“From what we heard, he obviously had an agreement with Gerrard,” Sebille said. “And the gnome isn’t happy that he can’t use his new toy. Heads are going to start rolling if the gnome doesn’t get a working suitcase back soon. And the wizard knows his head will be first on the block.”
We chewed on that while Alice risked another bite of lemon-flavored diamond.
“What kind of spell was that?” Sebille asked.
Lea glanced at the sprite. “He used a doppelganger spell. I could see the fractured aura, but I wasn’t sure, at first, what it was. I’ve never seen one firsthand before.”
Sebille frowned. “Are you sure it wasn’t a four-dimensional glamour?”
Shaking her head, Lea said, “No, a glamour doesn’t noticeably change the aura. It sits on top of a person’s form like a full-body mask.” She held her hands up, curving her fingers and sliding them together. “A doppelganger spell inserts jagged edges into the person’s aura, fitting them together like parts of a puzzle. It’s almost impossible to see unless you recognize the aura change.”
Alice dunked her scone, the durable snack clinking against the edge of the mug like metal. “I woke up in the trunk of my car, disoriented and feeling weak.” She lifted a haunted gaze to us. “Fortunately, I’ve been there before…don’t ask…and was able to escape from the trunk and drive back here.” She shook her head. “I don’t think this guy is going to stop until he gets what he wants.”
I agreed, and the thought made me shudder with dread.
“I don’t mind telling you it’s taken a bit of the stuffing out of me.” Alice added. “I’m knackered.”
Lea patted her shoulder. “We’ll get out of here and let you rest.”
“Don’t worry,” I told Alice. “I’ll take care of things downstairs.”
Alice nodded, but she seemed to already have forgotten us. She’d set her tea, scone still resting in the cooling liquid, on her bedside table and laid back down. She was already snoring as we pulled the door to her apartment gently closed.
We didn’t speak until we were back in the bookstore.
Sprawled along the wide window sill at the front of the store, Fenwald turned his head to us as we came into the store, giving us a soft meow as if asking how Alice was.
“She’s resting,” I told the big feline.
He made a soft little whirring sound and then commenced to cleaning his paws, his ratty form mirrored in the glass of the big front window as he bathed.
I looked at my friends. “Tea?”
Lea shook her head. “I need to get home. But thanks.”
I nodded.
Still, nobody moved. Like Alice, we were all tired and more than a little concerned about what had happened. Clearly, someone meant us harm, and we were moving blindly through a shifting landscape with a deadly artifact at its center.
“I’m worried about that suitcase,” I told my friends.
Sebille nodded. “Me too. Though I don’t know where it would be safer than the toxic magic vault in the back.”
“That’s only safe if Alice doesn’t take it out again,” Lea said softly. We were all silent for a moment, each of us no doubt trying to decide how we felt about Lea’s observation and the unspoken message behind it.
There were so many questions and so few answers.
Why had Alice suddenly decided to take the suitcase out of Croakies?
Had it just been a giant coincidence that the creature who’d imitated Alice at Gnomish had been waiting for her to leave the store with it?
What had that creature been doing, imitating Alice?
Had he known we would show up at Gnomish?
And, if so, why hadn’t he taken steps to stop us?
I rubbed my temple, getting a headache from the never-ending questions.
“I’ll keep an eye on the vault tonight,” I told them. “My hidey-hole is between it and Alice.”
Lea nodded, squeezed my shoulder, and turned toward the door. “Let’s talk in the morning. Maybe after a good night’s sleep, we’ll have a better idea of what to do next.”
“See you in the morning,” I said, watching her leave.
Sebille stood in front of me, thoughtfully pursing her lips.
“What?” I asked her.
It took her a beat to swing her startling gaze to mine. She held my stare for a moment and then quietly said, “Alice can’t do this job anymore. She’s compromised.”
My pulse picked up, adrenaline flooding my system. “What do you mean? You think she was involved in that mess at Gnomish?”
“Involved? Probably not,” Sebille responded. “But she’s grown careless. A Keeper of the Artifacts can’t be careless, Naida. This job’s too dangerous. I’m worried about the situation here.”
I was worried too. About Alice’s competence. And about her apparent disinterest in training me to do the job. “I’ll pick her brain. Step up my training.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll work harder and faster to fill in the gaps.”
Sebille’s expression was filled with something that looked like pity. She nodded and turned away, leaving Croakies without another word.
I locked the physical deadbolt and engaged the magical lock using the spell Alice had taught me the very first day. Then I turned off the lights and went to stand in front of the window, my fingers digging into Fenwald’s fur as I watched Sebille hurry across the street and into the dark alley next to the vapery. I assumed there was a staircase leading to the upper levels and her apartment.
Or else she just popped into a bug and buzzed up to an open window.
I sighed, so tired.
Beneath my gently probing fingers, Fenwald’s long body vibrated under a throaty purr. He watched Sebille too, his gaze still locked on the spot where she’d disappeared into the shadows as I yawned widely and said goodnight.
To my surprise, the
