Page 97

“Bad news.” Captain Reese strode into the meeting room with Sarge, and I was surprised to see Sunshine behind them.

I hadn’t put my mask on yet—it sat on the table I was seated at—so I smiled at Sunshine.

She gave me a weak grin that lapsed immediately into a serious expression.

That can’t be good. Sunshine is—as Nan would say—always down to clown.

I sat up straighter in my chair and set my folded hands on my lap as my squadmates quieted.

Captain Reese marched up to the front of the room, her hands folded behind her back. She was wearing her chrome leg today, which gleamed under the bright blast of the overhead lights. “Our day shift worked tirelessly on the bespelled gem Blood procured for us. Unfortunately, the caster of the jewel is a different fae than the one releasing the monsters.”

Brody and Binx both launched out of their chairs.

“Orrin could have easily bought the gem off another fae simply to mislead us,” Binx said.

“Yeah!” Brody chimed in.

Captain Reese held a hand up. “We believe that is most likely what happened, because…” She taped a black and white printed picture of Orrin to a whiteboard. “Orrin’s registration with the national Curia Cloisters does note he possesses natural animal magic.”

“Then Gisila lied for him,” I whispered.

“What was that, Blood?” Captain Reese asked.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. “Lady Gisila lied for Orrin. She told me he had no such magic.”

“Or maybe she didn’t know he had it?” Tetiana suggested.

“Possibly, but it seems more likely at this time that Orrin is using her.” Sarge approached me holding out a color photo of a glittering silver necklace with a purple gem. “Do you recognize this?”

I studied it, mentally matching up the details. “The fae I chased had this necklace—he held it in his hands.”

“Good.” Sarge turned on his heels and strode back up to the front of the room, where he taped the necklace photo to the whiteboard. “It belongs to Lady Gisila. She wore this necklace when visiting the Curia Cloisters. It’s a known elven artifact from her hoard. It has the ability to create gates to the fae realm—limited gates; it can only open a single gate once, approximately every seven days.”

I was with Emi when she came to the Cloisters; did I see it?Yes—I had. I remember noting it as it hadn’t matched the diamond set she was wearing.

“The usage of the necklace would explain the foreign magic Brody smelled and Grove detected with the mantasps and the boars,” Captain Reese said. “Orrin appears to be working alone and using this necklace to open the gates and call fae monsters through it.”

There were nods of approval around the squad, but I wasn’t quite so certain.I don’t think a dragon would so easily miss a treasure from her hoard, even if it is just for a few hours…

Mercifully, I wasn’t the only one who doubted.

Grove dramatically planted his palms on the table he was seated behind and stood up. “Objection!”

Sarge stared at him. “What?”

“I’m trying to copy one of those human shows and use it for model behavior,” Grove said. “You know—Objection, overruled, she’s guilty!”

“The Commissioner is obsessed with police procedurals,” Sarge said. “Not court and law shows. But proceed.”

Grove brandished a finger in the air. “If the necklace is Gisila’s, doesn’t that mean shemustbe working with Orrin? If it’s from her treasure hoard, it’s unlikely she’d let him walk around with it.”

“Not necessarily,” Captain Reese said. “Since he works for her, it’s possible that he can slip it in and out of her proximity without her noticing. Dragons are notoriously protective of their hoards, and they only hire staff they trust or those they believe can be…replacedif a mistake is made.”

What she meant was that dragons frequently hired supernaturals and humans who had no other option. Desperate people were easier to control for someone as powerful as a dragon shifter. Gisila may not seem like the type, but dragon shifters in general were cunning and manipulative.

It still just doesn’t seem right, but I can’t quite say why.

April shifted in her chair and briefly raised her hand before speaking. “So, it seems like Orrin is our perp. He’s got the animal magic to call the monsters through the gate and access to Lady Gisila’s necklace to make said gates. Why is he dumping monsters on Goldstein? They haven’t done anything besides property damage.”