I held tightly to the tainted charm as I dissipated both of us, transporting myself and the charm back to California. I could have dismantled the charm myself, but Niki wanted all of them back to analyze what had or hadn’t been done to each one.
Neither of us had been certain if this one would be affected when I’d gone to fetch it. Originally, Niki asked everyone who hadn’t activated a charm to send them back to him. After a bit of cajoling, my warlock had seen sense in my obviously superior plan of fetching them myself. Since I’d never met any of these customers personally, I needed an address and nothing more. The customers were instructed to leave the charm on a table, and I would take the questionable charm and replace it with a new, known clean one.
Transporting the charms cost me practically nothing, or at least it was no worse than simply transporting myself. They were little more than an item of clothing to me. Still, considering I’d visited seven homes in the last two days, my energy level was beginning to flag. It wasn’t nearly as bad as when I’d retrieved my fallen comrades, but I wouldn’t mind a few hours sleeping in my fox form, especially if Niki’s lap was involved.
The charm visually appeared innocuous enough. I’d known the moment I was in its presence that it was tainted. By now, I was familiar with the feel of Niki’s magic. This thing in my hand felt nothing like him. It was foul in the worst possible way. Probably because I could feel the original threads of Niki’s magical workings buried deep within, twisted and tainted into something nearly unrecognizable. It was disgusting and made me want to do physical violence to those who’d dared contaminate something so beautifully perfect.
Before returning to our home in California, I made a quick trip to visit Aaron Detling. Easing into the female human form I’d taken before, I decked myself out in a pair of maroon scrubs with cute little foxes frolicking across the top. The human was still in the hospital but appeared to be recovering now that the charm’s magic had worn off. Niki would be relieved to hear the human was improving.
I rematerialized in Niki’s work room. The other six charms I’d retrieved were all untouched. Despite my proclamation claiming them as such, Niki still felt the need to examine each and every one himself. I wasn’t offended. It was simply Niki being Niki. He wouldn’t be the warlock I’d claimed if he didn’t want to get his hands on his own creations. As he’d told me before, they were his children. Of course he’d want to inspect them himself. It was just another manifestation of his care.
I decided to start with something positive and said, “Aaron Detling is improving.”
“The charm’s effects have worn off then?”
“So it seems.”
Niki slumped forward, “I’m glad. I’ve already reached out to his family and insurance company.”
“You’re paying for his care?” I’m not sure why I sounded so surprised.
“It’s the least I can do.”
“It’s the least Danzig and Bailor can do,” I corrected. “They were the ones responsible for his illness, not you.”
Niki rubbed his palm over the back of his neck. “As if they’d offer any type of compensation. Most likely Danzig’s disappointed Aaron is still alive. I’m aware how human health insurance works in this country. By the time this issue is settled with the Warlock Council, Aaron Detling will have already drowned in debt. I won’t have that on my conscience too.”
Pride sang through every one of my pores. How did others not see how incredible this warlock was? Leaning in, I ran my fingers through Niki’s dark hair, inhaling his unique scent before getting down to the other important bit of business. “This charm is different.” Slipping around Niki’s side, I slid the charm onto the stone surface. Niki’s blackened fingertips hesitated, hovering over the charm as he inhaled deeply.
“Thank Gaia. That’s one.” We both knew there was at least one other out there. We were down to two clients we’d been unable to reach.
Niki’s eyes slid closed and the magic swirling around his fingertips dipped and dived toward the charm. For lack of a better word, it looked like the twisted magic attached to the charm swatted back. Niki’s hissed expletive wasn’t completely unexpected.
“How bad is it?” I asked, out of respect for Niki’s craft.
“Bad.” Niki swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s one of my protective barrier charms.” Niki’s voice faltered. “It’s meant to keep anything harmful from getting through, but this…” His eyes slipped closed and after a few seconds, his whole body shivered. “This will create a barrier, but the way the charm’s been twisted, that barrier will shrink until the person within is either crushed or suffocated. It would be a death sentence.”
Elbow resting on his work surface, Niki placed his forehead in the palm of his hand. Running my fingers over his shoulder, I attempted to soothe him. There was only so much even my touch could do to ease his pain.
“This is…what is so important that Danzig would be willing to sacrifice innocents simply to discredit me? What is it he fears?”
“He fears you.”
“But why?” Niki’s hand fisted as he stared at the tainted, deadly charm. “For the most part, I’ve ignored the Warlock Council. I have no interest in challenging any of them for their position. I can’t be the first warlock who’s gotten angry with them. Erasmus’s quest to find other necromancers can’t be what this is about.”
I agreed with Niki. “What more could it be?”
Niki leaned back in his chair. I took the opportunity to move around him, slipping into his lap. He held my hips with ease, my tails dangling behind me and lazily swiping at the floor. “That is the million-dollar question.” His eyes narrowed. “I’ve been struggling with the puzzle pieces. You said Danzig seems obsessed with creating more warlocks.”
I nodded. “That’s the gist of what I overheard. And also eliminating more necromancers.” I hadn’t overheard him threaten existing ones, but his desire to prevent more from being born was clear.
Niki’s fingers traced soothing patterns along my hips. “But why would there be a need for more warlocks?”
“Perhaps there isn’t, unless you’re Stefan Danzig.”
Eyebrows shooting skyward, Niki gave a slow nod. “Good point. There probably isn’t a true need. It’s something only Danzig sees—a reason only he knows. I haven’t heard of anything claiming warlock lives early. We’re practically impervious to disease. We die of old age, when our bodies finallyfail. I haven’t heard of any new ailment sweeping through the warlock community decimating our numbers. Kines would have told me if he’d heard anything like that. Warlock numbers have been pretty steady over the past few centuries. Our numbers fluctuate to a degree, but not enough to warrant concern for the species.”
“And yet it’s not enough for what he wants.”
