19. Lea
19
LEA
“ D id you not think that this might jeopardize our mission? How are we supposed to account for a child now?” Rowan paced back and forth in my living room, nearly ripping her hair out from frustration.
I glanced beside me at the young woman who was still unconscious on my couch. “You didn't see how those pigs were treating her. She wouldn't have lasted another week there.”
Rowan stopped pacing long enough to pinch the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut. “I know you want to save everyone, but we can't worry about all of that right now. We have much bigger fish to fry.”
“What are we doing here if we’re not helping out the people without voices? She might be one small drop in an ocean of people who need our help, but how can we turn a blind eye?” My voice cracked as I spoke. I found it difficult to keep myself composed.
“Are you sure you're going to be able to keep her in check?” Rowan punched her fists into her sides as she glared down at me.
“Well, she's already on the wrong side of the law. I don't think it'll be an issue.” I looked over again at the way the young woman's lashes fluttered.
She had to be really out of it to be sleeping through this racket.
“See to it that it's not. We can't afford a misstep now when we are so close to success. It isn't just our necks on the line. It's everyone’s.” Rowan marched out of my apartment and slammed the door shut behind her.
I really thought she was going to take it better than that. Maybe I caught her at the wrong time. No matter. She'll come around.
Suddenly, the young woman's eyes popped open, revealing blazing purple irises. They darted over to me as she sat up. “I'm not going to cause any problems! You don't have to worry about me. I just appreciate that you and that man saved me.”
Oh, so she wasn’t sleeping through all that.
“There's just one thing I don't understand… How did you guys know that I worked for Diesel?” She tilted her head with innocent curiosity.
My eyes widened, and my mouth ran dry.
Anxiety crawled up my spine and grabbed the hold of my chest.
“What do you mean you work for Diesel?” I could barely utter the words.
Did I just invite an agent of my enemy to stay in my home?
“Diesel often hires me to do jobs that require someone small and stealthy. I usually slip in and out of places without being detected, but my luck ran out when a guard saw me. I’ve been imprisoned there for a week before you guys came along,” she explained, but my mind was still reeling.
What have I done?
“How long have you been loyal to Diesel Ransom?”
She couldn't have been older than Kiyan. They looked to be about the same age.
I doubted that she had been working with him for long. Perhaps I could sway her fealty to me.
“A year or two maybe. I wouldn't say I'm loyal to him. He gives me money after job completion, which puts food in my belly.” She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, dropping her gaze away from mine as if she were embarrassed to tell me that.
“Do you have anyone else? Who takes care of you?” My questions only made her more uncomfortable.
“It's just me now. My parents were taken in for questioning and never came back. They were apparently charged for transporting illegal potions. But they didn't do it! My mother was just a simple farmer, and my father wrote articles for the Theskin newsletter.” Tears filled her eyes and the dark purple turned into lavender.
“Did your father happen to be an investigative writer?” I was willing to bet my potion notebook that her father had likely been working on an article that didn't paint Diesel in the best light. That must have been why her parents had been arrested.
“How did you know that?” She swept her fist across her eyes, wiping away her tears.
“Just a hunch.” I didn't feel like distressing her more than she already was. I had to change the subject. “In any case, you won't have to worry about that stuff from now on. My name is Uremma Mirth, and I’d like to offer you a job working with me.”
“Ravana Laskie. What type of job are we talking about here? I'm okay with lying, stealing, and breaking things, but I draw the line at murder.” Exhaustion swept over her face as she quietly succumbed to disappointment.
“For Lunaira’s sake! No. It's an actual job. A legal one. I want you to work with me as a Potionist’s Apprentice. I will teach you what I know, and then eventually, you can take over my job.” I was quick to put her mind at ease.
The disappointment in her eyes disappeared in an instant.
She did everything he could to fend off the smile that was pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Really? That sounds pretty fancy. Do you think I'm qualified?”
“You were already born with the thing you need to become a Postionist— magical essence. Everything else can be taught.”
She looked down at her scuffed and dirty hands. “I'm going to make potions? Does that mean I'll have to wear fancy clothes like you, too? I don't have anything like that.”
