“All right, Grandma, spill the tea.”
Her hand hovers over the pot, her expression aghast. “Never.”
Ace laughs. “It’s just an expression. Tell the story.”
“Not much to tell,” Nai Nai says, and Amherst scoffs.
Is she really some kind of witchy celebrity?
“I was a demonhunter in my younger years, and I was making such a good profit but putting myself out of business. So, I made a deal with an oni: I wouldn’t kill him if he caused trouble for me to chase.”
“We’re just a family of con artists…” I murmur in disbelief.
Nai Nai winks at me.
“That doesn’t sound that legendary,” Ace comments.
“I wasn’t quite done,” Nai Nai says. “So, one day, the oni decided he’d had enough of my leash, and opened a portal for a few extra demons—”
“Three hundred and fiftythousanddemons,” Amherst corrects.
“How was I supposed to know he’d been growing stronger from our battles?” she asks innocently.
“You couldn’t have, but it certainly caught the attention of the IBMA. It was a year’s-long fiasco of getting everything put back to how it should’ve been, memories wiped, evidence erased.”
I look at her curiously. “Why not just let everyone know? Why the secrecy?”
The detective sets her empty teacup down. “Prevalence of magic sensitivity in humans is only five percent. Magic wielders is even lower. It would cause too great of an imbalance for ninety-five percent of the population to be left handicapped in a world evolving without them.
“Earth witches and wizards have their outlets, and communities. The rest of the non-magical population needs theirs. AndEarth isn’t the only world in the only plane to be this way. Nearly half of the worlds inhabited by sapient beings are devoid of even magic sensitivity.”
“Crazy,” Ace murmurs. “What is it? Magic, I mean?”
Amherst shrugs. “Still up for debate—something you’ll be doing in school,” she says to me.
A smile creeps onto my lips, but then a hard realization hits me. “How much does it cost?”
Her brow ticks. “It’s a public safety concern. There is no cost. Your education is mandatory.”
“So, no ditching for beach days,” I say.
“Don’t fool around with this, Jiahui,” Nai Nai says in Chinese. “They’re a very serious organization.”
I dip my head. “Sorry, Elder Feng. I was making light.”
Amherst sighs. “I need to take some Mandarin, I guess.”
She gains her feet and smooths down her pants. “I need to report in, but I’ll be back to get everything squared away with you.”
“What about the Zhao trial?” I ask, standing with her.
“The IBMA have found significant evidence of magical malpractice. The Zhao family and its associates involved will spend time in their jail system while they await trial, which will be held at the IBMA headquarters. The Earth trial will never take place—not really. Pictures will be taken, transcripts will be recorded, and the Earth justice system will be satisfied that it has done its job.”
“So, do you guys need my testimony,or…”
She shakes her head. “We shouldn’t, but your parents will be present for the hearing.”
“Our parents?” Ace’s voice breaks as he jumps to his feet.
