1
Danica
The sun was out, the birds were chirping, and I could barely control my rage.
“What do you mean you sold it?”
Gary gave me an impatient look. “You missed out. Someone else wanted it more. They outbid you.”
I kept my voice low as I leaned against the counter. Deep, beneath my failing shields, my power roiled, dark and deadly.
“You said no one used black monkshood.”
“Yeah. It was weird. Someone bought my entire stock. I was chatting to Merrill and he said someone bought his as well.”
“That’s fucking great.”
“It’s not personal. It’s business.”
Gary stood straighter on his stool in front of the counter, squaring his shoulders as I took a deep breath. Adult gnomes were between four and five feet tall, and Gary was too proud to lower the counter to his own height so his customers would have to bend.
Power seethed around my body. For the first time, true fear crossed Gary’s face. Then it hardened. “Watch yourself, Danica.”
I shuddered, fighting for control. Someone had placed a suppression spell on my power when I was a kid, and now that it was slowly crumbling, my power tended to spark with strong emotion.
A few weeks ago, two of my marks were killed in front of me. Both held information about my mother’s killer, and both were killed by arrows which shouldn’t have taken down a lesser demon—let alone a high demon. When I’d asked Cara to investigate just what made the arrows so special, she’d told me to purchase black monkshood. Apparently, it could be used in a spell to discover if the arrows contained a poison found inanyof the realms.
Unfortunately, black monkshood only grew in the middleground– the mysterious, dangerous realm that had long been home to those fleeing other worlds. I’d called Gary the moment I learned what I needed, and a few hours later, someone had beat me to it.
“How much did they pay, Gary? You didn’t even give me the opportunity to outbid them.”
He sniffed. “You couldn’t have outbid them. They had deep pockets.”
That made it worse. If someone had bought up all the black monkshood hours before I could, they’d done it because they knew I was onto something.Orthey wanted me tothinkI was onto something. Whoever had fired those bolts into the demons I was questioning had prevented me from learning who had killed my mother. And now they were covering their tracks.
All because Gary was incapable of keeping his word.
“I trusted you,” I hissed.
More magic leaked from me. The store was darkening. Maybe if I pulled the gnome’s head from his shoulders, he’d think twice before double-crossing me.
No, Danica, then he won’t be able to think at all.
Gary thinned his lips and I snarled. “Who were they?”
“I don’t know. I’d offer you security footage, but that camera doesn’t work.”
My shield cracked. Power began to slide from me as I trembled, blind with fury. He had promised.Promisedhe wouldn’t sell it. He haddaredlie to me.
“Daddy I’m scared!”
Gary had two kids. Young boys who constantly caused havoc. Last time I was here, I’d played hide and seek with them.
Now, Ziprick was clutching his dad’s leg, staring at me like I was a monster. His brother scampered close, practically climbing up his dad’s leg as he stared at me, white-faced. I glanced around at the thick, dark purple power that had leaked from me, filling the store like smoke.
Iwasa monster.
Gary held Ziprick to him, glowering at me. “Get out.”
