9

A Seer's Ferret

RINGËD

I stepped into the Clattery Café with leaden steps, stretching my neck and making audible cricks as my Seeker brothers filed inside after me, filling the place up.

The feral ferret on my shoulder gave growling snickers.

“<Salvation!>” Kurn said. His language was in the form of heavy breaths and low guttural sounds, but I understood him all the same. I was supposed to be a ferret-shifter anyway.

Well, supposed to be.

“<I was starting to think we’d never escape that sea of paperwork,>” the ferret whined from my shoulder, rolling on his back theatrically. “<We’ve spent hours in that sweatshop of an office. Hours! You’d best count your Mel, Ringëd. I hate to say this, you know I hate it, but if you starve me like that again, I’m afraid I’ll have to fire you. You’re perhaps the worst butler I’ve ever employed.>”

“Guess I should update my résumé, then,” I hummed. “You don’t pull punches, do you?”

The ferret bowed his head with a solemn sigh. “<It had to be said, Ringëd. But look on the bright side. You may not be the best butler, but you’re certainly one of my favorites.>”

I grinned, scratching behind one of his ears. “Thanks, bud. Right back at’cha.”

Kurn was a delusional little pet. He was under the impression that he was the exiled emperor of a planet called Hcah-Ah-Ah-Hcah, and that he was sent to this world after the rebellion took siege of his palace, yadda, yadda, yadda… something like that.

I just found him being sold by a random peddler in my home island, Y’ahmelle Nayû. The little guy made me laugh, so I bought him. He’s been pretty useful for investigative work, too. I get him to crawl around in vents to overhear conversations and find things in tight places my hand can’t squeeze into. Best ten Gôshel I ever spent.

Mika’s little sister, Connaline, perked up behind the hostess counter when I walked in, the teen’s orange cat ears flicking up.

“Ringëd!” Connaline’s plump arms waved at me and the rest of the boys. “Hi, fellas!”

The department called back cheerily.

I leaned against her hostess counter. “How’s it going, sweetheart?”

Connie scooped up Kurn when he scuttled down my arm to demand food from her.

She sighed. “It’s complicated, I guess. Hey little guy.” She giggled while petting the ferret, not understanding Kurn’s demanding pants when he called her a deaf wench.

“Complicated how?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Well, uh… have you talked to Mika yet?”

“I’m about to. Is something up?”

“She’s, uh… well, you know. She’s Mika.”

I winced. She must have been extra pissed today. That’ll make this conversation harder.

I promised Octavius yesterday that I’d tell him about that raven of his. The kid had no Bloody idea, none of them did. I intended to change that today.

“You guys are kind of late, aren’t you?” Connie asked while swooping between tables to pass out menus. She’d left Kurn on the counter. “You totally missed the lunch rush.”

I grimaced and picked up the ferret. “Yeah, well… finding the Carter Siblings and fighting for priority rights with extradition is really putting us all under pressure.”

Her cat ears swiveled with interest. “Sounds complicated. So, the Carter Siblings are in Lindel now, right? You think they’re still there?”

“Let’s hope so.” I zipped up my brass-orange vest—part of my Footrunner uniform—and adjusted my officer’s badge pinned to the breast-pocket.

We had cloth uniforms instead of the leather or metal armor Runners usually wore. We weren’t part of the spear-holding troops. We were a different branch, the Seeker department. We found things and people, figured out how crimes happened and where to track down the suspects. Not as glamorous as what the bronze-heads did, but the Artist can paint me a fool, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Connie started taking everyone’s orders, and I decided to get a drink. I’d need one for this conversation. Maybe two.

I went to the bar and sat between two other Runners. Kurn crawled down from my shoulder and pattered onto the counter, heading for the black-haired bartender who was having a smoke.

“<You there!>” Kurn snickered at Connie’s brother, Neal. “<As I’ve tried exhaustingly to tell your dimwitted sister, I demand service. All these bi-pedal mongrels have been attended to, but where is my attention?>”

“He-e-ey, it’s the little emperor!” Neal grinned and flicked the ash off his smoke. “You want something to eat, little man?”

“<Indeed I do, good sir!>” Kurn ran up his arm and pawed at Neal’s cheek. “<I’m glad to see someone here has a bit of courtesy! You have my thanks, dark-headed one.>”

Neal didn’t actually understand Kurn, but he picked up on body language pretty well. The kid would make a good Seeker, always noticing the little details. He was too old to pick up an apprenticeship, being twenty-three, but… Oscha, maybe I could pull some strings on the force and squeeze him into the training program. Once I told Octavius of his apprenticeship, Neal would probably feel left out, especially since he was the older brother. Maybe the offer would lift his spirits a bit.

