Broken Throne Complete Boxed Set Page 6

  “Fine with me. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all.” Winnie went to the refrigerator and grabbed a soda from the shelf.

  “Don’t you want breakfast?”

  “I’ll pick something up on my way into the shop. I want to be there early in case other referrals come in. It could be a good day despite last night’s bad news.”

  “Do you want me to come in with you?”

  Winnie shrugged. “You can if you want. I guess I could use some help getting things rearranged for the new layout. I’m not selling merchandise anymore, so I don’t need all the shelves out front and the counter in back. I thought we could rearrange things to reflect the new business model.”

  Her mother stood and started hobbling back to her bedroom. “Give me a few minutes to freshen up and get dressed in something presentable. Then I’ll go in with you. It’s been too long since I’ve seen the place.”

  Winnie started clearing the breakfast dishes, worried as usual that her mother would overexert herself. Her arthritis was caused by an immune system quirk that caused Elaine’s body to attack her joints as if infected. Medicine helped, but Elaine only had so much energy to expend each day. If she did too much, she’d pay for it days later. Stress also caused flare-ups — like seeing the shop empty and dealing with the worry of Artos Merrilyn’s involvement in Charmed.

  Winnie pulled out her phone and sent Cait a message. Maybe she could come in to help. There would be a lot to do, and if Elaine was coming in, she’d want to help her daughter with any physical work that needed to be done. But if Cait was there, her mom might let the two younger women take care of the heavy lifting.

  She hoped Cait was awake. Winnie considered sending a similar message to Tris but changed her mind. Tris had her own job, and had already called in sick once to help Winnie out at Charmed a few days before. She returned the phone to her pocket without texting Tris — it was hard enough for chanters to find a good job.

  Elaine emerged from the bedroom dressed and almost ready to go. Winnie walked over to her mother and helped her finish the buttons on her dress. The fine motor skills required by even the most mundane task had surpassed her mother’s abilities long ago.

  “You shouldn’t have to take care of me like this. No mother wants that for her daughter.”

  “Nonsense, Mom. Do you hear me complaining?” She finished the final button and gave her mother a hug. “I love you. Where else would I be if I didn’t stay here with you? Now let’s get going. We want to make sure we catch the early bus, so we can get to the shop in enough time to open at nine.”

  Winnie picked up the box with the clock in need of repair, then they left their Enclave apartment and walked to the bus stop. Elaine’s limp slowed them down, but they made it just as the bus was pulling to the curb. That was lucky — missing the bus would have meant waiting thirty or forty minutes for another one.

  The bus dropped them at the stop about two blocks from the shop. When Winnie and her mom turned the corner, it was already nearing nine o’clock. She saw Cait already waiting outside the door, a few feet from a limousine. An unusual sight for this neighborhood — as she and her mother approached, Winnie noticed Cait trying not to look at the limo.

  She fished the keys from her pocket then unlocked the door, giving the limo a sideways glance before going inside with her mother and Cait. There was a lot of work to do today, and Winnie was excited to start.

  The goal for the new layout was simple: to dismantle the shelves and move the counter closer to the front door. She no longer needed the space out front. She could only sell her services, and only to repair existing magical goods. Winnie planned to erect a few of the shelves towards the rear where she could hold items left for repair and block access to her work area where she would cast the spells and charms to mend the broken items.

  Winnie and Cait started taking the metal shelves apart and stacking them against the back wall. They were taking a load of dismantled shelving back when the front door opened and a short, balding man entered, holding the door for a tall, gray-haired man in a black overcoat and hat. Winnie knew right away who the tall man was. Even after only seeing him from a distance once or twice in the past, there could be no doubt it was him: Artos Merrilyn.

  She and Cait set the shelves down. Then Winnie brushed the accumulated dust from her blouse and walked over to greet him.

  “Mr. Merrilyn, I’m so honored to have you stop in my store, though I am sorry about its present state.” She offered her hand, but was shocked when instead of shaking it, he leaned over to brush the back of her hand with his lips.

  “The pleasure is mine, Miss Durham. I know we’ve never met, but I have been paying attention to your hard work here at Charmed for a while now.” He looked around the store, then back at Winnie. “How goes the transition so far?”

  “Transition? Oh, you mean the new license for repair of magical goods?”

  “That is correct. I wanted to make sure you received the license so that you can stay open. It is important for chanters like us to stick together, don’t you think?”

  His smile made Winnie uneasy. Had this been what her mother meant when she’d warned her about him? When Mrs. Adams had come by with her clock and a license, it had seemed like an innocent customer referral. Now, Winnie wasn’t so sure.

  “I am a simple shop keeper, Mr. Merrilyn. I’m grateful for the chance to provide my customers a legal service for a fair price.”

  “A simple shop keeper, indeed.” Artos walked over to the counter where Elaine sat on a stool and inclined his head in a small bow. “You must be Mrs. Durham. I understand that you’re ill. I do hope you’re feeling better today?”

  “I am as well as can be expected, Mr. Merrilyn.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Please promise to let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you. Anything at all.”

  “I don’t see that it will be necessary, but I thank you for your kind words.”

