Roger stared at his papers without seeing them. If the elves had sent Lycus to investigate, it meant they suspected a kernel of truth lay within whatever rumors they’d heard.
He made his way to the courtyard. Lycus waited near the gate with his arms crossed and his rear hoof occasionally stamping in irritation. While some centaurs chose to roam free, Lycus had given up the wilder attributes of his magical race in favor of a life of investigation for the elves. He took great care to maintain his domestic appearance, even going so far as to shoe his hooves for longer travels. He wasn’t a favorite among his people, it was rumored, but the elves used him for all their important issues.
His involvement did not bode well for Roger’s intentions for Charity.
“Lycus. Good to see you. How may I be of service?” Roger stuck out his hand for a shake. Lycus had to bend to take it. Being half horse, he had height aplenty.
“We’ve heard some reports that you entertained a non-shifter a few days ago.”
“Yes. One of our missions was interrupted by a magical human. We brought her here for questioning. Turned out, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wasn’t involved in the vampire turning. We let her go.”
“And who was this magical human?”
“A citizen of the Brink. She had no knowledge of her magical ancestry. Her mother left without mentioning it. This was her first visit to the Realm.”
“I see.” A scowl creased Lycus’s flat face. He knew Roger was intentionally being vague, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Being on a trial period meant Charity wasn’t officially Roger’s subject—for now, she wasn’t registered in the Realm, and she wasn’t in the Realm at present. As far Lycus was concerned, she was a rumor. Roger would make sure she stayed that way until they had a better handle on this whole situation. The last thing Charity needed was for the elves to roll in and swoop her up. If that happened, she could kiss her dreams in the Brink goodbye. So could Roger.
“Did you ascertain what magic she had?” Lycus asked, stamping his back hoof again. He wasn’t great at hiding his impatience.
“As of now, unknown.” Technically, it was true. Roger didn’t have any proof, only a suspicion. “She smelled spicy sweet, but her magic only functioned in spits and gushes. She had no real handle on it.”
“And how did you know she was magical?”
Roger hid his uncertainty behind a stone mask. This was a time to tread lightly and speak in half-truths without getting caught.
“I guessed,” he said, keeping body movement to a minimum. “She was able to escape a house full of vampires without becoming one. I suspected there was something more to her. Teamed with her not-quite-human smell, I decided to chance a crossing into the Realm. We were monitoring her closely in case she didn’t have the magic. She was in no permanent danger.”
“And you said she had magical ancestry. This was also a guess?” Lycus asked, clearly seeing the cracks in Roger’s explanations.
“She claimed both her parents were non-magical humans. It’s clear she has magical ancestry, but she knew nothing of magic or the Realm. I had no way of knowing whether one of her parents intentionally hid their magic.” And he still didn’t. That was the million-dollar question. “Given that she had not intentionally interfered with my duty, that’s where it ended. She was released back to the Brink to get on with her life.”
“I see,” Lycus said, frown lines etching into his dark face. “Yet she had enough magic to get into the Realm.”
“Yes.”
“And thwart the charge of a minotaur without raising a weapon.”
Roger hesitated. “I had two of my wolves with her. One had changed, and the other was ready to. Bain was probably trying to save face by saying it was the girl. He wasn’t drunk at the time. I’m sure sobriety changed his perception of acceptable risk.”
A hoof stamped again. “I see.” Lycus stared for a moment. Roger met the centaur’s eyes easily. Pleasantly. There was no sense in riling anyone up. “Bain’s report was not the only one we received.”
“Oh?” Roger asked. “And what else have you heard?”
Lycus’s expression closed down. “That is classified. When do you expect her back?”
“I don’t, unfortunately.” Roger spread his hands. “Her absence the other night was noticed by loved ones. Brink police were informed. She agreed to give us a pass, since we pulled her out of a dangerous situation, but kidnapping her will get us chased from the Brink. Without us, the vampires will be let off their leash. That would work out badly for everyone.”
“I do not care about what goes on in the Brink. Let them handle their own affairs. I would like to question the girl.”