Neal went to the pastry shelves off to the left and picked up a mini-muffin, setting it on the counter for the feral ferret. “You’re in luck, Kurn. We got your favorite today.”

Kurn scuttled off his shoulder to sniff at the muffin. “<Apricot? Splendid! I’ll file a request to the unruly female in charge and get you a raise, my good man.>”

Kurn nibbled happily at the muffin, and Neal slid a glass of scotch my way down the bar before I even had to ask for it.

“Little late there, Ringëd,” said Neal as he poured two mugs of ale for a new pair of customers.

I nodded appreciatively for the drink and took a swig. “Just doing some paperwork on the Carter Siblings. They skipped town for Lindel, looks like, but they were caught stealing down here before then, so we’re trying to push our way into Lindel’s Seeker branch to get them extradited. Takes a lot of politicking, it’s a Bloody nightmare.”

Neal folded his arms on the counter in front of me. “Nightmare’s not over yet. Mika’s pissed.”

“So I hear. But your sister’s always pissed.”

He plucked the cigarette from his lips and chuckled, smoke curling with each breath. “Not like this. You haven’t answered any of her calls today, have you?”

I rubbed my scruffy chin, swirling the scotch. The smell burned my nostrils as I took another swig. “Lost my com this morning,” I explained. “Dropped it on the street and a horse smashed the living Void out of it. Why? Something happen?”

“Dude.” Neal folded his arms over the counter, leaning forward. “Octavius left.”

I choked on the drink, slamming down the glass. “Khff-khff!—wha—khff—what? When?”

“Last night.” He tossed his head back, flipping his black bangs. “Apparently, he got himself into some trouble when he was visiting Mom’s grave. Necrofera showed up.”

“Artist sink me!” I cursed, cupping my mouth. “Is he all right?”

“Yeah, craziest thing happened. Some Reapers came in and killed them all. Octavius is lucky as Land to be alive; he came back with just a few scratches on him.”

He traced his fingers over his shoulder to give a visual. “But that’s not even the best part,” he went on. “These Reapers had some ravens with them, just like Octavius, and they said—”

“He’s a Reaper, too,” I finished for him, hunching over the bar. “So, he found out, huh?”

“You knew?”

I finished the scotch, and Neal poured me another glass. “Yeah, I knew. I was actually going to tell him about it today.”

“Guess these guys beat you to it. They went to Nulani to find Rochelle, to see if she’d seen Mom’s ghost… But, uh, I was wondering. If he’s supposed to be a Reaper…” His green eyes shined eagerly. “Can you tell if I’m gonna be one?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. As expected.

“First off,” I said, “I think your sister could use a break from losing her siblings this week. Second: No, Neal, you’re not going to be a Reaper. A black bird has to follow you first, that’s what the messengers mean.”

“But what if I get one later? What about then?”

“Cornelius.” I propped my elbows on the counter. “Why would you want to be a Reaper? You think fighting demons that can rip you open is buckets of fun?”

He shrugged. “It’d beat being locked up in this place forever. It’s not fair that Tavius gets to leave just ‘cus of some bird.”

I sighed and set down my drink. “We’ll talk about this some other time. Is your sister in the back?”

He nodded, and I pushed off the counter. “Right. Time to do some damage control.”

I walked to the back of the café and pushed open the kitchen door—something flashed in my head at the touch, the Dream mark on my left shoulder gleaming from under my uniform. It was a past vision:

Mika shoved open the kitchen door, storming past the ovens and stovetops in a furious mutter. She threw open the back door outside.

The vision faded.

“Getting a smoke, then,” I grunted and followed the path she’d taken outside.

Prophetic Hallows was really useful if you were a Seeker. It made investigating a lot easier. Well, it would have been better if I could See the Present or Future. But all I usually saw was the Past. Still, it was nice to have.

I opened the back door, finding Mika leaning against the wall, smoking. I went to stand beside her and she offered me a cigarette.

I took the offered smoke as she flicked her fingers and made a small flame ignite out of nowhere, her Death mark lighting on her back shoulder. She hit me up with the fire, then went back to puffing on her own smoke.

“Wondered when you’d get here,” she muttered. “Did Neal tell you what happened?”

“Yeah.” I let out a cloud, watching the streams flow rhythmically between us. “You know, I was going to tell Octavius about it today. I was going to have you there for it, though. I didn’t think he’d just leave right when he found out.”

“Well he did.” Her tone was harsh. “Those Reapers had a good argument, though. Apparently, our mom’s soul went missing from Grim. Her ghost’s here on the surface somewhere, so Octavius went to help them look for her.”

“Uh.” I flicked her a sideways look. “Wow?”

She exhaled a new stream. “Yeah. Wow.”

