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If I don’t close the gap fast, I’ll lose him.

I gritted my teeth and switched from a steadier pace that I could handle for miles to something closer to a sprint, rapidly shrinking the distance between us.

The fae twisted around to peer back at me, nearly falling over his feet in surprise when he realized I was a block behind him and catching up. His black cap unfortunately shadowed his face so I didn’t get a good look at it and his hair was still covered but I did see the straight slant of his nose, which seemed to support my fae theory.

He dove down a street that would lead us back west—which struck me as odd as we were at the edge of downtown Magiford, so now instead of runningintoit we were running parallel with it.

Just where is he trying to go?

There was just half a block between us now and it dwindled fast when he turned around to look back at me, fumbling to grab something from a pocket on his shirt with his free hand.

His other hand was full, he was clutching something so tight it had to hurt—something silver.

A necklace,I realized when its silver chain flopped with the perp’s movements. The necklace was simple—it had a single gemstone in a simple setting. I couldn’t tell what color the gem was until he passed under a streetlight and I saw the purple haze to its surface.

I wasalmoston him; just a few heartbeats and I’d get him.

He finally pulled something free from his pocket.

I shifted my stance, ready to face whatever he threw at me, to my surprise he tossed it—a red gem—at a trio of humans heading towards their parked car.

A flare of fae magic and the humans dropped the coats and bags they’d been carrying, standing statue still in the middle of the sidewalk for several seconds before they abruptly split up. One walked straight into the street, another started robotically marching up the sidewalk, and the last one started ramming themselves against their car.

I skid to a stop next to the guy who was attempting to become one with his vehicle, torn. I could catch up with the perp and radio the gem into my team, but I had no idea what the humans would wander off and do in the time it would take for my squad to find them. If the one making drunken figure-eight shapes in the middle of the street was a sample of what the gem was making them do, it didn’t bode well.

I better grab the jewel. The spell was tied to the gem—if I take it out of range, they’ll be freed of the spell.

I scanned the ground looking for the red gem.

The humans—as bright as a low-lumen lightbulb with the spell on them—kept wandering. I saw the ruby—which was about the size of a nail head—perched on the curb right next to the car just before the car smasher kicked it under the vehicle.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

I bumped the guy out of the way, then dropped to my stomach and thrust my right hand under the car. I held in a yelp when the guy—mindless from the spell—stepped on my left hand which I’d planted on the curb to stabilize myself. But the fae magic was like a magical marker so it was easy to find the gem. I scooped it up—along with a straw wrapper and two pebbles in my rush.

I yanked my hand out from under car-dude’s foot, boosted myself to my feet, then started running.

The fae magic coming off the ruby is faint, so the spell on it shouldn’t have a very big area of affect.

I easily overtook the woman that had wandered down the street, then glanced back over my shoulder.

The guy standing in the street had stopped his honey-bee-like dance and was scratching his head. “What was I just doing?” he asked his equally bewildered friend.

“I have no idea. Carla! Where are you going—the car is back here!”

The humans were safe—as long as I didn’t bump into any others, or they’d likely fall under the gem’s spell as I had no idea how to turn the spell off—I focused on running.

Unfortunately, the fae had turned off the road and was nowhere within sight.

I slowed long enough to strain my ears, listening for footsteps—he’d be the only one running at this hour.

I thought I heard the faint tap of footfalls going north, so I turned up an alleyway.

My senses came into high focus—I was on the edge of Ruin’s territory, so it was possible he’d pounce on me with no teammates to back me up.

As I approached the entrance of the alleyway, I heard the faint murmur of voices and laughter.

A heavy door slammed shut—the echoes still bouncing off the walls as I reached the street, half blinding myself on the abrupt and bright lights cast onLuxe Sejour—Magiford’s fanciest hotel.