Hearing the voice in Lucas’ mind let me know that Grigori Izmailov was again part of the unfolding situation. I’d hoped he was a random presence dealing with Peter’s father, but he clearly had a larger agenda. The protective ward also let me know Grigori had some serious help. Izmailov had no talent for magic. He was a superb black marketer and ruthless killer, but sorcerer… not so much.
“Excuse me,” said Lucas. “What about Mr. Dinkins?”
“Mr. Dinkins has decided to take an early retirement. He sold the establishment, lock, stock, and incense burners, to my employer. Excuse me, our employer. I did not come here to fire you.”
Lucas seemed relieved by that, but was still quite nervous. Grigori has that effect on people.
“I’m very glad to hear that. I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
“I’m Mr. Izmailov. My parents were circus people. They defected from the old Soviet Union. I grew up in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Though a New Yorker, through and through, I’ve traveled widely. It has taught me that the entire world is a circus.”
Lucas squinted. “And you’re the Ring Master?”
“Oh, no, no, no. That distinction belongs to our employer. I am a juggler, keeping all the balls in the air. You, Mr. Holter, just became one of my balls.”
As if that revelation wasn’t enough to scare Lucas, Grigori was far from finished with him. The “employer” wanted to meet his new shop manager. Grigori informed Lucas that he was being sent to Vienna for two weeks of “corporate training” with all expenses paid. There was one caveat.
“You will leave the copy of Investigations of Transmography with the store.”
The trap sprung, Lucas tried to squirm free. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”
I could not see Grigori, but I knew his smarmy smile.
“Do not be coy with me, young man. I am just as likely to pay for your funeral as your European trip. Where is the book?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Look Hamilton, there are only three kinds of girl in this world. Some girls genuinely try to be good, upstanding, and moral. They are called prudes. Some girls are in your face, going to be bad, and take no prisoners. They are called bitches; or sometimes, Amanda. Last we have girls who, deep down, want to be bad but don’t want to get blamed for it. They want to blame the boy, and they are called teases. Forest is one of those.”
Peter and Rodger were standing outside of school several minutes before the first homeroom bell. Rodger arrived early for school and found Peter with a group of seniors. Peter spotted Rodger, excused himself and came over to ask if his Chess Club acquaintance had approached his crush yet.
“I’m just not sure Cass is looking for any kind of relationship right now.”
“You’re fifteen, Hamilton. You want to strut down the street with your hand in her back pocket, not marry her. If you ever want to lose the pimples, get the testosterone out of your face and down where it belongs.”
“Ease up, Peter. It’s not like she doesn’t make me, you know, interested. I have typical arousal responses. I just don’t want to say something that will make me look like a jerk.”
“Then never say ‘typical arousal responses’ again. You are not hearing me. She wants to be with you. She wants a boy in her life; someone to get hot and sweaty with, but she doesn’t want to come off as pushy, needy, or horny. She wants YOU to come off that way. She needs YOU to take the blame. If you want her, man up and grab her tush.”
“Why do you even care? Ever since Cassandra turned you down last week you’ve been ticked off with her. I’d think you’d want her to stay friendless and unappreciated for her entire school career.”
Peter stiffened. “She’s just a sophomore. For some reason she likes being a freak and thought brushing me off would make her look even crazier. I wasn’t seriously offering her the senior lounge visit anyway. It was just a joke.”
Rodger wasn’t buying this explanation, though he accepted that Cass did crave negative attention. “She figured out you were kidding. That’s why she turned you down.”
Peter crossed his arms. “She was way too melodramatic about it. Anyway, it’s not her I’m concerned about. You need your man card and she’s what you have your little heart set on. I’m going to do you a one-time favor, Hamilton, in the name of players everywhere. This Wednesday, before I leave school, I will make sure the senior lounge stays unlocked. She may not want to see it with me, but you have a shot. You convince Forest you’re the mastermind that made access to the lounge happen. Then show her you have needs and she’s the only one to fulfill them. You blow this and you might as well start wearing a skirt.”
