Missing Magic (6 page)

A great sorrow filled him. “Do they ever
speak?”

“Not at all.” He heard echoes of his own
emotion in the Oracle’s rich voice. “I do not believe they can. If
they could, I would ask them who has done this to them, and
how.”

Galyeon shuffled away from him and rage
pushed away Cenrick’s sorrow. “I will stop this,” he vowed. “No
matter what it takes to do so.”

“What of you?” Eyes glowing from within the
shadows of her hood, the Oracle watched Dee.

Her inner struggle showed on her face. On the
one hand, she’d sworn to protect and serve. On the other, this was
Mick. They might to go up against her best friend and childhood
companion.

“You say this is some sort of illness?” she
asked. “Something that could be transmitted unknowingly?”

“That is one possibility. But only one
scenario.”

Dee’s expression went blank. Cenrick guessed
she was puzzling out some of the others.

Finally she lifted her chin.

“
We
will stop this.” Moving to stand
beside him, Dee looked from him to the poor, empty Fae, her
expression resolute. “I can promise you that.”

“How?” By her one word, the Oracle seemed to
be throwing down a gauntlet.

Dee stepped forward and accepted it. “Because
I’m a cop. Protect and serve. That’s what I do.”

Cenrick didn’t bother pointing out Mick was
also a cop and, if he truly was behind this, he’d not only broken
his own vow, but condemned his soul to a thousand hells.

“Look!” Suddenly, Dee let out an awful gasp.
“That looks like Peter. No way, it can’t be him.” She hurried
across the room.

Cenrick followed, keeping close on her
heels.

Skirting the murky pool of water, she
threaded her way through unseeing, motionless Fae. When she reached
a tall, blond-haired man who stared, like many others, unseeingly
into the distance, she staggered and gave a low-voiced cry.
“Peter.” She grabbed his arm. “Peter, what’s happened to you?”

Of course, the one she named Peter gave no
response.

“How do you know him?” Cenrick studied the
man, not recognizing him.

Dee looked up, meeting his gaze. Shocked,
Cenrick saw her lovely eyes glistened with tears. “He is the man I
was to marry, until he broke off our engagement. This means he’s
Fae also, which means everyone I know has been lying. And now
this.” Her voice shook. “If Mick did this to him, I’ll…” Overcome,
she turned away.

Peter, meanwhile, shuffled away,
unknowing.

“I can’t believe this has been done to him.”
She sounded furious, and looked tortured. “To any of them.”

Respectfully, he waited while she composed
herself.

She turned, immediately looking for Peter,
finding him standing on the other side of the cave, facing the
stone wall. “Poor, poor Peter.”

Cenrick took her arm. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “Me too.”

“Do you still love him?”

“Not in that way,” she sighed. “But I still
care about him.”

“You didn’t know the man you planned to marry
was Fae?”

“I didn’t even know there
was
such a
thing until you came along.”

Another question for Mick. Why had so many
found it necessary to lie to her? Cenrick knew many Fae who had
relationships with humans, always with full disclosure.

He didn’t understand why Dee should be any
different.

"Why am I suddenly learning that I've been
surrounded by Fae?" she asked.

Good question. Cenrick watched the Oracle,
waiting to see if she would answer.

Instead, the Sorceress walked off, lost in
her own thoughts.

“We will stop whoever or whatever is doing
this.” Touching his arm, Dee sounded fierce.

“Yes, we will. And once we have, maybe Peter
will become himself once more.”

She nodded, no doubt hearing the words he
didn’t speak. She probably hoped once Peter had been restored to
his former self, he’d want her once more.

He wondered why the thought made his chest
feel so tight.

“Now, can we go?” Looking up at him, Dee
looked like a slender warrior ready to do battle.

“Now, we can go.” He took her hand. When she
leaned into his touch, even if ever so slightly, he knew she too
felt the need for comfort.

He couldn’t blame her. What had been done to
his people was the stuff of nightmares.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she answered, gripping his fingers
hard. “I want my gun back. It’d better be where we left it.”

They rejoined the Oracle, who’d remained on
the other side of the pool.

Without a word, the Oracle clapped her hands.
“Go,” she ordered.

