《The Crow Queen of Shrikeport》


 Chapter 1: An Unexpected Guest

    Dark clouds hung in the sky above the grey metropolis of Shrikeport- a promise of rain, and the threat of a storm. Wind whistled through the blossoming trees that lined the sidewalks, tangling hair, pulling at umbrellas, and carrying off discarded plastic bags. It was shaping up to be a real storm, thought Lola as she gazed out the front window of the Haven Cafe- her favorite type of weather.


    Despite the approaching storm outside, the inside of the cafe was, if not exactly tranquil, at least cozy and warm. It was always busy this time of day, with the line stretching out the door and the chatter of conversation rising above the vaguely tinny jazz playing over the cafe¡¯s speakers. In fact, the Haven Cafe was one of the most popular coffee shops in the city.


    This was due in part to several factors.


    First: their unparalleled lattes. Although Lola logically knew for a fact that they didn¡¯t use any magic in their recipe, sometimes even she privately suspected- they were just that good.


    Second: the welcoming ambiance. The brick walls lined with local art, the mismatched armchairs and well-worn tables, the cozy golden lighting¡­ The first time Lola had walked in to the Haven Cafe, she¡¯d almost cried: something about the shop felt like coming home to one¡¯s favorite soft armchair after a long day. This might have had something to with magic, Lola had to admit.


    Third, perhaps most importantly: the cafe¡¯s status as neutral territory. Shrikeport was relatively safe, as far as cities went, and hadn¡¯t seen any major wars in centuries, but there were still frequent territory disputes and rivalries among the various groups that lived in the city, hidden from regular mortal view. Mage clans, street magicians, roving bands of shapeshifters, ancient spirits with petty grudges¡­ you name it, Shrikeport had it.


    Lola herself wasn¡¯t anything special: just your average run-of-the-mill person. She just happened to be a bit more observant than most, having noticed the city¡¯s magical underground since she was very young. That was actually how she¡¯d gotten the job at Haven, a cafe that catered to more¡­ unusual patrons.


    Suddenly, a particularly fierce gust of wind shook the windows of the cafe. Lola looked up from the mocha she was making and smiled slightly to herself. There was something about a storm that just made her feel so alive, somehow, like the sky itself was going to fall apart at any minute. And the best part was how fresh and green everything was after rain, the sweet scent of petrichor that so often washed over the city.


    ¡°Hey, Lola!¡±


    She glanced up again to see Cato, his curly dark hair bobbing as he waved at her. ¡°Hey, Cato! The usual, right?¡±


    He smiled at her, the mage-rune tattoo on his left cheek curving. ¡°For your favorite customer, of course!¡±


    Cato was one of their regulars, coming in nearly every afternoon on his break from working at his family¡¯s shop. His family was one of the mage clans- Silksmiths- and they ran a magical alterations and tailoring shop on the east side of town. The two of them had slowly struck up a friendship, going and getting brunch together every now and then. Lola enjoyed being able to count on Cato¡¯s bright presence during some of the more dreary afternoons at the cafe.


    Speaking of which¡­ she squinted at Cato, frowning slightly to herself as she started making his drink. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± she asked. She couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it, but he seemed a bit subdued, not quite as energetic as usual.


    Cato let out a breath, laughing a little under his breath. ¡°Things have been¡­ hectic in the past few days.¡± He leaned forward over the counters towards her, looking left and right surreptitiously before saying in a lower voice, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the full details this weekend at brunch, when we¡¯re alone, but there¡¯s something going on in the Vers Ibrae.¡± The Vers Ibrae was the mage¡¯s phrase for Shrikeport¡¯s magical underworld. ¡°People¡­ disappearing, strange things happening. The seers are in a tizzy about it, too.¡± She passed him his drink, and he smiled in thanks before continuing, ¡°Just¡­ be safe, okay?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Lola nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    He glanced up at the clock on the wall, then back at her. ¡°I have to run. See you later!¡±


    ¡°Tell your sisters I said hi!¡± she called as he headed for the door. He gave her a thumbs-up, waving as he stepped outside. The door jingled merrily as it closed behind him.


    The rest of the afternoon slowly passed by, and Lola¡¯s shift finished without incident. As she stepped out the back door, the wind whipped through her hair, orange-red strands getting in her face. She ph¡¯d, one hand reaching for her car keys. Above, the clouds had only darkened ominously, looking as though it might begin to pour at any second. Lola fingered the luck charm hanging around her neck (a gift from Cato), and began to quickly walk towards her car.


    Right as she reached the parking lot, the first few drops of rain hit- slow at first, and then all at once a torrent of rain was pouring down. Lola laughed to herself out loud and madly dashed across the parking lot for her car, hopping over the curb and skidding around the corner. Her car beeped as she unlocked it and threw herself into the driver¡¯s seat, a bit out of breath.


    Aaand¡­ she was soaked. Of course. With a chuckle she started the engine, the rain beating a helter-skelter tattoo on the roof of her car. The wheels made a gentle shhhh as she drove out of the parking lot.


    It was just starting to get dark, and the bright neon signs she passed reflected a rainbow of colors onto the wet asphalt as she drove down the street. The afternoon had passed relatively calmly, and she¡¯d felt a bit low-energy, but as she pulled into her apartment¡¯s parking space, stepped out of the car, and took in a breath of the crisp evening air, Lola suddenly felt wide-awake.


    Live in the magical underbelly of Shrikeport long enough and you start to get a sense for when things are about to happen, Lola had discovered. And as she walked towards her apartment, she felt her scalp prickle and the hairs on her arms begin to stand up. Lola sucked in a breath, her hand stealthily creeping towards her purse to reach for her taser. She was on high alert as she climbed up the staircase, scanning all angles to keep watch for any potential danger.


    She opened her apartment door and flicked on the lights, taser held in front of her like a shield. Her breath was bated, instincts screaming at her that something, something, was about to happen. Something to do with magic.


    But after checking through her entire apartment, opening every door and closet, checking around every corner¡­ Lola found nothing. With nothing better to do, she started making herself dinner, chopping up vegetables because it felt just a little bit better to have a knife in her hand.


    One of the city¡¯s radio stations had an evening segment where they played songs from local bands, and would sometimes even read poetry or writing from local authors, and so Lola turned it on, humming to herself as the music played. She hated silence, really, and wasn¡¯t all that much of a fan of living alone. But her old roommate had moved away, and she hadn¡¯t yet found a new one.


    The chicken broth on the stove bubbled merrily, and Lola dumped the vegetables in, still humming. Even though she was still on high alert, there was something about cooking that was just so relaxing, especially after a long day at work.


    Thump!


    A large something thunked against her front door. Lola sighed and rolled her eyes. About time. Slowly, taser in hand, she crept towards the door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± she called out, trying to instill a good amount of don¡¯t-mess-with-me in her tone of voice.


    ¡­.was that a crow cawing back at her?


    There didn¡¯t seem to be any movement on the other side of the door, so she gingerly reached for the handle.


    Lola took a deep breath and thought to herself: Well, here goes nothing.


    She flung the door open- and a pair of crows flew into the room, cawing cacophonously. But her gaze was immediately pulled downwards... to the person lying curled up in a heap on her doorstep.

 Chapter 2: Danae

    For a moment, all Lola could do was stand there. That was¡­ not what she had been expecting.


    The person was curled up on their side, their face turned away from Lola, and they seemed to be unconscious. They were wearing an ankle-length, midnight blue dress and a striking embroidered capelet with black feathers hanging like a fringe from the edges. Their long black hair lay like a halo around their head, accented by a single braid capped with yet another black feather.


    Her shock quickly turned to concern. She reached out with one hand (other hand still holding her taser- after all, for all she knew this could be a trap!) and lightly shook the person. ¡°Hello? Are you alright?¡±


    They groaned slightly and rolled over towards Lola. She jumped back, still on edge, but her frayed nerves calmed when she realized they hadn¡¯t meant any harm. In fact, mystery-doorstep-person didn¡¯t seem to be doing too well. Now that she had a clear view of their face, she could see their black eye and the dried blood staining their brown cheek. She gently tapped them again. ¡°Hey! Are you okay?¡±


    Their eyes fluttered, but they didn¡¯t reply.


    The crows chose that moment to swoop back over Lola¡¯s head, cawing obnoxiously again and circling above the hallway. Lola glared at them. ¡°Could you keep it down? My neighbors are probably trying to sleep.¡± Normally she¡¯d feel a bit silly talking to a few birds, but something about these crows definitely felt different. Whoever this person and their birds were, they certainly weren¡¯t normal.


    They also didn¡¯t seem hostile, and her gut instincts told her they weren¡¯t dangerous¡­ Lola sighed to herself and made a split second decision. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you out of the hallway,¡± she said to unconscious-mystery-crow-person, ignoring the fact that they probably couldn¡¯t hear her. With a grunt, she reached down and scooped them up into her arms- surprisingly, they were lighter than she¡¯d expected. Their head tipped back as she carried them inside, closing the door behind her with a deft kick. The crows flew through the entrance just before it closed, and she leveled a stern look at them. ¡°Behave, okay?¡±


    Up close, she couldn¡¯t help but notice how nice their clothes seemed- she¡¯d learned a thing or two about clothes-making from Cato, and this embroidery was definitely hand-stitched by an artisan. Also, they smelled strange. Not in a bad way, just¡­ like the ocean, or maybe the river? Something about it made Lola¡¯s chest ache, like homesickness for a place she¡¯d never been before.


