Shadow Duel (Prof Croft Book 9) Read online

  “Thanks, buddy,” he said, catching them and padding away.

  Vega blew me a kiss. “I’ll save the real thing for after your shower.”

  “Can’t blame you,” I chuckled. “Mind if Bree-yark joins us for breakfast?”

  “Of course not. How’d the hunt go?” she asked, opening a window.

  “Oh, it was an adventure. I’ll tell you all about it after I drop something off in the lab.”

  I climbed the ladder to my library/lab, fished the salt-packed metal box from my pocket, and placed it inside a containing circle. As I pushed energy into it, the circle glowed amber. When the containment became self-sustaining, I looked over the box a final time, really curious to hear what the Order would have to say.

  Back downstairs, I told Vega about the landfill and animation. By the time I finished, Tony was staring up at me, wide awake.

  “You fought a pile of living garbage?” he asked. “Sweet!”

  “It was a lot less sweet than it sounds,” I said. “In fact, it stunk.”

  To his credit, Tony smirked at the dad joke. Vega tousled her son’s hair and placed a bowl of raisin bran in front of him. She’d prepared three more bowls, and I carried mine to the far end of the table. Coffee and juice were usually my job, but she signaled for me to stay put while she took care of those as well.

  In the bathroom, Bree-yark was crooning above the sound of the shower going full blast.

  “I’m guessing he’ll be a while,” I said when Vega returned. “We can go ahead and start.”

  She took a seat at the opposite head of the table. “So, all of that magic came out of a little box?”

  “Yeah, one with engravings, about this size.” I showed her with my hands. “Not sure where it came from, though.” I chewed slowly, revisiting the angular glyphs, the green glow, the strange currents of magic …

  “All right, I know that look,” Vega said.

  I emerged from my thoughts to find her making the let’s-hear-it gesture. I glanced over at Tony, but he was engrossed in a puzzle on the back of the cereal box, his dripping spoonful suspended halfway to his mouth.

  “It’s just that it’s magic I’ve never felt,” I said in a lowered voice. “Powerful magic that the wards interpreted as having nether qualities, but I didn’t sense that up close. It was completely foreign.”

  “Dangerous?” she asked, her eyebrows drawing together.

  I understood her concern. The mystery box was now in an enclosed space with her son and our future little girl. That had been one of the main discussions about our living arrangements. I would be casting magic and bringing the occasional suspect item back to the loft. On the other hand, the loft featured some of the most powerful protective wards in the city, wards that had taken me years to infuse and strengthen. Unless we found something at a meeting of ley lines, few places in the city would be safer for our family.

  “It’s isolated in a powerful protective circle now,” I assured her. “I called Claudius on the way home. He’s arranging for a member of the Order to come get it.”

  “Claudius?” she said skeptically.

  She’d seen him up close enough times to know that the absent-minded old man who conjured portals, undid complex bindings, and answered phones for the Order was hardly someone to be relied upon.

  “I’ll send him a reminder,” I said.

  “And you won’t be poking at it in the meantime?”

  “What, the box?”

  Vega raised a stern eyebrow.

  “All right, all right,” I laughed. “I won’t lie, strange magic is as sexy to me as that summer dress you wore in Spain last month, and I am tempted to take a peek inside.” Vega cleared her throat at the innuendo and darted her eyes toward Tony, who was still absorbed in the cereal box. “However,” I continued, “after my shower, I’ve got to get to the college.” It was the first day of the summer term, and I had two classes to teach.

  “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  I nodded at her NYPD uniform. “What’s with the blues?” As a homicide detective, she usually wore a black suit—which went really nicely with her midnight hair and Latin features, I had to say.

  “I’m going light duty this week, remember?”

  “Oh, that’s right,” I said, snapping my fingers. “I just didn’t realize it involved a wardrobe change.”

  “I’m helping out another department. That reminds me,” she said following a sip of coffee. “Camilla’s out sick, so I arranged for another sitter.”

  “Aww,” Tony said, picking up the last part.

  “Who?” I asked.

