Page 14

The crowd of people in the middle of Coldstream wasn’t He Who Roams Wide’s idea of a good time, so he abandoned me long before I reached Crackendon Square in favour of quieter streets. I didn’t worry about him; he’d find his way home once he was hungry.

I started to cross the square, hurrying to avoid an oncoming tram, its purple sparks lighting up the dull day.

A group of tourists, doubtless from one of Britain’s non-magical cities, were standing in my path with their phones poised to take photos of anything weird and supposedly unnatural that took their fancy.

I tried to veer around them but one of their number, a young woman who was wearing what looked like cheap fancy dress bought from the internet for her outing, spotted me. ‘Are you a Preternatural?’ she breathed, her eyes wide with the wonders of Coldstream.

I wasn’t in the mood for inane questions. ‘What do you think?’

Somebody came up beside me and the young woman’s attention turned to her. ‘What about you? Are you a Preternatural?’

‘No,’ came the rejoinder in a surprisingly friendly tone of voice. ‘I’m a squib.’

The young woman gasped. ‘So am I!’

Not exactly: squibs possessed no magic or special powers, yet chose to live in Coldstream; people without magic who lived elsewhere were just people.

I glanced at the real squib and realised that it was Mallory, the slightly odd woman who lived nearby and who worked as a broker.

She wasn’t a pawnbroker or a stockbroker: Mallory brokered secrets and favours, and consequently she fascinated me.

I didn’t understand how her business worked but it intrigued me enough that I wanted to know.

What didn’t surprise me was that the young tourist had assumed Mallory was magical.

Her appearance was … interesting. She was as dishevelled as she’d been the first time I’d met her, as if she’d just tumbled out of bed.

Her brown corkscrew curls sprang off in all directions and she was wearing a long dress of colourful patchwork.

I had no doubt that Mallory really was a squib because I couldn’t sense the faintest whisper of magic emanating from her, but she certainly looked as if she possessed unusual powers – and she seemed to be very much at home in Coldstream.

The young woman moved away, her attention caught by a group of druids who looked as unimpressed at her approach as I had been. Then a top-hatted leprechaun on a penny-farthing cycled past and she gave a squeal of delight and jogged after him, her camera phone raised.

I focused on Mallory, this time with a genuine smile. ‘Hey, good to see you again.’

Mallory gave me a dazzling smile. ‘Kit, right?’ she asked. ‘Thane’s friend?’

I nodded. ‘How’s Bert?’ I asked, referring to the cat she’d been looking after when I’d first met her.

‘He’s returned to his original home and all is well with the world. I have to confess that I miss having him around. Cats are good company.’

I could only agree.

‘How is Thane?’ she asked.

There was no reason for me to feel awkward about the question because Thane had introduced me to Mallory, but an unfamiliar twitchiness ran through me nonetheless. ‘Good,’ I said. ‘He’s good.’

Mallory’s eyes twinkled and I sensed that she could see right through me. I shifted uncomfortably as I searched for a way to change the subject. ‘Actually, I’m glad I bumped into you.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh yes?’

‘I’m fascinated by your work, but I don’t really understand what it is that you do.’

She laughed. ‘Few people do but it’s quite simple. I’m a trader but instead of physical goods, I trade in secrets and favours.’

My brow furrowed. ‘I know that part but I don’t see how it works in practice. People pay you for secrets?’

‘Oh no. No money changes hands. I don’t need money when I can get all I need through favours.

’ She smiled at my baffled expression. ‘I’ll give you an example.

Let’s say Person A wants to attend a particular event but they’re not on the guest list. I’ll help them get an invitation, and in return they will give me a high-grade secret about someone or something that very few people know about it.

Person B will benefit from knowing that secret so I’ll pass it to them if they agree to supply me with whatever I need at that moment in time.

It can get more complicated, but essentially that’s what I do. ’

I wasn’t much clearer on how it all fitted together but it made a sort of sense.

Mallory’s eyes remained warm. ‘Is there some information, some secret perhaps, that you’re looking for, Kit?’

It was time to tread cautiously. ‘Maybe,’ I hedged.

‘If you tell me what you’re searching for, we can negotiate terms.’

I drew in a breath. I didn’t really know Mallory, but it was clear that Thane trusted her and I sensed that she was honourable. Of course, I’d been mistaken about people in the past – and so had Thane, for that matter.

I chose my next words carefully. I didn’t want to give too much away but I needed to provide Mallory with enough information for her skills to be useful to me. ‘I want to know what is top of the agenda for the witches’ council this week.’

Mallory’s eyebrows rose. ‘Only members of the witches’ council are privy to that sort of information.’

I should have known it was too much to ask. ‘Never mind.’

She grinned. ‘Hold your horses. If you give me thirty-six hours, I can find out what they’re currently focussing on. I have … ways and means. I wouldn’t be much of a secrets’ trader if I didn’t.’

From the delight on her face, Mallory obviously enjoyed her work. Good for her.

‘What would you require in return?’ I knew plenty of secrets but I’d taken a vow not to reveal any of the work I’d done for EEL; that vow was unbreakable, regardless of the circumstances.

There were also limits as to how far I was prepared to go for Rory Taggert; after all, it was far too late to save him.

She tapped her mouth thoughtfully. ‘I sense that you know many valuable things that would equal the information you require from me, but I don’t think you’d be willing to part with any of that knowledge.’

I watched her warily. Squib or not, her instincts were spot on and I was starting to suspect that she was more capable than I’d first realised.

She swept her gaze up and down my body, then nodded. ‘A favour then,’ she said decisively. ‘One favour, twelve months’ limit. If I do not request the favour from you within the next year, you are absolved of your obligation.’

I appreciated the time limit but unspecified favours were dangerous: very dangerous. I sucked in a breath and considered. ‘I won’t physically harm anyone I care about.’

‘Interesting,’ Mallory murmured. ‘In most negotiations of this sort, people say that they won’t physically harm anyone. ’

Oops: I’d already managed to give away more information than I’d intended with that little slip. ‘I can see that there might be circumstances when harm is unavoidable,’ I parried.

‘Indeed.’ She looked amused. ‘I accept those terms. I shall have a contract drawn up. I have an occasional assistant who will find you when it’s ready so you can sign on the dotted line.’

‘A blood contract?’

Mallory smirked. ‘Is there any other kind?’ She checked her watch. ‘Let’s meet here on Friday night and I’ll give you the information you need. Say eight o’clock?’

Alexander MacTire’s face flashed into my mind. I grimaced. ‘Actually, I have a dinner date then. How about seven o’clock instead?’

‘I already have an appointment. I’ll come and find you at the restaurant. I won’t take up much of your time.’

That would make my life easier. ‘Okay. I’ll be at Vallese.’

‘Vallese? My, my.’

‘It wasn’t my choice of venue.’

‘Now I’m even more intrigued,’ Mallory murmured.

I couldn’t begin to imagine what Alexander MacTire would make of Mallory but it didn’t matter; none of this was any of his business. ‘Until then,’ I said.

She raised a hand in farewell. ‘Adieu.’ She paused and her expression altered subtly. ‘Do give Thane my best.’ Then, before I could say anything else, Mallory melted away into the crowds.