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“Oh, yes. They have been pushing her on it for years. After she joined PortalWatch, the pressure increased. She and I talked about it several times. They were putting the screws on.” His eyes darkened, and an angry look crossed his face.

“ That’s why they’re not going after her.

They see this as a way to get rid of one of their problems.”

I eased back in my chair, considering what he said. A thought sparked in my brain and, though it sounded ridiculous, I suddenly sighed and said, “Do you suppose that it might not be Brim Fire who kidnapped her? That this might be the Crystal Court’s way of dealing with her?”

Everybody froze, staring at me. There was a moment where they were processing what I said, then everybody burst out talking at once.

“I doubt it, but you never know,” Duran said. “It’s a lot easier to just get rid of her.”

Everybody quieted down again, turning to him.

“I can’t believe they’re so bullheaded,” Sophia said.

“The Crystal Court makes a big noise about being honorable, but the monarchy has been around a long time and their anger runs deep and long. I’ve seen the Queen mete out harsh punishments, especially if she was angry at someone.

” Duran shivered. “I watched her order one of the court advisors who contradicted her in public to be stripped of his powers.”

“What did he do?”

“He told Queen Elsabetha that he thought she was wrong about something.”

I sucked in my breath. “That’s horrible. Magical powers are innate—like my own powers are, or a shifter’s powers. That’s like stripping a shifter’s idanimus away from them.

The idanimus was the animal side of the shifter.

Without it, a shifter was broken, and often fell into madness.

They were usually euthanized by their Pack or Clan afterward, out of mercy.

As a punishment, it was only used in the worst cases.

But stripping the idanimus could happen in other ways, as an attack or through a freak accident.

“Oh, stripping magical powers is just as bad. When you work magic, it’s part of your innate self.

If you drain off the magic, it causes intense physical and mental pain for the rest of your life.

It’s like a singer stripped of her voice, or a chef whose lost his tastebuds.

” Duran pressed his lips together, shaking his head.

“Do you think the Queen is upset enough to try to strip Penn’s powers?” Dante asked.

“I doubt it. Usually that’s reserved for the harshest of punishments,” Duran said.

“Well, regardless of what’s happened, we have at least one member of Brim Fire working at IonStar. I’m more likely to blame them,” I said.

There were so many things to think about.

But the most important thing, was to find and rescue Penn.

“It occurs to me that, if Terrance is at work today, suppose we pay a little visit to his workplace and wait for him near his car tonight?” I had no problem strong-arming someone who hurt my best friend.

“I’ll make him talk if he won’t spill his guts. ”

“That sounds like a plan,” Carson said. “Let me check to make certain he’s at work. I can figure a way to do it without setting off suspicion.”

Sophia’s phone rang and she glanced at it. “Desk,” she said. “I’ll be back.” She had the agency calls forwarded to her phone when we were in long meetings. She ducked out the door and hurried down the hall.

I was impatient, but I also knew that impatience could lead to mistakes. Glancing over at Duran, I asked, “How are you doing this morning? Last night must have been a shock.”

He folded his arms, leaning on the table. “I didn’t expect to be looking for a new job today. As I said earlier, Queen Elsabetha is capable of ruining lives without blinking an eye.”

“I don’t know why, but I always pictured the magical court as being one based on honor,” Dante said.

“A lot of witches have high ethical standards, but the old axiom about absolute power corrupting holds true among most races. Meanwhile, the rest of the people are usually so busy trying to scrape out a living that they don’t notice as the Queen’s power grows stronger and her rule, more corrupt. ” He started bleakly at me.

“What will you do now?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll never get another job with the Crystal Court, that’s a given.

I might set up a shingle. Hire myself out for magical duties.

Or maybe I’ll approach Solimentary. I’m good with facts and figures, though I know they usually only recruit people from the great Elven families who started the library. ” He paused as Sophia returned.

“That was Merry. She wants to know if you can come over a little earlier than planned?” Sophia said. “The coxigans are driving her crazy.”

“I suppose we can. That will give us more time later this afternoon to deal with Terrance.” I sighed. “Tell her we’ll be there within an hour.”

“Coxigans? They’re nasty,” Duran said.

“You want to come with us?” I asked. “We have an infestation to deal with.”

“Sure. It looks like I’m not doing anything else today,” he said.

“Great. Why don’t you help Orik gather together whatever might help us.” I froze. “Oh shit, will we be allowed to use the portal? Penn was going to help us.” I explained to Duran that we had been planning to send the coxigans through a portal into their home realm.

“Well, I guarantee you, PortalWatch has you on a blacklist now. But there are plenty of portals that the Crystal Court doesn’t control.

Some are natural, some are controlled by those on the other side of wherever they lead to.