    She laid the person down on her couch, grabbing a pillow to support their head, and ran to the bathroom to grab a first aid kit. When she returned, the two crows were perched on the couch. One of them turned its head to stare directly at her, its two beady little eyes searing directly into her soul, and she glared back at it, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Lola muttered, mostly to herself, as she pulled up a chair, sitting down next to the couch. She pulled some antiseptic out, fully prepared to immediately call the hospital if mystery-person¡¯s injuries ended up being anything more serious than a minor scrape. Which, considering the fact that they were passed out, honestly seemed likely.


    With one hand, she reached out and brushed the person¡¯s hair out of their face. Their skin was cool to the touch, and she couldn¡¯t help but stare a little at their face for a moment. Long, dark eyelashes fluttered over high cheekbones, an elegant wide nose, lips that looked like they¡¯d been sculpted from marble¡­


    Lola shook her head, attempting to clear her mind and refocus on the task at hand. She took a washcloth she¡¯d run under warm water in the bathroom sink and tentatively pressed it to their face, trying to wash off some of the dried blood. Mystery-person mumbled a bit in their sleep, but her motions didn¡¯t appear to be causing them pain so she continued, slowly cleaning off their face. Other than their black eye, there were several vertical scratches running down their cheek, like something had clawed them. The scratches didn¡¯t look to be too deep, and most of them had scabbed over already, but they were likely the cause of all the blood.


    Once she¡¯d finished washing off mystery-person¡¯s face, she leaned back and set down the washcloth. She glanced over their body, scanning for additional injuries. They didn¡¯t appear to be hurt below the neck, although it was impossible to tell for sure, and they also didn¡¯t appear to be carrying any sort of phone or wallet- so no way to contact any of their friends or family. Not that Lola had really been expecting to be able to, though- whoever this person was, they weren¡¯t the normal sort.


    She took out the antiseptic and put some on her finger, intending to apply some to those wicked-looking scratches. But right as she was about to touch their face again, mystery-person¡¯s eyes flew open and they gasped. Lola jerked back, startled.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Their voice was quiet and a little raspy, and their deep brown eyes flicked across Lola¡¯s face like they expected to find all the answers hidden there.


    ¡°My apartment. You, uh, kind of passed out on my front doorstep?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± They nodded, eyes fluttering again in a might-pass-out-again kind of way.


    ¡°Hey! Uh,¡± Lola decided mystery-person was not, in fact, allowed to pass out again until they gave her some answers.Their eyes flicked to hers again, looking slightly more awake. ¡°What happened to you? How did you get here? Oh, also, who are you?¡±


    With a grunt, mystery-person pulled themself up to a sitting position. Lola¡¯s hands shot out to steady them, drawing back at the last moment. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    They turned to face her, an inscrutable expression flickering on their face. ¡°My name is Danae. I am also called the Crow Queen.¡± The Crow Queen¡­ Lola had never heard the name before.


    She nodded at Danae. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Lola, I use she/her pronouns.¡±


    Danae looked a little confused, but replied, ¡°So do I. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Lola.¡± She shifted her weight a little, before continuing, ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you. I am¡­ not sure what happened to me. My memory is¡­ rather faded, you see.¡±


    At that moment, she suddenly seemed to notice the wounds on her face.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Danae said, lifting a hand up to the scratches on her cheek. She blinked, muttered something, and suddenly both her black eye and the scratches just¡­ faded away. Gone, like they¡¯d never existed.


    Lola was left nearly speechless. ¡°What on earth-¡± she managed. ¡°Was that some kind of fast-healing incantation? I¡¯ve never seen anything like it¡­¡±


    Danae looked vaguely amused at Lola¡¯s words. ¡°Nothing of the sort. This body of mine is not like yours- I am not corporeal, not present in the way you are. My appearance is something I can change as I will it. Although¡­¡± she trailed off, expression going distant, ¡°I think I was wounded, somehow.¡±


    ¡°So are you a ghost, then?¡±


    ¡°Some sort of spirit- or at least, I think so.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    Danae¡¯s gaze flicked back to Lola¡¯s. ¡°Mm. Like I said, my memory is not-¡±


    Whatever she was about to say next was drowned out by the loud beeping of the kitchen timer. Lola jumped up out of her chair. ¡°My soup!¡±


    Danae looked at her quizzically, but Lola was already in motion, cutting a straight path to her long-awaited soup. Danae got up and followed after her, drifting into the kitchen where Lola was in a flurry of motion, ladling out two bowls of soup. She looked up as Danae entered, then back down at the bowls.


    ¡°Sorry, I should have asked- would you like some soup?¡±


    The question seemed to temporarily knock her off-balance. Danae frowned for a moment, then nodded, trailing after Lola as she walked over and sat down at the counter. Lola pulled up a chair, gesturing for Danae to sit, and set down the two bowls in front of them. Danae picked up her spoon and hesitantly took a small sip- before her eyes lit up and she started quickly shoveling spoonfuls into her mouth. Lola grinned to herself: her mother¡¯s special recipe was a success yet again.


    ¡°So,¡± Lola said, in between bites, ¡°where- what do you...¡± She trailed off, struggling to articulate what she wanted to ask. So many questions¡­ She tried again: ¡°Where do you live?¡± That seemed like a good starting point, at least.


    Danae extended two fingers, and one of her crows fluttered over to perch on her hand. ¡°Nowhere,¡± she said simply. ¡°Everywhere. I¡­¡± she gestured somewhat vaguely with her free hand, ¡°wander, here and there.¡±


    Lola frowned. ¡°Do you-¡°


    All of a sudden, Danae gasped loudly and slid to the floor in a fluid inhuman motion that hurt Lola¡¯s brain to look at. Her spoon slipped out of her fingers, clattering to the floor, and she keened softly in pain from where she was on the floor.


    ¡°Danae-¡° Danae looked up, and it was Lola¡¯s turn to gasp. Her face¡­ the first word that came to Lola¡¯s mind was ¡°unraveling¡±. She¡¯d never seen anything like it before: parts of Danae¡¯s left cheek and forehead were fading, dissolving into translucent wisps of white smoke.


    Worse, whatever was happening seemed to be incredibly painful, judging from Danae¡¯s soft whimpers. Lola rushed to her side, gathering Danae up in her arms. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Are you okay?¡± Danae whimpered again and reached for Lola¡¯s hand, cool fingers gripping her like a vise.


    ¡°Hurts¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t- I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit, shit!¡± Lola looked around, frantic. ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± Danae¡¯s eyes were panicked as she looked up at Lola. She was shaking slightly, trembling like a leaf in a storm. With her free hand, without thinking, Lola reached out for the side of Danae¡¯s face- but her fingers passed right through, translucent wisps swirling slowly around her fingers.


    Danae¡¯s breath was coming in harsh, jagged gasps, alarm etched all over her expression. The two crows, looking absolutely distraught, flapped around her head, cawing incessantly.


    ¡°Would you shut up?¡± Lola hissed at them. ¡°I¡¯m trying to think!¡± Her mind was whirling at a thousand miles a minute. What could she do? Was it some kind of curse, or magical injury¡­ She reached for her phone- maybe Cato could help!


    But then- as suddenly as they¡¯d come- the wisps retreated, spooling away into nothingness. Danae shuddered as her face returned to normal.


    Lola looked at her, expression full of concern. ¡°What was that?¡±


    Danae sounded shaken as she responded: ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    -


    Five minutes later, Lola was pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor and Danae was sitting perched on the counter stool, her crows fussing over her in concern.


    ¡°Something- something must have happened to me, before.¡± Danae said quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t think this used to happen¡­ I don¡¯t- I don¡¯t remember how I got to your doorstep, either¡­¡± She looked troubled.


    Lola stopped pacing for a moment, turning to face Danae. ¡°I¡¯m going to have brunch with my friend Cato this Saturday- he¡¯s a mage, maybe he can help you with whatever- whatever this is.¡±


    Danae looked up at her hesitantly. ¡°I¡­ you¡¯ve already helped me more than enough this evening, I don¡¯t want to impose¡­¡±


    Lola shook her head. ¡°No, of course not! I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Danae smiled slightly at that, a small hesitant thing, and Lola¡¯s protective instincts flared even more. A stranger had showed up on her doorstep, wounded, lost, and in pain- who would she be if she didn¡¯t step in to help? ¡°I mean, you passed out on my doorstep and ate my best soup recipe, so that practically makes us friends, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    For a horrible moment, she was afraid she¡¯d overstepped. But then Danae nodded once, firmly, and said, ¡°Friends.¡±


    All of a sudden, a thought came to Lola. ¡°Where have you been staying in the city? I can drive you there, if you like.¡± Danae glanced away, silent, and Lola remembered her earlier words: I¡­ wander.  ¡°Do you¡­ need a place to stay?¡± Danae¡¯s eyes snapped back to hers. Lola rushed on, feeling strangely self-conscious: ¡°I just mean, what if that happens to you again and you¡¯re alone? Or if it gets worse?¡± Oh my god, what am I doing, she thought to herself. Did I seriously just invite a total stranger to stay at my apartment?


    Danae looked hesitantly hopeful. ¡°...could I stay? At least until we talk to your mage friend?¡±


    Lola liked to think of herself as a rational person, for the most part. But when it really came down to it, she trusted her gut instincts first and foremost. And her gut instincts- as well as the protective talismans Cato had placed around her apartment- were telling her that this injured spirit was harmless. More importantly, the injured spirit in question needed a place to stay, and her help.


    She grinned. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t mind sleeping on the couch.¡±

 Chapter 3: In Which An Attempt At Breakfast Is Made

    The next morning, Lola woke to the sound of someone rummaging in the kitchen. She sat up immediately, panic coursing through her body, her fight or flight instincts on full alert.


