“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t sell you out.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t bother playing dumb. I already know you received a big deposit in your account the other day from a shell company owned by our mutual friend, the recently deceased Tío. This is why a scumbag like you should always do business in cash.” She winked and lowered her knife.
“You’re not going to kill me?” Carver rubbed his neck, his face a mask of surprise.
“Let’s just say I had a recent epiphany that makes me slightly less bloodthirsty. Plus now you fucking owe me, asshole, and if I ever end up dead, a nice little automated message will go to one James Brownstone about how you might be involved. Then you get to see what the Scourge of Harriken does to one single elf.”
His eyes widened. “Hey, that’s not fair.”
Shay shrugged. “Let’s just say it’s my way of keeping you honest. And don’t worry, if I ever die, James won’t kill only one person. Think about all the people he killed when his dog died. I think a country might disappear during his revenge over me.” She waved and sheathed the knife. “See you, Carver.”
She opened the door and stepped out, sparing one last glance for the pale elf. He dropped to his knees, his breathing heavy.
“I have to make sure you never die,” he mumbled.
Shay yawned as she stepped out of her car. It’d been a long night, and she’d gotten up far too early. Lily hopped out of the passenger’s seat. She’d stayed the night in the tunnels, but the tomb raider had suggested they train together in the morning at Warehouse One.
Lily wanted to anyway, even if Shay had an ulterior motive.
The girl took several steps, then stopped to blink at a waving Alison in the middle of Warehouse One. “Huh?”
“I’m Alison.”
Lily looked at Shay, and the tomb raider offered a shrug and a smirk.
“Um, I’m Lily. Nice to meet you.”
Shay cleared her throat. “Alison Brownstone, my boyfriend’s adopted daughter.”
The Gray Elf teen nodded quickly. “Yeah, I…kind of knew all that. It’s just weird to see her here.”
Alison laughed. “I knew Shay before you did, and I asked to meet you.”
Lily frowned. “Why? I don’t even know you.”
“That’s the problem. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you.”
“Not following.”
Alison shrugged. “Anyone Aunt Shay’s spending a lot of time around is a person worth getting to know. It means you’re worth spending time around. She doesn’t waste her time.” She offered a hand. “I know we’ve just met, but I’m sure we could be good friends.”
Lily swallowed, her cheeks reddening. “Oh, sure.” She shook her head. “Nothing against you, Alison, but like you said, you don’t know me. Maybe I’m not the good person you think I am. Maybe I’m not worth getting to know.”
Trying your cynical-girl-off-the-street routine, Lily. Trust me, I’ve tried that one on her.
Alison laughed.
Yeah, here it comes. One of them can see the future, and the other one can see souls.
“Shay hasn’t told you a lot about me, has she?” Alison asked. “About the kinds of things I can do.”
Lily shrugged. “Not really.”
“I see souls.”
“Huh?”
Alison grinned. “I can see the energy and souls. I can tell what people are feeling, if they’re lying, that sort of thing. I can see your soul, and it’s the beautiful soul of a good person. So you can tell me you’re a bad person if you want, but I won’t believe it.”
Shay snorted. “Don’t let her mess with your head too much, Lily. She does that kind of thing to James and me all the time; really gets into your head. Makes you question yourself.”
“Oh, Aunt Shay, don’t be that way.”
Lily laughed. “Aunt Shay? It’s so weird to hear her called that.”
“I’d prefer if she were my mom, but we’re still working up to that.”
Shay blinked several times, then laughed. “Don’t marry me off just yet, kid. I’m still young.”
“Just saying.”
The tomb raider clapped her hands. “Now that introductions are out of the way, why don’t we do what we all came here to do? Train.”
Lily and Alison nodded.
She pointed to the climbing wall that marked the beginning of her current basic obstacle course. She’d simplified some of the obstacles and their positions so Alison would have a better chance and excluded some of the difficult strength obstacles, but it was still a challenging course.
“Why don’t you two see who’s better?” Shay suggested
Lily smirked. “Not to brag, but you have been training me.”
Alison scoffed. “And I’ve been getting training from both Aunt Shay and my dad, who’s the Scourge of Harriken, by the way.”
The other girl grinned. “Less talk, more walk.” She jogged toward the climbing wall.
Alison hurried after her. She raised her hand and sent out a magical pulse.
Lily blinked and looked over her shoulder. She glanced at Shay, but the tomb raider did nothing but smile.
You figure it out, Lily. You’re magical, so it should be easier for you.
Both girls hit the climbing wall and scrambled up it. A few minutes and several more pulses later, both girls were scrambling down a net, panting, with sweat pouring down their faces.
When they hit the bottom of the net, Lily frowned. “Alison, wait.”
Alison took a few more steps before stopping to look over her shoulder. “Ready to concede to my greatness already? That didn’t take long.” She took a few deep breaths. She was pretty winded too.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
Shay crossed her arms and smirked.
Finally figured it out, did you, Lily?
“Why do you say that?” Alison asked. “Not saying I’m not crazy, just wondering why you think I am.” She completed her sentence with a merry grin.
“You can see souls, but you can’t see much else, can you?” Lily shook her head. “You’re blind. It’s weird, though. I can kind of see it when you