“You’re taking it well. Thought you’d be setting the kitchen on fire, to be honest. Wouldn’t be the first time, like after your dad left.”

“We need this place. We’d be bankrupt without it. It’s hard enough to convince the tax collectors that the bastard still runs the place, and Neal’s signature-forging skills aren’t up to par yet to fool the banks into transferring ownership.”

“You could just quit,” I said. “I could get us our own place, we could actually get married one of these days and have a couple kids.”

“I already have ‘a couple kids’ to look after,” she grumbled. “But, well… I guess I got one less now, huh?”

I pushed my back against the wall. “Couldn’t keep him here forever, Mika. He’d have to leave eventually, with that messenger. Even if those Reapers didn’t come in yesterday, there might have been some other group coming in here to tell him later.”

Her tongue clicked. “Maybe the later group wouldn’t have been as weird. These guys were something strange, Ringëd. One of them sounded like some Grimish lord dressed in normal clothes, trying to blend in or something. Had weird eyes, too.”

“Weird how?”

She bounced a hand in the air, trying to think back. “I don’t know, just… just weird. They were two different colors. I think he might have been blind in one eye.”

I stopped cold, almost swallowing my smoke.

“Wait.” I raised a halting hand at her, shutting my eyes. “Wait, wait, wait. This guy… He didn’t have grey hair, did he?”

Her brow scrunched. “Obviously. He’s a Grimling, most of them have grey hair, even if they’re young.”

“Did you get a look at his hands? Did one of them have some weird mark on them—like three diamonds?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t look.”

I whipped a hand to my belt and hurriedly unfastened the velvet pouch dangling at my side. I loosened the strings tying it closed and plucked out the fist-sized, crystal ball, shoving the orb at her face.

“Did he look like this?!” I all but shouted, evoking my prophetic Hallows, azure lights sparkling from my fingertips and pouring into the crystal ball.

From the lights swirled a man’s face, the vision gleaming with its own light in the orb, to show Mika what I had Seen with my Third Eye for twenty Gods damned years.

The face was a chalky, pale grey hue, mismatched blue-and-clear eyes staring out from the orb’s clear surface, shadowy grey hair framing his cleanly shaven jaw in feathery curls.

Mika blinked at the face. “That’s him!” She said, pointing. “That’s exactly him!”

“M’ëd Gingette!” I cursed in my native, Marincian language. “And you just let him leave?!”

She stared at me. “W-well, yeah. Mom’s soul was missing, they had to do their job.”

“Oscha, Mika, do you even… Gods damn it!” I threw down the smoke and snuffed it out with a foot, shoving open the door. “I have to go.”

She started after me when I stormed inside. “What?” she asked. “Where?”

“To find that Grimling!” I shoved open the front door, ignoring my shouting coworkers when they tried to get my attention.

Mika panicked and ran behind me out to the boardwalk, snagging my wrist. “Wait! You can’t leave, I-I just lost Octavius, and…!”

I slowed, hesitating. Gods damn it, I cursed to myself. I’m doing exactly what I told Neal NOT to do.

I sighed, taking her hands. “Mika. Do you remember those visions I told you about? The ones I’ve been Seeing since I was a kid?”

Her face tightened. “The one with those Grimling boys?”

I pointed down the boardwalk. “That Reaper you met was him. The same Gods damned Grimling I’ve been Seeing visions of for twenty years. Twenty years, Mika—of unwanted visions, of questions, of never getting any answers—and now you tell me your brother just walked out with that same guy?” I squeezed her fingers. “Please. This may be my only chance to figure out why these visions keep happening. When I have my answers, I swear, I’ll come straight back.” I grinned, kissing her fingers. “And maybe we can finally have that wedding?”

Mikani snorted a laugh, even though her eyes were misting. “Bloods, you’re relentless. Ringëd, I’m just not ready—”

“For Oscha’s sake, Mika, we’ve been engaged for years,” I groaned. “When will you be ready? Bloods, you don’t even wear the vines I gave you.”

She blushed. “It… It just doesn’t feel right, since…”

I sighed. “I know, I know… it was bad timing on my part, huh?”

She shrugged, sniffing. “You didn’t know my mom was going to die that night.”

“But I get it. I just… I really think she’d want you to wear them.” An idea hit me, and I grinned wide. “I got it! When I find Octavius, I’ll help him find your mom’s ghost. And when I do, I’ll drag her back here and have her tell you to Bloody marry me already.”

She grumbled, blushing. “Ringëd…”

I kissed her cheek and skipped backward in a laugh, hollering, “Find yourself a nice dress while I’m gone, honey! Don’t stand me up at the altar, all right?”

She stamped a foot, scowling after me. But I saw her flush and snort a laugh.