    Then the events of the last night came rushing back to her, and she relaxed, letting out a sigh. What did I just get myself into?


    She glanced at the clock: 8 am. Perfect. Her shift started at 11, so she was right on time- maybe she could even snag herself some time to write this morning. With a grunt, she vaulted herself out of bed and walked into the kitchen to see what all the fuss was about.


    Danae was standing next to the counter with a butter knife in hand, still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Although, Lola supposed, since she could change her appearance she probably didn¡¯t have to worry about getting dirty. Next to her, the two crows were perched on the counter (Lola sighed to herself- those damn birds), next to a mug of dark tea and¡­ a singular slice of bread.


    The bread was lying directly on the counter. It looked like someone had halfheartedly attempted to spread a slab of butter across it, and there was a wilted sprig of cilantro perched on top. To top it all off, a miniature mountain of what looked like pepper was piled in one corner. The effect was¡­ peculiar, and honestly a bit pathetic. Lola looked at Danae.


    ¡°I made you breakfast,¡± she said, gesturing at the toast(?) and the tea.


    It took Lola a moment to figure out how to respond to this. The gesture was admittedly very sweet, although unnecessary. ¡°Aw, thanks,¡± she said, smiling, ¡°I appreciate it a lot! But don¡¯t feel like you have to do anything for me- I¡¯m letting you stay here for free. You don¡¯t owe me anything, okay?¡±


    Danae looked slightly uncertain, but nodded anyways.


    Lola eyed her ¡®breakfast¡¯. On one hand, Danae really did seem genuine, and it would be rude to outright refuse a meal, but on the other hand, it certainly wasn¡¯t the most appetizing-looking thing she¡¯d ever seen. After a moment¡¯s thought, Lola decided to go for the tea. That was a safe choice, right?


    With a smile, she reached out and grabbed the mug, taking a sip.


    !!!!!!


    Was that chili powder?


    How many spices had she put in this thing??


    Eyes watering, Lola gently put down the mug. Whatever concoction was in there had probably just taken about ten years off her life. She looked up to see Danae gazing at her expectantly. ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    She looked so sincere, Lola didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her the truth. ¡°It was¡­ good. I usually prefer it with sugar, though.¡±


    Danae nodded. ¡°I will remember that.¡± Outwardly, Lola smiled, but inside she groaned. Is she going to try to make me breakfast every day?


    Lola grabbed a plate to put the toast on (with absolutely zero intention to eat it) and set her ¡®meal¡¯ down on the table. Then, she went to go make herself a bagel. Danae was still standing there, and Lola glanced over and smiled apologetically at her. ¡°I¡¯ll probably still be hungry after eating the¡­ toast, so I¡¯m gonna make myself some extra food. Are you hungry? Would you like a bagel?¡±


    Danae shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m okay. I don¡¯t have to eat if I don¡¯t want to, and I wouldn¡¯t want to impose.¡±


    Lola laughed to herself. What a polite houseguest! Much better than her old roommate. Although, at least her roommate had known how to cook...


    She put some cream cheese onto her bagel, along with a few slices of avocado and tomato, and sat back down at the table. Danae drifted over, along with her crows, and Lola gestured for her to sit.


    They sat in peace for a short while, Lola munching away on her bagel and pretending to sip at her ¡®tea¡¯. One side of the table was set against the wall, right next to a window, and Lola gazed out at the city skyline contemplatively. A misty haze hung over Shrikeport, grey clouds rolling into the distance above tall iron skyscrapers. Lola silently hoped it would rain again. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Although the silence wasn¡¯t uncomfortable, Lola decided she¡¯d had enough of being alone with her thoughts, so she reached over to turn on the radio. Strains of classical music began to drift through her apartment, soaring violins weaving through a gentle flute melody. Perfect for a quiet morning, Lola decided, and didn¡¯t change the station.


    All of a sudden, her wonderful calm reverie was interrupted by the loud squawking of one of those. Two. Horrid. Birds. Lola rolled her eyes over from where she¡¯d been gazing out the window in order to glare icily at the bird in question. ¡°Must they¡­ always do that?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡± Danae looked over. ¡°Oh, my crows? They do that to tell me things. They wanted to let me know that you¡¯ve only been pretending to drink your tea.¡±


    Lola flushed. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Danae let out a breath that might have been a quiet laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Next time, if you don¡¯t enjoy something I make, just tell me. I won¡¯t be offended.¡±


    Lola decided to change the subject. ¡°So, you can talk to crows?¡±


    ¡°Not every crow. Just these two.¡±


    ¡°Are they your familiars?¡± Lola knew a few magicians that used a ritual to bond with an animal companion, allowing them to help focus the magician¡¯s magic and sometimes even share emotions or thoughts. She¡¯d never heard of it happening with a spirit before, but at this point she was used to being surprised by all kinds of random new mystical things being possible.


    Danae, however, shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I believe it¡¯s something different; it¡¯s as though their souls and mine are one, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± A thought suddenly came to Lola. ¡°Do they have names?¡± If these crows were going to be her new rivals, she might as well know their names in order to properly curse them.


    Danae actually looked pleased at the question, lighting up. ¡°Yes! This one is Rova,¡± She pointed to the crow that was currently pecking away at Lola¡¯s nice chair. ¡°And this one is Dulun,¡± She pointed at the other crow, which was currently tracking its unhygienic claws all over Lola¡¯s countertops. Lola certainly didn¡¯t regret letting Danae stay¡­ but she definitely would have preferred it without the crows. Although she supposed it was in the name, Crow Queen and all that.


    ¡°They are my closest companions, Rova and Dulun,¡± Danae said, rather affectionately. ¡°I hardly remember anything, but in all that I do remember they are by my side.¡±


    Lola smiled at that. ¡°Aw, that¡¯s sweet. I wish I had a companion like that, but I haven¡¯t had a pet since I was in middle school.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me inquiring, what sort of pet did you have?¡±


    ¡°I had a goldfish! What was its name¡­¡± She snapped her fingers, trying to remember. ¡°Oh! I remember- King Louis XIV!¡±


    Danae looked amused. ¡°You named your goldfish after a¡­ French king?¡±


    Lola laughed. ¡°Yeah, I think that was the year I first got really into history,¡±


    ¡°Do you still like history? Is that¡­ what you do for a job?¡±


    Another laugh escaped her. ¡°Not quite. I majored in Comparative Literature, with a minor in History, but I work at the Haven Cafe, in the Old Town district. Depending on how long you¡¯ve been in the city, you might have been there- it¡¯s a pretty popular place for the, you know-¡± She gestured at Danae and her crows. ¡°-unusual folks in Shrikeport.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Danae nodded thoughtfully. In the background, the radio started playing a new song, this time a cello suite with high lilting flute accompaniment.


    ¡°I have a shift at 11 today, actually,¡± Lola said as she stood, grabbing her dishes and taking them over to load into the dishwasher. ¡°I guess... hm¡­¡± She turned back to face Danae. ¡°You could stay at the apartment if you¡¯d like, or come with me. Cato usually swings by on his break, so maybe we could tell him about your situation.¡±


    ¡°Could I come with you? I think-¡° Here she paused, hand unconsciously drifting up to her face. ¡°I think the sooner I can talk to your mage friend, the better.¡±


    Lola nodded. ¡°I agree. Do you think the whole memory thing is related to whatever happened to you?¡± Lola had met one or two spirits at the coffee shop before, but they¡¯d always seemed aloof and unapproachable, something very clearly not human. She had no idea if having memory issues was a regular part of being a spirit or not.


    Danae definitely wasn¡¯t human, but she was somehow much more approachable, softer around the edges somehow.


    ¡°I¡­ I think it might be. I¡¯m just-¡° A flicker of irritation crossed Danae¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s just so hard for me to be sure of anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you come with me this afternoon then- I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be able to find someone at the cafe who can help us.¡± The word caught on Lola¡¯s tongue: us. She was surprised at how natural it felt, although it had been less than a day.


    It wasn¡¯t going to last, she reminded herself. Once they found out how to fix whatever was wrong with Danae, she¡¯d leave and Lola would be by herself again.


    But it was nice, to be part of an ¡®us¡¯ again.

 Chapter 4: An Alarming Absence

    It looked like it was going to be another stormy day, with a mild wind blowing through the trees that lined the sidewalk. The trees were all in full bloom, flower petals drifting through the breeze and lining the pavement. Lola stepped out of the car and took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet, crisp scent of spring morning.


    Danae got out of the passenger seat, and whistled a quick note. Rova and Dulun came swooping down out of the trees. The two crows had been following alongside them as they drove through the city, and their caws echoing through the parking lot.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± Lola said, gesturing for Danae to follow. Rova and Dulun circled along after them, but Lola shook her head at them. ¡°Tell your crows to stay outside, okay?¡± she told Danae. ¡°I don¡¯t think Mrs. Dasgupta would appreciate having birds in her store¡­¡±


    Although she usually entered through the back door, this time Lola took Danae around to the front. The bells hanging from the door jingled as they entered, clacking against the dozens of protective charms and talismans tied to the handle. That was the most obvious part of the cafe¡¯s defenses, but Lola knew that there was also a ritual chalk boundary line drawn along the outer walls, feysilver in the foundations, and a no-harm-no-entry sigil drawn beneath the floorboards. The Haven took its reputation as a safe, neutral area seriously, that was for sure.


