Marie

Month 12, Day 12, 8:00 AM

Marie opened the Agency early. Poe awoke early and they had breakfast together. He treated her almost like a full partner; discussing his plans to attend the meeting and how they might find some new business.

On the other hand, as Poe’s apprentice, she learned that cleaning up the massive spell array in his office was one of her responsibilities. At least Poe explained how his peculiar divination array worked, although he did not permit her to copy and memorize the glyphs, so she just memorized them without his permission and when he wasn’t watching.

While in the midst of this task, familiar heavy boots thumped on the wooden entryway, then the office’s door banged open. Dinky, with Mama close behind, entered.

“Mama!” Marie popped up from cleaning the ink from the floorboards and went to hug her mother. Mama seemed looking tired, but well. “I missed you.” Marie said, muffled a bit by her Mama’s dress.

Dinky, however, had bruises on his face, arms, and winced a bit when he walked.

“Dinky? What happened to you?”

“Aberrant. Red Guard made me swear not to tell.” Dinky replied.

“Sounds like them.” Poe said. “Although they could have healed you up a bit better.”

“They did some, but t’ey stopped after I punched their ‘ealer.” Dink looked slightly embarrassed. “I wasn’t feeling myself; healer was nice fella, I felt real bad later that I ‘it ‘im.” For a man so big, Dinky hunched a bit. “And, I sorry about …” He trailed off.

“Do you remember then?” Marie asked.

Dinky nodded. “I don’t know ‘ow I coulda done that to you. I am very sorry.” Dinky said. Marie saw tears in his eyes.

“It was an aberrant.” Poe said. “Marie has explained it to me. When others were violent and attacked, somewhere deep inside you were still trying to protect Marie. Even though we should talk about it; she was quite badly injured.”

“You were there?” Dinky asked. “I don’t remember you.”

“I was.” Poe replied. “I’d like to stay and explain, but …” Poe looked at Marie, and she realized what would happen if he stayed. He told Marie that he would be in his room, so they could have the office for Marie to explain. With Poe gone, Mama and Dinky could remember the conversation.

Marie explained what they knew. Dinky, it turned out, couldn’t say much more about it from his perspective, because of the Red Guard oaths, so this was the first time Mama had heard the whole story.

Dinky interjected several apologies for locking her in the cellar, but Marie had already forgiven him. She knew he wasn’t himself, even at the time.

When Marie admitted that she stabbed herself, Mama and Dinky blanched. To her embarrassment, Marie began crying. Even thinking about it all these days later, she could still remember that horrible fear of dying.

Mama embraced her. “Are you still hurt? I’ll pay for if your healing wasn’t no good.”

“No, Mama, he took me to a healer right away. One of … the Stags’.” And then Marie had to admit that Poe carried her to the Verdant Stag and had gotten help from healer there.

“Marie, the Stags? The Morrows been snooping around looking for any way to shut them down.”

“Why Momma?”

“Rumor is that the Stags are moving into magic components. The Morrows make a lot of money form that, and they ain’t having no truck with the Stags competin’.”

“Who says that?”

“Kett” Dinky rumbled, “has been coming in and taking ‘is due lately, and e’s complaining to the girls.”

“Be careful. The Pack have been wandering through our parts of the city.” Momma said.

“The Morrows have the biggest portion. They could be buying stuff.” Marie protested.

“They aren’t. All the Morrows enforcers are on alert. They know something is coming, but they don’t know what. Madame asked about glamours when I left. She made a deal with Poe, and she wants it honored.”

“What is he supposed to do?” Marie didn’t remember him talking about taking that case.

“Trying to find a person willing to cast glamours on Morrows people.”

“I’ll mention it.”

Momma and Dinky needed to return to work, and so Marie walked them to the door.

The street was quiet, and there was hardly anyone walking. Mama and Dinky made it just a few steps when a group of five men wearing green came out of an alley, then blocked Mama and Dinky’s path.

Marie spun and called for Poe.