  Artos nodded to Elaine then looked at the clock, still sitting in the box on the counter. He reached in, removed the fine china, and turned it in his hands, peering at the clock’s face before turning his eyes on Winnie.

  “Is this Mrs. Adams’s family clock?”

  “It is, Mr. Merrilyn. She brought it in yesterday. I’ve started working on the underlying charm. There was a fault with the original weave of the flows. They’ve unraveled over time.”

  “What did you do?” He held up the clock, inspecting if further, now from underneath. “I can barely see the charms. They’re nearly invisible, and believe me, it takes a great deal to hide a charm from me.”

  “It’s a small thing,” Winnie said, even though she knew it wasn’t. As far as she knew, no one had ever done anything like it before. “I discovered that I could tighten the weave and make it more durable if I inverted the flows after laying them in place. The process altered their visibility as well, unless you know the key to my pattern.”

  “Most remarkable. Perhaps you would deign to show me how you have managed this at some point in the future? I would greatly appreciate it, Miss Durham.”

  “I would be happy to. It’s complicated, but I believe others could manage it once shown the method. I thought of it as a way to make sure that others couldn’t copy my work or alter the charms after I’ve put them in place.”

  “Well, I’ve never seen anything like it. It is said that others in the distant past possessed the knowledge to shade their magics from the prying eyes of others, but I’ve not heard of a soul in this modern age managing the feat.”

  “When I’m finished working on Mrs. Adams’s clock, I’d be happy to show you.”

  “I would appreciate that, Miss Durham. I have been watching your shop for some time, and have seen no reason to interfere with the work you’ve been doing. Charmed has played its part as a positive role model for chanter businesses elsewhere in this city. Since the passage of Resolution 84, though, I am concerned that we all must change our ways to present a stron
g front to the Assembly, prove that we’re not a danger to the population. I’m sure you understand.”

  Winnie agreed with his surface message, but there was an undertone to what the old man was saying. Not exactly a threat, but definitely a strong suggestion. She nodded. “I’ll do what I can to represent myself as a citizen who follows the law and uses my abilities responsibly.”

  “I am sure you will, Miss Durham. It may, however, become necessary to take a more active role in the future. I am forming an association of businesses and would appreciate your commitment to join us as we present our concerns to the Assembly. Only united can we preserve our way of life.”

  Winnie saw a look of caution on Cait’s face. Elaine was shaking her head.

  “I’ll think about it, Mr. Merrilyn. I have a lot to do right now, trying to transition my business to the new repair shop. I have to come up with advertising and get the word out to my former customers that I am still open in this new role.”

  “Oh, I can help you with that, Miss Durham. It is one of the new Association’s key benefits. We will be able to promote group members to our collective customers. Plus, for those businesses I see as most beneficial to our community, I can use my own personal connections. A direct line to the highest levels of middling society would be quite beneficial for a small business like yours.”

  Winnie heard what Artos was saying. Her success in business was tied to her membership in the proposed Association. Refuse, and she’d be on her own, scraping by on the few customers captured by the little advertising she could afford and anemic word of mouth. If she joined the old man’s initiative, she could count on more upper crust customers like Mrs. Adams finding their way to her door.

  “Mr. Merrilyn, I am flattered by your kind offer. But I’m so focused on getting the shop up and running, I can’t really think about any other opportunities right now. I’d be happy to show you my new methods, once I perfect them. That could benefit other chanters, help them cast better charms more efficiently.”

  “I can wait a few days, Miss Durham. But you must understand that our way of life is under assault. I’m sure you’re aware of the chanter deaths following the Red Legs raid on the Sparks club last night?”

  Winnie didn’t feel the need to tell Artos that she had been there in person. She also didn’t wish to relive the trauma so soon. She just nodded.

  “Those officers had no problem spraying bullets into a crowded nightclub filled with innocents, just to catch one man who may have been dealing magic. They failed to catch the man in question and have offered no apology to our community for the deaths caused by their carelessness. This is why we must present a united front. We can continue to prove that we use magic responsibly, but only by working together.” He gestured to the clock on the counter. “When will you be finished with your work?”

  “I hope to have the clock done in the next day or so.”

  “Excellent. I will look forward to seeing you in a few days, then. I shall tell Mr. Gunderson here to expect you at my offices. He will make sure you are passed directly to me. Please come to my building downtown and ask for him.”

  “I’ll come when I have something to show you.” Winnie hoped her qualification didn’t anger the powerful man, not easily fooled.

  “Very well, Miss Durham. I will leave you ladies to you work. By the way, Miss Marr, I want to thank you for your service in the army.”

  Cait was startled by the sudden shift in attention. She gave the man a nervous smile.

  “I know it is difficult for some veterans to find work. If you’re looking for a job that will neatly fit your particular skill set, you may come by my office and speak to Mr. Gunderson as well.”

  Artos nodded to each of them in turn, then walked to the door. He waited while Mr. Gunderson opened and held it for him. Winnie, Cait, and her mother watched him leave through the store’s front window. He climbed into his limo, then Mr. Gunderson shut the car’s door and walked around to the driver’s side. The car pulled away and Winnie vented a long-held breath.