And just like that, they went.

This time, millions of stars rushed past
them, and the wind roared before their feet touched solid
ground.

Back in the cricket-surrounded field, the
night seemed much the same.

Dee glanced first at the sky, then at her
watch. “You were right. It’s working again, though I’ll have to
reset it, once I find out the correct time.”

“Probably not. All the time we spent in Rune
was less than a heartbeat here.”

She looked doubtful, but didn’t argue.
Rubbing her hands together, she took note of the position of the
moon. “Maybe you’re right. That’s pretty cool.”

He smiled. “I know.”

She turned a slow circle. “Now to find my
pistol.”

Though he couldn’t touch the metal, he helped
her look.

Finally, they located the weapon in the tall
grass near where they’d been standing earlier. With a sound of
satisfaction, she scooped up the black revolver and inspected it
before slipping it back into her holster. When she’d finished, she
rubbed her hands together. “All right, then. Well, it was nice
meeting you.”

She began to walk away.

Stunned, he stared after her. Then, realizing
she meant to simply go her own way, he ran after her.

“Wait.”

Though she glanced at him, she continued
walking.

“Didn’t you hear the Oracle? We’ve got to
work together. I told you the truth, as you requested. You agreed
to help me.”

“Did I?” Stopping, she faced him, arms
crossed. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind.”

“You can’t.” How could he explain gut
instinct. Perhaps he could – she was a cop, after all. “I have a
feeling we can help each other. Help Mick and help my people.”

Her expression didn’t soften. “You want us to
become partners?”

“Exactly.”

Staring at him, her narrowed gaze gave
nothing away. Finally, she gave a small shrug. “Fine. But if we’re
going to work together, we’ve got to develop a plan.”

“I agree.” Letting out breath he hadn’t even
been aware he was holding, he nodded. “Any ideas?”

“I was on my way to visit Jack.”

“Jack?”

“Yes, Mick’s significant other. Though they
don’t live together, he and Mick are very close. If anyone can tell
us what’s going on with Mick, he can.”

He fell into step beside her. “Will he talk
to you?”

“Of course he’ll talk to me.” Her fierce
voice seemed at odds with the vulnerability in her eyes. “Jack
likes me. I’m Mick’s best friend.”

“
Were
. You
were
Mick’s best
friend.”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t toss
away my friendships that easily. He’s in some kind of trouble and,
though he won’t admit it, he needs me.”

He had to admire her loyalty. They’d reached
her car and she unlocked the doors, motioning him to get in.

Slipping on his gloves, Cenrick did.

Dee waited until he’d fastened his seat belt
before turning the key.

“Jack lives near downtown, in those new
condos they built off the river. Twenty minutes max by car.”

He settled back to enjoy the ride. “Maybe
he’ll have something new to tell us.”

WATCHING THE way Cenrick prepared to get into
her car made Dee curious. First he pulled on long, black gloves.
Then he adjusted his sleeves, making sure every inch of exposed
skin was covered. He checked his trousers, or leggings, whatever
they were, tugging them and tucking them into the top of his boots.
She couldn’t help but notice everything was made of cloth – he wore
no leather. Maybe he was allergic.

Finally, he settled in his seat and fastened
the seat belt.”

She turned the key, still watching him. “What
was all that? The gloves, the adjusting of your clothes,
everything?”

He looked a bit sheepish. “I can’t touch
steel, so I have to make sure I’m well-covered.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” She thought of Mick.
He’d had similar, elaborate rituals, making him the subject of a
lot of good-natured teasing over the years. “Mick used to do the
same, though I never knew the reason why.”

“One of the downsides to being Fae.” He
glanced at her, his dark eyes bright. “I’ve been working for years
trying to find a solution, some sort of antidote, without any luck.
Fae and steel are incompatible.”

“You know, I seem to remember reading
something about that once, somewhere. Must have been in some fairy
tale.” He grimaced. “Very funny.”

“Sorry.” But she wasn’t. Wisecracks were a
cop’s way of dealing with stressful situations. Finding out her
best friend had been lying to her all along simply added to her
frustration. Not that she’d let this Cenrick know that. The less he
knew about her, the better.

