VoodooMoon (12 page)

After leaving Sam’s office I walked quickly to the lift and waited for Ian to join me. I wasn’t as annoyed at being pulled in to work a case as I acted. I was actually a bit relieved. I hated mandatory leave time. Although I enjoyed spending time with my family, more than a day off and I became cranky. I hated having nothing to do. I tried to make myself useful around the pub, but I got in the way more oft than not. The only thing that kept me from being bored completely to tears had been spending the evenings reminiscing and drinking with Jarrett. But sitting around getting drunk and whining over old times wasn’t really either of our styles and somewhere near dawn this morning we had decided that we would take a trip out into the outer zone tonight just to see if we could get a little action.

Thankfully Sam had scryed this morning, and although I had a bit of an ale induced headache, I was glad to be doing something productive, even if I wasn’t happy about the circumstances.

I don’t know what drove Jarrett to go skulking around the Blade offices this morning after I stumbled drunkenly to bed, but I was grateful he had. It didn’t matter that I understood why Sam had sent agents to question my family after I left, I still didn’t like it one bit. At least I knew Jarrett would watch out for them and not let anything they said be misconstrued. I also knew his presence would at least put Pinky and Anya more at ease. River had only met him once, last night, so I wasn’t sure if it would make a difference or not for her.

I had the feeling that once he awoke this evening, Jarrett would be thanking me for suggesting Sam pull him off of leave to be on the stakeout detail. The poor guy would have gone crazy with two weeks of leave time and nothing to do but sit around and think. Hardly ever a good thing for Vampires, or Blades. Never a good thing for Kukri.

I tapped my foot as Ian strolled up the hall at a slow, leisurely pace. It was as if the man’s favorite past time was infuriating me. Okay, so maybe I deserved it for that dilly-dallying remark, but I’d be damned if I’d let him win. I reached up and grabbed the gate handle and the instant he stepped inside the lift I slammed the gate down, barely missing his foot.

I pressed the crystal into the hole for the first floor and leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over my chest as the lift slowly descended.

“Bought a horse yet?” I asked, snidely.

“No, and I doubt I will. But I know my rickshaw won’t do very well on the road out to New Nashville, so I will borrow a horse from the stables, like I usually do,” he said, way to reasonably.

“Fine,” I said, a little irritated that he robbed me of the chance to make a dig about the impracticality of his vehicles.

The lift came to a shuddering stop and Ian lifted the gate before I could reach for it, irritating me just a little more, though I couldn’t say why. “I have a stop to make before I go to the stables.”

I turned and walked across the main entrance area and into the maze of halls and offices that made up the first floor of the Black Blade Guard Headquarters. While all of the agent offices were on upper floors that were accessible only to authorized personnel, departments that dealt with the public or the Blades Training Academy on a regular basis kept offices or reception areas on the main floor.

I expected Ian to go on down to the stables to get his horse, but I felt him behind me when I reached the door I was looking for. I ignored his presence and knocked twice before opening the door and stepping in, Ian on my heels.

The office was a large room filled with three large work tables covered with crystals of varying shapes and sizes. A woman with short silver white hair and kind gray eyes sat at a large desk in the corner peering at a crystal through a large magnifying glass.

“Hey, Leesa,” I said, cheerily.

She looked up from her work. “Fiona! Oh, I’m so glad you stopped by. I wanted to thank you for sending over Millie.”

She stood and came around the desk, then stopped when she noticed Ian. My gut twisted with a sharp pang of emotion that I refused to name jealousy as her gray eyes slid over him in obvious appreciation.

“Hello,” she purred, obviously not concerned with the fact that she was old enough to be his mother.

I waved my hand absently at him. “Leesa, this is Ian Barroes. Ian, Leesa Parks.”

“Ahh, yes. The celebrated head of the Blade chargers. I’ve heard many wonderful things about you. Very nice to meet you,” he said, pouring on the charm as he extended his hand to the blushing woman.

“So, Millie came by already?” I said, breaking up the exchange between the two.

