Halo’s temper flared. “Listen, lady, I’ll have you know - ”
I sharply nudged Halo’s side with my elbow, urging him to watch his mouth.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Does there seem to be a problem?” I said in my best public service voice.
The woman sighed, like she regretted even getting involved. “Look, the coins in the fountain aren’t fortaking.I’m surprised you didn’t already know that, unless you’re somehow a dragon from outside Cinderhollow. Are you new here, too?” she asked accusingly.
“I’m not,” Halo said. “I was born here. We both were.” He quickly dropped the coin back in the fountain. “And I wasn’t taking it, I was just… looking.”
She made a face like she didn’t quite believe that, but didn’t comment. “Anyway, there was a new guy here just an hour ago, scooping up all the coins in the fountain like his life depended on it. Said he was from outside the tribe and didn’t know any better. I never saw him put the coins back, so I’m assuming he snuck off with them.” In a mutter, she added, “Like the sly fox he was...”
“Wait, did you say fox?” I asked. “We’re looking for a fox shifter who’s new here. Do you remember where he went?”
A pager went off on the woman’s belt and she groaned. “Hold that thought. It’s supposed to be my break, and I still get paged…” She frowned as she muttered the message out loud to herself. “Dr. Lynden, patient got tongue stuck to icicle in waiting room… And? That’s the big emergency? Ugh.” Exasperated, she clipped the pager back to her waist. “People can’t deal with anything themselves these days.”
“An icicle in the waiting room?” I asked, raising a brow. “Don’t you think that’s an emergency? Albeit a strange one? I mean, something must have gone wrong - how is there ice there?”
The woman - Dr. Lynden - just shrugged, like it was no big deal. “A little magic mishap. Probably a child who can’t quite control their powers yet. Orcan, and was just bored with the abacus and the magazines in the waiting room.”
Halo’s eyes lit up. He nearly threw himself onto Dr. Lynden as she prepared to leave. “Wait - did you say magic?”
“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you sure you’re not new?”
“No, we just - lived on the outskirts for a while so we’re a bit out of the loop,” I told her quickly.
Dr. Lynden quirked a brow as if that raised more questions than it answered, but she didn’t press for more information. “Anyways, yes, magic. If you want to learn more, there’s a couple magic schools nearby. Hell, you could probably ask someone on the street. I’ve delivered a few babies with mage parents.”
Halo looked like a baby deer taking its first breath. He was awed, joyed, completely overwhelmed. Dr. Lynden cleared her throat when he wouldn’t let go of her in his daze. He quickly backed up and muttered an apology.
“Yes, well,” Dr. Lynden said. “I’ll be off now.” She paused and said, “Oh, right, your fox fellow. He ran off towards the restaurant district, right about there.” She pointed to an area I was familiar with - or at least I was, four centuries ago. “Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Good luck.”
“Well, she was nice,” I commented after she left.
“Did you hear that, Kass?” Halo said, his voice soft with awe. “Magic! She talked about it like it was nothing, like - like it was the weather or something!”
“I heard.”
He frowned. “And you’re not more excited?”
“I can’t judge the state of Cinderhollow from a single person’s information. It might not be the entire truth,” I said.
“She said she delivered babies with parents who know magic!” Halo argued. “Did you conveniently not hear that part?”
“It could have been a lie.”
Halo groaned loudly, throwing his hands up. “Whatever, you’re impossible.” He began to walk away, then stopped and turned around. “Wait a second. You’re just angry because this isn’t whatyouwanted.”
I balked as if I’d been struck. “Excuse me?”
Halo took an agitated step closer. “You heard me. This Cinderhollow, it’s the opposite of what you wanted. Magic is normal here. Nobody thinks it’s bad, or evil. It’s exactly what you and the Knightsdidn’twant to happen.”
I realized what he was getting at now and groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. This was not a conversation I wanted to have right now. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“No, I’m not. Admit it. I’m right.”
“You’re ridiculous, is what you are.”
“I just want to hear you say it. That the Knights were wrong.”
