Broken Throne Complete Boxed Set Read online

  As the woman led him towards the desk, he looked to his left and saw a strange chair, or perhaps the sculpture of a chair, carved out of a single block of granite. It was massive and plain. Its only adornment seemed to be the golden hilt of a sword jutting up from the sculpture’s back.

  Victor was still staring at the sculpture when the woman cleared her throat. His attention returned to the desk. There was nowhere for anyone to sit on his side, so he assumed a position of attention and waited.

  “Director Kane, Constable Holmes is here as you requested.”

  A pale white hand appeared to the left of the chair back, gave a wave of dismissal, then disappeared again. The woman nodded, fixed Victor with a steely-eyed glare, then turned and headed for the door, her heels clacking on the marble floor, fading until they were nothing. After they were alone, the Director said nothing. Victor felt uneasy in the silence of the moment.

  Then, after an endless minute of silence, the Director spoke. “Are you a true believer, Constable Holmes?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. I’m not sure what you mean.”

  The chair spun around and Victor got his first look, up close and in person, at the man he idolized more than anyone on the planet. Gray eyes fixed him with a stare that caused him to blink defensively once they were locked on his own.

  “Do you believe in what we are doing, Constable? It’s a simple question. Many people, including our nation’s elected leaders, question the Assembly’s recent actions. Some say the passage of Resolution 84 is the beginning of a literal witch hunt.” A thin, bony finger pointed toward him, directly at his chest. “Do you believe in the righteousness of what we are doing here in the Department?”

  “Of course I do, sir. I have wanted nothing more than to become a Red Leg officer as long as I can remember. This is what I was born to do.”

  The Director’s eyes bore into his own, as if searching for truth behind his words. With a nod, perhaps of approval, Kane continued. “Good. Because in these tumultuous times, we are sorely tested. There are those who would undermine the work I have put in to secure our future without the hindrance and danger of magic in our lives. I need good men and women that I can count on to secure that work and carry it to the streets.”

  Victor wanted to cry out that he was one of those chosen men, but he remained at attention and silent.

  “You were assigned a woman you were to watch in your district, though you were not told why. I would like to know what you are doing to keep this woman under surveillance.”

  “I’m not sure I know who you’re referring to. I have several women under my team’s surveillance programs. We are striving to stamp out simple charm runners, as well as any Sable traders in Baltimore. I wasn’t aware of any special requests from your office, sir. I assure you that my team will drop everything to focus on such a request.”

  “I’m sure you will. It is my fault. I sent a request through regular channels. She is one of the ones you mentioned. The woman to whom I am referring is one Guinevere Durham. Do you know her?”

  Victor was startled by the name. She was hardly one of his most hardened criminals. As far as he knew, she wasn’t a criminal at all, other than being a chanter, which cast her as a liar and a cheat by nature herself.

  “Director, I am tracking her as part of a routine investigation. She was seen at a recent raid to capture a Sable trader. She and her companions left the scene before they could be questioned. Her shop closed after the passage of the Resolution, then reopened after she acquired a magical repair license from a bureaucrat downtown. I’m still attempting to ascertain how she gained access to such a license so quickly. It doesn’t appear she applied for the license through traditional channels. I’m looking into it.”

  “She didn’t acquire it on her own, Constable. She had it given to her by a benefactor. Now, I believe she will attempt to pay back that benefactor. She must not be allowed to succeed in her efforts to do so.”

  “Who is this benefactor? I will raid their home and business the moment I — ”

  “That would be futile, Constable. Artos Merrilyn is far too clever to leave incriminating evidence of his Sable Trading activities lying around. No, you will leave him alone. His downfall lies with Miss Durham. Bring her down, and you will destroy Merrilyn’s plans.”

  “Excuse my ignorance, sir. How can stopping one woman without so much as a jaywalking fine in her file possibly bring down someone like Artos Merrilyn?”