Leesa dropped Ian’s hand, which I think she’d held just a bit too long, and looked at me. “Oh, yes. She is here, now actually. She is with Drew in the store room learning how to log the inventory.”

“Oh. I was actually coming by to tell you about her. I knew there would be a test coming up, but I didn’t think she would get her results back so fast.”

“She came by three days ago, I think right after speaking to you. She takes her mage-level test until tomorrow. But, since you sent her over and she was so eager to show me her skills I gave her a mini-test of my own.” Leesa walked back to her desk and sat on the corner. “Millie is very talented, Fiona. Though her actual skill is low, due to sub-standard training, she has a natural affinity for working energy into crystals that I haven’t seen in a long time. I have a feeling her power level is going to be off the charts.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I was genuinely happy to hear Millie was doing well. “That is great. So, she is working here?”

“With the raw talent she has, she should have been apprenticed two years ago. But there is nothing we can do about that now. She will be apprenticing here, at least until her test results are back. I am going to try to talk her into applying to the Academy. If her scores are what I think they will be, there won’t be a problem getting her schooling paid for through the Charger’s Guild, if she agrees to a two year work service contract when she graduates.”

Guard and Blade candidates go to the Academy of Science and Magic, as well as Guard Training Academy for their training for free if they sign a four year service contract that requires them to work for the Guard or Blades one year for each of their training years. Other organizations and Guilds like the Chargers Guild and the Med-Mage guild offer similar two year service-contracts to mages who have apprenticed with a Guild member for two years.

“That’s great.” I told her, sincerely. “When I sent her to you I thought you might be able to help her find a job or apprenticeship. I never imagined you’d put her to work here. Thank you. I hope it works out.”

“No need to thank me. I’m glad you sent her. Like I said, she is very talented and very eager to work. I think the arrangement will benefit us all, and I’ll do what I can to help her get on a path to reach her full potential.” Leesa said.

“If you have any problems, let me know and I’ll see what I can do to help,” I said, turning towards the door to go.

“Will do,” Leesa told me in a matter of fact tone. Then she turned to Ian and her tone was flirty again. “You stop by any time.”

Ian gave her a charming, awe-shucks grin that I wanted to slap off his face, but thankfully stayed silent as we walked out the door.

Irritated, I started back down the hall, Ian on my heels. The problem was I wasn’t so much mad at him as I was aggravated at myself. I had never felt jealousy about anyone, ever. I didn’t like it. I doubly didn’t like feeling this way about Ian Barroes. There was nothing between us. But that wasn’t true, there had been a kiss. And oh, what a kiss.

Just as my brain started turning to mush and sliding down memory lane to think about what it had been like to have Ian’s arms around me, his mouth on mine, a loud squeal sounded, jerking me back to reality. I turned and saw Millie Linton coming down an adjoining hallway at a fast clip. I was genuinely glad to see the girl, and not just because she saved me from my own musings.

“Mr. Barroes and Miss, um, sorry, Fiona! I’m so glad to see you.” She said when she arrived in front of us, slightly out of breath. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever get to see either of you again and I really wanted to thank you.”

“I’m glad to see you, too, Millie. But, you don’t have anything to thank us for,” I told her.

“Oh, yes, I do! Because of you I’m going to be able to take my test tomorrow, and I have an apprenticeship here at the Black Blades Headquarters. I’m apprentice to the head charger and I’m making three times as much as crabby old Mr. Fegley paid me.”

When she stopped to take a breath, Ian said, “That’s wonderful, Millie. But, you earned this job on your own. From what I understand, you are a very talented young woman.”

Millie’s face flooded with bright red and she stared at Ian with hero worship in her eyes. I wondered if he knew just how much those few simple words probably meant to the young girl, then I saw the red creeping up his own neck and realized he did.

Ian said something to Millie and she responded, but I didn’t hear what they were saying. I was too intent on watching them. The way she giggled and he smiled at her in an indulgent, big brotherly way. She was chattering away and he looked at her intently, obviously listening to every word. He may not have known how to deal with her exuberant hug a few days ago, but it was apparent he had no problem chatting with an excited teen girl. He even looked like he was enjoying the conversation.

