Page 4 of Chosen Spirits (The Bartender Mage #4)

"I know you've been worried that it was a mythic hate crime," Rahul said softly. "And I'm sorry it took me three days to find all the evidence, but I can now tell you with a hundred percent confidence that that's not the case. No one is targeting you. The stones were all technically accidents. "

Eve muttered something in Russian, sounding relieved as she hugged Li tighter, and even Dane's shoulders relaxed.

"But if it were no anyone… still. Three times? And 'technically?' Rahul, you gotta give us more than that."

Rahul pointed around the room. "A mythblooded kirin. A nymph of sacred waters. A moon-blessed hare shifter. And a luck mage who is leaning far too heavily on pretending to be a capitalist's idea of a leprechaun."

Dane grinned up at him cheekily, reminding him delightedly of a Leif who'd been caught unapologetically stealing a late night snack. "Aye, but what's a short, red-headed Irishman to do?"

"Maybe not leak so much luck magic all in one place?

" Rahul let that thought sink in, then reached into his pocket to pull out the flash drive, handing it over to Li with a nod.

"I wasn't just acting earlier when I said it was the four of you.

The first brick piece, with the imprints?

It fell off of a cart some three miles away, hitched a ride on a trash-can lid, flowed downhill at one point because someone had forgotten to shut off their garden hose over the weekend, and…

anyways, long story short, it was run-over by an unbalanced semi-truck in just the right way to send it careening through your window.

The other two rocks were about the same.

The flash drive has all of the dozens of steps I could find, though there are a few gaps. "

"You're joshing," Dane said, wide-eyed.

Rahul shook his head, then wagged a finger.

"Manafield sanitation. If four Fortune-based mythics are going to live in the same place, you need to get some ritual incense and do a smudge of the apartment every couple of months, or else your next game night is going to have every dice roll come up sixes. "

"So you mean to say that it really was the four of us?" Deirdre asked .

"Aye, don't that just paint the fence? I don't know whether I need to take a long sit down, or down a bottle!"

"So the backlash of probability extremes resulted in our windows being broken? But why rocks? Why our windows ?"

"Oh, that's actually because of Eve," Rahul said offhandedly. He basked in their stunned silence for a few seconds, then nodded his head. "Come on, I'll show you."

Leading the way, he went to where he knew Li and Eve shared a room, having been given a tour of the apartment when he took the case.

He waited for their approval, then entered their room.

He stayed just long enough to grab what he was after, then came back out carrying two potted plants. He held them up.

"Eve? Succulents are absolutely fantastic and gorgeous plants, and they're very low-maintenance, but while they don't need much water—"

Rahul carried them over to the wall of paneled windows, of which three panes were missing.

"—they do need actual sunlight, which they're not getting in your room with its black tinted window. And I'm betting you made a heartfelt wish for them to grow and flourish, or some such, yes? A wish that maybe borrowed from the ambient luck to make itself come true?"

He set the pots down, then watched as his four clients had a brief exchange before entering Eve's room to bring out another six such plants.

"So that's it, then?" Dane asked him a moment later as he stood by the door, watching Li, Eve, and Deirdre reorganize tables and knick-knacks in order to make space for all the plants.

Rahul nodded. "You all like Eve and want her to be happy, and having healthy plants makes her happy, so the lingering probabilities contrived to make it so. Now, then! If you're a thoroughly satisfied client, I can close the case."

Dane clapped his hands. "A satisfied client, aye, no doubt.

But thoroughly satisfied? Mmm. I do be thinking there's a bit more you could do to earn that five-star rating, mister investigator.

Maybe stay a while longer and celebrate with us, have a few beers.

Unless you're driving back home to yer boyfriends tonight? "

"How conniving! Holding my online reputation hostage? For shame, Dane. And no, it's a four-hour drive. I'd planned on making it in the morning."

"Did you extend your hotel stay through tonight? You're welcome to crash here, if not."

He had, actually, but spending yet another night alone in a too-quiet hotel room, when he'd spent the last eight months getting used to both of his boyfriends sleeping beside him, suddenly felt like the most miserable thing in the world.

"I might take you up on that offer. But I do have an errand to run that'll take a couple of hours.

