It’s a test to see whether she can see past what Flux has hidden… or whether the magic will hide itself from her completely.
And either answer tells usexactlywhat she is.
A way to see if she’s stupid enough to use that information as leverage, or smart enough to recognize that knowledge of this magnitude comes with responsibility to keep it contained or face consequences that make death seem merciful by comparison.
“And if I help you organize these books?” She meets Maul’s eyes without flinching, stubborn and fearless in ways that make my dragon stir with interest beneath layers of ice. “What do I get besides threats about being buried in goddamn pieces?”
“Better food.” Maul’s expression doesn’t change, but something like approval flickers across his features before disappearing behind professional neutrality. “More privileges. Maybe I can convince the prez you’re worth keeping alive beyond extracting information about why his flame likes you so much. You do good work… I make sure you eat better than basic sustenance. Fail to deliver or try anything stupid like stealing documents or memorizing details you shouldn’t, and I’ll feed you to Wreck myself. Clear?”
“Crystal.” She pulls the paperwork closer, already scanning the numbers with a focus that suggests genuine interest rather than just compliance. “When do you need this finished?”
“End of the week. Club meets for Church Sunday night. I present financial reports. You make sure those reports are accurate and properly organized, and we’re good. You fuck up, we’re not.” He heads for the door but pauses at the threshold, glancing back with an expression I can’t quite read through the camera’s lens. “You tell anyone, there won’t be enough of you left to bury. But you do good work. That’s my word as Secretary.”
He goes to close the door, but she glances up. “Hey, Maul?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s the prez’s name?”
He grins. “If he hasn’t told you, I sure as shit am not about to.”
She nods. “And why hasn’t anyone asked my name?”
Maul hesitates, his huge hand clenching on the edge of the door. “Because… names mean attachment… and we don’t know your fate yet,human.” The door closes behind him, leaving her alone with ledgers representing our entire criminal operation, laid out in stark black-and-white numbers that tell stories of money laundering, artifact smuggling, underground death matches, and the careful balance between legitimate business and a supernatural empire. Only she can’t see any of that because it’s hidden behind magic. If she does find it, that will give us much-needed answers, well, the start of some anyway.
She gets straight to it and works for six hours straight.
I watch through the feed as she organizes paperwork with efficiency that suggests experience beyond casual familiarity with financial management, cross-referencing manifests against bank statements, finding discrepancies Maul missed, creating systems of organization that make sense even through the camera’s limited view.
By the time she finishes, the books are cleaner than they’ve been in months, every transaction accounted for, every dollar reconciled, every potential audit flag identified and resolved before it becomes a problem.
Useful.
She’s genuinely useful in ways that extend beyond being an interesting puzzle to solve.
And that creates complications I’m not yet prepared to handle.
Because shecanread the ledgers, every single inch of them.
***
Flux visits next, the shapeshifter’s presence filling her room as he shifts through forms with casual ease that suggests centuries of practice, hawk to wolf to human and back again, amber eyes tracking her movements with predatory focus regardless of which shape he wears.
He brings more ledgers, a calculator, and additional financial records that need attention before Sunday’s church meeting.
“You’ve got a head for this.” The shapeshifter’s voice carries approval that most prisoners never hear, acknowledgment of skill that transcends the circumstances of her captivity. “Maul says you found discrepancies he missed, organized systems better than what we had before. That’s impressive for someone who’s supposed to bejust a photographerstumbling into our territory by accident.”
She doesn’t rise to the bait, doesn’t defend herself, or explain abilities that clearly extend beyond taking pictures of trees and mountains. Just accepts the compliment with a slight nod before returning her attention to the numbers spread across her desk.
“Don’t think about running.” Flux shifts to wolf form, massive and powerful, with teeth designed for rending flesh, displayed in what might be a grin or a threat, depending on interpretation.His voice carries through the transformation, deeper and rougher but still intelligible. “I can track any scent, through any terrain, over any distance. You make it five miles from this compound before I catch you, I’ll be impressed. But I’ll still drag you back here, and the prez won’t be merciful twice.”
“Noted.” She keeps working, ignoring his transformation like she doesn’t care about the supernatural world surrounding her anymore. Like we’re old news as her fingers fly across calculator keys with practiced efficiency, building spreadsheets that organize our criminal empire into formats anyone could understand if they ever got access to these records. “Anything else threatening you want to add, or can I focus on making sure your money laundering operation doesn’t collapse under sloppy bookkeeping?”
Flux laughs, the sound carrying genuine amusement instead of mockery. “I like her, Prez,” he calls toward the camera hidden in the vent, knowing I’m watching, knowing I’ve been watching since Maul’s first visit. “She’s got spine. Most prisoners lose that after a few days in isolation, but she’s still got teeth.”
I don’t respond through the feed, acknowledge his observation, or the assessment that matches my own too closely for comfort. I just watch as he shifts back to human form and leaves her to her work, closing the door with a gentleness that suggests respect instead of mere compliance with orders.
Useful—a description that makes disposing of her significantly more complicated when the witch finally arrives.