  A knock sounded at the door. I started to stand, but Vega signaled for me to stay put. She answered the door and exchanged a warm greeting with someone. My wards recognized the visitor before I did, muting their defenses.

  A moment later, Mae Johnson stepped into view. In the past, she had helped me in her capacity as “nether whisperer” and we’d become close. I considered her a surrogate grandmother. I’d also played a modest role in getting her and Bree-yark together, which I was proud of. Even though it was already eighty degrees out, Mae was wearing a padded floral coat over her sizable figure. She smiled broadly over the collar.

  “Well, hello there, Everson,” she said. “Hi, Tony.”

  “Morning, Mae,” I said. “I’d get up and give you a hug, but I don’t want to knock you out. Thanks for coming.”

  “Anytime, hon. I’m just up Ninth.”

  While the Ninth Avenue part was true enough, she was all the way up in Harlem, which was no quick trip.

  “You remember Mae,” Vega said to her son as she closed the door. “She’s going to be watching you while your dad and I are at work.”

  Tony waved at her over the back of his chair, but his eyes were fixed on her pet carrier. Small tentacles writhed through the mesh door.

  “Care for some breakfast?” I asked Mae.

  “Oh, no, no. I eat breakfast at five, then only carrots and celery till lunchtime. Trying to manage my sugars.” She set her carrier and a tote bag down and took two steps toward us before pulling up. “Whoo-eee!” she cried, fanning the air in front of her nose and large glasses. “What did you do, child? Go dumpster diving?”

  “Close,” I said. “Landfill diving.”

  “And he fought a garbage monster,” Tony bragged.

  “Well, it smells like the garbage monster got the best of him this time,” Mae said with a laugh. “But you’re okay?”

  “Excuse me?” Tabitha called. “Some of us are trying to lounge over here.”

  At the sound of her voice, the creature inside the cage chirped excitedly. Mae stooped and opened the door.

  “Go on, Buster,” she said. “Just don’t get into anything that isn’t yours.”

  The lobster-like creature with tentacles for lips skittered out and bee-lined for the divan, where he snapped up at Tabitha playfully.

  Groaning, Tabitha flopped onto her other side. “Kill me now.”

  Bree-yark emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, humming the tune he’d been singing. His thin strands of hair were parted to one side, and he’d tucked his shirt inside the pants, but instead of rolling them up, which I thought was implied when I made the loan, he’d torn the cuffs clean away.

  “Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Mae said.

  Bree-yark stopped suddenly and stammered. “M-Mae. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m helping out the Crofts.” She walked over, kissed the top of his head, and shook one of his large ears. “How’s my handsome gent doing?”

  “Nice,” he said. “I mean, you—I mean, it’s nice to see you too.”

  He took one of her hands to kiss, then seemed to decide on the other, before grunting and going back to the first. Mae giggled appreciatively, while Vega and I exchanged questioning looks. Neither of us had ever seen Bree-yark this uneasy around her. Then I remembered his proposal plans. When he’d said he was working up the nerve, he wasn’t kidding. The poo
r guy was scared out of his mind.

  “Come on over and have a seat, Bree-yark,” I said, attempting to settle him down. “Grab some eats.”

  “Oh, I’d like that, Everson, but I, ah, I’ve gotta run.”

  “Run?” Mae said. “Where do you have to run to at this hour?”

  “You’re more than welcome to stay and hang out,” Vega said. “I’m sure Tony would like that.”

  “Yeah!” Tony exclaimed. “We can build a giant cushion fort and then body-bomb it!”

  The goblin looked between the four of us, his squash-colored eyes turning bright with panic. When the front door flung open, he let out a sound between a bark and a scream.

  My own heart leapt as I shot up. Intruder?

  Recalling my cane from the stand with a force invocation, I pulled it into sword and staff. Vega drew her sidearm and aimed it two-handed. Bree-yark took one look at the doorway and fell flat on his back.

  3

  Colorful lights shimmered over the threshold, silhouetting a large figure. I moved in front of Tony, ley energy storming toward me. Vega sidestepped with her service weapon for a better angle. Mae knelt beside Bree-yark.

  “Who’s there?” I demanded, my mind going to the strange box I’d recovered.

