The poorly manufactured artifacts fit their style,” I said. “Though I don’t fully understand why they’re attempting a similar scheme a second time.”
“They’re not selling them, just planting them,” Aristide pointed out, turning to speak in my general direction when Ker led him past me. “Maybe the first ring was a practice run that they learned on.”
“Possibly,” I said. “They’re certainly scaling up. We can be certain the monster released was a shadow creature, forged by elf magic.”
I knew the type well. I’d forbidden my people from using it.
Early in the summer two idiot juvenile elves had made several of the monsters, but I’d found them shortly after the attempt.
“Shadow magic isn’t something that can be hidden,” Charon said. “Whoever made it can’t be from Calor Villa—they’d never be able to disguise it. So there must be elves working for the organization the Paragon is chasing, if not leading it.”
“Yes.” Aristide adjusted his hold on Ker’s guide dog harness. “So isn’t it a good thing the Curia Cloisters have been investing in greater magic-power, and the Midwest Regional Committee of Magic is the strongest in North America, if not the Northern Hemisphere? They should be able to deal with this shady group.”
“Yes,” I agreed.
“Sowhy,” Aristide drawled, “are we out here, about to get rained on, for a situation that doesn’t even involve your people?!”
Thunder growled in the distance, underlining the vampire’s irritation.
“An elf from Calor Villa witnessed the event,” Charon said.
“Witnessed—she wasn’t even on the block.” Aristide turned in a circle as Ker guided him back toward Charon and I. “We could easily let this pass by. So. What are we doing out here?”
Raindrops started to spatter my jacket as I rubbed at the shackle on my wrist—it would be helpful to try to sense the magic in the area, but I was doing my best to block out all magic. I’d had to, ever since Chloe left.
“We’re here because I’m bored,” I announced.
“Bored?” Aristide squawked. “Bored?That’s your reasoning? Forget investing your time in meaningful projects, let’s just sit out here in the rain in the middle of the night like a bunch of creeps.”
“The night is your natural time of comfort,” I said. “I’m being thoughtful.”
“No—no, don’t try that one on me! If you were being thoughtful, you’d take a vacation,” Aristide said. “Like normal people do when they don’t have work looming over them. Maybe go to Hawaii, or Australia. It’s spring for them right now, isn’t it? We could go hug koalas or something instead of pretending to be a crime solving ragtag group of supernaturals.”
Charon narrowed his eyes. “His Majesty isnotragtag.”
I rubbed my ears, only half listening. As if it had sensed my attitude toward it, the wild magic in the area was starting to stir.
“Whatever, we could have still taken a vacation instead of…whatever this is.” Aristide yanked up the hood of his rain jacket. “But if you insist on adding more make-work projects to your already towering and unhealthy number of responsibilities, might I suggest a pet—we at least have positive proof they have an impact on you.”
I eyed my longtime friend.Is he attempting to ascertain if I’m wounded by Chloe’s exit? Surely he can’t think I’m that delicate—it’s been months.
Ker whined and bounced next to Aristide.
Aristide’s nose twitched—likely with the scent of wet wolf as the light rain started to sink through Ker’s coat. “Yes, I know, a cat or dog wouldn’t work because of you. I was going to suggest he start with something easy—maybe a pet fish.”
“No pets,” I said.
“Not even a rabbit? How about a ferret?” Aristide asked.
I swung back to Charon. “Let’s stop by the clocktower before we head home.”
Charon glanced from me to the apartment building across the street. “Do you think it could be a potential target if these villains aren’t caught?”
I looked back at the apartment building and frowned. “No. You and Aristide successfully convinced the city that the clocktower investor is human, and the elves running businesses out of it do not publicize that they are supernaturals.”
My people generally pretended to be humans, unless cornered by another supernatural and asked why they had a glamour, then they would confess to being fae. It was a ruse we had practiced for centuries.
