magic smells…different.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
She was right.
The answers were worth my life. Five grand was measly compared to that. And technically, I had the money from a big job I’d done a few weeks ago.
“Fine. But I’ll pay it,” I said.
“Cash now,” Mordaca said.
I scowled. No way I carried that kind of money around.
Aidan pulled out his wallet. Of course he carried around that much cash. It wasn’t like anyone was going to mug the Origin.
He handed over a crisp stack of bills.
“Thanks,” I said to him. “I’ll pay you back.”
He glanced over, his expression making it clear how stupid he thought that idea was.
I scowled.
He totally wasn’t going to take the money. But Aerdeca opened her mouth to speak, and I pushed the concern away. I could deal with Aidan later.
“Aethelred is at his summer home, apparently,” Mordaca said.
“But he’s our friend,” Aerdeca said. “We’ll sell you a chance to talk to him, but we won’t sell him . We’ll blindfold you and take you to him. If he wants to see you, he will. And if you hurt him, you’re dead.”
“Dead in a really miserable manner.” Mordaca tapped her black claws on the bar, the threat clear.
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Well, he’s hiding for a reason.”
“Where is his summer home?” The back of my neck itched. Fiercely. That someone-is-watching feeling, but far worse. I shivered and glanced around, but saw no one. I turned back to Mordaca and Aerdeca, not wanting to miss a word.
But I couldn’t get over the feeling of someone watching.
“He lives in a tree?” I gazed at the enormous oak. Aerdeca had just removed my blindfold. A door and windows were carved into the trunk. Light glowed from the tiny window in the door. The branches and leaves above were green and vibrant. “Like those elves who make cookies?”
“I don’t make cookies!” a crotchety voice yelled from within. “And certainly not for you!”
“Moody,” I murmured to Aidan, who stood at my side.
Mordaca poked me in the back.
I scowled at her. But despite my joke, my heart raced. This was the man who had answers about my past. And who’d been hiding from me for some reason.
Aerdeca and Mordaca had been true to their word, blindfolding us and piling us into their little sports car, then driving about two hours. There hadn’t been enough space in Aerdeca’s tiny car, so Nix and Del had stayed behind.
From the size of these massive trees, we were in one of the woodland areas surrounding Magic’s Bend. Maybe near the coast. Glittering lights in the trees around us indicated pixies. We were in Wistman’s Wood, maybe, which was an old forest near the Oregon coast. It was haunted with pixies, hence its name, a derivative of Whistman, meaning one who has been pixie-led. We hadn’t seen any pixies so far, though, so maybe we were in one of the less well-known enchanted forests in Oregon.
“Can we come in, Aethelred?” I called.
He sighed so loudly that I could hear it through the door. “All right.”
The heavy wooden door creaked open slowly. Warm air gusted out, along with the very distinct smell of chocolate chip cookies.
My mouth watered.
“Really?” I asked the old man, whose long white beard reached nearly to his waist. “You don’t make cookies?”
“Sheer coincidence.” He huffed and adjusted his blue velour track suit.
Once again, he looked like Gandalf on his way to senior aerobics. This outfit was a slightly darker shade of blue than it had been last time, but I was noticing a theme.
He looked at Aerdeca and Mordaca, who stood to my left. “Will you come in?”
“No,” Mordaca said. “We’ve a colleague to see who lives on the other side of the hollow.”
Aerdeca looked at me. “Call us when you are done. We will come get you. We’ll see you later, Aethelred.”
“Yes. At Black Bingo.” He scowled at us.
He was huffier than he had been the last time we’d come to him for
I snapped my mouth shut.
She was right.
The answers were worth my life. Five grand was measly compared to that. And technically, I had the money from a big job I’d done a few weeks ago.
“Fine. But I’ll pay it,” I said.
“Cash now,” Mordaca said.
I scowled. No way I carried that kind of money around.
Aidan pulled out his wallet. Of course he carried around that much cash. It wasn’t like anyone was going to mug the Origin.
He handed over a crisp stack of bills.
“Thanks,” I said to him. “I’ll pay you back.”
He glanced over, his expression making it clear how stupid he thought that idea was.
I scowled.
He totally wasn’t going to take the money. But Aerdeca opened her mouth to speak, and I pushed the concern away. I could deal with Aidan later.
“Aethelred is at his summer home, apparently,” Mordaca said.
“But he’s our friend,” Aerdeca said. “We’ll sell you a chance to talk to him, but we won’t sell him . We’ll blindfold you and take you to him. If he wants to see you, he will. And if you hurt him, you’re dead.”
“Dead in a really miserable manner.” Mordaca tapped her black claws on the bar, the threat clear.
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“Well, he’s hiding for a reason.”
“Where is his summer home?” The back of my neck itched. Fiercely. That someone-is-watching feeling, but far worse. I shivered and glanced around, but saw no one. I turned back to Mordaca and Aerdeca, not wanting to miss a word.
But I couldn’t get over the feeling of someone watching.
“He lives in a tree?” I gazed at the enormous oak. Aerdeca had just removed my blindfold. A door and windows were carved into the trunk. Light glowed from the tiny window in the door. The branches and leaves above were green and vibrant. “Like those elves who make cookies?”
“I don’t make cookies!” a crotchety voice yelled from within. “And certainly not for you!”
“Moody,” I murmured to Aidan, who stood at my side.
Mordaca poked me in the back.
I scowled at her. But despite my joke, my heart raced. This was the man who had answers about my past. And who’d been hiding from me for some reason.
Aerdeca and Mordaca had been true to their word, blindfolding us and piling us into their little sports car, then driving about two hours. There hadn’t been enough space in Aerdeca’s tiny car, so Nix and Del had stayed behind.
From the size of these massive trees, we were in one of the woodland areas surrounding Magic’s Bend. Maybe near the coast. Glittering lights in the trees around us indicated pixies. We were in Wistman’s Wood, maybe, which was an old forest near the Oregon coast. It was haunted with pixies, hence its name, a derivative of Whistman, meaning one who has been pixie-led. We hadn’t seen any pixies so far, though, so maybe we were in one of the less well-known enchanted forests in Oregon.
“Can we come in, Aethelred?” I called.
He sighed so loudly that I could hear it through the door. “All right.”
The heavy wooden door creaked open slowly. Warm air gusted out, along with the very distinct smell of chocolate chip cookies.
My mouth watered.
“Really?” I asked the old man, whose long white beard reached nearly to his waist. “You don’t make cookies?”
“Sheer coincidence.” He huffed and adjusted his blue velour track suit.
Once again, he looked like Gandalf on his way to senior aerobics. This outfit was a slightly darker shade of blue than it had been last time, but I was noticing a theme.
He looked at Aerdeca and Mordaca, who stood to my left. “Will you come in?”
“No,” Mordaca said. “We’ve a colleague to see who lives on the other side of the hollow.”
Aerdeca looked at me. “Call us when you are done. We will come get you. We’ll see you later, Aethelred.”
“Yes. At Black Bingo.” He scowled at us.
He was huffier than he had been the last time we’d come to him for
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