    They were greeted by the smell of fresh coffee and pastries as they walked in, as well as the low hum of quiet conversation and the acoustic indie music playing over the speakers. The cafe was the usual amount of busy: packed on the inside, but no line out the door. Most of the tables were taken, but Lola led them over to an empty seat at the counter at the back of the shop. There was a small succulent sitting on top of the counter, and it was right next to a cozy brick wall covered in small handwritten notes and graffiti left by the customers.


    Initially, Mrs. Dasgupta had tried to discourage the practice, but she¡¯d quickly realized, as the small notes and names written on the wall grew, that it was an unusual interior decoration that gave the shop more character, and an attraction that could draw more customers. Now, they encouraged it, and for the past few years people had started leaving little rolled up slips of paper in the gaps between the bricks with notes written on them for others to find. Lola thought the whole thing was very charming.


    Danae settled down on her chair. ¡°What time does Cato usually come by?¡± she asked.


    Lola glanced at the clock. ¡°Well, his break is from 1 o¡¯clock to 1:45, so he usually stops by at about¡­ 1:15? That¡¯s in a few hours, so if there¡¯s something else you¡¯d like to go do, you don¡¯t have to wait here.¡± A thought occurred to her. ¡°What do you usually do during the day?¡±


    Danae shrugged. ¡°Nothing, really¡­ I just walk, from place to place. Rova and Dulun and I, we watch people and learn things.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s a little creepy, Lola thought, but honestly what else had she expected?


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re welcome to wait here, then, or leave if you¡¯d like. We have newspapers at the front of the store, so feel free to help yourself. Would you like a drink, or some food? We have pastries.¡±


    Danae smiled slightly and shook her head. ¡°No thank you.¡±


    Lola nodded. ¡°Alright then. We¡¯re here a little early, but I still have to get to my shift in a few.¡± She turned to go, but then paused, turning back to look at Danae. ¡°By the way, we sometimes do see other spirits here, so there might be someone you can ask for help. I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone too much, but this place is pretty warded so the people in here are usually safe to talk to.¡±


    Danae nodded again, and Lola left to go prepare for her shift, glancing once behind her shoulder as she went.


    -


    Slowly, minutes and then hours went by. More than once, Lola glanced back at where Danae was sitting at the back of the shop, flipping through a newspaper.


    The abominable crows had presumably flown off to who-knows-where, but Lola could have sworn she saw them fly past the front window once or twice, probably just to mess with her. (Lola was aware she was being unreasonably petty towards two literal birds, but she didn¡¯t care. Those birds were menaces. Sure, they hadn¡¯t actually done anything to her or her apartment yet, but Lola could just feel it in her bones. Menaces.)This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    As the clock passed noon, business started to increase, patrons on their lunch breaks stopping by for a latte or a pastry. She recognized most of the regulars, saying hi to several of them and exchanging a few pleasantries. In the afternoon especially, the cafe was a hot spot of social activity, friends running into each other and stopping to chat, or meeting up to share a coffee on their break. The Haven Cafe was, first and foremost, a gathering place, and it was Friday afternoons like this one where it really showed.


    Eventually, 1:15 rolled around. The line was stretching out the door, and Lola was in a flurry of motion preparing drinks left and right. Every time she had a spare second, she craned her head around the coffee machines, trying to catch a glimpse of Cato in the crowd. She didn¡¯t see him anywhere, and as the minutes ticked by he was never at the front of the line. Lola frowned. Maybe he was running late. She didn¡¯t have time to worry about it too much, though, because the lunch rush seemed to be even busier today than usual.


    1:15 turned to 1:30 and then to 1:50, with still no sign of Cato. There wasn¡¯t anything she could do about it, though, except worry. She caught Danae¡¯s eye at the back of the cafe and shook her head. Danae frowned, and Lola mouthed, sorry, I don¡¯t know, before she was dragged back to her job.


    Finally, at about 2:45, traffic started to slow. By the time 3 o¡¯clock rolled around, Lola was able to slip around the corner and stealthily attempt to call Cato. She held the phone to her ear, listening to it ring. Pick up, pick up, she chanted to herself like a mantra, as the worry in the pit of her chest steadily grew. It wasn¡¯t all that big of a deal that Cato hadn¡¯t come in, except that it was- he¡¯d come by every single Monday, Thursday, and Friday for the past year and half, without a single exception.


    All of a sudden, Cato¡¯s voice rang out: ¡°Hey, this is Cato, sorry I can¡¯t make it to the phone right now! Leave a voicemail and I¡¯ll call you back later!¡±


    Beep!


    Lola sighed slightly, and then raised her voice to record a voicemail: ¡°Hey, Cato, this is Lola! I noticed you weren¡¯t at the shop today and I was wondering if you¡¯re okay. There¡¯s something I need you to talk to you about, so, uh¡­ please don¡¯t be dead, okay? Get back to me whenever you can, um, bye!¡± She hung up, and immediately typed out a few messages to Cato. Where r u? Is everything alright?


    She slipped her phone back into her pocket and went back to the counter, making eye contact with Danae and shaking her head again. Danae was still holding the same newspaper, and¡­ was she holding it upside down? Lola shook her head and went back to her job; she had bigger problems to face right now.


    During the last hour of her shift, she couldn¡¯t help but check her phone every five minutes, and each time to her disappointment and concern there was nothing from Cato. She sent off a few more texts, each getting exponentially more frantic, but still nothing. She attempted to rationally console herself, It¡¯s fine! His phone is probably just dead or something.


    But deep down, past rationality, she knew in her gut: something was wrong.


    It was with a deeply troubled expression on her face that she finished her shift. To add to her worries, when she got to the table Danae had been sitting at, the other woman was gone. A spike of panic shot through Lola, fraying her already frazzled nerves. Frantically, she looked around, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Danae standing outside talking to someone, a crow perched on her shoulder.


    She made her way towards the entrance, the door swinging open with a faint tinkling sound. Outside, the wind had picked up even more, and she shivered slightly. The person Danae was talking to had their back turned to her and was wearing a dark hoodie with the hood up, and so she couldn¡¯t quite tell who it was as she made her way over to them.


    Danae caught her eye as she approached. ¡°Hello, Lola.¡± She gestured at her companion. ¡°This is Kezi. Kezi, this is Lola.¡± The person turned, and Lola finally got a good view of their appearance: long blue-tipped box braids swept over their right shoulder, round tortoiseshell glasses, and a silver septum nose ring. They weren¡¯t an unfamiliar face; Lola had seen them around at the coffee shop once or twice. Kezi nodded at Lola, raising a hand in greeting.


    Danae continued: ¡°We¡¯ve been talking about a multitude of things. They just told me some news, I think you¡¯d be interested in hearing it.¡±


    Lola sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Danae, I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t really have time right now. Cato isn¡¯t answering his phone, and I really worried something might have happened to him-¡±


    Kezi interrupted: ¡°Cato Salhi? The Silksmith?¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Of him. What your friend and I were talking about has to do with the mage families, actually. You know, it¡¯s interesting that someone like you is friends with one of them¡­ mages are famously insular,¡± Kezi said, eyes looking at Lola sharp as a hawk.


    Lola wasn¡¯t in the mood for games, and she said, rather curtly, ¡°What ¡®news¡¯ did you have to tell me?¡±


    Kezi¡¯s eyes drifted up to meet Lola¡¯s gaze. ¡°You work at the Haven, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard the gossip about people going missing. So far, it¡¯s mostly been people whose absence has barely been noticed: rogue magicians, lone shifters, seers on the brink of losing it, et cetera.¡± They accentuated their point with a rolling hand gesture. ¡°But last night, someone a bit more important disappeared.¡±


    Lola frowned. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Why, none other than Caterina Salhi, the Silksmith heir.¡±

 Chapter 5: Ghosts in the Night

    Lola gaped at her. ¡°You-you¡¯re lying. Caterina Salhi is missing?¡± Caterina- Ree, as most people called her- was Cato¡¯s older sister, the heir to their clan. She was both unerringly kind and whip-smart, one of the most formidable mages among the new generation. Lola saw her every now and then when she was with Cato, and Ree was always kind to her, and fun to be around too.


    Kezi nodded grimly. ¡°She went missing sometime last night, no one knows when. Apparently there were signs of a struggle in her room, and the window was hanging open when they searched up there.¡±


    Lola frowned at them. ¡°How do you know all this? You¡¯re not a Silksmith, are you?¡±


    Kezi tipped back their head and laughed. ¡°Not in the slightest. I¡¯m just a freelance exorcist. I was hired the other day by their clan matriarch to help with a few malevolents they¡¯ve been having a problem with.¡±


    Danae piped up, ¡°They know about spirits, too, and they said they could maybe help me.¡±


    Kezi nodded. ¡°The issues your friend¡¯s been having sound pretty similar to what¡¯s wrong with those malevolent ghosts.¡±


    This piqued Lola¡¯s interest, and she asked, ¡°So¡­ do you have a solution for what¡¯s wrong with Danae?¡±


    They shook their head slightly. ¡°Not exactly.¡± Lola opened her mouth to interject, but Kezi held up a hand and continued, ¡®¡°Since we¡¯re not totally sure exactly what¡¯s happening or why, there¡¯s nothing I can do right now to help. But if we could figure out the root cause of Danae¡¯s memory issues and-¡± They made air quotes with their fingers. ¡°-the ¡®unraveling attack¡¯ she had last night, then maybe me or another exorcist with more spirit-related experience could help fix whatever¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Do you think what happened last night is going to happen again?¡± Danae asked softly. She¡¯d been standing there calmly stroking her crow¡¯s back, listening to the conversation quietly. The dark feathers on her capelet fluttered in the wind, as did strands of her midnight-black hair, a single thin braid with a crow feather hanging from it framing the left side of her face.


