Page 94 of By the Horns
Hawk coughs.
Rooster glares at him and then focuses on Raptor again. “Just tell me what the idea is.”
Raptor shifts in his seat, and then leans forward. “We ask Hemmen who he was working with.”
“The dead boy?” The guild leader seems confused. “How do we do that?”
“I have a contact in the city who knows a friend of a friend.” Raptor waves his hand in the air, as if it’s all attached to someone very distant and not at all me, sitting right here next to Raptor. “He knows of a way to speak with the dead safely. If that’s the case, would you use it?”
Rooster sits up, all attention now. “Genius. Sheer genius. I love this idea. The sooner we resolve this the better, and if you know someone who has the right sort of artifact to speak with the dead, I think we should use it. We don’t even know the kinds of artifacts we’re bleeding at this point. Our students are getting frightened. We’re on the cusp of losing good teachers—”
Raptor holds up a hand. “What if it’s old magic?”
The bushy brows of the guild leader go down. “What do you mean?”
“What if someone is using old magic?”
He doesn’t seem to grasp it. “Not an artifact?”
“No, artifacts are legal.”
Rooster’s eyes go wide. “Mancing?”
Raptor nods.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious.”
Rooster’s eyes narrow. “How, exactly?”
Leaning back in his chair again, as if he has complete control of the situation, Raptor gives a casual shrug. “Didn’t ask. It’s not important. What’s important is that this person is willing to use their magic to help us, but they want assurances of protection.”
“We can’t protect a mancer,” Rooster blusters.
“It was an idea, and the best one we’ve had so far.” Raptor shrugs again. “Getting the mancer to cut through the muck and get answers from the dead? Seems better than remaining stumped forever while this rogue band bleeds the guild dry of artifacts and kills our fledglings.”
Rooster wipes his brow, and I realize, to my surprise, he’s sweating. “Mancing is outlawed, but I hear what you’re saying. I…I need to think on this. I must consult the archivists. The advisors. I need to think.”
“I’d keep it quiet,” Raptor tells him. “If we expose this person, they’re going to run from Vastwarren City thinking they’re going to be burned at the stake…and then we’ll never get answers.”
Rooster shoots a frantic look at Hawk. “And you approve of this?”
“It seems as good an idea as any.” Hawk keeps his expression neutral. “The mancing is the lesser evil in this situation.”
“I did some research, actually,” Sparrow chimes in. “Prior to the guild’s rise to power, people would consult mancers to help them retrieve missing items or even kidnapped people. I think it can be a good power for the guild to have, if used judiciously.”
Rooster puts his head in his hands. “I must think on this. On all of it.”
“Write the king if you must,” Raptor says.
I clench inside. Oh gods, theking. Why not just put the stake up in the center of the plaza right now?
“But be sure to point out how many artifacts have been stolen and how many students have been killed while you do so.” Raptor gets to his feet. “Give him all the details.”
Rooster shoots him a look of pure venom.
Maybe this isn’t such a crazy idea after all.
