Page 17 of The Dark Hiss of Magic
‘I wouldn’t,’ I murmured. ‘This is old magic and it can be temperamental.’
He Who Must Sleep withdrew.
I held the portrait at arm’s length and examined it. It was a decent approximation; the old spell had held up better than I’dexpected. Pleased with my achievement, I made a mental note to thank the witch who’d sold it to me, then I remembered she’d retired three years ago and absconded to Spain for a warmer lifestyle. Oh well. I might find another witchery store that offered similar enchantments. It would be worth keeping more versions of this spell in stock.
I tilted my head at the magicked portrait. ‘Hi there,’ I said softly. ‘It’s good to see you again. Now I have a chance of finding out who you really are.’
I started close to home;there was no point in having a druid as a neighbour if I didn’t make use of him. Dave wasn’t exactly a social butterfly, and there were at least two generations between him and Cosplayer, as I had decided to christen the young druid: Cos for short. Still, my neighbour had spent some years in prison and he still had contacts from those days. If Cos was part of a criminal druid network, there was a chance Dave would know of him.
He scowled at me from his doorstep. ‘What do you want now?’
My smile was bright as I held up Cos’s portrait. ‘Do you know this man?’
Dave didn’t glance at the picture. ‘What? No chewy scones?’
‘I’m afraid not.’ I waved the paper at him. ‘Just this.’
He huffed at the injustice of my lack of dodgy baked goods then squinted at the portrait. ‘You think I know every fucking druid in town?’
‘No,’ I said pleasantly. ‘But I’m hoping that you might know this one.’
He glared. ‘I don’t.’
It had always been a long shot. I thanked him, earningmyself a deeper scowl, and turned away. There were plenty more avenues to explore.
‘Get that stupid ginger werewolf to help you!’ Dave called after me. ‘You cat people ought to stick together.’
Yeah, yeah. I waved a hand at him as I walked off, but then I considered the suggestion. Thane moved around a lot, as if he were afraid of what might happen if he spent more than a month in the same location. His current pad wasn’t far off Crackendon Square and I was heading in that direction, so it wouldn’t take me long to drop by and ask him if he wanted to tag along. Two minds made short work, yadda yadda, and it would look less suspicious if I was part of a couple when I wandered around asking questions.
Besides, I liked it when we spent time together. I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else with Thane, and that was rare for me indeed.
‘I can’t believethat you’ve been running around Coldstream conducting an investigation while I went home and put my feet up,’ Thane growled after I’d filled him in on the rest of my day. We were walking towards Hirsel Street and its bustling nightlife.
It was close to the old town area on the other side of Crackendon Square and was no less vibrant as a result. Even at this early hour I could hear off-tune karaoke pumping out from competing bars.
Although the very different patrons of Hirsel Street usually behaved themselves and didn’t allow a fun night out to descend into fisticuffs – or worse – unless it was absolutely necessary, there were enough establishments packed into the area that the effect could be a real assault on the senses. My days of enjoyingloud thumping music and sweaty crowds were behind me; after all, I was an unassuming little cat lady, not a wild party animal.
At least January was one of the quieter months, and a cold, drizzly Tuesday night all but guaranteed that even Hirsel Street would be half-dead. Even so, I was hopeful that there would be some people about and one of them would know who Cos was.
‘I guess this unknown dead witch has got under my skin.’
Thane’s response was surprisingly gentle. ‘You said nobody cared about him – butyoucare.’
I flashed him a quick grin. ‘And now I’m forcing you to care, too. But right now we won’t think about our John Doe. We’ll find Cos instead.’
‘He sounds like a leafy green salad vegetable.’
‘All the more reason to learn his real name,’ I said.
Thane nodded gravely. ‘I accept the mission,’ he intoned. ‘We shall not fail and no lettuce shall remain unturned.’
I wasn’t quite so optimistic but I liked his attitude.
‘Thank you, Kit,’ he said after another beat.
‘For what?’
‘For giving me an excuse to escape Tiddles’ claws for an evening.’
