FORTY-TWO
By the time Layla returned to her cottage, she’d forgotten it was her birthday, but she was hit with a reminder when the lights flipped on, illuminating a square gift on the dining table. Her shoulders fell as she shuffled forward and plopped down in a chair. Then she fidgeted with the blue and green bow as Quin sat across from her.
For a while, they just stared at each other and the gift, taking in the trying events of the afternoon, but Layla eventually wiped away her tears and pulled the package closer. “Is this from you?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry I messed up what was a really good day.”
“Don’t do that to yourself, love. You had no way of knowing. And we can still turn it around. Open that. Then I’ll get you out of those burnt clothes and fix you dinner.”
She managed a small smile while untying the bow and lifting the lid off the box, which was lined with green velvet that cradled a silver chain. A thin, platinum ring was attached to one end, while the other led to a wrist cuff with a mirror polish that reflected her haggard face. One side of the bracelet was smooth, but the other was embedded with a blue gem boasting a starburst effect at its core and a tiny silver bead at its summit.
Layla freed the jewelry before pushing aside the box, and Quin leaned across the table, taking the cuff from her palm while pulling her hand closer. “The stone goes on the inside of your wrist.” He slipped the ring on her middle finger. Then he trailed the chain over her knuckles before clasping the bracelet. “After reading about people using blood charms to ward off evil, I had my dad hunt down a wizard who makes the shells.” He turned her palm up and touched the gem on her inner wrist, removing the tiny, silver bead, which capped a hole that burrowed into the starburst. “I want you to wear it when you run the gauntlet. The morning of your run, I’ll fill it with my blood, and we’ll set the spell together. Since this is my first foray into blood magic, I have no idea if it will work, but it’s supposed to activate against malevolence, so if any of your challengers fire a spell with immoral intentions, and you fail to block it, this should shield you, but it has to be aimed at the threat.” He replaced the bead then took her hand. “Don’t rely on it. Do everything in your power to block whatever they throw at you. This is just a way for me to be in there with you. A piece of me anyway. Hopefully it will protect you if you need it.”
She was crying again, and not just a few tears, so she summoned a tissue and buried her face in it. Once the flood ebbed, she cleaned herself up and pulled his knuckles into a kiss. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He rested his arms on the table while wrapping both hands around hers. “You’re going to beat it, Layla.”
She nodded, sending fresh tears down her cheeks, and he quickly dried them before retaking her hand. “You’re going to kick its ass, because you have everything good and pure on your side. Not just because you’re an angel, but because you understand what it means to be human. You’re fighting for people weaker than you, for our babies, for Travis and Phyllis, for me, and for people you don’t even know – the refugees, the hexless, the shopkeepers in Low-Tier. And you’re fighting for the earth that sustains all our beautifully flawed lives. You want to save it all, right down to the tiniest, scorched wildflower. When you enter the arena, your motivation to survive will be unrivalled, because it consists of every living species on this side of the veil. That kind of energy can’t be beat, especially when it’s being steered by an angel, so you will make it through this, and I’ll be waiting on the other side.”
“Five minutes,” she whispered, thumbing the gem on her bracelet.
“It will feel like a lifetime,” he conceded, “but I know you can do it.”
“Not without your support. Thank you for sticking with me.”
“Always, Layla. I may stumble, but I will never give up. Your path is my path. We’ll reach the end together.”
“Together.”
“That’s right.” He squeezed her hand before letting go. Then he removed her new jewelry and returned it to the box. “I’m going to seal this until it’s time to use it. If it’s damaged beforehand, the charm will be compromised.”
After carefully floating the package to a drawer in the desk, he summoned two cups of coffee and fixed hers just the way she liked it. “Who knows,” he added, “if it ends up saving your life, maybe my perception of blood magic will shift, and we can consider an exchange.”
She hid a spoiled smile behind a sip of Cinnia’s brew. “Really?”
“We’ll see, but don’t use that as an excuse to test the charm. I’d prefer you not need it, and it won’t activate unless your challengers are morally corrupt. If they’re just doing their jobs in a task you accepted, my blood will be useless.”