I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me, considering the man had chosen to be a professor at the Academy when he could be doing any number of other things with his money and power. I had always thought it was because he liked feeling superior to everyone else. That he liked knowing more than others and doling out the information as it suited him and making those who didn’t measure up to his intellectual standards feel inferior. But, what if that wasn’t the case at all? Perhaps he enjoyed being around kids, and maybe, just maybe, he was a professor because he wanted to help kids gain the knowledge they needed to pull themselves out of the ruts society had put them into.

A pang of something I couldn’t quite name slammed into my gut. For the first time ever, I looked at Ian and didn’t see a Necromancer or a stuffy academic, but a man who seemed to truly care about people. But just because he was nice to one young girl didn’t mean anything. Did it? No, I decided, as I pulled myself together. Being nice to one kid, especially one as sweet as Millie, didn’t make him a saint, but maybe he wasn’t quite as inhuman as I thought.

“That would be so awesome!” Millie squealed, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Agent Fiona, do you teach at the Academy, too?”

“Um, I’m sorry. My mind wandered for a moment. What was that?”

“That’s okay,” Millie said, unperturbed. “You probably have an important case on your mind. I was just asking if you teach at the Academy, too. Mr. Barroes said that if I were to go to the Academy I would take some of his classes.”

“No, I don’t teach, but it is great that you are thinking about attending,” I told her.

“Well, I don’t know if I will be able to. Maybe if my test scores are high enough and I can get a work contract with the Chargers’ Guild.”

“I bet none of that will be a problem for you. Will you keep me informed? Leesa knows how to contact me.”

“Oh, yes, I will. But, I better get back now. I have some crystals to polish and I’ve been away too long already.” She darted down the hall before either Ian or I could reply.

Ian laughed, “I wonder, Fiona, did you have that kind of exuberance when you were her age? Or were you born moody?”

No way was I going to take that obvious bait. Ignoring him I strode down the hall toward the stables.

****

I glanced at over at Ian. He stared straight ahead as his horse navigated the winding road.

His obvious jealousy when I’d suggested Jarrett join the team both galled and amused me. Jarrett was the last man Ian needed to be jealous of. There was nothing between us but a deep friendship forged by saving each other’s lives. I checked myself. No, Ian had no reason to be jealous of Jarrett because he had no right to be jealous of anyone. He might act as if one kiss meant he owned me, but he was sadly mistaken.

So was Sam. I couldn’t deny my sexual attraction to Ian, but it wasn’t on the level Sam seemed to think. If hadn’t been for the fact that he’d been right about us being unprofessional by bickering, and the fact that I started it, I would have told him so. There was nothing between Ian and me. One kiss. That’s all. It meant nothing. The man was idiotic, arrogant, sexy, delicious… My thoughts veered off track as my mind went back three nights ago and the memory of his lips on mine came slamming back. My blood warmed and my skin tingled.

I shook my head. “No.” I wasn’t dealing with this right now. I had a job to do.

“No, what?” Ian asked.

Crap! Had I said that out loud? I scrambled to come up with something. Come on, Fiona, think!

“Oh, um, nothing. I was talking to Mal.” I said quickly.

Mal snorted and shook his head, as if to let Ian know I was lying.

“Stop that.” I told him mentally. “Behave and I’ll bring you some of River’s carrots tonight.”

He snorted one more time, then quieted.

“Sorry, he tends to get cranky when he has been stuck in the stables for a few days.” I said in effort to cover.

Ian grinned. “You two have a unique relationship.”

“We’re partners,” I said, knowing Ian had not been referring to the fact that Mal and I could communicate, but rather to the manner in which we did. While it took a mage with some level of animus power to communicate with most animals, horses and dogs are very open to communication with humans. Even the lowest level mages, and even many norms could talk to them if they took the effort to try. Not many did.

“It seems like it’s a bit more than that. I’ve never seen anyone who didn’t have animus powers interact with their horse quite as much as you do,” Ian said.

Mal snorted.

I laughed. “I suppose our relationship is a little unique. Mal is a pretty special.”

“He’s powerful? What? Why are you so shocked?”