    Kezi made an ¡®unsure¡¯ wobbling gesture with their hand. ¡°Maybe. Right now, she seems to be in the early stages of whatever¡¯s making those ghosts at the Silkspinner¡¯s place malevolent. After I got the job, I talked to some other exorcists and street magicians, and none of them had seen anything like it before. So, it¡¯s possible Danae¡¯s condition will say the same, but it¡¯s also highly possible it¡¯ll get worse. Without any kind of precedent, we just don¡¯t know.¡±


    Lola opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could the loud chimes of her ringtone echoed out. Immediately she fumbled for her phone, elation surging through her when she saw the caller ID. ¡°It¡¯s Cato!¡±


    She put her phone up to her ear as Cato¡¯s tinny voice said, ¡°Hey, Lola.¡± He sounded exhausted.


    ¡°Cato! Are you okay? Is everything alright? We just heard that Ree went missing, is that true?¡±


    She heard him sigh. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ well, physically I¡¯m alright, but it¡¯s been a rough 24 hours. Ree¡­ it¡¯s true. I guess word¡¯s probably gotten out by now. She- she vanished yesterday evening, and the clan¡¯s been rallying all our allies in the Vers Ibrae to launch a search for her.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Oh, Cato, I¡¯m so sorry. Is there anything we can do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ did you say we? Who are you with?¡±


    Lola let out a breath. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story, I was going to tell you at brunch tomorrow. Do you know- has your clan been working with someone called Kezi?¡±


    ¡°Keziah Ngwenya? The exorcist? Yeah, they¡¯ve been helping out with our ghost problem. Is that who you¡¯re with?¡±


    ¡°Mm-hm, and someone else I met called Danae.¡± Lola decided that explaining Danae¡¯s whole¡­ thing would take too much time right now. ¡°Where are you right now, Cato? Do you need me to come over and help with the search?¡±


    ¡°Oh- that would be great, thank you. Right now we need as many people as we can get to help out, and the clan trusts you. I¡¯m at the shop right now. It¡¯s- pretty hectic. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t talk for too much longer.¡±


    ¡°Okay, no problem. Take care of yourself, I¡¯ll be over in ten.¡±


    ¡°Alright, see you then.¡± The call ended with a click.


    Lola looked over at Danae. ¡°I¡¯m going to go over to the shop and help Cato with the search.¡± She turned to Kezi. ¡°Thank you for letting us know about Ree, and thanks for all the help. It was nice meeting you.¡±


    They nodded. ¡°Nice meeting the two of you too. I¡¯ll be over at the shop this evening for the whole exorcism thing, maybe we¡¯ll run into each other,¡± they said to Lola, before turning back to Danae.


    ¡°If this new mystery illness continues to spread, it could be a real problem, especially for someone in my line of work.¡± Kezi said to her. ¡°I¡¯m gonna contact some friends, ask around and try and figure out what it is and how to fix it. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to keep in touch with you, monitor your symptoms, maybe ask your help for testing out some solutions. Would you be alright with that?¡±


    Danae nodded.


    ¡°Do you have a phone?¡±


    Danae shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t, but I can ask my crows to keep tabs on you, so that if you have a message for me, you can pass it to them.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been staying with me, I can also give you my number,¡± Lola added.


    ¡°Either works, I guess- I¡¯d rather not be spied on by a bunch of crows, but these are unprecedented times.¡± Kezi pulled up a blank contact on their phone and passed it to Lola, who filled in her information, putting her name in as ¡®Lola :)¡¯.


    Lola gave Kezi back their phone, and they slipped it into their pocket. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve gotta run. See you around!¡±


    As Kezi walked away, Danae turned to Lola and said, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to come with you to the shop, please. My crows and I would be able to help you search for Cato¡¯s sister.¡±


    Lola nodded, her head starting to spin with all that had just happened in the last ten minutes. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get back to my car, then.¡±


    As they walked, Lola¡¯s mind struggled to process it all, slightly in shock. Danae and her crows staying at her apartment, a strange new exorcist with a lot of answers, Ree vanishing like a ghost in the night¡­


    Despite her interactions with Shrikeport¡¯s magical side, Lola¡¯s life had been, if not exactly boring, incredibly predictable and a bit lonely for the past few years.


    She¡¯d finished her studies at the local university, gotten the job at the coffee shop, moved into a new apartment, ran into her fair share of strange creatures, and had a decent amount of occult experiences, but nothing truly unexpected had ever happened. Every day, every week, every month had nearly the same routine. But she hadn¡¯t really been bothered: an ordinary life was exciting enough for her, although it did get a little dull and lonely at times.


    Lola had taken comfort in the predictability, the similarity of every week. Up until 24 hours ago, she¡¯d thought she¡¯d known exactly how everything was going to go for- well, the rest of her life, probably.


    But it seemed like life had other plans for her. Danae had entered her life like a whirlwind, the tensions simmering beneath the surface of the Vers Ibrae had boiled over, and she was suddenly finding herself being drawn into the center of it all.


    How strange, Lola reflected, that in less than a day everything had changed.

 Chapter 6: Join the Search

    The car door slammed behind Lola, and she stepped out and onto the pavement, raising a hand to brush her hair out of her face as she gazed up at the green and gold sign hanging above the shop¡¯s entrance, which read: Perfect Fit Tailors. Danae walked up to her side, her crows following her.


    As they entered the shop, the peaceful calm of the unfolding storm outside gave way to a scene of pure chaos. The shop was crowded to the brim, people rushing everywhere. Several people were comforting a crying woman in another corner- one of the older aunts, Lola was pretty sure. A small map had been hastily hung in another corner, and a group of people was crowded around it, gesturing in different places and bickering. It was a bit¡­ overwhelming, to say the least.


    At least, in all the chaos, nobody seemed to be too bothered by Danae¡¯s crows, which were perched on both of her shoulders. Lola scanned the crowd, looking for Cato.


    ¡°Lola!¡± She turned to see two teenage girls rushing up to her. The taller girl had on a blue, sigil-embroidered hijab, and was twisting a small piece of fabric in her hands. Lola had to do a double take when she saw the other girl, who looked exactly like a miniature version of Cato, albeit with pink glasses. Both of them had the distinctive curving Silkspinner tattoo on their cheek, shining faintly silver in the light. Each clan had its own design, given to a mage when they came of age at 16. The tattoos were magical, of course, and were invisible to people unfamiliar with the Vers Ibrae.


    The two girls waved hello at them. It was Basira and Camilla- two of Cato¡¯s cousins.


    Camilla pointed at Danae. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± she asked bluntly. Camilla didn¡¯t believe in small talk.


    Lola shared a glance with Danae. The Crow Queen stepped forward slightly and said, with a tilt of her head, ¡°My name is Danae. I am Lola¡¯s¡­ friend. We heard the news and thought perhaps we could help.¡±


    Basira nodded in approval. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re here, then. We need all the help we can get.¡±


    ¡°Where would be the best place for us to go and help?¡± Lola asked.


    Both girls shared a glance, and Basira hummed thoughtfully before pointing at one of the people standing by the map. ¡°You should go talk to Uncle Ahmed, he¡¯s been in charge of most of the organizing. He¡¯d probably know which group needs the most help.¡±


    Camilla added, ¡°I¡¯ll go find Cato and let him know you¡¯re here!¡±


    Lola smiled at both of them. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Basira. ¡°You¡¯ve been a good friend to our clan, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here.¡±


    Together, Danae and Lola made their way over to the corner of the room with the map in it. Uncle Ahmed was a tall, aging man with a salt-and-pepper beard and piercing eyes. He was one of their clan¡¯s top talisman designers, and Lola had seen him in passing before at the shop.


    He was in the middle of a heated conversation with another older man as they approached, gesturing with his hands at different parts of the map. The other man nodded and left, calling to a few others as he went. Uncle Ahmed let out a sigh and turned to them.


    Lola gave a small wave. ¡°Hey, uh, sorry to bother you, but Basira said we should check in with you?¡±


    ¡°Are you here to help with the search?¡±


    Lola and Danae both nodded. ¡°Where would it be best for us to go?¡± Lola asked.


    Uncle Ahmed stroked his beard thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯re Cato¡¯s friend, right?¡± Lola nodded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go join his group? They could use a few extra hands. You¡¯ll find ¡®em in the back room, with the big map.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Lola resisted the urge to salute. ¡°Sounds good.¡± She turned to Danae. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Danae nodded, and Lola led them through the crowd of people to the back room. As she was entering, she was looking back over her shoulder at Danae, and so she didn¡¯t notice the other person coming through the doorway until she bumped into them at the last second. She whipped her head around. ¡°Sorry!¡± Then her brain caught up to what her eyes were seeing. ¡°Cato?¡±


    It was Cato, and apparently he recognized her too because he grinned, although his expression was tight. ¡°Lola! You made it.¡± He was wearing a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and a gold hoop earring in each ear. Cato¡¯s eyes swept back to Danae. ¡°And¡­ is that Danae?¡± Lola nodded, and Danae raised a hand in greeting. ¡°Camilla said you were here, and I was just about to go find you.¡±


    ¡°Your Uncle Ahmed sent us back to help out with your group,¡± Lola said.


    ¡°Oh, perfect, then. Here, come with me.¡± Cato gestured for them to follow, and together the three of them went through the door into the back room.