  In the next moment, the large figure was standing beside the coat rack, blinking around. The light show faded.

  I released my breath. “Jesus, Gretchen. Ever heard of knocking?”

  Vega lowered her weapon with a perturbed expression. “Or better yet, calling ahead.”

  My teacher waved a hand as if such formalities were for lesser beings, released a low burp, and took in the scene. Tony returned her stare, though in curiosity rather than fear. Buster had stopped in his attempts to play with Tabitha, and both were peering back at her. Gretchen’s gaze fell to Bree-yark. He had landed spread-eagle, the soles of his splayed feet facing her.

  “What’s with him?” she asked in the scornful way of an ex.

  “You tell us,” I growled.

  For ten years Gretchen had strung Bree-yark along, manipulating his affections into chores and lonely stretches of house-sitting. I’d convinced him that he could do better about the same time Mae entered his life. I’d also been there during his breakup with Gretchen in her kitchen. She had not taken it well.

  “What? You think I did that?” she said now.

  “You once threatened him with a casserole dish,” I reminded her.

  “Well, he doesn’t need my help to faint. For all their swagger, goblins aren’t wired to handle emotional stress, especially in matters of the heart. It short circuits their puny brains.”

  Mae suspended her efforts to revive Bree-yark and rose. “What did you say about him?”

  Gretchen’s eyes narrowed over her hooked nose as she gave Mae a thorough up and down. “I merely made an observation. And who are you supposed to be?”

  “I’m not supposed to be anyone. I’m Mae Johnson, his lady friend. Who are you?”

  Gretchen thrust out her chin. “Only his former lover.”

  “Well let’s keep the emphasis where it belongs,” Mae said, stepping forward. “On former.”

  Tabitha’s eyes brightened at the prospect of a cat fight, but I stepped between the two large women before things could get ugly. “Whoa, whoa. You’re here for the box, right?” I said to Gretchen. “Just give me a sec and I’ll grab it.”

  But Gretchen stared at me as if I were offering to retrieve a dead rat. “What in the world would I want with your box?”

  “It’s the one I found this morning. Claudius didn’t tell you? Last week, the wards detected an energy signature that—”

  She showed her palms, some magic in the motion cutting me off. “Enthralling, engrossing, fascinating—all those things, I’m sure. But I’m not here for your box. Good gods, what is that smell?”

  “I found the box in a landfill,” I said, then added in a mutter, “and if you’re reacting, it has to be bad.”

  “Well, here.” She waved a hand in annoyance.

  A prickling wave broke over me, as if I were being scrubbed with a stiff brush. The sensation sent me into an involuntary jitter—and a full blown dance when it reached my delicate parts. Moments later, the scrubbing stopped, leaving behind a faint afterburn. I touched my hair, slick and parted now. When I sniffed my arm, it smelled like fresh lavender. Gretchen had cast a cleaning spell.

  “Thanks,” I said thinly.

  “And while we’re at it…”

  With the snap of her fingers, Bree-yark jolted upright. He put one hand to his heart and the other to his head. With Mae’s help, he pushed himself to his feet, eyes squinting as if from a bad hangover.

  “What in thunder happened?” he grumbled.

  “You went woozy, you poor thing.” Mae said, guiding him to my reading chair.

  “I tend to have that effect on him,” Gretchen remarked, arching a provocative eyebrow.

  With a head-clearing shake, the goblin looked between Mae and Gretchen. Brightness returned to his eyes, but it wasn’t the full-blown look of panic from earlier. The fainting must have reset his nervous system.

  “Got anything I can take a shot of, Everson?” he asked.

  Vega nodded that she’d get it and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “If you didn’t come for the box,” I said to Gretchen, “to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”

  “I’ll be going away for a while.”

  I snorted. “Since when do you announce your departures? You usually just disappear.”

  “Someone has asked me on a trip,” she continued, as if I hadn’t spoken. “A wonderful man. But it’s all very last minute. He’s quite…” She circled a hand as she searched for the word. “Adventurous. And he can afford to be. He’s done extremely well for himself. Anyway, I’ve told him yes.”