“I can take you shopping. We'll get you a whole new wardrobe. You'll be unrecognizable by the time I’m through with you!” I found myself even more excited than she was. I felt like I had a purpose again…other than taking down the Ransoms. I actually had the chance to make a difference in someone's life.
“You're okay with spending coin on me?” She ducked her head down, unwilling to even face me as she asked the question.
“I have more money than I'll ever know what to do with. I can't think of a better way to spend it.” I reassured her. “If you're feeling up to it, we can go right now!”
I nearly catapulted myself off the couch, but stopped once I realized she wasn't following me.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” Her question rang in my ear, silencing all other thoughts. I turned slowly to see her face had dropped. “What's the catch?”
“There's no catch. Sometimes people are just good.” It took all the strength in my body not to cry.
She had such a morbid outlook of the world.
I couldn't blame her for it either.
She had seen the worst of what it had to offer.
So had I.
We were very similar in that regard.
“I've lived almost my whole life on the streets. I can say with almost absolute certainty that that is not true.”
“I hope I can prove you wrong.” I smiled, and she went quiet.
A fter sizing Ravana for some new outfits, I took her to Ransom's Potion company. “Are you ready to put your skills to the test?”
“As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.” She folded her hands in front of her as her eyes nervously danced around the room, seeing all the able-bodied talent waiting to get a position at this company.
I watched in real time as she shrunk into herself. “Hey, you're going to do just fine.”
I was grateful we didn't pass anyone we knew on the way to the lab.
Jax must have been in a meeting. Although, he wasn't my biggest concern.
The one I was really worried about was Diesel.
If he recognizes her, I won't be able to protect her from him. I'll just have to keep her hidden.
I opened the door to my own private lab, which Jax had given me exclusive access to, so I could test prospective Potionists without interruption.
At least I'm in the clear for now.
But the thought had come too soon. As I looked up, I realized there was someone else in my private lab. The air hitched in my throat.
“Emma! There you are. What's going on with you lately? You bailed on the festival and now you're late to work,” Kiyan playfully berated me. Then he held up a glass vial filled with a bubbling yellow liquid. “You'll never believe what I created. I think this one will really knock your shoes off!”
His smile faded as Ravana walked into the lab from behind me.
Damn, there is no going back now. He’s seen her.
I watched in horror as his face went slack. Even the vial slipped from between his fingers, shattering on the floor all around him.
“Kiyan!” I shouted, rushing over to make sure he was alright.
Only Lunaira knows what he had in that vial!
Before I could reach Kiyan, a puff of golden smoke came between us, bursting up from the liquid strewn on the floor.
It smelled faintly sweet but mostly bitter. So much so that I had to cover my nose with my sleeve. “What was in that potion of yours?”
I reached out, trying to pull Kiyan away from the smoke.
My fingers managed to grasp onto some fabric, and I yanked it toward me. Only the person standing in front of me wasn't who I’d expected.
I gasped, releasing him at once. “Diesel?”
A chill ran through my bones, one that shook me to my core.
I glanced back at Ravana, who looked just as horrified.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak, the smoke cleared, and Kiyan was all but giggling like a girl from behind Diesel.
“You don't have to worry. He's not really here,” Kiyan explained as he poked at the figure standing before me.
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t mask the terror in my voice.
“It's a body double potion. You pluck the strand of essence from any magical being, and the potion can create a likeness of them. I haven't perfected it yet… It’s not very good unless the body double can speak like the person it’s imitating, but still, it's pretty cool. Don’t you think so?”
I looked up at him in disbelief, only to find that he wasn't looking at me. I followed his line of sight to see that he was staring at Ravana.
Ravana shifted her weight to one side and crossed her arms. “What are you asking me for? Isn't she your teacher?”
Attitude oozed from every one of her pores, but that didn't deter Kiyan in the slightest. His cheeky smile only grew.
I would’ve been amused if only my head wasn’t spinning so much.
Not only had I a mission to see through while keeping Ravana safe, but I had to keep Diesel away from us as well. And now it seemed like Kiyan, Diesel’s son , was lovestruck with his father’s former lackey.
I groaned.
Why can’t things keep getting less complicated for once?