    The back room was ordinarily used for storage. The walls were lined with shelves filled with large bolts of fabric and stacks of various trimmings and decorations. Dozens of spools of thread on pegs hung in a rainbow on one wall, and normally the floor space was taken up by dressforms, mannequins, and old sewing machines in need of repair. All that had been pushed aside, however, and instead¡­ Lola gasped as she took it in.


    A massive, holographic map of Shrikeport covered the center of the floor, the tallest skyscrapers rising up to Lola¡¯s waist. It was like someone had taken a bird¡¯s eye view of the city and transplanted it into the Salhi¡¯s back room. ¡°Wow,¡± she breathed, glancing at Cato in awe. ¡°This is incredible. Did you make this?¡±


    Cato scratched at his neck, looking embarrassed at her praise. ¡°Me and a few others,¡± he said modestly. Two other mages were standing around the map, both of them holding walkie-talkies or talking on the phone.


    All of a sudden, one of the walkie-talkies beeped. Lola didn¡¯t catch what the person on the other end said, but the mage who was holding it picked up one of the marble-sized tokens laying on the back table, made a complicated hand gesture with it, and tossed the token towards the map¡¯s representation of Shrikeport¡¯s center square in the downtown area. The whole area flashed, and began to glow red.


    Now that Lola was looking closer, she saw that the whole map was color-coded. About a fourth of it was red, and the rest was a pale blue. Little arrows hovered above different parts of the city, each colored differently as well. As Lola watched, another mage reached down through the semi-transparent buildings, the map flickering around their hand, and adjusted one of the marble tokens laying on the ground. As they drew their hand back, the arrow hovering over that section of the map split into three new arrows, which each moved to a different, new part of the map several blocks away. The area where the arrow had been hovering originally turned red.


    Cato saw the two of them watching in fascination, and explained, ¡°Each arrow represents one of our groups searching the city, and the red areas represent places we¡¯ve searched and found nothing. Each group is supposed to call us whenever they move on from a block, and in turn we adjust the map and direct their movements for maximum efficiency.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible.¡± Lola said, slightly in awe. All these years, and she was still impressed by every new use of magic she saw.


    Danae frowned. ¡°Why not just send out a city-wide searching talisman? Why do it all on foot?¡±


    Cato shook his head. ¡°We tried that initially. The talisman came back deactivated, meaning whoever kidnapped-¡± his voice broke slightly, ¡°-whoever kidnapped my sister, they¡¯ve protected themselves against any kind of overarching, wide-scale searching talisman like that. But spells like that take a lot of power, so they probably only have the one. And that kind of ward doesn''t protect against small-scale talismans that can only search, say, one block or so.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s quite clever.¡± Danae said approvingly.


    ¡°So what do you need our help for?¡± Lola asked.


    Cato gestured to the back table, where dozens of walkie-talkies and phones were laid out. As they watched, two phones started ringing at once, and one walkie-talkie beeped. ¡°We need help managing all the messages coming in. Right now, there¡¯s so few of us that we all have to take the calls, but it would be a lot more efficient if we could have just a few people relaying the messages so that the rest of us could focus on adjusting the map and planning where to send everyone.¡±


    He sighed, looking a little frustrated. ¡°It would be a lot easier if we could just use communication spells, but what with us running the map and them running the searching spells, none of us have enough power for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, Danae and I can certainly help with taking the calls. Right, Danae?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I can also send my crows out to keep an eye on the different groups of searchers.¡±


    Cato looked at the crows again, a new appreciation in his eyes. ¡°That would be great.¡±


    Together, the three of them walked to the back of the room. Cato quickly introduced them to the other mages, and Lola demonstrated to Danae how to use the walkie-talkies and accept calls on the cell phones. She pulled up a chair and settled in.


    It was going to be a long evening.

 Chapter 7: Relative Peace

    As the evening wore on, the red areas of the holographic map slowly spread, until the majority of the miniature city was awash in crimson light. They began to receive fewer calls, as the different groups of searchers slowly trickled back into the shop. Lola glanced at Cato, her lips pressed together in a thin line and concern in her eyes. He looked back at her, worry and exhaustion etched into his expression.


    All of a sudden, there was a sharp knock at the door. Danae glanced up from where she¡¯d been muttering to her crows, and Cato and Lola turned towards the entrance to the store room.


    ¡°Hey! Can I come in?¡± Kezi¡¯s voice rang out from behind the door.


    ¡°Go on ahead!¡± Cato shouted back.


    The door opened and Kezi stepped in. They were wearing the same outfit from earlier, but this time with a blue backpack slung over their shoulder. A baseball bat with runes carved on the handle was hanging from the backpack, and a pair of cracked safety goggles held together by a strip of pink duct tape perched on their head.


    Kezi whistled appreciatively when they saw the map. ¡°Damn, you guys aren¡¯t playing around with this search, huh?¡± They walked around to where the Lola, Danae, and Cato were standing, raising a hand in greeting. Then they glanced back down at the map. ¡°What¡¯s all the red for?¡±


    There was one other mage in the room, who Cato had introduced as Hakim. He had dark hair swept up in a bun, with a buzzed sigil-patterned undercut. There was a grim expression on his face as he turned to Kezi and explained, ¡°The red represents places we¡¯ve searched and found nothing.¡± Kezi winced, and Hakim nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s getting bad. We¡¯ve searched nearly every place we can without completely trespassing on another clan¡¯s territory and sparking a war.¡±


    Cato had a bleak expression on his face when he spoke, ¡°At this point, I¡¯m not sure that a war is something we can avoid anymore.¡± He sighed. ¡°Someone¡¯s got to be responsible for this, and the most likely culprit is one of the other mage clans. Kidnapping a clan heir is a death sentence at the very least, and tensions have been so high lately already...¡± He trailed off, the room filling with a grim silence.


    Kezi looked at the two mages curiously. ¡°So, which of the other clans do you think it was?¡±


    Hakim grimaced and said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I thought we were all on relatively good terms.¡±


    Cato¡¯s face grew stony. ¡°We were. It¡¯s been a hundred years or so since we¡¯ve had any real conflicts.¡±


    Danae¡¯s brow furrowed. She leaned in and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Firebrand clan your clan¡¯s sworn rival?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and aren¡¯t you constantly feuding with the Inkwrights?¡± Kezi said, raising an eyebrow.


    Hakim let out a breath of laughter. ¡°Yes and yes. I mean, I did say relatively.¡±


    Lola turned to Danae and asked under her breath, ¡°How did you know that?¡± Danae just shrugged.


    Cato nodded thoughtfully, expression darkening even further. ¡°They have a point. The Firebrands and the Inkwrights are the two most likely suspects.¡± He took a few strides forward and pointed to a place on the map. ¡°That¡¯s where the Inkwright¡¯s bookshop is located.¡± He pointed to another place, this time on the edge of town. ¡°And that¡¯s where the Firebrand¡¯s main shop is.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    As he spoke, he began to pace back and forth. ¡°The Inkwrights are the closest geographically, but the Firebrands have the strongest motivation, considering we¡¯re the two most major clans.¡± Behind his back, Kezi rolled their eyes.


    Hakim added, ¡°Whoever it was must have had more backup than we thought, in order to start a war like this.¡±


    Cato nodded in agreement. ¡°I just keep running it over in my head, all the interactions I¡¯ve had with the main families recently- we¡¯re all just so spiteful to each other all the time, it¡¯s hard to tell which of them were actually planning to- planning to¡­¡±


    Lola spoke up, ¡°Weren¡¯t you complaining to me the other day about one of them- one of the clans, I mean? And about their heir, what¡¯s-his-face¡­¡± She snapped her fingers, trying to recall the name, before she suddenly remembered. ¡°Emile! Emile D¡¯Amboise!¡±


    Cato¡¯s expression darkened, like it always did whenever the Firebrand heir¡¯s name was mentioned. Lola had heard at length about the two¡¯s rivalry, although she never quite could remember the guy¡¯s name. After every clan meeting, Cato would often rant at length to her about everything from Emile¡¯s stupid remarks to Emile¡¯s stupid ideas to Emile¡¯s stupid hair. Not that she minded, of course- what else were friends for but listening to each other¡¯s rants?- but it was a bit extensive, she had to admit. She would have regretted mentioning it, but finding Ree was definitely more important right now.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, thanks for bringing it up,¡± he said darkly. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet anything Emile and his Firebrand goons are behind this- they¡¯ve been getting more and more aggressive lately.¡±


    Hakim made a tch sound. ¡°It¡¯s true, they looked even more murderous than usual at the last conference, and their territory grabs have gotten a lot bolder recently.¡±


    A thought seemed to occur to Kezi, and they stepped forward to look at the map in consideration. ¡°Is there anyone else it could be, other than the mage clans?¡±


    Cato sighed again, one hand reaching up to massage his temples. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. On one hand, who else could it be? But on the other hand, I can¡¯t bring myself to believe any of the clans, Firebrand or otherwise, be that utterly stupid.¡± There was a quiet anger simmering beneath his words as he spoke. ¡°All I know is that whoever¡¯s responsible is going to receive the full wrath of the Silksmith clan and our allies.¡±


    Danae spoke up quietly from her place over by the corner. ¡°Whoever it is¡­ this will spark a war, won¡¯t  it?¡±


    Hakim looked over from where he¡¯d been adjusting the map, his eyes narrowing. ¡°You may just be right, uh¡­ sorry, what was your name again?¡± He turned to Danae apologetically.


    ¡°I am known as the Crow Queen, as well as Danae. I have been using she and her, although it does not matter to me.¡± Interesting, Lola thought, filing that away for future examination.