  “Ignorance can be a blessing, Constable. But it’s unbecoming in one who seeks an inspector’s shield.” Kane leaned forward, staring in Victor’s eyes again. “You need only know that she’s the key. She will soon seek out more direct assistance from Artos Merrilyn. Did you know that?”

  Victor shook his head. “No, sir.”

  “He is about to give her something, then ask her to make sure it’s delivered. That delivery must not happen. Identify the magical item she carries, confiscate it, and arrest her. Bring her directly to me and nowhere else. It must be a legal arrest, and you will need rock-solid evidence or eye-witness testimony to back it up. Anything less and Merrilyn’s supporters in the government will get it thrown out. Secure her arrest in the next few days, and you will earn your shield.”

  Victor considered what the Director was saying. Winnie Durham was a small player at best. He wasn’t even sure she was doing anything illegal. The Director said she was going to meeting with Merrilyn soon, and would receive some illegal magic item to deliver.

  But how did he know?

  “Well, Constable?”

  “Sir?” Victor returned to the present, cursing his distraction.

  “I have given you an assignment. An extremely important, time-sensitive assignment. What do you have to say?”

  “Yes, sir. I will get on it immediately.”

  “Very well. Don’t let me down, Constable. I do not take failure lightly. Go and collect this chanter girl for me.” Kane gave a wave of dismissal with his pale white hand, then turned the chair away from Victor again to stare out his window.

  Victor heard clicking heels, then turned and saw the Director’s assistant standing in the doorway, gesturing for him to follow her again. He looked back over his shoulder for a final glance at the Director’s chair, then followed her from the room.

  Outside, past the security gate, Victor took out his phone and placed a call.

  “Yeah, boss.”

  “That is ‘Yes, Constable, how may I help you?’ not ‘Yeah, boss.’ Do you have eyes on your assignment?”

  “No, she’s in her shop. It seems strange, it being so late and all. I’m in the car waiting.”

  “Don’t lose her. Get another officer to meet you so there are two of you on this assignment at all times. It is extremely important that we know where she is and with whom she’s meeting at all times.”

  “Got it, Constable. I’m to continue tailing the girl, do not apprehend, and keep myself and another officer following her at all times so you can follow her when you get back.”

  Victor listened and nodded in satisfaction. He could feel his chest swell with pride at the thought of becoming an Inspector — youngest on the force. He would immediately be one of the nation’s most powerful Red Legs.

  “Excellent. I’m on my way.” He closed the connection and started towards the parking garage. He climbed inside his official vehicle and drove toward the exit.

  Victor left the garage, flipped on his emergency lights, and drove back downtown to meet his destiny.

  Chapter 14

  Mrs. Adams arrived a few minutes before noon that day. Winnie had only had a brief chance to run home, shower, change, and come back before her first repair customer arrived at Charmed. She was thrilled to see the clock working again. Winnie showed her its hand movement with a wave. The clock’s hands teased 5:45, then quickly returned to the present time of 11:55.

  “I love it!” Mrs. Adams crooned. “It used to predict his return time, after he’d left work. This is much better!” br />
  “I managed to upgrade the charm. It should be more efficient than before. It was the least I could do for my first customer in the new business.”

  “Well it’s perfect. I can’t wait to tell my friends. Especially Alsene, she’ll be green with envy! I hope you don’t mind me telling them about your work.”

  “Not at all. Just please be discreet in mentioning any enhancements to the existing enchantment. Technically, that’s not allowed. But I felt obligated to give you my best.”

  “My lips are sealed, my dear. Now how much do I owe you?”

  Winnie had assumed that Mrs. Adams payment was taken care of already, thanks to the license framed on the wall behind her. She hadn’t given much thought to the cost of what she did, or what reasonable pricing would be for such a repair.

  “How does twenty dollars sound?”

  Mrs. Adams laughed. “My dear, you’re never going to turn a profit if you charge so little for your services. I’ll give you fifty, and confess that I’d have paid ten times that to get my clock working again. Remember that when my friends show up. They can afford it.” She picked up her box and waved. “Ta ta, dear.”

