Seyari walked quickly with Nelys and Aretan all the way to the city guard headquarters. Next to the barracks, and with the jail under it, the large stone building was tarnished with damp in way that would’ve been poetic to someone with more of an artistic inclination.

Seyari wasn’t that someone. She scowled next to Aretan and Nelys, then followed a pointed finger deeper inside, letting the other two explain in her wake. Reaching the marked door, she banged on it. A tired-sounding mumble answered from inside and its owner shuffled to the door with no great haste.

The man who opened it had deep circles under his hard brown eyes and thinning brown hair. “Can I help you, miss?” he asked languidly.

“Seyari,” she introduced herself. “Officer Lorton, I presume?”

He stretched and yawned. “Ye-eeah, that’s me. You’re Nelys and Aretan’s friend, right?”

“Yes.” Seyari drew her lips into a thin, pale line, her patience long gone. “Where’s Taava?”

“Got her in an overnight room, s’not really meant for prisoners, so it’s comfortable.” He looked up and acknowledged the approaching Nelys and Aretan with a nod. “Gimme a minute and I’ll get the keys.” He started to close the door, thought better of it, and left it open.

While Lorton rummaged around for keys, Seyari tapped her foot and got more details from Aretan and Nelys. Taava had been crippled and burned badly. A healer had already tended to her, so the injuries were pretty much set. Neither spoke of the details, or even said the kazzel’s name. The walls had ears in a place like this.

When Lorton returned, they followed him down a boring hallway to an equally boring door. He knocked twice, loudly, then turned the key and opened the door.

Inside, Taava struggled to sit up in bed and gave a weak smile, ears flat against her messy hair. “Sorry, Sey. I kinda messed up.”

“What were you thinking!?” Seyari hissed the moment the door closed behind everyone.

Taava braced for the lecture, closing her eyes.

Instead of giving a lecture, Seyari crossed the room and threw the blanket off her.

“Does this mean I’m not gonna get a lecture?” Taava asked hopefully.

Seyari laughed darkly. “Oh, you’re going to get it—just not from me. When Renna gets back from the Company mission, I’m going to sic her on you.” She leaned forward and ran a hand along Taava’s burnt and mangled leg.

Taava shuddered.

Seyari’s hand stopped moving. “Was that from the threat of a lecture on morality, or could you feel my hand?”

“The first one.”

“Good.” Seyari finished running her hand along Taava’s leg, and checked the base of her spine with the other hand, fingering a lump of bone.

Taava shivered again under Seyari’s cold hands. “Why good?”

“Because that makes the next part a whole lot easier.” Seyari reached forward and with a quick motion displaying surprising strength, snapped Taava’s mishealed leg bone. The sound was hideous, but Taava hardly flinched.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Officer Lorton asked, an edge creeping into his perpetually tired voice.

“Seyari’s a great healer!” Nelys chirped. “She saved Aretan from dying.”

Officer Lorton looked at Aretan and raised an eyebrow. There was another snapping sound from across the room.

“She did save my life, yes,” Aretan nodded.

Lorton sighed and looked back at Seyari and Taava.

“I think that one tickled?” Taava said. “But I don’t see what ya can do. Unless ya really are an angel and ya lied ta me…”

Seyari took a step back and surveyed Taava’s ruined legs. “I didn’t lie. I’m only half-angel.” She held her hands out and holy light glowed out of them, bright enough to make Taava and the others look away. “Oh yeah, I think this might hurt if fix things out of order.”

“Wait, whaddya mean ‘out of order?’” Taava asked, suddenly panicked. She watched Seyari’s hair and eyes brighten as the half-angel’s magic poured forth.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“I mean that I’m not a healer.”

“You’re not a wha-AAAAAAAAAH!!!” Taava’s question turned into a shriek.

Officer Lorton covered his ears and cracked an eyelid when the glow dulled down. Taava was whimpering, but her legs were twitching, burn marks mostly gone to noticeable scarring. “Well I’ll be damned. You two,” he said to Aretan and Nelys, “have got to tell me how you know a Dhias-blessed half-angel.”

Nelys looked up with a smirk. “Oh that’s a really good story, see there’s this ship called—”

“Not now though, Nelys.” Officer Lorton put up a hand. “Give me a minute to go let everyone know why there’s primal screaming coming from this wing.” He sighed, nodded at Aretan who nodded back, and left the room quickly.

On the bed, Taava’s teeth were gritted tightly together, long canines visible, as she fought through the subsiding pain. Her tail stood straight up behind her, brown fur puffed out where it wasn’t burned off, and her ears were flat against her head.

When the pain ebbed enough, she collapsed back onto the bed and whined. “I think that was worse than them breakin’ was. Back then I was kinda outta it and after somethin’ snapped I just lost all feelin. Ow…”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Seyari asked. “Aretan and Nelys already filled me in on what you told them.”