Poe ran down the stairs from his room, then, glancing through the doorway, headed out to the street to intercept the confrontation. In the grey morning, he was ablaze with a yellow and orange suit, his koi covered coat fluttering out behind him.

“Marie, stay here.” Poe said as he strode out.

“Oy!” The lead Stag called to Dinky and Mama. “What you doing in our territory?”

Poe caught up to them and stepped directly around Mamma and stood right between the two sides.

“Visiting her daughter.” Poe said.

Poe showed his conduit between two fingers. The conduit sparkled in the sunlight. Showing his conduit like that, he appeared prepared to cast magic.

The group of Stags went very still and stared at it. The sorcerers’ reputation meant that a thug might never knew what a sorcerer had prepared. A sorcerer was like a water snake in the canal, better leave it alone to go its own way than suffer a painful and potentially deadly bite.

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“No Morrows in Stag Territory.” The group’s speaker replied. Marie noted he lacked a tremor in his voice.

‘Brave or stupid?’ Marie wondered.

“You seem unaware of the nature of things. I’m running a neutral business here, as your leadership damn well knows. I’ve sent plenty of warnings about this nonsense, and I’ll write one more in your flesh if I have to. I am on amicable terms with Lord Stag, so I’ll leave it to you to explain why you’ve made me into an enemy.”

Marie was surprised that Dinky and Mama were quiet, then Marie realized their hands were subtly moving toward pockets for hidden weapons.

“Someone pulled the chord.” The Stag enforcer said.

“It’s a false alarm.” Poe replied. “There’s no Morrows business going on here, is there?” Poe shifted slightly to imply he’d directed the question to Mamma. Dinky answered.

“No Morrows business. Just visiting Master Sorcerer Poe’s apprentice.”

Marie knew she’d told Dinky that Poe was not a Master. But, the suggestion of Poe’s Mastery escalated the Stags’ risk. Marie always though Dinky was pretty simple, but maybe he wasn’t?

“We don’t mean no disrespect.”

“Do not test me.” Poe said. The koi shifted and swam on the surface of Poe’s coat. Even from the doorway, Marie sensed Poe’s furious and jagged emotion from the doorway of the August Agency. Poe continued speaking.

“You won’t remember any threats I make today, so I’ll not waste my breath on any ultimatums. But, in this moment I’ll tell you the truth: if my curse works the way I think it does, and if end you here, your mothers won’t even remember your names.” Marie couldn’t see, but she could hear dark humor in Poe’s voice. “I could find out, if you’re volunteering?”

The five enforcers shuffled away from Poe slightly.

“No, uh, sir. I can see this has all been a misunderstanding.”

“Good.” Poe replied. The Stag enforcers reluctantly turned and, with furtive glances backwards, stumbled off. Poe, Dinky, and Mama watched them go.

Poe turned and gazed at Dinky and Mama.

“I appreciate your quick thinking, and that you had weapons ready to assist me. If possible, I do prefer to keep the violence to a minimum. Have a good day.”

Dinky nodded, and then they continued on their way.

Marie’s careful gaze on Poe’s return to the Agency’s doorway must have seemed puzzled.

“What is it Marie? You seem confused.” Poe lead them back into the building, but instead of heading into the office, he lead them up the stairs.

“Were you really prepared to cast magic without a circle, word, sacrifice or components?”

Poe laughed. “No, not really. I’ve studied free casting, but I really only managed to levitate objects and I know a smattering of esoteric spells that mimic free casting. Another semester or two and I’m confident I would have properly managed it.”

“You were bluffing?”

“I would have used the coat, then stolen their weapons.”

“How does the coat work?”

“It …” Poe made a strangling sound, then coughed. “I can’t say. Oath.”

“Would that have worked?”

“Maybe. I’m glad I didn’t need to find out. Especially since the doctor told me to avoid casting for a few weeks. Get your cloak.”

Poe lead the way onto the roof, and they opened the hatch to a day with fair weather, with a cold wind blowing.

“Poe, are we consulting Frigg about the glamours?”

