Page 81 of Forsaken Secrets

Who was she that the owner would be so concerned, though? And what was a proper lady doing in a black market?

Licking my lips, I looked between the two of them.

"I — I was just looking at the items on the shelves and stumbled on it."

Lady Frexin tilted her head to the side and pulled a strange little looking glass from her sleeve. "Girl, stop lying. Who are you? Who did you apprentice under?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "No one, my lady. The pendant really was just sitting there inside the jewelry box. Anyone would have noticed it."

"Still. What made you think to open the jewelry box? Somehow you stumbled on a tempered relic in this entire shop of junk. There was more than just luck involved there, dear."

I shrugged, pushing down the panic fluttering in my chest. "Honestly, it was just sitting there. It's not that big of a deal."

"What is your name?"

I swallowed hard and debated lying. But she seemed the type to find the answers, regardless of what I told her. "Kaiya Maderoth, my lady." I dipped into a quick curtsey.

Mr. Harlsted stepped up to my side. "I'm sorry, Lady Frexin, but is she in trouble for something? She's under my care."

The lady glanced at him, then quickly returned her gaze to me. It felt like she could see straight into my soul, and I shifted uncomfortably on my feet. "Miss Maderoth, what do you know about Seekers?"

I swallowed hard. "Just that they are able to sense the magical affinities of people."

"Precisely." She laughed merrily. "You see, dear Miss Maderoth, there are some people who can ‘feel' where things are, just like the Seekers can sense mages. This category of people doesn't have full affinities like normal mages, of course, but they can feel it in a way that most cannot. Does that sound familiar?"

It did. But I couldn't tell her that.

A clock ticked in the background. One second. Another.

Finally, she rolled her eyes and clasped my arm, pulling me away from the counter and towards the back. "For gods sake. I'm not going to report you because you're good at finding things, Miss Maderoth."

Mr. Harlsted stepped to my side and grabbed my elbow, pulling me from the strange woman's grip as my stomach did somersaults.

We almost had this mess with Lady Ellingsworth figured out. Had I ruined it all?

Lady Frexin shifted her gaze to Mr. Harlsted, narrowing it for a moment before smiling and turning back to me.

This was no happy smile, though. It reminded me more of a gremlyn just before pouncing on its prey.

"I'd like to hire you, Miss Maderoth."

Hire me? I stared at her, slack-jawed. "I don't understand …"

She pulled a small card from her purse and passed it to me. "I run the Science Division under King Torsten and have special permissions to explore things as I see fit. Some of that work involves locating special objects like this relic you found. I'd like to hire you for that team."

My stomach felt very heavy all of a sudden.

Surely she couldn't be serious? I'd never heard of a Science Division, but looking at the proprietor and the respect he'd given Lady Frexin, it certainly felt real.

A job offer, though? She didn't even know me!

I turned to look at Eli. But he was no help. He looked just as confused as me.

"What would the pay and job entail?" I asked, the words slipping from my lips unbidden.

Lady Frexin's smile widened. "Good question, Miss Maderoth. You'd be an apprentice for a year — but after that, you'd work directly under me. My team faces certain … dangers, so they are compensated appropriately. The newest takes home around a thousand pounds every year."

My body went numb. That much money was unheard of amongst the working class.

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