Chapter Seven
Never parked up near the food truck and dismounted, setting her kickstand and walking away from her bike.
Her helmet was still on, which got her some looks, but she ordered with goblin hand signals, ensuring the hottest food on offer.
Smiling, she waited, collected her order, and sent it over to Cora.
After that, she got back in line. She got the text when she was two from the front and sighed.
She ordered again but asked them to tone it down for on-shift nurses.
The girl’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
The set of six orders was assembled, and Never sent them to the hospital at the nurses’ station nearest Cora.
With the bustle of the food truck and the line that kept forming, she didn’t want to be rude. She walked around and joined the line for a third time. This time, she kept her phone in her pocket.
She ordered a double order with lemonade as hot as it could be. This was why she came here. That, and Dem-rah was a good friend. He would see her when she took off the helmet.
She got the order and went in search of a place to sit. She heard someone call out, “Hunter!” and saw Day-ek and his team.
She walked over to where they were sitting and said, “Sorry for stranding Jennel.”
She pulled her helmet off, set her food down, sat, and then put her helmet on her feet. The minotaur was staring at her. “You are...”
She looked at him, and her quicksilver eyes were bright. “Yes?”
“Wow. I thought Jennel was intimidating when she wanted to be. You are—”
“Sweet, gorgeous, and brave beyond belief.” She heard the soft rumble next to her and looked up. Way up.
“Oh, hey, Tam-or. What brings you out for tacos?”
He smiled. “You have no idea?”
“I have several ideas, but since Day-ek is staring at you slack-jawed, I am guessing you don’t get out here often.”
He crouched next to her. “Not often. No.”
Day-ek looked from Tam-or to her, and he said, “You two?”
She said, “Not yet.” He said, “Working on it.”
Never gave him a look. “That doesn’t seem very comfortable.”
“I am willing to put myself in any position that gets me close to you.”
Day-ek was staring at Tam-or. “You and her?”
“Correct. I am working on it.”
“So, you two have history?” She put some hot sauce on her tacos and looked at him. “Do you want to get in line, or do you want one now?”
He grinned. “Are you offering me your taco?”
She paused, cocked her head, and looked at him. “If you can get sustenance out of it, go nuts, but if you want more, I am only offering a taste.”
Day-ek grinned. “Yeah, Tam-or and I have history. He trained me and gave me several of the tattoos that currently make me so stylish.”
She nodded and took a bite. Tam-or’s hand appeared next to her containers. She put a taco in his hand, and he grinned, turned his head, and took a bite.
She snorted. “Thank goodness. I thought you were going to lick it.”
He coughed, and the agents laughed.
She felt a buzz and checked her phone. She smiled.
“Good news?”
“Yes. I just got Cora’s new address. I am going to sleep for twelve hours or so.” She took another bite.
“Why Cora’s house?”
“It’s safe. I can relax there. When she comes home, I will take care of her there until she’s ready to return to her office.”
Tam-or said, “And what then?”
“Then, I go when there is a call for a hunter. Most municipalities don’t use us because we are hella expensive.”
Day-ek asked, “Do you just work on cold cases?”
“That is where I am needed most. When all other searches have run aground. For Axa, I had a strand of her hair, the clothing she was found in, a sample of the drugs from the venue, and with Jennel pinning down motivation, we found the connections to the attacks in the hospital. From there, it was fairly straightforward.”
Jennor nodded. “So, you solved in a day what has been unsolved in seven years.”
“First, it took two days, and second, yes. That is literally what I do.”
She kept eating, and Tam-or wandered off to get his own food.
Day-ek leaned forward. “He doesn’t date. He rarely goes out. He stays at home and reads and cooks.”
She smiled. “I know. It is one of his most attractive features.”
Reymark said, “Sorry to interrupt, but did you really break Rein’s arms and legs?”
“Oh. Sure. They are being held together with my will for now. If he tries to run, I will know, and he will be unable to go anywhere. I have found it to be a very effective method of control.”
Reymark wanted to know. “Does it hurt him?”
“Not until I want it to.” She kept eating.
Day-ek asked, “Have the mages ever tried to recruit you?”
“I work for them now and then, but they hate having an orc in their polished halls. I am a reminder that they don’t own all the access to magic.”
Reymark nodded. “You have so much wild magic in you, I am surprised you can talk.”
“Oh, Uncle Matthias insisted that we learn how to talk and dress and interact with others before we were four.”
He chuckled. “Uncle Matthias?”
She sipped her lemonade. “Oh, yes. I grew up here, was educated by mage tutors alongside my sister.”