    ¡°Right, thanks,¡± Hakim said. ¡°You may be right, Danae. It depends on what happens next, most likely.¡± He began to pace. ¡°Best-case scenario, Ree is returned unharmed within the next twenty-four hours by someone acting alone. The kidnapper will have to die, of course, but that¡¯s the outcome with the least bloodshed. But if the situation isn¡¯t defused in the next day or so...¡±


    He trailed off, and Cato picked up the thread of the conversation, his words laced with pent-up anger. ¡°If the situation isn¡¯t defused soon, if the kidnapper doesn¡¯t come to us crawling on their knees for forgiveness in the next hour, if this was done by one of our ancestral rivals, if whoever¡¯s responsible does something else to provoke us¡­ well, then our clan goes to war.¡±

 Chapter 8: A Mysterious Note

    ¡°Another mage war¡­¡± Lola said quietly, mostly to herself. It was nearly unthinkable. Sure, tensions between the clans were running high, but that was just how the mages were. For this to happen, something drastic must have changed.


    ¡°That¡¯s something this city hasn¡¯t seen in almost a century.¡± Kezi said grimly.


    Cato opened his mouth to say something else, but all of a sudden, a loud commotion rose up in the main room: the sound of dozens of people trying to talk at once interspersed with angry shouts and the thunk of a dagger hitting wood.


    In unison, the five of them turned towards the door.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Kezi, ¡°I suppose we should probably go see what all that¡¯s about.¡±


    Outside, in the main room of the shop, chaos reigned. The crowd in the main room was made up of both Silksmiths- their tattoos glinting sharply- and various other allies. Lola caught sight of a few street magicians, shapeshifters, and one or two flickering ghosts wandering throughout the room.


    ¡°Silence!¡± A shout echoed from the front of the crowd, sending a ripple of quiet through the room. Cato stepped forward, taking the lead for their small group, and the throng of people parted for him like the hull of a boat slicing through water.


    The shout had come from the woman standing by the entrance, clutching a piece of paper in her hands. It was Cato¡¯s mother and the clan¡¯s matriarch, Alejandra Salhi. Alejandra was a stout, commanding woman with a thick Spanish accent and long black hair pulled up into a bun. Despite her short stature, her presence seemed to fill up the entire shop.


    Cato made his way to the front of the room, the others trailing behind him. ¡°Mam¨¢, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Alejandra¡¯s gaze fell on her son. She raised the piece of paper she was holding, shaking it slightly as she talked. ¡°This was found on our doorstep just now. No trace of who left it, no trace of where it came from- all our tracking spells have been foiled.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Cato asked, raw curiosity and a hint of desperation in his voice.


    Alejandra shook her head slightly. ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. It has some rather nasty curses on it- it¡¯s taking me time to deactivate them.¡± She swept a glare out across the crowd. ¡°The noise certainly hasn¡¯t been helping either.¡± Most people had the sense of mind to look a bit sheepish at that.


    All of a sudden, a golden sigil flashed across the paper with a pop! before fading. A sharp smile curved across Alejandra¡¯s face, and she quickly opened up the note. Her eyes flicked to Cato, an inscrutable expression crossing her face, and she passed the note to him. ¡°Read it out loud,¡± she instructed.


    The room filled with an anticipatory sort of quiet, the sound of dozens of people holding their breath at once. Lola could almost feel the tension crackling throughout the air.


    Cato cleared his throat. ¡°¡®Warehouse 6, SE Industrial Road. This is only the beginning.¡¯¡± When his eyes reached the bottom of the note, he took in a sharp breath, and his expression began to practically burn with anger. Cato¡¯s hands shook slightly as he held up the paper so that everyone could see the circular, crimson sigil written below the words.


    The room erupted into noise, everyone trying to talk at once. Lola heard shocked gasps and outraged shouts, and she turned to Hakim, Danae, and Kezi. Hakim¡¯s face had gone stormy with rage, Danae was petting her crows and looked mildly interested, and Kezi had a shit-eating grin on their face, as if they wished they had some popcorn right now. They let out a slow whistle. ¡°Well, this just got a lot more interesting.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°You recognize the sigil?¡± Lola asked them.


    Kezi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell if you¡¯re not, like, really into semi-morphic runes and shit, but that¡¯s a signature Firebrand style sigil.¡±


    Lola hissed in a harsh breath. ¡°Fuck, really?¡±


    Kezi nodded. ¡°With what your mage friend¡¯s been telling us about the Firebrands, it doesn¡¯t surprise me. Not looking forward to the aftermath of this shit-show, though.¡±


    In front of them, Alejandra was barking orders to the mages standing nearby. ¡°You! Take as many people as you can and find this address! Now!¡±


    Danae quietly shifted closer to Lola and said in a low voice, ¡°My crows tell me that they saw a young short-haired mage creeping outside the shop earlier; they think it is the same person who left the note.¡± Her dark brown eyes reminded Lola of a shadowed forest as she gazed up at Lola, expression worried but sincere.


    Hakim leaned over, seemingly having overheard Danae. ¡°This person your crows saw- did they have any identifying marks on them?¡± He pointed at his cheek tattoo.


    Danae gazed at her crows. It was as though they were conferring silently, an invisible conversation taking place right before Lola¡¯s eyes. After a moment, Danae glanced back at them and shook her head. ¡°Dark hoodie pulled over their face, nondescript black cargo pants, pocket knife hanging from their belt, no visible tattoos or piercings.¡±


    Hakim nodded, humming to himself thoughtfully. ¡°Would you mind coming with me to tell Mrs. Salhi what you just told me?¡± he asked Danae.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Hakim turned to Lola. ¡°We¡¯ll be right back.¡± Lola nodded.


    As the two of them walked away, Cato came up to her from where he¡¯d been standing at Alejandra¡¯s side. ¡°My mother wants me to stay here until they return,¡± he said, displeasure and disappointment coloring his voice.


    She¡¯d known him for long enough at this point to recognize when he was upset about something and needed some comfort, so she reached out and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. ¡°She probably just wants to protect you- I mean, you¡¯re one of the most important people here, right? Especially to her.¡± Cato still looked unconvinced, so she added, ¡°And anyways, we¡¯ll find out what¡¯s in that warehouse soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Cato said quietly, but as he continued he grimaced. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand the- the not-knowing, the uncertainty. I feel like I¡¯m going to explode, just sitting here doing nothing while Ree¡¯s out there somewhere in danger-¡± He broke off, hand coming up against his mouth as he turned his head away from Lola.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay,¡± she said comfortingly, reaching out to place a hand on his back. ¡°You haven¡¯t been doing nothing, Cato, alright? It¡¯s thanks to you that we were able to search the city so efficiently- don¡¯t discredit yourself.¡± He nodded, still looking away from her. She smiled slightly at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go through this alone- I¡¯m here to support you, whatever you need, okay?¡±


    She could see the exhaustion from a whole night of sleepless searching on Cato¡¯s face as he turned to her. ¡°Thank you, Lola,¡± he said. ¡°You- I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here.¡±


    A quiet laugh escaped her. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re my closest friend, Cato- there¡¯s no way I could just abandon you at a time like this.¡±


    They fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, before another shout rang out from someone standing by the doorway.


    ¡°They¡¯re back!¡±


    At once, the room fell into silence. Lola¡¯s head whipped around to the entrance, where the door was beginning to swing open. The first mage of the group, looking harrowed, stepped through the door and shouted, ¡°Medic! We need a medic!¡±


    Both Alejandra and Cato rushed up to the front of the shop. ¡°What did you find?¡± Alejandra demanded.


    The mage took a deep breath, and stepped to the side to reveal¡­  Ree, barely clinging to consciousness, supported on either side by two mages covered in sweat and dust.


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± said Kezi.

 Chapter 9: The Noodle Juice Gets Spicier

    After that, things wrapped up surprisingly quickly. Everyone in the room was obviously desperate for information, but when Ree almost immediately passed out it became clear that she¡¯d have to recover first before any answers could be given.


    The mages who¡¯d retrieved her reported an empty warehouse, with nothing inside it but Ree, lying on the floor nearly unconscious. Alejandra ordered a full search of the area, hovering protectively over her daughter with Cato at her side. Thirty seconds later, she promptly evicted everyone from the shop in the name of peace and quiet for Ree.


    Lola caught Cato¡¯s eye over the rest of the crowd, and he nodded. Thank you, he mouthed, and then, talk more tomorrow. Lola nodded back. ¡°Come on,¡± she said to Danae, who was standing next to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, shall we?¡±


    -


    About twenty minutes later, Lola was halfway to her apartment when, all of a sudden, she realized Danae wasn¡¯t by her side anymore. It was dark out, a storm gathering in the sky above her, and the wind swallowed her words as she spun around and shouted, ¡°Danae!¡± Her gaze zeroed in on a curled-up lump on the pavement being anxiously pecked at by two crows, and she immediately rushed over.


    Rova and Dulun circled around Lola, cawing at her as she approached.  ¡°Danae! Is everything alright?¡± Danae didn¡¯t reply, or if she did, it was lost to the fierce wind that whipped through the trees lining the road.


    Lola reached out to touch Danae¡¯s shoulder- and her hand clipped straight through, swirls of white mist parting around her. She jerked her hand back immediately like she¡¯d been burned, a fresh wave of panic coursing through her. ¡°Danae! Oh my god, it¡¯s happening again...¡±


    Danae lethargically tipped her head towards Lola, eyes half-lidded, a small, pained groan escaping her. Half of her face was dissolving this time, spiraling out into translucent white mist. Lola rushed forward to hold her, but hesitated at the last second, unsure if touching Danae would make it worse.


