Lucas had been a city councilor before his mysterious death well, mysterious to the humans. He got caught in the middle of a magic duel between a Rose fairy and a River Sprite. Since he passed to the other side, actually to the place between the other side and this side, he’d been a fount of information on the inner workings of Real Folk society. Unfortunately for me he was in demand and it took a while to get him to respond.
I didn’t want to throw my question out to the ether, anyone could hear it. Keeping it in the circle was safer. While I waited, I thought about what I needed to say to get his attention without giving away my interest.
It had been too long since I called so I tried again. “Lucas Jordon, ex-councilor, I have a matter of urgency about your opponent to discuss.” Lucas might try to ignore me but he wouldn’t be able to ignore an opportunity to smear a fellow politician.
After a few minutes I upped the pressure. “Time is ticking, Lucas. I can always seek what I need elsewhere.”
A few seconds later, the bones rose and danced an intricate pattern before clicking together and falling. Then Lucas faded into sight like a reverse Cheshire Cat. The protein bar slid toward my foot. “I don’t need the meal, Quinn.”
“I know, but my first choice would have wanted it.”
“I’m offended.”
I laughed. “Don’t be, I went to the top first.”
“Ah, the Spirit, well, he’s busy with this environmental thing. What do you have for me?”
I knew better than to give up the goods before I got what I needed. “It’s good, but first I need to know something.”
“Ah, quid pro quo, that is familiar ground.”
I told him what I saw earlier and waited while he faded in and out. I assumed he was checking with sources, or referring to a diary or something. Who knows what ghosts get up to?
He returned to the circle. “There have been other instances. One of my new assistants was a… well victim might be the right word.”
I waited, knowing he had more but wanted to get something before he gave me the rest. Testing if what I had was worth the value of his information.
Minutes later his curiosity won out and he inflated his image in a ghostly sigh. “Okay, I forget how patient you are. She says a great looking guy came on to her in a bar and the next thing she knows she’s looking down at her body. It was all contorted like she had been broken and dropped on the ground. Then the guy shimmered and turned into a skinny kid. Well, now she knows. It was a Wheat fairy.”
He paused again. I was running out of patience for his coy act. “Lucas, just tell me what you have. I’m not giving you anything until you do. You know you can trust me.” I was starting to worry that he didn’t have any decent information.
He did the ghost sigh again and rolled his eyes. “Okay, she heard the fairy thank someone and say ‘we will be safe now’ and that’s it. I can’t get any more details, because she’s wispy, not much of her spirit was left when she passed. And, someone is keeping a hard lid on the fairies.”
I believed him and I figured it was the Sidhe keeping everything tied down. It was time to pay for what he’d given me. “Okay, I found out that your opponent, or ex opponent, had been keeping company with a lady of the evening.”
“Oh, is that all?” Lucas shook his head, clearly disappointed. “I want juice that will end his career. A dalliance with a hooker is almost accepted as part of the life now.”
“I would never bring you here for something so minor.” I liked to draw out the drama for Lucas. He didn’t have much to excite him now that he was dead. “How are you going to make this work in your favor if I give you the rest of the information?”
“Simple. I have an arrangement with a medium. I give her some information and she spreads it to the right people. In exchange I find out a few choice details about her clients so she seems credible when she reads their fortune.”
“If she can talk to you, she should be credible as a medium without help.”
Lucas chuckled. “Well, yes, that would be true except I keep the other spirits away.”
I appreciated the deviousness of the plan, Lucas would land on his feet wherever he went, and he knew that his current location could be temporary. I gave him the rest of the gossip. “The hooker isn’t the whole story. He shares her with a couple of contractors, ones who seem to get a lot of city contracts.”
“Thank you, Quinn.” Lucas clapped his hands, but since he was a ghost, it was very Zen — the sound of one ghost clapping. He shimmered in and out then said. “If I find anything else out, it’s yours for free.”
After Lucas faded, I cleansed the circle and broke it.
It wasn’t a total waste of time. I hated the bastard who won Lucas’ seat. I may be a wizard but I have to pay property taxes and I wanted the money to be spent on the right things; the new guy had different ideas.
Chapter Three
It was almost dawn and I had no idea what I could do to solve the fairy problem. Despite agreeing to wait until moon dark to try the new spell, I couldn’t stop wondering about it. The result was supposed to be changing cheap wine into a great vintage. I decided to just read it over once and see if there was anything we could get set up in advance.
The trick seemed to be pouring the cheap stuff from a high enough point to allow the spell time to work. I was scratching out some possible distances to test when I heard something tapping on the south window. It had to be a Real Folk, because no human would make it through my wards — they would just change their mind about coming in. I put the paper and pen away before I approached the window. As usual, the basement windows were covered with tight blackout blinds and a layer of spelled paper. It keeps me safe from observation but allows me to hear anyone who tries to get through.
I removed the paper and held a protective spell ready to go before I lifted the blind. A pixie dressed in strips of foil and pink embroidery thread was tapping on the glass with a five inch bobbin.
“Finally, wizard.” His voice was creaky and familiar.
Great, that was all I needed: Olan Merewater.
“Come to the front,” I said. “I’m not opening the window.
“Understandable.” Olan jumped off the sill and I saw the point of his bobbin bouncing away.
I unlocked the front door and invited him in.
“I have information,” he announced.
My stomach clenched. “Why should I trust your information? The last time we talked you caused a fight with a bear spirit and left me to resolve it.”
“Don’t whine it’s not attractive, you did survive after all. Look, wizard I have information that will save the humans. You know I have an interest in protecting the humans, right?”
Olan had run afoul of the Pacific Coast Real Folk before I was born. “Yeah, I know the story. Is it true you caused the death of an entire village?”
“No, it was not that bad. And it was an accident.” He winced at the memory. “But I did have to accept Raven’s punishment. Now I have to protect the humans for another four bloody centuries.” He climbed up the side of my favorite easy chair and sat on the arm. Preening his pink hair he asked, “Would you have any thistle tea?”
I put the kettle on and looked around for a suitable cup. I found a screw top on the back of the counter and rinsed it under the hot water tap. “Okay, how do I know I can trust you? I did survive the last trick you played, but barely.”
He shrugged. “How do you know anyone be trustworthy?”
“Yes, but not everyone has your history.” I didn’t want to add to my problems, but Olan was right. He did have an interest in humans; maybe he was more afraid of Raven than interested in playing games. “What about the time you made Mark’s beer turn red and smell like blood?”
“It was just a joke. It was still beer after all. Besides it was a very long time ago.”
The kettle boiled and I made a mug of tea, pouring some into the twist top before passing it to Olan. “What is your information?” I figured it was worth hearing him out. It was up to me to decide whether I trusted it or not.