She felt Dem-rah approach with Tam-or.
She heard the rough voice. “My pretty princess, Sweet Pea.”
She turned and grinned. “Hello, Uncle Sticks.”
She was hugged tight in a four-armed embrace. “You are looking as unapproachable as always, pet.”
Never chuckled. “That’s the job, Uncle.”
Jennor frowned. “He’s your uncle, too?”
Dem-rah stroked her crest of braid. “He had no idea what to do with two little girls, and I had a few by then, so he asked me for help.”
Never smiled. “They made a play group. I never understood why Uncle Matthias kept us around until I heard that if Elsinor gives you someone, you take care of it.”
Dem-rah nodded. “That is the truth. Have you seen her since?”
“Now and then. I have bumped into her, Al, and Jerricho on occasion.”
Dem-rah smiled. “What did you talk about?”
“Oh, I taught Elsinor how to hunt. How to gather the threads until they formed a column that could not be denied. I also taught her about being prey. I learned that from Cora.”
Dem-rah was surprised. “You consider Cora prey?”
“Oh, no. She just looks like it in silhouette. That’s the key. You have to look vulnerable so they come in close.”
The goblin grinned. “You heading out to let your hair down?”
“Oh, yeah. The braid is nice, but I need to scrub my scalp every now and then. First, I eat, then I rest, and somewhere in there, I unravel and take a hot soak.”
“You know where she moved to?”
“Yes.” She pulled up her phone. “She moved here.” She showed him the map.
Tam-or was standing behind him, eating, and he chuckled.
“What?”
“Barrier land.”
She looked down. “Barrier land?”
Dey-ek said, “Land around the orc enclave not belonging to the orcs.”
“Oh. Which enclave?” She moved the map around. “Oh. Well, that’s odd.”
Tam-or chuckled. The agents finished their break and took their leave. Tam-or sat down at the nearly empty table. He looked very pleased about something.
“Why would she have bought a house attached to an orc neighbourhood?”
Dem-rah patted her cheek. “It’s a question for the ages. I will get back to work, but I want to see you for dinner this week.”
“Yes, Uncle. My number is the same. Contact me when you want me to beat you at an eating event, and I will be there.”
“Why don’t we just have dinner and catch up? I think that would be better.” He grinned at her with his jagged teeth. “I should have all my non-goblin nieces together. I think you would enjoy the company.”
“Really?”
“Jennel is mine, born into my hands. Nylora is mine. She sought me out. Her sister is mine by virtue of Nylora; you and Cora are mine because Matthias begged for help; and of course, Benny is mine because she grew up here. I have many nieces who are not goblins. Perhaps you would consider taking on one of my sons or grandsons as your mate?”
Tam-or coughed.
“Ah. I see. I will wait on any introductions. If the speaker doesn’t suit, I will have a line out the door for you and Cora.”
Tam-or muttered, “She’s considering her own option. Abel-ur.”
“Oh. Well, that is suitable then. The girls have always been close.”
Never smiled. “One way of putting it.”
Dem-rah kissed her cheek and said, “Relax and stay a while. There are joys beyond the hunt.”
“I haven’t actually felt joy in the hunt for a decade, Uncle. There was satisfaction, but no joy.”
“Then, perhaps it is time to find a place to call your own.”
She groaned. “But it’s so much paperwork!”
He laughed, Tam-or laughed, and the goblin patted her hand before he returned to his food truck.
“So, you are avoiding home ownership because of paperwork?” Tam-or paused in his eating.
“I am avoiding settling down because I have to go through every registry in the city so that they can find me if they need me. It is considered the price of citizenship. I will become an on-call hunter. They can summon me for everything from estranged spouses to lost library books, as well as criminal pursuits. The only thing they don’t get is privacy as it regards to my actions. ”
He blinked. “Library books?”
“A very earnest twelve-year-old once commissioned me to find a book that her sister had taken. I found it four hours later, under her sister’s boyfriend’s bed. That was a fun conversation.”
“Why?”
“It wasn’t the sister in the bed with him. It was the mother. She had been taking her daughter’s book back to the library and fell into the nineteen-year-old’s bed. It didn’t go over well with the father or the sister, but it was recorded as a successful hunt.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, well. My part was done, legal and above board. And I got paid.”
He blinked. “What did she pay you?”
Never slid her sleeve back. “I got a friendship bracelet. Two of them. Cora is wearing the other one. They speed up communication.”
“How long have you had it?”
“Thirty-five years. The little girl is now a mage instructor at Deepford College. Library sciences.”
He blinked slowly. “You work for her?”