I know the Fae control some of their own portals and they won’t let the Crystal Court near them.

If you approach them, maybe you could send the coxigans back to their home realm?

But I suppose that requires knowing one of the Fae. ”

I sighed. “Yeah, it does.” I worried my lip, then snapped my fingers. “I know a member of the Fae, and we’re on good terms. I can ask her for advice.”

“Ami?” Sophia asked.

“Right.” To Duran, I added, “Ami does my nails and hair. She’s a selkie.” A spark of hope lifted my spirits. “I’ll be back. Meanwhile, everybody get ready to head over to Merry’s.”

As I headed downstairs, Ami was opening her shop. I waved. “Hey chica, I need to talk to you,” I said, slipping inside the salon behind her.

“What’s up? A problem with the nails?” Ami said.

She brushed her hair back and slipped it into a ponytail.

It was jet black, and her eyes were a brilliant green.

She was gorgeous, and even if she wore a burlap sack, she’d still be stunning.

The Fae had a magnetism to them that defied logic.

Selkies had a shimmer in their energy. She was shorter than I was, well-proportioned and her movements had a slinky feel.

“Not at all, this batch are holding up well, though after this afternoon, I’ll probably need an appointment.

Listen, I have a huge favor to ask. I know it’s out of the blue, but it’s important.

” I sat down in one of the chairs for waiting appointments, but she motioned for me to sit in the salon chair.

“What’s shaking?” Her voice was musical. She took my hair out of the pony tail and began brushing it, smoothing it down with some sort of spray.

“I’m not trying to overstep our friendship, but this is important. We need to use a portal this afternoon. Preferably one to the Fae realm.” I let out a long breath.

She paused mid-stroke, then started brushing again. “Why?”

“We’re taking on a coxigan infestation and we can’t kill them, even if they’re dangerous. At least not without getting ourselves put on the map for a massive fine.” I paused, wondering if I had offended her. The coxigan were Fae, after all.

Ami began curling my hair with the curling iron. “Coxigans are fucking annoying,” she said. “Isn’t your best friend a witch? Out of curiosity, why can’t she help you use a portal?”

I sighed. “Can you keep this quiet?”

Ami nodded, finishing the curls and then carefully bringing my hair back up into a high ponytail and fastening it. I shook my head, smiling as my hair bounced. It looked freshly done.

“I promise,” she said.

“Thank you, this is gorgeous. How much do I owe you?” I reached for my wallet.

“Nope. I’m not busy right now and you look stressed. Now tell me, what happened?”

“Penn’s been kidnapped. We’re on the trail, but the Crystal Court—for reasons I probably shouldn’t talk about right now—isn’t happy with me.

Or Penn. So I can’t ask them for help, and until we can get her back, she can’t do anything.

” Once again, the weight of Penn’s situation hit me and I let out a long sigh.

Ami set down the brush and curling iron. “Oh good gods, woman. No wonder you’re stressed. Of course I’ll help you. And if I can do anything to help Penelope, let me know. I like her, even if she is a witch.”

“She’s my best friend,” I said, noting the sentiment.

The Fae and witches seemed to have some sort of bitchfest going on.

“We’re tracking down a lead this afternoon.

But we made a promise to a client to deal with the coxigans this morning, and I can’t blow her off.

” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.

“When you catch them, give me a call. We’ll figure it out.

There’s a Fae portal near my house. In my backyard, near my swimming spot, to be precise.

As long as you don’t spread the word, I’ll let you use it.

I’m taking the afternoon off, so call when you need me.

” She reached out and cupped my chin. “You’ll find her—I have a feeling.

It won’t be easy, and there’s a lot of danger, but you’ll find out where she is. ”

I usually managed to remain stoic, but I found myself tearing up. “Ami…Penn’s my heart. She’s my best friend. I can’t fail her.”

“You won’t. And if you ever need portal help again, feel free to ask me. I may not always be able to help, depending on where you want to go, but if I can, I’m here. Now get out of here and keep yourself busy. You need to work, or you’ll brood.”

She was right. I had to keep busy, or I’d sit and dwell on Penn’s disappearance. Grateful, and feeling humbled, I gave Ami a hug.

“I’ll call you when we’ve caught the coxigans,” I said.

“Remember, they get drunk if you feed them too much sugar, and they’re so clumsy, they can’t do much. Give them a syrupy fruit juice and you’ll have an easier time.” She waved as I headed toward the door. “Get those little bastards. They’re nasty!”

As I headed for the stairs, I felt a little better.

At least Ami had solved one of my problems for me.

It hit me that she was kind, and I decided to do something in return.

She was a selkie, so I made a note to find out what might appeal to her.

As I headed back to the office, I thought at least I had some good news, on a very bad news day.