  I noticed something that had escaped me in the confusion of her arrival: Gretchen had undergone a makeover. Her unruly hair was now a trendy, shoulder-length bob with blond highlights. Gone too was the frumpy housedress. She was wearing a fashionable blazer over a blouse, and straight-leg jeans tucked into a pair of women’s boots. Flashes of gold jewelry completed the stylish look. To impress this mystery man? Maybe, but I also noticed she was speaking loudly enough for Bree-yark to hear.

  I shook my head. She wasn’t doing me any courtesy by announcing her departure; she was trying to make her ex jealous.

  “He mentioned a cliffside villa in the Cinque Terre with a wonderful ocean view,” she was saying. “And then we’ll be in Paris for the Fete de la—”

  “All right, all right,” I cut in. “When will you be back?”

  Despite my very mixed feelings about Gretchen, the Order still felt she was the best teacher for my stage of development. And when she was around long enough to string a few training sessions together, I actually learned some things. She’d shown me a kickass potion the month before that I couldn’t wait to use.

  “I’ll be back when I’m back,” she snapped, annoyed I’d interrupted her itinerary. “But when it comes to someone as tall, strong, and spontaneous as Enzo, a girl never really knows.”

  “Enzo,” Bree-yark repeated dismissively.

  A smile spread over Gretchen’s glossed lips. She’d gotten the reaction she wanted. “Well, wish me and my new beau the best,” she called.

  Tabitha made a sour face. “I think we all just wish you’d fu—”

  A starburst of colors flashed, causing everyone to flinch back, and Gretchen was gone.

  “Whoa. How’d she do that?” Tony asked, the lights lingering in his eyes.

  “We’re going to need to set some ground rules with her,” Vega said, returning with Bree-yark’s shot of liquor.

  “Yeah, no kidding,” I agreed. “You all right, man?” I asked Bree-yark.

  He tilted the shot back and wiped his lips with a leathery forearm of corded muscles.

  “I’m fine, guys,” he said, noticing we were all watching him. “That h
appens sometimes.”

  “Are you sure you’re not coming down with something?” Mae reached over to feel his ridged brow. “I can fix you some soup.”

  He took her hand and folded his around it, in control once more. “I’m grand, Mae. But I really do have to be going. Call you later?” He kissed her cheek and made for the door. “I owe you a pair of pants, Everson.”

  “Consider them payment for the help,” I said.

  Mae’s concerned gaze lingered as the door closed behind him. “Anything I should be worried about?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, he and Gretchen are history.”

  “I don’t care about that mess of a woman,” she said, waving a hand. “I mean Bree-yark. I’ve never seen him behave like that. Even before she turned up he was acting like he couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”

  “Can you blame him?” Tabitha grumbled.

  “You spent the morning with him,” Mae said to me. “Did he say anything?”

  Besides that he’s planning on proposing? I thought, but I’d pledged my silence.

  “Say anything?” I repeated.

  Buster returned and climbed onto Mae’s shoulder. She stroked his head absently, making his mouth tentacles wriggle, as she awaited my response. Vega crossed her arms, a questioning smile slanting her lips.

  “Well, nothing stands out,” I said. “But he did get into it with a garbage monster, and he was breathing all that foul air. I wouldn’t doubt some combination of the two knocked him off his game.”

  “Maybe,” Mae allowed, but her frown suggested she wasn’t convinced.

  I checked my watch. “Shoot, guys. I’ve gotta get to the college.”

  “I should be going too,” Vega said. She stepped into the halo of my sparkling clean scent, courtesy of Gretchen’s spell, and kissed me. “You can tell me what’s really going on later,” she whispered.

  Damn.

  4

  I couldn’t help but smile as I strolled down the bustling main hall of Midtown College.

  Having spent more than fifteen years here, first as a student, then an adjunct professor, and now fully tenured, it had become as much a part of me as my occult lab back home. Wizarding may have been in my blood, but academia competed hard for those corpuscles. When I was away for any length of time, such as the few weeks between the end of spring term and the start of summer, I felt incomplete. I missed the students and the outdated library and the tedious hours of research.