Page 64 of A Shade of Myself
“Everything. I see I’ll have to take you lingerie shopping. Raymond!” she bellowed. “Where’s my calendar?”
I ran to the door. “All good, Raymond! Never mind.” The last thing I needed was her having Raymond pencil in a time to choose new underwear for me. That was an excursion I could happily die without taking. “We’ll figure it out when you get back,” I said. “Meantime, I was right that something odd is going on.” I filled her in on the illusion that I’d suffered. “I believe that Giselle has repressed a memory and someone is attempting to bring that to my attention.”
Tatiana studied the two dresses on hangers that she held, then put both on top of the lingerie. She fixed me with a steely blue gaze. “Why do you persist in seeing good in the world?”
“As if. I’m super cynical and suspicious.”
“As if,” she mocked. “Since you reclaimed your magic, your best friend was kidnapped, an assignment turned into a murder case, and I was threatened with a death curse.”
“Your point?”
“After all those experiences, a cynical and suspicious person would see the illusion for what it was: a warning to back off.”
Loath as I was to admit it, that was a fair assumption. “Regardless, I’ve come this far, and I plan to see it through.”
Shaking her head, she picked up a beaded ivory sandal, walking around with it held out like a dowsing rod. “I’ll allow it, only because if someone is going to the trouble of scaring you off, then Kadeem was wrong not to take the case. And I can charge Giselle danger pay.” She shook the sandal. “Where are you?”
I got onto my knees and looked under the bed. “It’s here.” I handed the sandal over, shaking off the dust buffalo attached to it. “Speaking of Kadeem, can you let him know I’m going to New York now to speak with Giselle’s friend? Do I need to check in with him?”
I wasn’t exactly hiding my Banim Shovavim status, but I didn’t need other machers looking too closely at me either.
“I’ll clear it. You don’t need to see him.”
“Thanks.” I paused. “They still haven’t found the guy who was testing my magic.”
“That’s unfortunate.” Immersed in her packing, she failed to add anything else.
Unfortunate? Was she preoccupied with her trip or just didn’t care that James might be sharing my magic with people or creatures who might want to exploit it?
Peeved, I decided to show myself out.
In typical Tatiana fashion, she waited for me to get to the bedroom door before speaking. “You’ve gotten some excellent results in our previous jobs, continue that level of achievement with the rest of Giselle’s case.”
I rocked onto the outsides of my feet, warmed by her praise. “I will. When do you leave?”
“Sunday night. And I want that email before I go.” She glanced into the hallway. “Marjorie! Did you fall down a well?!”
“I’m here.” Marjorie manifested a pallet made of light and dropped the stack of compression bags onto it.
Tatiana raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been practicing.”
Her assistant blushed and nodded, sailing the pallet to her boss. It was wobbly, practically tipping over a couple of times in the short distance, and she almost dropped it on Tatiana’s foot when she lowered it to the carpet, but both Tatiana and I praised her, nonetheless.
Marjorie bounced on her toes happy and flushed—right as a crescent of light popped up next to her.
Tatiana cried out, her hand outstretched, but I was on it. I flung my mesh cloaking over the young woman. Not today, ohr. The supernatural energy that these magic people drew from demanded payment in the form of an Ohrist’s life at some random point when they used magic. But as a Banim Shovavim, I could stop that.
When the light vanished and I recalled my magic, Marjorie was ghost-white and swaying on her feet. I muscled my shoulder under her arm and led her to the bed.
She kept apologizing even though I assured her there was nothing to be sorry for.
“Enough nonsense,” Tatiana barked. “You’re fine. This is our burden as Ohrists.” Her fierce scowl was betrayed by the trembling hand she laid on Marjorie’s shoulder.
“The chances of it ever happening again are minuscule,” I said gently.
Marjorie nodded, but from the way she twisted her fingers together, her eyes downcast, I had the sense she might not ever use her magic again.
I crouched down so she’d look at me. “Do you want a glass of water?”