“Yes and No. I already consulted with Frigg, and she seemed to suggested a compromise. I thought that the compromise would be with Millie.” Poe frowned. “Obviously not, now that Mille is … gone.”

‘Dead.’ Marie thought. ‘It’s nice of him to try to protect my feelings, but I have to accept that she’s dead.’

“So, what will we be asking Frigg?” Marie asked.

“I’m planning a trip to the secret meeting tonight—you can’t come by the way—and I want to know if she objects. Don’t forget your cloak.”

When they popped up on the surface of the roof, the sky was clear and cold. The roof seemed dry here, but water pooled in the corners and along the metal seams. The bowl had been left upside down, so Poe flipped it over. He rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a squashed paper bird.

He dropped it in the bowl, then sat with his legs tucked under him, and closed his eyes. Marie began to feel his will carefully expand into the space around them, like a featherlight touch, radiating calm.

Marie wore one of her secondhand dresses today, because she knew they would be cleaning, so she didnt’ worry so much about sitting on the grimy roof. But Schumacher’s had not delivered The Boots yet, so she looked skeptically at the roof, wondering if kneeling would be too cold on her legs, even with the long woolen stockings she wore.

Since she did not sit, Poe opened his eyes, and he patted the space next to him. Marie shivered a bit and sat. The roof met all her expectations for a cold metal seat.

Poe closed his eyes and began breathing slowly and deeply.

Poe did not seemingly try to call to Frigg. In fact, he seemed to be doing nothing at all. ‘Did he fall asleep?’ Marie wondered. ‘No, the roof is too cold for that. Even with whatever warmth his coat has.’

Marie didn’t have much to do, other than wait, and think.

The gang war seemed like it was not far off. The Morrows were a big organization, and they held both magical and nonmagical advantages. Lord Morrow’s gang always had an information advantage. Their sources in the coppers, on the docks, and even among compromised Crowns, gave them the information edge for decades.

Something about the Stags, however, confused them. The loyalty his people showed? Lord Stag’s secrecy from prying eyes? Lord Stag also seemed better prepared in his territory; the flags had summoned those enforcers almost immediately.

Lord Stag’s reputation allowed him to make allies. Marie noticed how hard he’d tried to recruit Poe. He allied with the Raven Queen; the Pack wanted to meet her. What dark powers could she bring to bear on the Morrows?

Marie began to worry. What if the fight came to Hands, Hearts, and Palms? Would Dinky be alright? Would Madame? Mama? Marie shivered.

After what seemed like an hour of her legs getting colder and colder—but even Marie had to admit had been less than a quarter hour—Frigg skimmed silently over the the rooftops. Marie felt a wash of gratitude when she saw those dark wings.

“Welcome.” Poe said. “And, thank you for your foresight and help to Marie and myself.” Poe nudged Marie.

“Thank you Queen of among Ravens.” Marie said.

“Kraa.” Frigg replied. Frigg accepted their praise and groomed her wings.

She bobbed her head and hopped gaily toward the bowl, seemingly unbothered by the cold metal roof. She looked at the paper bird curiously.

“You know what I will ask them tonight?” Poe asked the Raven. “And who I will bring?”

Frigg seemingly bobbed her head affirmatively. She picked up the oragami bird in her beak, and tossed it in the air and watched it fall onto the roof. She looked at it curiously with one dark eye, then she snatched the origami with her beak, and took flight back in the direction of the Mires.

“That seems like a success to me.” Poe observed.

“Me too. Can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“How are you expressing your will without a spell?”

“I allow my will expand outward; touching the objects and animals around me. There’s some debate between animists and shamans who developed the technique first. Perhaps ancient druids figured it out. It’s not preparing for a spell or anything like that. For me … it helps me sense connections.”

“Will you teach me?”

“When your will is better under your control, of course.”

“The roof is cold. I need my boots.” Marie stood up and rubbed her cold legs.

Poe rubbed his forehead, and stood.

“Ah, sorry. We can stay warm in the office while we clean!”

“Ugh.” Marie replied, but she was smiling.