Peter walked away and into the school. The Twins were already at their lockers. They approached their mentor. Tim asked “How did it go?”
“We‘re all set for Wednesday. Even if he fumbles the ball it’ll look good enough for the camera.”
Tom was still skeptical. “This Cassandra chick is too unpredictable. She might not fall for extortion and go right to the principal.”
Peter grinned evilly. “We aren’t going to extort anything. We go to Gunderson with evidence that these two were making out at school and they broke into our lounge to do it. They get detention and Forest gets tagged as the go to girl for the dork contingent. Revenge complete.”
##
Rodger wasn’t sure how much he could trust Peter Goodkin. He wasn’t sure the senior wasn’t setting him up to find a locked senior lounge. But Rodger was sure about Cass and decided that today was the day he’d show the girl he had some swagger. He too, could be cool. He joined Cass at lunch having rehearsed what he’d say in the boy’s bathroom mirror.
“Cass, you know how you’re always saying you need to be more of an outcast and stir up more trouble?”
“I do say that, but the idea is losing its charm. I’m beginning to think Joan is right. I should just let life grind me down without trying to speed up the process.”
“Well. Okay, but I’ve got a way we might both risk a little mischief. What if I told you I could break us into the senior lounge after school on Wednesday?”
“Why would we want to do that?”
Rodger thought for a second. His real reason for wanting Cass in the senior lounge didn’t seem like the best reason to propose. “Well, we could see how the other half lives. Maybe we’ll learn some secrets or upset some seniors. It’s the lure of forbidden fruit.”
“It does sound like an intriguing idea and there is a pulse-pounding risk associated with it, which is totally not your thing. Why don’t you tell me how to break in and I might go alone. No sense in you getting into trouble because I want the rule breaker label, especially since I’m not sure I want that label anymore.”
Rodger started to stammer. “No! If we go it has to be together because, um, I’m pulling the strings that will get us in. I’m the, um, behind the scenes manipulator. You can’t go without me.”
Hands on hips, Cass stared his lab partner in the eye. “Are you looking for a make-out session?”
Swallowing hard he said “Well, um, maybe, after we finish snooping.” He shrugged, hoping it looked casual. “If you’re game.”
“Forget the whole thing then,” Cass said. “I like you Rodger. I want to be your friend, but I’m not ready to be anyone’s girlfriend right now. Please accept that.”
Having come this far, Rodger wasn’t ready to back down. “Cass, deep down inside you’re a bad girl looking to get out.”
Hearing those words come out of Rodger’s mouth left Cass speechless, but Rodger bumbled on. “I mean, you’re looking to punish yourself for something by seeking to be miserable, but underneath it all, you are a wild child ready to break free.”
Cass realized, at some level, that Rodger was just letting his hormones run away with him. Still, the words struck a nerve, reminding him of his own actions before exile. “Underneath it all I’m a lot of things, Rodger. Trust me; you don’t want me in touch with my wild child.
You don’t want to meet the old Cass.”
Rodger stopped talking and wiped sweat from his brow. At last he said, “I’m sorry, Cass. This didn’t go at all the way I thought it would. Your past is your own business. I only care about this Cass, the one in front of me. I didn’t mean to be a jerk.”
“I don’t think you’re a jerk, though you did a credible imitation for a minute or two. I get that boys think about making out whenever the opportunity presents itself, but what made you think of breaking into the senior lounge? That’s not your style at all.”
“Peter Goodkin said he’d help me get in.”
That seemed odd to Cass, given Peter’s distain for underclassmen. “You never told me you were friends with Peter.”
“I’m not. We’re both in Chess Club, but before last week he’d barely spoken to me.”
“Did he ever put itching powder in your gym clothes?”
“Um, no, I don’t think so. Not that I noticed anyway.”