  Winnie watched the woman exit her shop and walk down the street clutching her prized clock. Then she looked at the fifty-dollar bill in her hand. Mrs. Adams had said she would have paid ten times that for her clock. Really? Five-hundred dollars? Sure, the rich and influential people of the city lived in a different world, but could they really afford to spend so much on something so trivial as a mantle clock?

  Funny thing about the effects of Resolution 84 on those who owned or wanted magic. Passage of the law changed the availability of charms, and that lack of availability caused the price of even the simplest spell to skyrocket. People still wanted and needed magic, and people like her neighboring shopkeeper, the florist Mrs. Paulson, were willing to pay handsomely for the service.

  She’d already decided to help Mrs. Paulson. The woman used to babysit her. If she needed help, who was Winnie to deny it? But the realization that others needed help as well, and were willing to pay, well … that gave her plenty to think about.

  Winnie spent her afternoon conjuring a special charm for Mrs. Paulson. The craft was new to her. Winnie didn’t dabble in magic that affected a person directly, but it didn’t keep her from figuring out a simple way to make the spell work. Again, she felt that thrill deep inside her that warmed her whole body and made her feel great when she was finished.

  In the end, she decided to use a temporary marking spell. She’d have to cast it directly on the cash drawer. Anyone who saw her would know what she was doing, so she’d have to cast the charm either before or after the flower shop closed.

  Winnie checked her watch and saw that it was later than she’d thought. She needed to do something else this evening, something she was dreading. Joey had told her that Zach Corfield was a high-ranking leader in Merrilyn’s Sable Trading organization. That meant she would have to appeal to Merrilyn directly to get the man off her back. She hoped she would be able to convince him by sharing her flow inversion trick.

  She took the card Artos had left her from her pocket and dialed the number on it. After a moment, a slightly accented voice answered on the other side.

  “Mr. Merrilyn’s line. Who, may I ask, is calling?”

  “Mr. Gunderson?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s Winnie Durham. I wanted to take Mr. Merrilyn up on something he offered the other day and come by to speak with him. Is he available this evening?”

  “He has a brief window of time early this evening. Are you able to come right over?”

  “Uh, yes. I don’t know the address, though.”

  “I’ll text it to you. He’s in the Menders’ Hall downtown.”

  The Menders’ Hall was a magnificent granite structure near the main government buildings and financial centers in the middle of Baltimore. She knew where it was and didn’t need the address. She already felt self-conscious about going there.

  “I know where that is, Mr. Gunderson. I will be there inside of an hour.”

  “I shall tell him of your pending arrival, Ms. Durham. Good day.”

  Winnie gathered her bag to leave, flipped the sign from Open to Closed, and locked the door behind her.

  On the way by her neighbor’s store, she poked her head into the Fanny’s Flowers. Mrs. Paulson was busy helping a prospective bride and her mother select flowers for her wedding, so Winnie decided to leave a message.

  There were two saleswomen behind the counter — a middling girl about her age, and a chanter closer to her mother’s. Seeing Mrs. Paulson was busy, she walked up to the two at the counter.

  “I wanted to leave a message for Mrs. Paulson,” Winnie said, approaching the counter.

  “Sure thing,” said the chanter woman, picking up a pen. She held it over a slip of paper and looked at Winnie expectantly. “Go ahead.”

  “Just tell her I’ll be around early tomorrow before the shop opens. Around eight. I’ll have that thing she wanted.”

  “Got it. I’ll see she gets this.”

  “Great.” Winnie waved farewell, then left the shop.

  She’d be getting a test of her new inverted weave on this one. If Winnie cast something new on the cash drawer and the chanter employee saw it, she’d recognize the aura immediately. She probably wouldn’t be able to figure out what it meant or did, but she’d know it was freshly cast. It wouldn’t take too much of a mental leap to put two and two together.

  She’d have to be careful.