Mal, was indeed, powerful. He had a very strong shield that could deflect both magic and physical objects. If I were riding him, or touching him in any way when he activated the shield, it covered me as well. He could also, in very short bursts, run at unimaginable speeds. Both abilities had gotten us out of quite a few tight spots in the past.

“It’s just that most people who don’t work with animals or have pets or have animus powers don’t know or realize that a lot of animals can use magic in some way.” I said, trying not to sound as shocked as I apparently looked.

“Well, I do happen to be a professor at the Academy of Science and Magic,” he said, flashing his most charming grin.

“Yes, a professor of Necromancy,” I shot back, with perhaps a little disdain as I said the last word that I couldn’t seem to hold in.

The grin disappeared and his voice was much cooler. “One of these days, Fiona, you are going to realize there is much more to me than being a necromancer. I do teach a class on the history of magic, which it happens, is a particular interest of mine. My greatest joy as a child was reading. I was lucky enough to have many books at my disposal, but they were mostly volumes of old Paranorm Council approved texts on the history and various types of magic and dated back before the Cataclysm. It became a hobby of sorts for me.”

I’m not sure why, but I instantly felt ashamed of myself. Though I could have made a crack about his rich, privileged upbringing when most kids weren’t even taught to read, but it would have been unfair and a little hypocritical. It was true that children from poor families didn’t get tutors hired for them. And though there were many day schools where families grouped together to pay a teacher for their children, the poorest of families couldn’t afford even that.

My family had been one of those. However, my sisters and I had been lucky in our own way. While city officials and Academy students had access to the City Archives and parts of the library, the library was actually privately owned. Before the Cataclysm Carly Corsini, a vampire, had worked the evening shift at the city’s public library. When the city government shut down and riots began in the streets she and her husband boarded up the library and lived inside to protect the books. Thanks to them a lot of history had been saved from loss. When the Reconstruction began they took formal ownership under the homesteading laws that were passed by the Senate.

Pinky was friends with the Corsinis, as he was with many of the vampires that had lived in Nash City through the Cataclysm. Carly helped Pinky teach us to read and Anya, River and I had been able spend as much time as we wanted in the library. While I hadn’t loved it as much as River, I had spent many a winter day in the fiction room reading fantastical tales about life before the Cataclysm. I had been so fascinated because I’d never quite known what was made up and what might have been true to life at the time.

“I’m sorry, Ian. I…” I searched for what else to say. He was right, I’d been unfair to him in assuming his entire life and being was and always had been consumed by being a necromancer.

Luckily we went around a bend in the road right then and New Nashville was spread out before us. I was saved from having to continue.

“The Purcell’s live on Hollow Lane which is the second left off the main street.” Ian said, obviously dismissing my feeble attempt at an apology.

It didn’t matter how many times I came here, New Nashville always seemed like a foreign land to me. Although the town was walled, you couldn’t actually see the walls. Once you went through the southwestern city gate out of Nash City you were technically in New Nashville, but a forest of trees a quarter of a mile wide grew between the outer wooden walls and the town itself. A narrow lane winded through the young forest and opened up onto the small town, situated on the edge of a large lake. The area had been a part of the city before the Cataclysm and there had been homes, buildings, roads and other structures. But this area was not shielded during the Cataclysm as Nash City had been. Many of the buildings were now underwater, in what was now Hollow Lake and the rest were destroyed in the Cataclysm or during the Reconstruction when the entire area had been cleaned out, new trees planted and a new community with new buildings was planned and built.

Every home and building in the town was constructed of wood and stone and less than fifty years old. New Nashville was, as far as I knew, the only completely new town in Appalachia that had been built from the ground up in the last two hundred years. The other small towns and farming communes dotted across the countryside sprang up in or around the ruins of other small towns and communities. What buildings could be salvaged and repurposed were. Those towns and communes had come into existence out of need. New Nashville had been planned more as a luxury, as a place for rich mages and norms to live. And that is exactly who lived in New Nashville. Though Nash City was the official capital of the city-state and the Senate was housed there, most of the Senators and many City Guards lived in New Nashville. The buildings were all one or two stories and only housed a single business or family. It had always seemed an extravagant waist of space and materials to me.