“I understand. It will be a last resort.”
“Exactly. Are you ready to get out of that outfit? I can have it repaired tomorrow.”
“Sure,” she agreed, but before they could rise, someone knocked on the doorjamb of their cottage.
Quin waved a hand, parting the curtain to Timber, who stayed outside as he glanced between them, shifting from foot to foot and rubbing his arm. “May I come in?”
Layla and Quin traded curious glances. Then he summoned another cup of coffee and pointed to an empty chair. “Sure.”
Timber entered and closed the curtain behind him, and though he accepted the seat and beverage, he didn’t relax. “That was quite something you did with the dome.”
Layla scanned his active aura. “It was something all right.”
“Do you think it’s because of your relation to Willa?”
She shrugged. “Do you have another theory?”
“No.”
Layla cleared her throat and tried to appear as non-threatening as possible. “The captain of the guards asked about you after you left.”
He jerked his head up and searched her eyes. “He did?”
“Yeah. He says you spent a lot of time in the Bijou Market the day of the theft and suspects you were scouting the gems for your accomplices.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Do you have a different reason for standing in that line so many times?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to share it with me?”
He considered his excuse then skirted the question. “Why didn’t the captain question me if I’m a person of interest?”
“He asked Drexel to do it for him. Maybe out of respect or to keep the peace.”
Timber glanced over his shoulder. “Did Drexel agree?”
“No.”
Timber sighed and rubbed his head, his gaze on his arm. “May I talk to you alone?”
“Me?” Layla asked.
“Yeah,” Timber confirmed.
Layla looked at Quin, who’d crossed his arms and dropped his gaze to the table, and she could tell it took a great deal of willpower for him to refrain from blurting an objection.
“It would serve no purpose,” she decided, returning her gaze to Timber. “I don’t keep secrets from him. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, so asking him to leave would create unnecessary stress with the exact same result. If you can’t trust him, you can’t trust me, because he’s the kind of person I aspire to be.”
Timber intently observed Quin’s face and aura. Then he shifted in his chair, faced Layla’s side of the table, and lowered his right forearm to his lap. His left hand shook as it poised over the bands, and the tremors got worse when he unwound the fabric and let it fall around his thigh.
Layla leaned on the corner of the table, lungs frozen in anticipation as she watched him reveal his arm. She didn’t know what to expect - something horrid or wonderful or mysterious. But there was nothing. Just an arm.
Her lungs deflated as she looked at Timber, who awaited her reaction. When she failed to give one, his forehead wrinkled. Then he moved his arm to the table. “What do you see?”
“Your arm,” she answered.
He glanced at Quin, who shrugged. “Same here.”
Timber’s chest fell, either out of relief or frustration. Then he retied the bands. “I didn’t steal those gems or work with someone to do it. I needed to see them because… because I’ve dreamt about them. See… I have these… visions. I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe it’s because I’m a nomad, but I’ve had them as long as I can remember, and the gems, they’re part of them. I needed to see them, and I knew where to find them. I had visons of the Bijou Market long before I met you. If I’d let you see my home, you would have found brochures for the expo. I planned to come here before you forced me to come. I don’t know what I expected to find, but I knew I needed to get a look at those gems. Then… then I saw them. Once was enough. I shouldn’t have gone back, but I thought… I thought maybe there was more, because there’s still so much I don’t understand.”
“More what?” Layla pressed, trying to unravel his ramblings. “Did Ava’s Eye give you visions?”
“No, but those in my head won’t stop. They come every night now. So confusing. I can’t sleep. I can barely eat, and I’m running out of time.”
“Time for what?”
“To figure it all out, but at the same time, I’m terrified of the truth. It means something. Something big, and I’m scared I’m not the right guy. But it’s… it’s on me to figure it out. I feel like the meaning of life will cease to exist if I don’t.”
“I’m still confused,” Layla confessed. “What’s wrong with your arm? What were we supposed to see?”
“You weren’t, though. Otherwise you would. Know what I’m saying?”