  Cait spoke first. “How did he know who I was? I’m a discharged buck private from the army. Surely there are other former members of the service more important to keep track of than me?”

  “He knew about my business, too, Cait. Apparently, if it has to do with chanters, that man is keeping track.”

  “That’s what makes him so dangerous, Winnie.” Elaine’s mouth was turned down at the corners. She looked as grim as she sounded. “It is never a good idea to be on Artos Merrilyn’s radar. He controls everything that happens inside the Enclave, and has his long fingers in the middle of everything else that’s magical in the city.”

  “All the more reason to live on his good side, Mom.”

  “There is no good side to that man, Winnie. He talks about killings at the nightclub as if it were a tragedy. His dealings in the Sable trade, selling forbidden magic without regard to how it affects people’s health and lives … it’s despicable. There is no redeeming his work by saying that he’s looking out for people like us. That doesn’t balance the scales.”

  “Mrs. Durham, I do need a job,” Cait said. “I can use the work if he can really help me find it. My army severance is running dry. I’ve got rent to pay and food to buy. Winnie can use me part time, but that won’t be enough to support me. I need to find something else.”

  “What kind of job do you think he means to find for you, Cait?” Elaine shook a gnarled finger at the girl. “He said he has work for someone with your unique skills. What skills do you think he means, if it isn’t your magical training?”

  “What’s wrong with that, Mrs. Durham? I’m proud of the work I did while in the army. If I can use those skills here in civilian life, all the better.”

  “You’re not as naive as Winnie. You know what Artos was talking about. He needs your training in offensive and defensive magic to aid his operations. That man wants you to walk the law’s tightrope like he does. But you have to understand: there’s only room for one person on the tightrope. Everyone else falls off eventually. Never forget that.”

  “Mom, leave Cait alone. She can take care of herself. She wouldn’t do anything illegal. You’ve known her since I was in grade school.”

  “I’m worried about you both, that’s all. I don’t trust that man.”

  “We don’t trust him either, but he can help us with the shop. I can’t think of an alternative, which means we need this to work,” Winnie said. “Let me see if I can find a way to get his help, without getting mixed up in anything else.”

  They all fell silent. Cait returned to gathering dismantled shelves and carrying them to stack at the back of the shop. Winnie looked at Elaine, meeting her mother’s eyes, trying not to let their obvious worry affect her. It was a mom’s job to fret, but Winnie had been taking care of them both for years, and had lived more than her eighteen years. Mom had to trust her judgement in this. There was no other option.

  Winnie joined Cait in dismantling and stacking the shelving across the store. Then they started reassembling the shelves in the new configuration. Elaine sat on her stool, offering suggestions and direction when needed. By lunchtime, they had the new layout in place. The counter was now by the door, separating the shop’s front from its rear, where repaired items could be stored until retrieved by their owners. The trio inspected their work, and smiled at their accomplishment.

  Winnie looked at Cait. “Could you make sure my mom gets home safely? I need to stay here and work on the clock. Maybe some other business will find its way here.”

  “Sure, Winnie. I’ll see that she gets home safe and sound.”

  “I’m not feebleminded, girls,” Elaine complained. “I can ride the bus on my own.”

  “No one is saying you are, Mom. It’s just to make sure you don’t fall, or trip over an uneven patch in the sidewalk. Let Cait help.”

  Elaine nodded, acquiescing to her daughter’s request. Winnie walked them to the door and saw them on their way, then returned to her w
ork on the clock.

  If she could perfect this new method of casting, she might be able to sell Artos the trick, rather than teaching him to do it for free. Dealing with the devil rather than working for him. Something to ponder while she worked.

  Chapter 9

  Winnie got home late.

  She set her backpack on the kitchen table and settled onto a chair, looking at the room with a tired, vacant stare. She was exhausted. Drained of energy. Winnie had found that she could work the spell flows, repairing the magical mechanism that helped Mrs. Adams keep track of her husband and family. But altering the charm so the flows were inverted — essentially turned inside to present no outward sign of their existence — was much harder.

  Part of the problem was that the original spell wasn’t her own. If it had been, Winnie felt reasonably certain that the process wouldn’t be quite so taxing. But now she was untangling a complicated knot tied by someone else, only to then re-tie it in exactly the same way with her eyes closed. She relished the challenge and had stayed late to finish the job.

  Now home, Winnie wondered if she was more tired or hungry. Like usual, when she got tied up with work, Winnie had forgotten to eat. She had to get something in her stomach before going to bed.

  She opened a cupboard and looked for something to tide her over until morning. Everything looked gross. She opened her mother’s cupboard, filled with carb-heavy snacks that Winnie didn’t usually enjoy, or enjoyed a bit too much. But right now, a few crackers or maybe some pretzels might do the job.

  It was behind a box of Raisin Bran that she found a stack of envelopes bound with a rubber band. She reached back, retrieved the envelopes from their hiding place, then pulled them out to look. She removed the rubber band and sorted through the ten or eleven letters. They all came from a specialty pharmacy her mother used to get her arthritis medication.