In the worst case, maybe even until after midnight, and I'd hate to be an inconvenience. "

"In that case, boyo, you'd best hurry on out of here and get it over with so you can return back for a can of beer and a cuddle.

" Dane spun him around and nudged him towards where his coat and hat were at.

"I've got shit-all to do in the morn, and I figure we four will be stayin' up late celebratin'. Ain't that right, my darlings?"

"Ooh, and I think this fiasco will make a great seed idea for a new skit or screenplay!" Deirdre rushed herself over, her lagomorphic feet making a rapid tattoo on the hard-wood floor. "Before you go on your errand, Rahul, a kiss for luck!"

Rahul finished shrugging into his new trench coat that he'd bought specifically for this case—the quartet of actors had politely requested he dress the part when they'd hired his private investigator services, and he'd found the idea too marvelous not to oblige—then lowered his head down so that she could plant a ticklish kiss on his right cheek.

He then had to wait another moment, because Li wanted to shake his hand goodbye, and then Eve gave him a "lucky buss" on his other cheek.

"Three times makes a charm, though, aye?" Dane said, grinning up at him cheekily.

After receiving a bit more than a quick kiss from the freckled luck mage, Rahul fixed his messed up collar, waved to the three women, then took his fedora and placed it on Dane's head.

"I'll be back for that soon," Rahul said with a parting wink, then headed downstairs for what would hopefully be a short jaunt.

◆◆◆

An hour later, Rahul was walking through a national park, using his djinn-based night vision to see rather than disturb the wildlife with the use of a flashlight.

He turned off of the main trail, brushing a few branches out of the way as he made his muddy way, and soon came up to the small glade with its large stone that he remembered.

It was no longer raining, but each time the wind blew, drops of water would fall from the overhanging trees. Taking a seat on a large rock, Rahul set in to wait.

He lucked out—was that irony, or had those three actually given him a blessing?—as it only took five minutes before there was a loud crashing of disturbed foliage, and a large black bear came over to sit on the other side of the old shrine.

Rahul nodded to the bear, then pulled out a hard case about the size of a lunchbox. It was a rechargeable refrigeration unit, and opening it revealed a handful of Leif's potions that he'd insisted Rahul bring with him on his case.

Actually, now that Leif was properly certified, Rahul would finally be able to officially use the evidence he collected using his cub's potions. Something to discuss tomorrow, he supposed.

The cold box was just large enough to hold six small, swing-top bottles.

The emergency Recovery , Bullet Barrier , and Telekinesis potions remained untouched, though both the clairaudience Whisper potion and the clairvoyant Dreaming History potion sat empty, and the Spirit Sight potion was only half-full.

It was the last one that Rahul grabbed out of the case, swirling the green tea and Everclear mixture before quaffing the remainder of the bottle.

The Spirit Sight effect was somewhat degraded compared to when Rahul had used it three nights ago, but amply strong enough to detect the forest spirit that was borrowing the bear as its material host. The spirit loomed over the entire glade, an amalgamation of animals that, had it been solid, could have swallowed Rahul in one bite.

Keeping his attention on the bear and ignoring the spirit, Rahul spoke up.

"I, Rahul Basu, djinn of fire and light, do greet you again, spirit."

"I, Snagglefawn, spirit of this land, do return your greetings."

"Satisfied?"

"About fookin' time," the spirit said while the bear laid itself down on the ground. "Not you, Rahul, you're a peach. The first clean-up crew already made a walk-through, picking up trash, and I can feel the intent of several other helpful groups planning a visit."

"Yeah, the state's been doing your land a disservice, between inconsiderate hikers and illegal dumping. You should have a few shaman coming to talk to you over the next month or so, to make sure your needs are taken care of and that the bureaucratic wheels keep turning."

"Thank you. You've held up your end of the bargain, so now it's time to complete mine. Ask me your favor."

Rahul watched as the bear stuck its tongue out, lapping up drops of water.

"Snagglefawn. For whatever reason, my boyfriend has drawn the attention of a noble elven sorceress, Lady I'ari Lanathanon, lately of Terra. I don't know what her intentions are, or why she's interested in Leif. I understand that you met her fifty years ago."

"I did."

Rahul leaned back on the rock, not caring a whit about what the mud, rain, and grime were doing to his clothes.

"Then, as my boon, tell me everything you know about her."