The lobby of Raven’s Hope City Hall was grand—the opposite of Raven’s Hope itself. Marble floors reflected the warm light from the chandeliers hanging above. Vibrant blue walls, embellished with exquisite artwork, had climbing ivy reaching to all corners. Somber chamber music played gently from hidden speakers, and water burbled from a concrete fountain on the opposite end of the lobby, creating a brooding soundscape.

Vic, Maya, and Pete’s steps echoed as they walked to the front desk, sounding like the group were all wearing heels. A female elf, wearing a sharp suit with padded shoulders, had a phone tucked against her cheek, typing away at a keyboard. The bright monitor glowed in her eyes.

It was refreshing, albeit surprising, to see someone of the supernatural variety working as the face greeting patrons walking in the door, especially in a government setting. Most places that had this setup often resulted in berated workers, along with some physical assaults. Maybe Mayor Dodd actually lived up to the progressive hype surrounding him.

The gang stood in front of the desk, waiting for the worker to finish her tasks. Her name was Azela, according to her name badge. She finally hung up the phone and addressed them. Interestingly, she looked at Maya and Pete first, and didn’t hide her disgust for them. When she turned to Vic, she gave a bright smile and cheerfully said, “How may I help you today, sir?”

Stunned from being talked to politely, while the humans received the “ick factor,” Vic took a moment to respond. “Uh, I’m Vic Owens. I have a meeting with Mayor Dodd.”

“Oh, the paranormal advisor!” Azela said. “Mot is excited to see you. I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.”

“Mot?” Vic asked. “Who the hell is Mot?”

Azela laughed. “Why, it’s the mayor’s first name. He wouldn’t expect you to know it, because he mostly goes by Mayor Dodd.” She pointed at leather couches in the middle of the lobby. “Please have a seat, and someone will be down to get you shortly.”

The three went and sat on the soft couches.

“This place is fancy,” Pete said. “Too fancy for a small town government building. Do you think people come in here to pay their water bills?” He gawked at every person that walked by, and admired everything the lobby had to offer.

“I don’t know, Pete.” Vic kicked back on the couch and put his feet up on the small table in front. “Looks like the city of Raven’s Hope had some extra money laying around.”

Maya raised her eyebrow. “Are you saying you’ve never been here before? You're the paranormal advisor, hired by the city ten years ago. How have you never been inside this building? Did you skip the interview?”

“Slow your roll,” Vic said. “Of course I had an interview. But city hall was in a small, dingy building back then. They just bought this gem a few years back.”

“A few years ago? That’s plenty of time.” Maya folded her arms, waiting for a reason.

“Look,” Vic began, “they never ask me to come in … so I don’t. Simple as that. Right Pete?”

Pete didn’t get the chance to answer, because an armed security guard approached them. Like Azela, this guy wore a dark suit. But he also wore sunglasses, with three lenses instead of two. His skin was also a dark shade of red. And Vic noticed that he had sharp, black claws.

Most of the employees must be supernatural, Vic thought. It was an interesting choice, considering city hall served all citizens of the town.

“Vic Owens,” the guard announced. “Follow me, please.”

Vic got up to follow—as did Pete and Maya.

The guard stopped, and stepped in between Vic and the other two. He raised his hand, holding it in front of Pete’s chest. “Your humans must wait here. Mot’s office was just cleaned.”

“Dude,” Pete said, astounded. “That’s rude. I take showers.”

“It’s, OK,” Maya said, putting a hand on Pete’s shoulder and pushing him down. “We don’t want to cause any trouble for the mayor. We’ll wait here.”

Pete did as suggested and took a seat. But he still folded his arms, his own version of an act of defiance. Vic could see anger furrowing in Maya’s eyebrows, but she wasn’t the type to argue and start a fight, especially with city government workers. She was compliant, to a fault.

As Vic followed the guard to the elevator, he turned back and mouthed “be good” to his humans. Neither of them seemed to appreciate that.

The guard pushed the button to the fourth floor, which was the top floor of the building. It was a quick and quiet ride.

When the doors opened, the guard ushered Vic out and said, “Third door on the left. He’s expecting you.” Then he pushed a button, and the doors closed while he stood motionless in the center of the elevator, staring behind those sunglasses. Vic imagined the guy wasn’t blinking, because he seemed like the goon type.

The atmosphere on the fourth floor was much different than the lobby. Instead of warm, welcoming lights, the hallway was illuminated by blue and purple lights. It was just bright enough to see, but not much more than that. There was no music, just the gentle hum of the ventilation system. At least the floor was carpeted, that way every footstep didn’t sound like gunfire.

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As the guard had said, the third door was open, an invitation for Vic to step inside. He lightly rapped his knuckles against it and poked his head into the room, which was also lit with purples and blues. “Mayor Dodd? Vic Owens.”

A voice floated from the other end of the room. “Yes, Vic. Come on in. I was just finishing up paperwork on some zoning situations.”

Mayor Dodd popped from behind a filing cabinet, a drink in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. Like his employees, he also wore a suit, only his jacket was off and he was sporting suspenders. And the hair. It was slicked back, but not straight back. It was mounded like a steep hill. He tossed the papers onto his desk and made his way to the door. Vic wondered how he could possibly read anything in the dim light. The mayor extended his hand and Vic gave it a strong shake.

Vic was surprised to find that Mayor Dodd and him were the same height. He hadn’t met any humans who were as tall as him—until today. And he matched Vic’s strength with his handshake.

“Come on in and take a seat,” Mayor Dodd said with a charming smile. “I’ll get you a whiskey. On the rocks?”