We rode the next few yards in silence then turned the horses onto Hollow Lane. I knew this road well, though I hadn’t been here since I was a child. As we passed the third house on the road, I let my gaze shift and took in the large two story house my grandparents still called home. It was neat and well kept, sitting several yards back off the road surrounded by flower and vegetable gardens that were, no doubt, tended by servants. A well kept rock driveway circled around the house to a barely visible stable that undoubtedly housed more than one horse. There likely was at least one crystal powered surrey despite my father’s family’s abhorrence for magic. The ability to afford a magic-engine powered vehicle was a mark of status among norms and paranorms alike. My grandparents were the type to take advantage of all of the conveniences provided by modern magic innovations while still looking down their nose at those who could do magic.

“Do you think that is the kidnapper’s lair?” Ian’s strong, slightly amused, voice broke into my thoughts.

“What?” I said, a little discombobulated.

“You were scowling at that house with such ferocity I thought maybe you had reason to believe it housed our kidnapper, or perhaps a hoard of thieves.” He didn’t even seem to try to keep the humor out of his voice. “Do you know who lives there?”

“No. Some random rich people, I assume,” I lied. “According to the address the Purcell house is the next one on the left.” I nudged Mal with my heel so he quickened his pace and got ahead of Ian.

The Purcell home was a large two level with stone siding. A wide covered porch wrapped around the entire first floor. The front yard was a maze of neatly tended flower beds. Once again the waste of space struck me as extravagant. Flowers are great, but the space would have been put to better use for growing vegetables, or herbs, or even fruit trees. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of appearance being more important than function.

We tied the horses to the porch rail at the front of the house and mounted the stone steps. The heavy wooden door swung open before we had crossed the porch and a man with close cropped pale blond hair and blue eyes. He wasn’t especially tall at a couple of inches under six feet, but he was broad and muscular and the fabric of his gray City Guard uniform seemed barely able to contain him.

Inside I groaned long and loud and cursed Sam for not warning me, but outside I kept my face blank as we crossed the porch.

“Fee! They told me the Blades were sending one of their top agents to talk to the Purcells, I should have guessed it would be you.” He grinned wide, his blue eyes twinkling.

“Hello, Rangel.” I said, purposefully using his last name as was professional custom. My short-lived relationship last year with Marcus Rangel had been purely based on sex, which had been fabulous. It had ended after a couple of months when I left on a long term assignment. For a while we still got together when we were both alone and in need of recreation, but we hadn’t done that in over six months. Things had never been tense or awkward between us and we’d worked together several times since ending our trysts. Yet today, for the first time, I felt uncomfortable.

If Rangel noticed my coldness, he didn’t let on. He extended his hand to Ian. “Barroes, great to see you. I thought you retired from crime work.”

I felt Ian’s assessing gaze on me for an instant before he turned his full attention to Rangel and took the proffered hand. “For the most part I have, but I help out when Fee needs me.”

What? I hadn’t asked for his help, it had been the other way around. When Sam had called him to go down to the morgue he had requested me as his Blade liaison. And how dare he call me “Fee”? That arrogant jerk!

My mind was racing so fast coming up with a hundred different ways to tell him off that I almost missed the twitch of the side of his mouth. He was baiting me. Damn the man. I shot him my best death glare, which only made his mouth twitch even more.

Rangel seemed oblivious to our byplay. “I’m glad you are here. We need all the help we can get.”

“You are the GI in charge?” Ian asked, his tone neutral.

“Yep, though now that the Blades have taken over, I’m just here for extra help.”

Oh, just my luck. The tiny bit of hope I had been hanging on to that Rangel was just one of the Guards stationed at the Purcell home for protection fizzled and died. If he was the Guard Inspector in charge of this case it meant we would be dealing with him every day until Farah Purcell was found. From the glint in Ian’s eyes, he had caught on to my discomfort and would revel in torturing me with it. We needed to find the Purcell girl, fast. Both for her safety and my sanity.