Yep.
I got thirty whole days to prepare.
The gauntlet focused on my ability to neutralize supernaturals common to Atlanta. To “win” I had to start at Point A and reach Point B with a pulse. Easy, right?
Lost limbs made you look like a newb, but they didn’t disqualify you. From what I could tell, not much counted as a no-no once you got inside the gauntlet. But with amputation spanning an entire page in the rule book, I had concerns. I could only imagine how many apprentices had lost body parts for the purpose of amusing the Grande Dame, who presided over the transference of power, and the other faction heads.
A chill skittered down my spine recalling the last spectacle the Grande Dame officiated on my behalf. The murder trial in Savannah kicked off by outing me as a dybbuk and a killer then ended with my disownment when my parents turned their backs on me.
Yeah.
I was super excited to be at her mercy again.
“Someone wants me to fail.” I twirled a finger. “Do they think wrecking my practice field will stop me?”
Do your job well, and you were bound to make enemies.
I did my job very well, and I had the enemies to prove it.
“No one who’s met you would think that, no.” He hesitated. “There’s also an additional complication.”
“Life was going smoothly there for about a minute, so I figured my boat was about to get rocked.”
“A woman named Sue Billiard arrived in the city today. I had Reece run a background check. She was the Potentate of Phoenix, but she stepped down after she got pregnant. With quintuplets. That was thirteen years ago.”
“Five babies at one time?” I crossed my legs in sympathy, even though I was sure quints were a one-way ticket to a C-section. “No wonder she quit her day job.”
“That’s not the best part.”
“What is the best part?” I read his expression. “There is no best part, is there?”
“Not even close.” He sucked on his teeth. “She wants her old job back. Here. In Atlanta.”
The wind got knocked out of my sails so fast I coughed until Bish hit me on the back.
“Why Atlanta?” I wheezed as my lungs inflated. “There must be other cities, ones without apprentices.”
Sue Billiard had massive lady balls to swagger into town at the last minute and attempt a coup.
And no, that was not a pun on her last name. Just a statement of fact.
“Her husband Sean is a selkie. She must think Lake Lanier would suit him as a swimming pool.”
The manmade lake was formed by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River, and it sat an hour northeast of Atlanta. It was the largest lake in the state. It was also the deadliest.
“A selkie,” I mused, “just what every cursed lake needs.”
The lake had earned its cursed title for its high number of fatalities, and the twenty cemeteries displaced during its creation. Underwater ghost towns, complete with roads, homes, and businesses left to the flood dotted the lake’s bottom. Farms too. Years ago, drought even exposed stadium seating for a racetrack that was ditched in favor of progress.
Nostalgia for the good ol’ days had me thinking I might share a few ghost stories with Grier, gauge her interest in expanding her business north for select nighttime ghost tours on dark water.
Haint Behavin’: The Pontoon Boat Edition.
Frak.
I was compartmentalizing again, shoving aside my fear in favor of whimsy.
But…a contender. For my title. For my city. For my future.
The full scope of this complication sucker-punched me, and I shut my eyes to stop the room spinning.
“I didn’t know this could happen,” I admitted, voice tight. “I thought it was me or no one.”
“This is a unique situation. She’s trained, she’s served, and she’s available. She can apply to any city with a vacancy.”
Hands balling at my sides, I growled, “Atlanta isn’t vacant.”
“Cities are most vulnerable during the days leading up to a vote.”
Atlanta’s paranormal communities had had a rough year, thanks to the witchborn fae crisis. I had to look at myself, my actions, and ask if I could have saved more lives or minimized the property damage. Had I done this to myself? Put the citizens in a position where another potentate—any other potentate—looked better than me?
Not enough. Not enough. Not enough.
Pressing mute on that familiar nagging mantra, I diverted my attention to forming a plan of action.
Beat Sue.
Simple.
Effective.
I liked it.
“I can’t believe she waited so long to announce her candidacy.”
“Her goal is to throw you off your stride,” Bishop warned. “You can’t let her get in your head.”
“Too late.” I thumped my skull on the wall. “She booked an extended stay in the paranoia suite.”
We hit the lobby, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go for a run or find a nice closet to scream in.
“This is the last thing I need right now.” I hated the whine in my voice. “The wedding is in six months.”
“The wedding, no offense, isn’t life or death.” He hit a button to shut the doors. “This final test can be.”
“She’s going to target me.” This painted a bull’s-eye between my shoulders. “I bet she’s got good aim.”
“The gauntlet is no holds barred, but she touches a hair on your head outside it, and she’s disqualified.” He sounded happy about that. “She’ll also be banned for life from applying to the position in any city. Same goes for you. That’s plenty of deterrent to keep you both honest.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Not that I worry about you minding your manners.”
“I’ve worked too hard for this to let someone steal it out from under me on a technicality. I would let her eat my liver, if she asked. I would even hand her a knife and fork. Maybe salt and pepper.”
“You
