When Shay turned the corner, she didn’t see anything but windows and a few stray wrappers lying on the ground.
“Disappeared?”
She spun around, half-expecting the elf to show up behind her like Durand in DC, but there was no one. The tomb raider turned slowly as she sought evidence of a hidden door.
Something was wrong. Shay shook her head and turned back and forth again, this time counting as she moved her eyes.
1…2…3…Wait.
Her eyes moved too quickly on one side. She focused where she’d been looking, and after a few seconds and a blink there was a narrow door.
Fucking magic.
Shay narrowed her eyes as she stared at the nondescript door. It took all her concentration for her gaze not to slide away and ignore it.
Fucking hate that type of spell. I swear, Correk, if this thing ends up wiping my memory, I will find you and kick your Fixer ass.
Shay took a few deep breaths and marched straight toward the door. The more she let her thoughts stray, the harder it was to keep her gaze on the entrance, but finally she pulled it open and stepped inside.
Darkness reigned, and strange smells floated through the air, some acrid, others fruity or herbal. Floating orbs provided light near the tables and the bar.
Magical light. Magical defensive spell. Huh.
A light-colored wooden bar ran along the back of the room. A Light Elf bartender dressed in a black silk shirt, and tie stood behind the bar with a smile on his face. Shelves containing dozens of bottles were behind him. Most appeared to be Earth alcohol, but others were labeled in Oriceran languages or glowing concoctions that obviously hadn’t been distilled in Kentucky. A row of stoppered and differently-colored small glass bottles, most likely potions, were on the top shelf.
A few people glanced her way before returning to their conversations and drinks.
Definitely not your average sports bar.
Numerous elves sat in the bar, and a few dwarves huddled in a corner. One of the dwarves puffed on a long pipe, eyeing her for a moment.
A gnome sat at the bar pounding back an opaque green drink. Judging by the wands hanging from belts or peeking out of coats, most of the people who looked human were witches or wizards.
Two women with wings were at a table in a corner giggling over some video they were watching on a phone. Shay assumed they were Arpaks, but she’d never seen one up close.
Correk waved from a table in the center of the room. A wine glass sat in front of him.
At least he’s not drinking some weird glowing Oriceran thing.
Shay wasn’t happy that the Fixer had taken the least defensible seat in the entire room, but given the magical nature of the place, she doubted she had to worry about some rogue cartel survivor kicking in the door and shooting her in the back.
That would be kind of fun to see, but I’m not here for that.
The tomb raider slid into a seat with a grunt.
Been spending too much time around James. She snickered.
“Maybe next time you can give me a little more lead time for the meeting,” Shay suggested.
Correk shrugged. “I apologize. I don’t always have…a predictable schedule, so I meet with people when I can.” He offered her a faint pained smile.
“Whatever. I’m assuming it’s important. I’m guessing you didn’t call me out here to drink gnome grog.”
“Yes, and let me thank you for being on time, Miz Carson,” Correk told her. He took a sip of his wine. “That makes the rest of my night far less stressful. I’m glad you were able to find the place.”
“You didn’t tell me about the spell.”
“I did tell you to keep looking.”
“But you didn’t tell me about the spell to begin with.”
Correk’s eyes narrowed. “Consider it another test of your abilities. If you couldn’t find this place, you probably wouldn’t be worth working with.”
“Ouch. You still don’t think I have what it takes?”
“I think it didn’t hurt to check. We’re swimming together in mysterious waters. I need to be assured that you have a flexible mind.”
Shay rolled her eyes.
Correk put his wine glass down after taking another sip. “I’ve spent a long time dealing with dangerous magic and dangerous people. I’ve gained valuable allies along the way, such as Smite-Williams and Lei—” He sucked in a breath. “Other people, but I’m still deciding whether you’re a valuable ally or someone who’ll cause trouble because you know just enough to be dangerous.”
“Maybe I’m a dangerous ally.”
The elf chuckled. “Always a possibility, but I trust you’re satisfied with how I’ve tested you.”
“Maybe I’ll test you next time.”
Correk smirked. “Trust me, I can make it through the As Seen on TV aisle without trouble.”
Shay blinked, not following the elf’s logic but decided to let it drop. She wasn’t there to trade jokes anyway. “So, what’s the deal with this place? Some secret magic bar? I don’t get it. It’s not like Oricerans can’t drink in human bars.”
“Sure, but human bars are filled with humans.”
“That they are.” Shay pointed to herself. “I’m human, you know.”
“Let me be very clear. I’m not anti-human, it’s just that the bulk of humanity is still coming to terms with the full return of magic, and that can cause complications in my duties as the Fixer.” Correk gestured around the bar. “As for this place, in addition to the spells the owners put on the bar, I know I can use certain spells here without a problem. I wanted to make sure that no other humans overheard our conversation. As you’ve noted, you’re human, but you already are deep into the investigation. I’m more concerned about the government people looking into this matter. I don’t trust them, and I’ve had bad experiences with human governments before when it comes to sensitive matters.”
Shay snorted. “Not like most humans trust our governments either. You don’t have to convince