“Not really.”
Quin suddenly straightened, lifting his head as his eyes unfocused. Then his attention returned as he scooted out his chair and swiftly stood. “Setoras is here with a hundred guards.”
Layla and Timber shot to their feet. “What?” she blurted. “Why on earth would he need a hundred guards?”
Quin motioned for them to stay as he moved to the window that faced the cliff. “They’re here to search our rooms.”
“All of them?”
“Yes.”
“This is bullshit.”
Quin closed the distance between himself and Layla as Timber panicked. “I have to go. I can’t tell them what I told you. I can’t be questioned by them.”
He headed for the north facing window as Layla called after him. “Wait. We’ll protect you.”
He halted and looked back. “You can’t. Just let them search my cottage. There’s nothing to find.”
Without another word, he concealed himself while soaring through the curtained opening, and Layla’s nostrils flared as she looked at Quin. “Can this day get any worse?”
“Yes,” he confessed. “That’s why we’re going to let them search us. They’re anticipating our resistance, so we yield. We’ve done nothing wrong, and we’ll prove it.”
“Fine.”
But she was pissed and couldn’t hide her attitude as she and Quin gathered outside with their family and awaited the captain’s approach. He scanned the group while counting heads. Then he looked toward Diamond, who meekly landed on the bluff before passing a piece of paper to Setoras.
“You’re certain this is accurate?” he asked, skimming the page.
“To the best of my knowledge,” Diamond answered. Then she turned to Layla, her eyes pleading with her to understand. “It’s a diagram of the resort that shows who stays where. I had to give it to him. He has the council’s seal.”
“It’s okay,” Layla assured. “We have nothing to hide.”
“Speak for yourself,” Brietta joked. “I’m on my honeymoon. Do you know what they’ll find when they search our bedroom?”
Layla laughed as her cousin’s sunshine broke through the doom and gloom, but she quickly sobered when Setoras began assigning search parties to all the treehouses and cottages.
“I’ll take this one,” he insisted, heading for Layla’s, “give it a personal touch.”
“Would you like some backup?” one of his men asked, but the captain waved him on. “The man they call Timber isn’t here. Form a team and scour the property.”
“Yes, sir.”
Quin walked to Drexel and took the warrant. “What are they searching for? Stolen gems?”
Drexel pointed out a section of the order. “And proof she intentionally sabotaged the dome.”
“While I’m still in it?” she returned. “This is ridiculous.” She headed for her cottage, but was blocked at the open curtain by two guards.
“Let her in,” Setoras allowed. “If they planned to put up a fight, they would have already taken a stand.”
The guards stepped aside, and Layla stomped into the living room, followed by Quin and Drexel. Setoras wandered from one piece of furniture to another, scanning surfaces and shuffling things around, but he didn’t seem too intent on finding evidence.
“When did you decide to visit the barrier?” he asked.
Layla trailed behind him, putting things back in their proper place. “Officially? The day before yesterday. I decided to take today off and thought it would be a fun outing. I was wrong.”
He opened all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen, glanced in the washroom then spun in a circle. “Where’s the bedroom?”
Quin pointed toward the stairwell next to the fireplace, his attention still on the written orders, but when Layla tailed Setoras into the grotto, Quin stopped reading and followed.
The captain gave an impressed nod while observing the private swimming hole. Then he glanced toward the stairs while closing the curtain between the water and the bedroom. Quin narrowed his eyes while snagging Layla around the waist, and the two of them moved back as Drexel moved forward, closely tracking the official’s odd behavior.
“I had no idea Diamond’s resort held such treasures,” Setoras casually noted, but he’d halted his search and made meaningful eye contact with Drexel.
The next time the captain spoke, rambling on about the décor and location, Drexel turned toward Quin and whispered. “Keep your voices down and follow his lead.”
Quin’s aura flared as his muscles hardened. “Are we in danger?”
Drexel shook his head no and motioned for them to follow him to Setoras.