Cass shook his head. “Well, even if he didn’t, he’s trying to trick you now. Don’t get pulled in by his sincere eyes, crocodile grin, and smooth moves. He’s just a mean kid with some power. We should ignore him, isolate him, and marginalize him. We should… we should make out in the senior lounge. I think I just had an idea.”
Rodger had no notion where Cass’s ideas came from, but he wasn’t going to argue with this one.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Though not a huge campus, OLAM had a running track, a soccer field and a small sitting area under a pair of pines and a sycamore tree. Seniors sometimes ate lunch outside in decent weather and students were permitted to spend study halls in this area, but not to leave school grounds. There was a cold breeze blowing this particular Wednesday afternoon as school let out for the day, but three students in jackets and hoodies gathered at a table for a serious conversation.
“Katrina Petrov, this is Rodger Hamilton, my lab partner.”
“Pleased to meet you. I think we had freshmen algebra together.”
Rodger nodded, presuming the girl knew what she was talking about. As a freshman he’d been even worse around girls than he was now. He didn’t recall the faces of any girls from the prior year. Katrina was also avoiding eye contact. She considered boys a distraction from her musical pursuits and her foolish encounter with Peter had firmed up her resolve to remain unattached.
Cass was oblivious to all of this. He had a mission in mind and these two people had every incentive to help him. “We are here to discuss Peter Goodkin.”
Trina blinked. “Why? I’d rather not think about him.”
“You warned me he might take revenge because I publically turned down his advances, even though he was being insincere. I’m pretty sure he sabotaged my choir tryout.” Cass turned toward the cluster of trees. Just in case Elders were listening, he added “Which I’m no longer depressed about.” Then he turned back to the other two students, ignoring their quizzical expressions. “I think he’s trying to use Rodger to get back at me. If he’s still messing with you, and I get the feeling he is, this is our chance to end his nonsense once and for all.”
“I don’t know, Cassandra,” said Trina. “He’s bad news. He tricked me into writing a suggestion; something nasty about Mr. Gunderson. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t think I had a choice at the time. Later, I tried to get out from under Peter’s thumb and he outed me as the author of that suggestion. I had no proof that Peter was behind my writing it. Now I’m grounded. I don’t need any more trouble.”
Cass came prepared for some resistance. “Look, I know he has a set-up planned for Rodger and me. He’s giving us an opportunity to break some rules, hoping it will give him blackmail material. I’m guessing he got you to write the suggestion using some bogus extortion. Also, you mentioned other pranks that put girls in embarrassing situations that were no fault of their own. If we can discredit Peter as a source of information, whatever he has on you loses its impact.”
Trina thought about that. If Peter’s methods were exposed, she could tell people what happened before any rumors started. Her story would be more believable than Peter’s. “Okay, I’m in. What do you need me to do?”
The three sophomores laid out the steps of their counter-plan turning Peter’s plot against him. So intent was their discussion of timing and roles, they failed to notice the hawk perched in the sycamore above them.
##
I turned my attention to Magolyn and Jamil. I needed a better feel for their potential involvement in Cass’s plan.
“I hope you’re not planning to read all night.” Jamil had stripped down to skin and was crawling in next to his bondfast. Alfarans generally prefer skin to clothing. The bedroom window was cracked open to let in night air and natural sounds. It wasn’t the same as sleeping out in the open, but it was a close enough approximation.
Magolyn looked up from her book and smiled. “Were you hoping for some other activity?”
“Sadly, my dear, I was only hoping for sleep. The Mortal Realm is draining all my energy. Everywhere I wander there are too many people, very loud noises, and a constant undercurrent of threat. I don’t know what it is about the place that fascinates you so.”
Maggie marked her place and put the history she was reading aside. “I suppose it’s the subtle similarities between humans and Alfarans that keep me interested. Their hearts still cry out to find tranquility. They seek refuge in the Natural World, but they also seek to feed that mysterious concept called soul. But as soon as their spirits are refreshed, they go right back to their old habits.”