“Yeah, that’s good,” Vic said, absently. He pulled out a chair while he studied the paintings hanging on the walls. Depictions of warriors in armor, slaughtering villagers. Mages striking commoners with bolts of lightning and blasting them with walls of fire. Vic thought they were a bit gruesome, even for him.

“I had those commissioned by a local artist. To me they represent the oppression that beings such as yourself have faced at the hands of humanity.” He set a glass of whiskey in front of Vic and then took a seat in a chair on the other side of the desk.

“Seems to be a lot of that going around still,” Vic said, taking the first sip of his drink. It tasted like top shelf stuff. “I don’t foresee it changing anytime soon.”

“It will during my term,” the mayor said. “I intend on making things right, and I won’t stop until I do. Raven’s Hope will become a paradise.”

“Look, Mayor Dodd—”

“Please, call me Mot.”

“Alright,” Vic said. “Mot. I hate to say you're full of shit, but things don’t change overnight. It could take decades to see any real changes. Even then, they might be barely noticeable.”

Mot leaned back and took a long drink. “I like your honesty, Vic. Not many people are honest with me. Too many “yes men” running around. Trust me when I say that I have the resolve and ability, unlike the mayors that came before me, to make real and significant change in a short time. You’ll see soon enough.”

They continued chatting about Mot's politics and his vision for a new Raven’s Hope. Vic didn't say anything but he came to understand that Mot had a hard anti-human stance. Very hard. Perhaps too hard. Then the conversation took a different turn.

“Vic, I've been meaning to have you in here for a while now. But since I took office earlier this year, it's been a whirlwind of nonstop work. I'm glad to finally have a moment to chat with you. As the paranormal advisor, you are an important figurehead in this town.”

“Well … thanks for noticing that I exist,” Vic said, polishing off his whiskey. “I assume you didn't bring me up here to talk about politics, though.”

Mot pointed an enthusiastic finger at Vic. “You're keen. I like that about you. And I hear you used to be quite something at keeping this town peaceful.”

Vic saw that statement as a bit of a dig on him but, once again, decided to say nothing. He wanted to speak up, but it was like he’d been pacified since walking into the mayor’s office. It was definitely unlike him to not speak his mind.

“I was digging through the paperwork we have on you, and I noticed you have a lot of medical debt left from when your daughter was in the hospital. I understand that it’s difficult to ever pay those bills back in a lifetime. So, I want you to consider all that debt taken care of. Washed away. The city of Raven’s Hope owes you this.” The mayor adjusted his posture and clasped his hands, resting them on the desk.

Vic found himself overcome with emotion, not only from the memories of his daughter being hooked to machines, but with this being the first time anyone had offered to lend him a hand. The fact that it was a human showing him mercy wasn’t lost on him, either. Mayor Dodd was a wonderful human being. Then a little piece of Vic’s normal self pushed through the growing mass of happy, and praiseful, voices singing in his head. Giving isn’t free, he thought. There must be a catch.

The mayor seemed to understand this as well. “Since I did you a favor, I would like you to do the same for me. I know you’ve been gallivanting around town with a human named Maya Fano, investigating human deaths and disappearances. Just quit chasing this warped fantasy she has about The Nines. It’s the mind of a disturbed child at play. I understand that some of it turned messy. I am willing to overlook the crimes you’ve involved yourself in. These kinds of things happen. And between you and me”—he cupped his hand around the side of his mouth and changed his voice to an amusing tone—”It’s a good way to clean the riff raff out of town. Don’t you agree?”

Much to Vic’s astonishment, he felt the urge to instantly agree with everything the mayor had said. But that lone voice in his head was still fighting to be heard, and was loud enough to stop Vic from blurting out his undying gratitude and acceptance. It was alarming that the mayor knew about Vic’s involvement with Maya. It was even more alarming that he seemed to know the gritty details, and had made a conscious decision not to put a stop to it. The mayor was willing to use this all as leverage, and that was dangerous.

But Vic’s newfound good side won out. “Thank you, Mayor Dodd … I mean Mot. It truly is a wonderful gift you are giving me to alleviate a heavy burden from my life. I agree to the terms, and I will separate myself from Maya.”

Mot stood and reached to shake hands, and Vic mirrored his actions. “Wipe your hands of it all, and put your focus back on domestic spats between neighbors.”

Then Mayor Dodd was walking Vic to the door, his hand placed gently between Vic’s shoulder blades, guiding him toward the exit.

They were both laughing about something, but Vic had no recollection of what it was about. Vic reached the hallway, and the mayor shut the door behind him.

Vic got in the elevator and rode down to the lobby. He felt like a fog was dissipating from his head. The happy vibes disappeared with the fog, and his true self came out of hiding. What had he just agreed to? How did Mayor Dodd know about Maya, and what they were doing together? How much did he know about The Nines? All these thoughts ran through his head, and he felt like an idiot for having agreed to the deal. Instead of being in debt to the hospital, he was now in debt to Mayor Dodd—and he was getting a bad feeling about the guy now that they’d been apart for a couple of minutes. It was like he’d developed a slow growing euphoria upon meeting him. But it was gone now, replaced by anger and anxiousness.

Vic made it to the lobby and went to the couches to check on Maya and Pete. But only Pete was left. His heart sped up. “Pete, where the hell is Maya?”

Pete dropped the magazine in his hands and jumped up, startled. “Uh. What was his name? Officer Tarnsberg?”

“Officer Carlsberg,” Vic corrected.

“Yeah, that’s his name,” Pete said, snapping his finger. “Officer Carlsberg took her.”

“What?!”