“Empty your satchel,” the captain demanded, but he gestured for Quin to stay put as he lowered his voice. “They’re out for you. I didn’t request these orders. They were put on my desk less than an hour after the incident with the dome. In my forty years of service, this has never happened. It’s an egregious abuse of power, and I can’t stop it. There is loyalty among my ranks, but I have reason to believe some of them are in the council’s pocket, and when I go back empty-handed, there’s a good chance I’ll be replaced. The council is justifying this by claiming your angel’s dangerous, and maybe she is. What she did today scared the shit out of everyone, including the council. But this isn’t how we do things around here. Their reactions aren’t adding up. Over the past few months, I’ve seen countless power grabs and underhanded dealings, far more than usual, among some dangerously high-profile citizens.”
He held up a finger and spoke at a natural volume. “Is this your only satchel?”
Quin played along. “Yeah.”
“Open your wardrobe.”
Quin pulled Layla with him as he did just that. Then they turned back to Setoras as he continued to whisper. “As soon as I realized Dark Guild members might be gathering in the city, I decided to form a coalition to find them. I’d hoped to establish surveillance on some of their suspected hideouts, so I sent the order to the council for approval. That was weeks ago. I asked about it tonight, and they claimed it stalled due to the list containing private residences. It didn’t. They’ve suddenly ruled that the lobby of The Spire is an extension of the guestrooms.”
Layla rolled her eyes as Drexel held out a hand. “Do you get it now?”
“Yeah,” Setoras confessed. “There’s a damn good chance the Dark Guild has infiltrated our system, and if I don’t play by their rules, I’m out.” He watched the stairwell as he dug a note from his cloak and passed it to Drexel. “That’s a list of hideouts I’d hoped to investigate. Maybe you’ll have better luck. If they force me out, I’ll join you. Until then, I’m going to try to make a difference from the inside.”
“Your honorable work will be remembered by the right people,” Drexel assured. “May the Heavens protect you while you protect your city.”
Setoras opened the curtain to the water. Then he crossed the room while returning to his normal volume. “Where’s Timber?”
“No idea,” Layla answered.
“I hope he didn’t run,” Setoras added. “It makes him look guilty.”
Layla took Quin’s satchel and tossed it on the bed. Then she followed the captain and commander upstairs. “Maybe he’s out getting a drink.”
“If he is, we’ll find him.”
“He didn’t steal those gems.”
“So you’ve said. All the same, I’d like to ask him.”
“We’ll let him know the next time we see him,” Drexel offered. “Are we done here?”
“As long as the other guesthouses are as clean as this one. Here, give my card to Timber and tell him I’m not such a bad guy.”
He handed a business card to Drexel, but when Layla peered at it, she found the name and number for a journalist. When Drexel flipped it over, they discovered a scrawled note.
If you back them into a corner, they will try to sway public opinion. Don’t let them.
Drexel tucked the card into his palm before slipping it into his pocket. Then everyone pretended to be put out and pissed off as they walked outside.
By the time the city guards cleared the property, Layla’s stomach objected its emptiness, but before she could escape the madness to eat, Drexel retrieved the card in his pocket. “Are you up for an interview?”
“Now?”
“The sooner we paint a pretty picture of you, the harder it will be for them to smear it.”
“No,” she refused. “I’m not going to call a journalist out of the blue and insist he write a puff piece on what a perfect angel I am.”
“You don’t have to call him. I will. And all you have to tell him is the truth. If he’s ethical, the article will be favorable.”
“No,” she snapped. “I’m already drawing more attention than I want. Why would I go looking for more? If the council tries to print something about me, and the journalist is ethical, he’ll contact me for a quote. Should that happen, I might decide to share my story. But today is my birthday, and I’m stressed and hungry and messy and I’m sick of dealing with this shit. Got it?” She was also tired and mad, which had her on the brink of tears.
“He gets it,” Quin answered, rotating her into a hug.
She floated up and wrapped herself around him like a monkey. “I’m so done with this day. Feed me then take me back to heaven.”
He tightened his hold as he rotated, carrying her away without hesitation. “Gladly.”