Jamil kissed her. “I hope you find one that’s pure and unsullied. Who was that human fellow with the lamp searching for an honest man?”
“I forget. It begins with a D.” She snuggled down and turned toward him. “We should talk about Cass.”
“Why do you save serious topics for the moment I’m ready to nod off?”
“It can wait until morning I suppose, but you will want all your information straight when you report to the Council. I know how rigorously you prepare for those… ”
Jamil put a finger on her lips. “You’re worried about him.”
She spread his fingers and kissed his palm. The two Alfarans just looked at each other for a few heartbeats. Each would have been overwhelmed by this assignment had the other not been there.
Magolyn broke the silence. “First of all, Cass is a resourceful youth. His first instinct was to somehow subvert this punishment, but he’s started to come around. Interacting with humans, he’s developing some empathy for their plight. His former callous disregard is starting to wear away.”
“Well, that’s good. I’d hate for this exercise to be a waste of time.”
“The problem, Jamil, is that he’s almost getting too attached, at least to some of them. We want him to empathize with humans, not emulate them.”
Her bondfast grinned at that notion. “Caswel Esmar, the free spirit of Clan Willowwalk, deciding to go native? He’d spend the rest of his days shaving, sweating and warring with his hormonal impulses. Worst of all, he’d be cut off from the Mother, doomed to toil for meaningless wealth. He’d die young, for one of us, and wouldn’t even have a hoped-for reward in the Realms Beyond. I can’t see him taking that bargain.”
“Maybe you’re right. I worry too much. Still, given how careful we are to conceal our existence from humans, this punishment seems a risky endeavor by the Elders.”
“They’re Elders. I’m sure they know what they’re doing, as little as I’m enjoying it. Get some rest.”
##
Esmeralda finished up a reading for a young woman worried she’d chosen the wrong college major for the wrong reasons. Esme assured the client that she could be very successful as a graphic artist and would likely have a miserable social life regardless of her chosen career path. The woman wasn’t completely satisfied with that answer, but she paid the fee. Esme began packing up her equipment.
Lucas finished cleaning the display cases a
nd came over to her. “Can I buy you a beer tonight?”
“I’ve had bad experiences with beer,” she said, remembering New Orleans.
“How about ice cream? I need to discuss that manuscript you traded for the incense. Something happened.”
Esme, believing Lucas was seeking an excuse to spend time with her, put him off. “I’ll stop by tomorrow and try to answer any questions. I think you’re one of the few hum… people who could make use of it.”
“How so?”
“I sense you may have a gift, but we’ll talk tomorrow. I have a lot to think about tonight.”
He gave her a concerned frown. “I appreciate your confidence, but I may not have… ”
“I really am tired, Lucas. I’ll stop back tomorrow.”
Esme headed out, ignoring the shopkeeper’s worried expression. She would not see Lucas again for several months.
The air was chill and clear providing an unobstructed view of the moon which was just starting to wane. Time was running out and she was losing resources. The divination showed Cass adapting to his circumstances and coming through unscathed. Wigout was gone. She could rely on Lucas for some things, but could not reveal her secrets to him. She had to find a chink in Caswel’s armor that would shake his confidence and set him on the path to ruin. She flashed back on the conversation she’d overheard in the school’s yard.
She wasn’t sure of Cass’s motives, but he seemed to have bonded with a few humans and they all had a grudge against one teenage boy. If she could spoil Cass’s revenge against this other student, maybe the human could do her dirty work for her. That was especially important given that Magolyn Olcort seemed to be watching her. Still, she had to set things in motion. That meant paying a covert visit to Our Lady of Abundant Mercy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
It was early morning on Wednesday. Jamil was slowly picking out letters on his desktop keyboard using two fingers when Cass slipped into the living room and curled up on the sofa. Without changing his hunched posture, Jamil said, “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
Cass nodded absently while gazing up at the ceiling. Jamil let the silence persist for a few minutes while he completed his review of Tofu To Go, praising the varied menu and condemning the amount of salt in every dish.