“Can it wait?” Taava asked in a still-pained voice. “I’m a little overwhelmed right now and I don’t wanna have ta tell Renna, too.”

Seyari frowned and sighed. Taava was lying about being out of it, but she didn’t have the energy to care. Renna could do that for her, and the fact Seyari found herself truly relying on someone else helped improve her mood immensely. “Fine, I guess. We never should’ve let you go there on your own.”

“You’re right,” Taava replied, more frustrated than regretful. “I’m gonna get Garvin and I’m gonna sic Renna on him once she’s done talkin’ my ears off for how stupid I was,” she muttered. “You, uh, gonna be cool walkin’ outta here with silver hair and glowin’ gold eyes, Sey?”

Seyari reached up, touched her hair, and frowned. “I’m going to have to be. Besides, like Renna, I’m getting tired of hiding all the damn time.”

“Can I have all your disguise stuff then?” Nelys interjected.

Seyari paused at the reflexive “No” that almost slipped out, and instead nodded. “Sure, but I’m going to teach you how to use it, especially the eye coloration stuff.”

Nelys cocked their head. “Can’t you just heal me if I mess up?”

“That’s not the point and you know it.”

Nelys stuck out their tongue.

Taava laughed.

Seyari groaned. “Please, please don’t feed off each other. I can only handle so much.” Looking up, she met the reliable eyes of Aretan. In them, twinkled a tiny bit of mischief, or so she thought. “Not you too!”

Aretan laughed sharply. “No, not me. I admit Nelys is a good friend and I enjoy most of their antics, but I do not plan to contribute my own. I lack the energy for that sort of thing anyway.”

Seyari sighed in relief, and the group resumed catching up. Taava confirmed she could walk again, but was wobbly on her feet. I hope Renna’s contract with the Gelles Company is going well, she thought.

***

Officer Lorton returned soon after, looking no more tired, but no more awake either. He closed and locked the door behind him and addressed the room. “We should move someplace that’s safe to talk.”

“I can give us that,” Seyari replied. With a wave of her hand, she conjured a swirling wind around the edges of the room. Thankfully the walls were bare, but the wind did make it more difficult to hear one another.

Lorton plopped down in the room’s only chair and cradled his head in his hands. “I guess that works. So, as you know, Lockmoth has just a bit of a corruption problem. I’ve been working to fix that, but my reach is limited and I can’t stick my neck out too far.”

“And Taava wants you to help her?” Seyari guessed.

“Other way ‘round, he wants me ta help him!” Taava proudly proclaimed.

Officer Lorton made a so-so gesture with one hand and slouched back in his seat, staring up into the swirling mass of air and the dust and small bugs it’d picked up. “A bit of both. Point’s that I haven’t really been able to do much, and it’s getting worse.”

“And now you can do much more, yes?” Aretan said with a hopeful smile.

Lorton groaned. “More like I have to do something big. That bust and Taava’s bounty have put the squeeze on me. I didn’t sleep at all last night and I’m certain there’s a knife ready for me the next time I do.”

“Taava’s bounty?” Seyari asked.

“Yeah, it’s a big one and a damn good thing the folks here, outside of the few I trust, don’t know she’s here. Aretan and Nelys have been a big help since getting deputized and I like the idea of getting the Gelles Company involved. If we can get them to see how this situation is hurting their bottom line, we might be able to make a real move.”

“So our plan’s the foundation then?” Seyari rubbed her temple. “What are we going to hit?”

“Everywhere we can,” Lorton said hopelessly. “I know a good few of the locations based on my own work from the bribes we get and where we choose not to look. Taava knows more, too.”

“What do they have for magic?” Seyari asked.

“Not a lot. Most mages can earn an honest living easy enough, and that kind of ability’s bad for a power structure that relies on strength.”

“Enchanted weapons?”

“They smuggle some and I’d bet the bosses and maybe a couple others would have something. Why?”

“You’ll see,” Seyari said, smiling wickedly. “I can’t tell you just yet, though.”

“Fine by me,” Lorton yawned. “You can stop the wind now. I need to go eat something and figure out a way to stay awake. Your friend’s group’s supposed to be back late tomorrow night, and I don’t fancy kicking it just yet.”

“Good enough for me,” Seyari looked around the room. “Do you mind if I stay here with Taava?”

“Be my guest! Makes my life easier.”

“Oh, I want to stay too—we can play games and make a night of it!” Nelys exclaimed.

“Would you mind?” Aretan regarded Lorton. “I could help keep guard over you, if you need.”

Lorton waved his hand. “Play games with your friends. I’ll probably end up sleeping in here tonight anyway.” After a long pause, he added, “and I can’t wait until I don’t have to watch my back all the damn time.”