"Where's Sofie?" I asked once the parlor was set back to normal and the air now smelled of burned matches, lilacs, apples, and pumpkin pie as a result of the strange collection of candles kept in the shop. Trixie was just stepping out of the bathroom after discreetly tidying up after our interlude. She once again looked fresh and delicate, as if nothing had occurred.

She sat on her little tattooing stool again, the little white book Arianna had given her in her lap. "Upstairs watching TV."

"Should I hope that she had it turned loud enough that she didn't hear anything?"

"Doubtful. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time she heard us."

I frowned. It was yet another thing I didn't want to think about. Sofie was something of a mother figure for me and I didn't want to think about her overhearing my s.e.xual escapades with Trixie.

My discomfort was quickly replaced with confusion as a new thought slammed through my somewhat foggy brain. "Where'd the TV come from?" I had left behind a little furniture when I'd moved out of the second-floor apartment, but no TV.

"Bronx dropped it off yesterday for her," Trixie said. "She says she likes to be close, but she doesn't like missing her afternoon and evening programs."

"That cat is turning into a couch potato."

"I think she could use a boyfriend. Do you know any warlocks who are cats?"

I shook my head. "You're insane. You've already got a witch and a warlock in your life and now you're asking for more. Simply insane."

Trixie waved one hand absently at me. "Well, the ones I know aren't so bad."

"We're the strange exceptions to the rule, I promise." I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze before I started toward the back room. "I've got to ask her something. I should be back down before Bronx gets in."

"Be nice, Gage. She told me what happened at your place. She hasn't been in a very good mood."

I nodded and headed to the second-floor apartment. I couldn't blame Sofie for being in a foul mood. She'd been attacked because of her a.s.sociation with me. If it had been possible for her to be safe by disa.s.sociating herself from me, I think she would have left. But then it was too late for things like that. If anyone knew that she talked to me, they'd kill her regardless of whether she'd turned her back on me or not. They'd torture her for information.

And in truth, I doubted that the danger was just a result of knowing me. She was an old, powerful witch. If she had still been human, her attackers would never have been able to harm her. Trapped as a cat, she was vulnerable. She could access a few spells, but nothing particularly powerful. Knowing me could get her killed, but staying near me now could keep her alive. Trapped as she was as a cat and trapped as my friend, Sofie's luck had pretty much run out.

19.

THE LARGE RUSSIAN BLUE was stretched out across the battered sofa, her eyes half closed as she watched what appeared to be a talk show. A female goblin, a dwarf, and two human-looking females that I believed to be a vampire and a succubus sat around a table on some cozy soundstage animatedly talking. A window was open, allowing a breeze to sweep through the stuffy apartment.

"Shhh . . . They're talking about makeup tips and new uses for panty hose," Sofie hissed as I shut the door.

"Sof, you don't wear panty hose or makeup." I plopped down on the one cushion that she wasn't stretched across and propped my feet up on the table.

"I know, but if Gideon comes through, I'm going to need to know this stuff."

I smiled down at her. "You're a witch. You don't need makeup. You can use glamour or an enchantment. If my memory is accurate, you don't need makeup or panty hose anyway."

Sofie's head popped up and she stared at me through narrowed yellow eyes. "Gideon hit your head today?" I shook my head, still smiling. She took a quick sniff of the air and rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, got some, did you? That would explain your silliness. You know, if you weren't a warlock, I'd tell you that you need to make an honest woman of that poor girl. But then, I guess it's better this way."

My smile disappeared and I leaned my head back against the sofa as reality came crashing back down on me with a sickening thud. "Thanks for the reminder, Sof."

The cat stood, alternating between arching her back and stretching each leg so that long claws extended. "Sorry, Gage. I didn't mean anything by that comment. I guess I'm in a grumpy mood."

"I know. It's been a rough few days for everyone. It doesn't seem like anything is going right."

Sofie paused beside the TV remote and stepped on the red b.u.t.ton, turning off the TV, before she walked over and curled up in my lap. I scratched the top of her head, getting her to start purring. If she was going to act like a cat, I was going to treat her like a cat. I'd deal with all the repercussions and complications if she was ever returned to her natural state.

"Trixie told me about your visit to see the queen of the Summer Court and their . . . difficulties," she said, her voice so soft that I could barely make out her words. She had stopped purring and moved her head away from my hand as she rested it on my stomach.

"That's what I was hoping to talk to you about." Placing my elbow on the arm of the couch, I leaned my head against my hand. "I've listened to the queen's story and what Trixie told me about the advice from the Hearth Women, but something seems off. Something about this whole thing seems like the elves are suffering under the effects of a spell. Everything I've been taught says that it's not possible because spells aren't this artfully selective or gradual, but my gut screams spell. What do you think?"

Sofie was silent for several seconds. She was so still that I thought she might have even stopped breathing. When she spoke, her voice was extremely soft and low.