Biting her lip, she began backing from her
parking spot. If she focused on Cenrick, she didn’t have to think
too much about her own situation. “What about leather?”

He gave her a blank look. “What?”

“Leather. I noticed everything you wear
appears to be man-made. Even your shoes are cloth. Do you have
something against leather?”

“It’s made from cattle and we don’t wear
animal skin,” he said, as if that explained everything.

She thought about Mick, remembering his
extensive wardrobe. “I could swear Mick wore leather shoes.”

Cenrick shrugged. “Maybe they were
imitation.”

Forcing herself to relax, Dee concentrated on
the road. Driving felt good. Doing something, taking action. She
felt empowered being on the move again.

They stopped at her place. Pocketing the
keys, Dee left him in the car while she ran in and grabbed a pair
of Peter’s khakis and a t-shirt. She handed them to him through the
car window and turned her back to give him privacy while he
changed.

Try as she might, she couldn’t keep from
imagining him naked. All corded muscles and tanned skin, with his
long dark hair and bedroom eyes; he’d tempt a saint into hell.

Whatever else she was, when it came to sex,
she wasn’t a saint.

“All right,” he said. “I’m ready.”

She sucked in her breath when she saw him.
The t-shirt clung to his broad shoulders, accenting his narrow
waist. With regular clothes on, his masculine beauty seemed
otherworldly, more… Fae.

Damn.

She forced herself to remember what they were
doing, and why.

How would Jack react to her showing up
unannounced and uninvited? She hadn’t seen him in awhile, but
they’d always gotten along well. Though that had been before Mick
gave her the brush-off. Normally, she’d call first, sound him out,
but now she needed the element of surprise. She wanted answers,
especially since she’d seen what happened to those poor Fae who had
been Mick’s other friends.

Was Mick involved in what had been done to
them? Mick was too kind, too good-hearted to do something so
ruthless, so evil.

Bu then, Mick was also apparently an
accomplished liar. She’d thought she’d known him, believed they
were best friends. But not only had he pretended to be an orphan
like her, he’d also pretended to be human when he wasn’t. And, when
she needed him the most, he’d bailed.

She had to wonder – how much did Mick
know?

Cenrick fell silent while she drove, staring
out the window. After ten minutes, she realized it was a
comfortable silence, similar to the ones she’d enjoyed in the past,
riding around with Mick.
As though she and Cenrick too were old
friends
. Odd.

She sighed. Her connection to Cenrick was
most likely transference, her putting all her feelings for Mick on
to this stranger.

Downtown bustled. Even in the summer, the
trees were awash with twinkling lights. No matter the season,
Sundance Square always looked festive. Throngs of people crowded
the sidewalk, visiting the various bars and restaurants and movie
theaters.

Jack’s condominiums were part of the new,
upscale, downtown development along the river, a trendy place for
the upwardly mobile. She pulled into the covered parking garage,
took a ticket, and located a spot between a Mercedes and a BMW.

“Come on.” She waited for Cenrick, tapping
her foot impatiently. When he reached her side, she locked her car
and took off, adopting her normally brisk stride. Beside her, he
walked silently, as though his feet didn’t touch the ground. She
wished she could master that trick, walking without making any
sound.

The double glass doors sparkled. They pushed
them open and stepped onto the elegant carpet. Once inside the
building, they rode the elevator to the thirtieth floor, Cenrick
still silent. He’d pulled off his gloves and untucked his pants
from his boots. He looked relatively normal – except for his size
and unusual way of moving.

She pondered this for a moment. He moved like
a large, predatory animal, even though he was a big man. With him
at her side, she felt protected – like she had a bodyguard. She
wasn’t sure she liked feeling that way. An unsettling feeling for a
cop, certainly. But, strangely reassuring for a woman.

Once they reached Jack’s floor and walked
quietly down the patterned, carpeted hall, she pointed to number
3331. Even the doors in the building were elegant, with gleaming
brass fixtures and ornate, scrolled numbers. “There’s Jack’s place.
I’m going to ring the buzzer, alone. I want you stay out of sight
of the peephole.”