  Winnie worried anew about doing the spell for Mrs. Paulson while juggling concerns about her upcoming meeting with Artos while walking to the bus stop. She had two connections to reach the financial district down near the harbor, and hoped she could make it in time.

  The bus dropped her off at the stop down the street from the Menders’ Hall housing Merrilyn’s offices at exactly one hour from when she left. She had to run and would still be late for her appointment with the man.

  Sure enough, Winnie was out of breath when she finally arrived on the fifth floor and found the offices for First Mender Services, LLC. The door’s gold lettering belied an upscale business, and had her wondering if her casual clothing of blue jeans, tee, and leather jacket was horribly inappropriate.

  Winnie entered the office and found a typical reception area with a chest-high wall surrounding a long desk. She approached the desk, trying to slow her almost out of control breathing and hoping she wasn’t sweating as much as it felt like she was. A bored secretary looked up from her tablet, barely meeting Winnie’s eyes.

  “Welcome to First Mender Services? How may I help you?”

  “I’m here to see Mr. Merrilyn. I have an appointment, arranged with Mr. Gunderson.”

  “Please have a seat. I’ll let Mr. Gunderson know you’re here.”

  Winnie turned and sat in a comfortable armchair, eyeing the stack of magazines on the coffee table before deciding to flip through unopened emails on her phone.

  She read three before a door in the far wall opened and Mr. Gunderson emerged.

  “Miss Durham, it is good to see you. If you’ll please come with me?”

  Winnie stood then followed the gray-haired man down a long hallway into a suite of offices.

  “Mr. Merrilyn is running late and asked me to find out if you had plans for dinner.”

  “I usually eat at home with my mother. I had nothing special planned tonight.”

  “Good, Mr. Merrilyn would like the pleasure of your company. The two of you can discuss your plans over dinner this evening.”

  Again, she looked down at her outfit: blue jeans, a tight-fitting tee, and a short-waisted leather jacket. She wasn’t dressed for dinner with a man like Artos Merrilyn.

  Mr. Gunderson noticed her hesitation. “Oh, you’ll not be going out to dinner. Mr. Merrilyn takes his dinners here in the offices most evenings, finishing his business before he retires for the night. Your attire will not be a problem
, I assure you.”

  Winnie still felt self-conscious and underdressed, clutching her backpack to her chest as they continued down the hallway toward a set of wood-paneled double doors.

  Mr. Gunderson knocked twice. She heard a muffled voice from the other side. It must have indicated for them to enter because the gray-haired assistant opened the right-hand door and gestured Winnie in ahead.

  The high-ceilinged office looked like it could belong to the governor. Dark wood paneling lined the walls with crown molding edged against the ceiling, and a matching dark-stained chair rail fixed to the walls. One entire wall was covered by a floor to ceiling bookcase with a brass track and ladder arrangement to access the upper shelves. Artos Merrilyn sat behind a large wooden desk fronted with two leather-upholstered wingback chairs. Mr. Gunderson led Winnie to the chairs and gestured for her to sit. Artos was on his desk phone, mid-conversation. She took a seat and waited. The assistant left, pulling the double doors closed as he did.

  Winnie looked around the room, noticing an antique suit of armor on a stand in one corner and a large globe set in a metal floor stand in the other. There was a table and another two chairs set up near the bookshelves, with two table-settings already set. She tried not to eavesdrop on the call while absorbing the room’s many sights, but failed.

  “ … I’ll tell you again. I can no longer guarantee delivery. I may have a solution, but you must wait until after dinner. Now is the time for caution.”

  Winnie couldn’t hear what the voice on the other end was saying, but she could hear its angry tone well enough. Artos rolled his eyes, listening to the tirade. He covered the mouthpiece of the phone with one hand.

  “I’ll be with you in one moment, my dear.”

  He returned to his call. After a moment, Artos interrupted.

  “Jackson, I will provide you what was promised, but you must be patient while delivery is arranged. I will contact you again later this evening. I should have the details you require then. Is that satisfactory? Excellent. Until then.”