"I've done many horrible things in my lifetime and I don't regret a single d.a.m.n one of them. It was our culture. It was about protection. It was about being the strongest species. I believed it all . . . until now."

I lifted my head and stared down at the cat, my heart skipping in my chest. "What are you talking about?"

"The elves. They're barren . . . and it's my fault. It is a spell. I crafted it at the request of the council years ago. I had forgotten about it until I met Trixie."

My breathing was shattered as I sat on the couch with my thoughts colliding into one another before spinning off in another direction. My first instinct was to push her off me so I could pace around the room.

It was a spell. Sofie had created the spell that was slowly destroying the elves. The cat I was protecting-h.e.l.l, the cat Trixie was protecting-was responsible for keeping Trixie's people from having children, leaving them stuck on a one-way train for extinction.

"Sofie," I breathed, my voice rough as I tried to order my thoughts.

"I'm so sorry, Gage. We always worried about the elves and their ability to find the Towers through the glamour. We were afraid that if we attacked them, they would go into hiding, making it impossible to find them. The spell was designed to attack more and more of their kind with each pa.s.sing decade until none of them could have children."

"Well, it's nearly succeeded," I snapped before roughly running my hand through my hair. "The king and queen of the Summer Court can't have kids, and if they don't have an heir soon, the Winter Court or the Svartalfar could soon attack in hopes of conquering the Summer Court."

"I never meant to hurt Trixie. I like her. She's sweet and funny. I never wanted to hurt her."

"I know. The elves were a faceless people to you and all the Towers, but the fact remains that there are people that are being hurt. It has to stop. How do I unravel the spell?"

Sofie stood and walked over to the far cushion on the couch, where she sat down, wrapping her long tail around her body. She hung her head, staring at the floor. "You can't."

"What do you mean?" I shifted on the couch, moving to sit on the edge so that I could try to see her expression. "All spells can be fixed or unraveled."

"You can't. It's the nature of this spell. You can only start to unravel it after it's reached its natural end."

"Which is?" I prompted when she fell silent.

Sofie sighed and looked up at me. "When they're all barren. When not one female elf can have a child, then you can start to unwind it. But even then it can only be done slowly, working at the same speed in reverse."

Shoving off the couch, I paced the living room, moving between the sofa and the kitchen. "You know, if this wasn't absolutely horrible, I'd say that the spell was brilliant. It sounds impossibly complicated and yet exquisitely elegant. I can't even begin to figure out how you did it," I said, half talking to myself. I threw my arms up as I spun to face her. "But what the h.e.l.l! How am I supposed to fix this?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to," I snarled, pacing away again. I didn't mean to make her feel worse, but I was standing in the same room with the witch who had figured out the most elegant way of killing off an entire race without them realizing that they were being attacked. Neither the queen nor Trixie suspected a spell. They thought their barrenness was a result of something they had done.

"You can think of no way to stop the spell or reverse it?" I demanded, stopping when I was standing in front of her.

"No. I didn't worry about it because I didn't think I would ever want to undo the spell."

"Well, start thinking. We've got to figure something out and fast."

Whatever nervous energy had filled me seconds ago fled my body, leaving me feeling so tired that I was afraid my legs were going to buckle beneath me. Collapsing on the sofa, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I was exhausted in both body and soul. Between my struggles to protect my loved ones, to protect Low Town, and to hide from the Towers, I didn't think I had it in me to move again even if a warlock suddenly appeared in the room. But I had to move and think and do.

"I'm sorry, Sofie," I said. Cracking one eye open, I reached for her, holding one hand out toward her. "I didn't mean to be an a.s.shole. I'm tired. Every step forward is accompanied by two steps back."

Sofie stood and walked over to me, rubbing her head against my hand. I scratched behind her ear and along the side of her head until she curled up next to me.

"We've changed, haven't we?" she whispered, sounding as tired as I felt and maybe even a little frightened.

"Yeah," I agreed with a little laugh. "We've changed, but I think for the better."

"We can't go back, even if we wanted to."

My shoulders slumped and I frowned at her words. We can't go back. What she meant was that even if she resumed her human form, she couldn't go back because she wasn't like the witches and warlocks any longer. She valued life. Or rather, she valued the lives of others. Even if the Towers could overlook the fact that she was one of my supporters, they would see this new outlook of hers as a weakness. They'd kill her rather than let her spread the softer mentality that Gideon and his movement were trying to foster.

Until this moment, I think Sofie had always harbored the small hope that she could go back and resume her former life when she became human again. But at some point during her exile, she had changed, and she now had no hope of going home even if she was human.

