Ali's mind went blank for a few moments before recovering. Everyone around the table watched her reaction closely except for Ashley who moved on to her second burger and Jamal who was frowning at an empty coffee cup.

"What... wait."

"Backup a moment. You're saying that my teeth are important enough that ancient magical creatures of dubious morality wanted to get ahold of my them?"

"Why?"

"When you're dealing with mythical creatures that use ancient types of magic they usually have the power to do most things without the need of physical objects but when they do need to use such items for their rituals there's hardly anything or anyone that can stop them from simply taking whatever they please."

"In the case of the fae, they are normally bound by rules that prevent them from meddling in most mortal affairs, such rules have long been lost to time and they themselves have not been seen in ages, making what happened with you six years ago not something that has happened in recent times."

"Anything more than that i do not not know Alice... Ali!?"

"...sure"

"Ok then Ali, The main reason I'm telling you about this is because we both have a mutual enemy and you knowing what is going on won't hurt either of us."

"As for the coins, I would....we, would rather not trifle with beings who both possess and are capable of wielding that level of magic, for the time being."

Ali's mouth threatened to hang open in shock.

"And the person coming after me, you really don't have any idea who it could be? "

"Ideas? several, suspicion definitely but proof, no and this is not the type of situation where you causally name -names. I could be wrong but it wouldn't hurt if you kept your eyes open."

For the first time Ali noticed that the group sitting across from her were all looking at her. Then they all flinched back from her gaze for a moment. In the reflection of the varnished table Ali saw that her eyes were gold for a second.

-------------------

[The young manthing spoke to her, how he manages to keep my young ward distracted while we have a proper discussion is oddly fascinating. To communicate with someone even this manthing is somehow agreeable.

The mention of an agreement between us is laughable but their substance that is offered as tribute I can appreciate.

For now.]

-----------------

Jamal smiled looking at both her then his companions. "We certainly have more to discuss but that's more or less all I can say about your issues right now."

"Now then, onto less pressing matters, It'd be favourable for all of us if we could make a formal business contract with your company for some of your products and the use of your green house to grow gooseberries, it seems that this establishment is going to be in the need of a good suply alcohol and fruits in the coming months. "

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

As they were talking a waiter came by and dropped off a note before excusing himself. Upon reading the contents Jamal made a sullen face, after a moment Katherine spoke in his place.

"I'm sorry Alice, I know you have more questions and we will try to find you more answers but right now we have another matter to deal with so let's speak again soon." Katherine said as they all abruptly stood up like there was an invisible beat, they seemed to move in sync with only Jamal being the odd one out, moving at his own pace, they all then left the pub together with only minor goodbyes.

"The heck was that about?"

Ali sat at the table going over what just transpired. It took one of the waiters cleaning up the remaining plates to snap her out of her own thoughts, suprised that she had already finished her meal.

The meeting was finished but she decided that while she was back in London she might as well get started on discovering who could be behind the arsonist attack on her home.

Ali knew that the best place she could start would be the car that she'd left smoking in front of her house, either the arsonist stole the car or someone gave him the car, in either event she could maybe track it back to who or where he got it from.

Ali smiled then got up to leave, the young greeter ftom the enterance of the pub Genny, came and met her on the way to the door with a small paper bag in her had "Excuse me Ms. Thornhill, one of the owners prepared a box with the pub special 'death by chocolate cake' for you to take home, she said chocolate doesn't always solve problems but it certainly helps. Please enjoy it and come again."

Ali looked at the bag now left in her hand trying still to come to terms with everything she had just heard.

"Well at least that's done."

The walk back home was slower, especially with her being lost in thought, not wanting to take the same path back which would take her on an uphill trip she cut through the side streets to get onto the main road near Blackhorse Rd. and ended up at the bottom of Walthamstow Market.

The streets would normally be crowded on weekends but during the week the stalls were mostly empty.

After the winter season the vendors tended to take the weeks after the holidays to get away from the biting end of the coldest part of winter, Ali watched as people dressed in more layered clothes walked by as she continued on.

On another day she would look at the different vendors wares but right now she just wanted to get to her oldest friends' place for help.

Lloyd Wright fixed cars around the back of the car wash near the corner intersection from the top of the market. It wasn't a big place but it was popular to the public that lived around the area.

She would normally stop by on the way to her classes but with work in Cornwall picking up she had decided to take a break.

The place was a refurbished cardealership that was converted into a car wash but some of the old signs for sales still remained, it didn't hurt that Lloyd sometimes sold the odd old car in the area behind the car wash.

Ali stopped the first worker she saw, she could never understand how the car wash was so busy at this time of year. "Lloyd in the back?"

"Sorry love, he ain't here."

Lloyd wasn't in so she left a message for him to drop by and possibly fix a damaged car before going back in the opposite direction to get home.

Ali wanted the car either moved or repaired and not conspicuously sitting damaged in front of her home. So the only thing that was left was for her to get back to the house and check the car before Lloyd arrived.

The evening would be closing in sooner than she would like but she had enough time to make it back and get started examining the car for clues.

Ali passed school children rushing here and there while trying to enjoy the waning evening light as she moved forward towards her home.

Making it home before the night closed in made her feel better after reaching the house but she quickly retrieved the car keys and started checking the car.

She checked the boot and the glove box of the car first, the boot had hardly anything worth mentioning except for a full container holding what smelled like gasoline and an old tire iron, a bag of salt lay in the the glove box alongside fast food wrappers and receipts but nothing else was in there. Ali made sure to check the ash tray and under the floor mats but had no results. It wasn't until she got to the back seat that she noticed in the fading light, a black duffel bag on the floor of the back seat.

One of the few things Ali knew for certain about the arsonist was that he sometimes dealt with explosives.

She unzipped the bag slowly finding nothing strange outside a few rolled up clothes. She moved a few aside to look farther in and was surprised to find cash, lots and lots of cash.