And that sudden knowledge hurt. I understood that. I hated Simon Thorn and all the other witches and warlocks who tormented me while I was an apprentice. But I loved magic. I loved studying it and using it. I loved getting lost in the enormous old tomes, learning the philosophy and art of what seemed to tingle at my fingertips. I tolerated Simon and the others for as long as I could so I could study, but in the end I had to leave. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't miss the study of magic, but I couldn't live that life.

"Maybe that's all we need to do. Force everyone in the Towers to live among the unwashed ma.s.ses for a few decades. That'll make them come to their senses," I said, trying to lighten both our moods.

Sofie made a noise in the back of her throat that sort of sounded like a strangled laugh. "That or get everyone killed."

"True."

We sat in silence for several minutes. Sofie was curled up against me and I was mindlessly stroking her soft fur, trying to calm both our nerves while desperately searching for some kind of solution to this latest dilemma.

"Are you going to tell her?" Sofie asked, jerking my attention back to her.

"Huh?"

"Trixie. Are you going to tell her?"

I stopped petting her and sighed. "I have to. I've kept way too many secrets from Trixie for too long. I'm trying to be more open with her. She deserves it."

"Please, don't," she pleaded. Sofie stood and climbed into my lap so that she was standing with her front paws on my chest as she stared into my eyes. "I love Trixie. She's my friend and I don't want to lose that. If it takes the rest of my life, I'll make it up to her. To her and her people. Please, don't tell her."

Clenching my teeth, I frowned at the cat who had become as dear to me over the past several years as Trixie and Bronx. She made a mistake. A horrible, ugly, painful mistake, but a mistake all the same and she regretted it. I knew what that was like well enough and I wasn't about to start casting stones.

"I have to tell her it was a spell," I started, and then groaned, inwardly cursing myself and my stupid soft heart for talking cats. "But I'll keep it to myself as to who created it. I'll leave that for you to handle."

"Thank you," she said around a loud purr. She b.u.mped the top of her head against my chin, rubbing against me with relief. I rubbed her back one last time before picking her up and putting her on the cushion beside me.

"Don't make me regret this," I said as I shoved to my feet. Putting my hands into my jeans pockets, I grimaced as one hand ran over material roughened by my dried blood. I needed to change into clean clothes. Maybe I'd even try food and a shower while I was at it. You know, act like a normal, civilized creature who understood the basics of good hygiene and nutrition.

"I'm going to head home after Bronx gets in. Are you good to head home with Trixie tonight?"

"That's fine. Are you okay?" she asked, motioning with her head toward the side of me that was covered in dried blood.

"Yeah. Just a little scuffle."

"That's good."

I had walked to the door and grasped the k.n.o.b when a thought occurred to me. "I've got a meeting soon, I think. Someone a friend thinks might be able to help with the elf problem."

"I don't know of anyone who can help with it," Sofie murmured. "You on good terms with another witch or warlock?"

"No, this is . . . something else," I said, and then paused for a second. I shook my head, pushing aside other worries and doubts. "I don't have high hopes, but it's worth a try. This friend has never steered me wrong. Anyway, if I don't show up tomorrow, I want you to promise me that you'll at least tell Gideon what you told me. Someone else needs to know what's going on. I know he's got a lot on his plate right now, but if things ever get quiet again, maybe you and he can start working on a counterspell."

"I will, I promise. Where's this meeting at?"

"No idea."

"Who are you meeting?"

I gave her a sly little smirk as I pulled the door open. "Mother Nature."

Sofie's mouth hung open for a full two seconds before she snapped it closed. "You're kidding, right?"

I snorted. "I wish."

Slipping out of the apartment, I closed the door behind me and suppressed a groan. By all that was sacred and holy, I wished I was kidding. I was putting all my hopes on a creature that thought it was the essence of life and the earth. If anything, I prayed that she didn't have a grudge against the Towers as well or I was in for a very short visit.

20.

SOMEONE WAS HUMMING.

It was my first conscious thought the next morning. I lay in bed, trying to place the voice, since I knew it wasn't Trixie and there should have been no other woman in my apartment. The night before, I had stumbled into my place, where I ate and showered then settled down on the sofa with a large sketch pad. My brother sat on the other end of the couch, watching a movie while I made plans. I had an idea of how I would save Robert, but the tattoo would be complicated. Around midnight, I stumbled to my bed and was asleep before I could finish pulling up my blankets.

But now I could hear humming, close and clear. It wasn't coming through an open window because I never slept with an open window. They were too hard to put protective spells over. I didn't recognize the tune, but it sounded like it belonged in a Disney cartoon.

Rubbing my eyes with one hand, I lifted my head and looked around, half expecting to see that I had forgotten to shut a window before falling asleep. Instead, I found a woman dressed in what appeared to be a Victorian maid's uniform standing at the end of my bed, folding my underwear.

I jerked upright, pulling my blanket up to my chin like some fl.u.s.tered virgin. "What the f.u.c.k?" I blurted in a sleep-roughened voice.