    In a flash of inspiration, she reached for her phone, hands fumbling as she scrolled through her contacts. Please pick up, please pick up, she chanted to herself as her phone steadily rang.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Kezi¡¯s bemused voice echoed tinnily from her phone speaker.


    ¡°Kezi, thank god you picked up,¡± Lola said in a rush. ¡°It¡¯s Lola, I¡¯m with Danae and it¡¯s happening again, what do I do?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening again?¡± Kezi asked, sounding more concerned now. ¡°Do you mean the ¡®unraveling¡¯ that she told me about earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± Lola could hear the desperation in her own voice as she spoke, ¡°She seems like she¡¯s in a lot of pain, it looks worse than last time, what should I- what should I do?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Alright, first of all, stay calm,¡± Kezi said placatingly, although there was an undercurrent of worry in their tone. Lola took a deep breath, gaze locked on Danae¡¯s dark form in front of her. The wind was playing havoc with Lola¡¯s hair, and she reached up to brush some errant strands out of her face. Kezi continued, ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s not much you can do to help her right now, not without magic, anyway. I¡¯ll fix you up something later for if this happens again, but for now-¡±


    Lola heard Kezi take a deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s most important is to keep her grounded, keep her from losing herself any more than she already has. It¡¯s the same for both ghosts and spirits: their identity, their motivations, memories, attachments are all that¡¯s keeping them in the world. The ghosts at the Silkspinners¡¯ place, they¡¯re already halfway faded, and that¡¯s what¡¯s driving them to be so volatile. ¡±


    Lola eyed Danae, worry aching in her chest. ¡°Will it hurt her if I touch her? Last time my hand went straight through her shoulder-¡°


    ¡°No,¡± Kezi said firmly, ¡°being held won¡¯t hurt her, it¡¯ll help. In fact, that¡¯s probably your best bet of bringing her back to herself. Just keep talking to her, okay? Let me know if it gets worse, I¡¯ve gotta go.¡±


    The call ended with a click as Lola was halfway through a, ¡°Thank you.¡± She took another deep breath and slipped her phone into her pocket. Cautiously, she approached Danae, the two crows cawing insistently at her. ¡°Danae,¡± she said, unsure of what else to say as she reached for her hand. The wind was bitingly cold,  nipping through Lola¡¯s jacket as she crouched down and repeated, ¡°Danae.¡±


    The spirit¡¯s dark eyes met her own, face twisted in pain. Cautiously, Lola took Danae¡¯s hand into her own, immensely grateful when it didn¡¯t immediately dissolve into more of that damnable mist. Danae¡¯s hand was cold, and a little clammy, and Lola gave it a squeeze. ¡°Stay with me, alright? Don¡¯t- don¡¯t fade away, like Kezi said. I¡¯m here, okay? I¡¯m here right next to you and I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Th- thank¡­¡± Danae whispered, voice hoarse.


    ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s okay, you don¡¯t have to talk right now if you don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t know- I don¡¯t know what exactly¡¯s keeping you here, but you gotta hold onto it, alright?¡± Keep talking, Kezi had said. So she did.


    She rambled on about her job at the cafe, all the things she¡¯d overheard in the past month. She talked about going to brunch with Cato and eating piles of pancakes, about visiting her aunt in the countryside during the summers when she was little, about her old goldfish, King Louis XIV. Rova and Dylan helped too, in their own way: nuzzling up to Danae, squawking softly at her, hopping around on the pavement.


    The whole time, Danae¡¯s gaze never left hers, eyes slowly searching across Lola¡¯s face. It was lasting longer than it had the previous time- Lola kept waiting for her to suddenly shudder back to normal like she had before, but it didn¡¯t happen.


    Slowly, as Lola kept talking, the white mist receded, Danae beginning to feel heavier and more real in Lola¡¯s arms.


    And then, finally, after what felt like an eternity, Danae let out a gasp as the mist completely vanished. She was breathing heavily as she looked up at Lola, an unreadable expression on her face. A faint sheen of sweat glistened on her brow. Several dark strands of hair fluttered in the breeze across her face, those dark eyes capturing Lola¡¯s again. ¡°Thank you,¡± Danae said.


    It was as though she¡¯d used up all her words earlier comforting Danae, and now there were none left in her throat. Suddenly unable to speak, Lola could only nod. They sat there for a moment, the wind making an unearthly sound as it howled through the trees. A few splashes of rain hit Lola, more a side effect of the storm than its main event.


    With a sigh, Lola stood up, offering Danae a hand. ¡°Come on,¡± she said, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

 Chapter 10: A Morning Adventure

    The next morning, Lola woke before her alarm. For a moment, she just laid there, staring up at the white ceiling. Birds were chirping loudly outside her window, the coo of a mourning dove piercing through the early-morning stillness.


    Lola didn¡¯t know how long she laid there, breathing in and out slowly, but eventually she let out a sigh and rolled over onto her side, hand reaching for her phone lying on the nightstand. She fired off a quick text to Cato: Hey just making sure everything¡¯s ok, how¡¯s it going?


    Almost immediately, he responded. it¡¯s¡­ alright. things r pretty crazy over here, I think I¡¯m gonna have to call off brunch today :(


    Lola replied with another sad face in sympathy. That¡¯s totally ok, I get it. There¡¯s always next week, right?


    Cato responded with a thumbs-up and, thank u sm for all ur help last night! I really appreciate it.


    Lola typed, Of course! Let me know if you need anything else, I¡¯m off work today so I¡¯m free all day.


    I think I¡¯m alright for now, but thx for offering, Cato responded, and then, gtg, tell ur friend danae I said hi!


    She set down her phone and swung herself out of bed, slipping her feet into her favorite cozy slippers. Spring in Shrikeport was great, but it sure got cold in the mornings.


    As she walked into the kitchen, she was immediately greeted by a squawking sound coming from outside the open window. It was, of course, Rova and Dulun, the two crows glaring at her from where they perched on the tree outside. Danae was standing next to them, and she looked over as Lola entered with a soft, ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she replied, voice low and melodious as always. ¡°I noticed you didn¡¯t seem to like the crows in your apartment, so I asked Rova and Dulun to stay outside.¡± She had that uncertain lost-puppy sort of look in her eye again as she glanced at Lola.


    On the outside, Lola simply nodded, but on the inside she was breathing a sigh of indescribable relief. Thank goodness. ¡°Thanks, Danae, that works perfectly.¡±


    She moved over to the cabinets, with the intent of finding something to make for breakfast- but then she paused, considering. ¡°You know what? Cato and I usually get brunch today, but since that¡¯s not happening¡­ why don¡¯t we go out for breakfast?¡±


    Danae blinked, then nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me coming along, I¡¯d love to.¡±


    -If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Fifteen minutes later, Lola was dressed and ready to go by her front door. Danae was next to her, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, except with a gold belt instead of silver. Lola had the realization that she hadn¡¯t yet seen Danae change into pajamas, or even sleep at all¡­ she mentally shrugged to herself. Must be a spirit thing.


    Together, they took the elevator down to the bottom floor, riding in an easy silence. When they stepped outside, the fresh smell of petrichor was the first thing Lola noticed. The sun was out, and the birds were chirping even louder than they had been before, if that was even possible. The cacophony of the city washed over them: car horns, noisy conversations, the thumping sound of bass-boosted speakers playing loud music. With a slight smile curving across her face, Lola took in a deep breath.


    Danae was also looking around in curiosity, as if she was mentally cataloguing every piece of their surroundings. Rova and Dulun swooped down to them from their perch up on the nearby tree, cawing as they flew. Lola still had no idea how to tell them apart, so she had no clue which of the crows landed on Danae¡¯s outstretched arm. After a moment, the other crow, which had been circling above, flew down to perch on Danae¡¯s shoulder.


    Together, they began to walk down the sidewalk. When they got to the parking lot, Danae began to turn, but Lola put a hand out to stop her. Danae looked at her quizzically.


    ¡°The traffic in that part of town is gonna be pretty bad right now,¡± she explained, ¡°so I usually like to take the subway.¡± Danae made an ¡®mm¡¯ sound of understanding and agreement. Side by side, they walked down the block towards the station.


    Although they were walking in silence, Lola marveled at how comfortable silence with Danae felt. Usually, she couldn¡¯t stand being quiet, desperate to fill the space with any manner of conversation. If there was one thing Lola wasn¡¯t a fan of, it was awkward silence. But this felt different. The uncomfortable itch that usually pushed her to start babbling words simply wasn¡¯t there, and there was a mutual sort of peace in the space between them.


    It was probably because Danae was such a quiet person, Lola mused. With her, silence wasn¡¯t the awkward lack of things to talk about, but rather a mutual space for introspection.


    By the time they got to the subway station, Lola¡¯s stomach was beginning to rumble. She turned to Danae, who was still carrying her crows on her shoulder. Maybe at one point, she would have been surprised that no one had commented on the crows, or even seemed to notice them, but at this point she was used to it. People in the city were very good at ignoring or overlooking strange things. Everyone had their own problems, everyone had a busy life, so why bother poking your nose in other people¡¯s business?


    In addition, she¡¯d noticed that the more blatantly magical beings like Danae sometimes had this sort of¡­ aura around them. Lola had a lot of practice looking past it, but for most people, their gazes slipped right past Danae like oil sliding across water. It wasn¡¯t invisibility, but it was something.


    The two of them stood side by side as they waited for the train, surrounded by the business of the crowded subway station, the dull furor of dozens of lives intersecting. Throughout it all, the signs of the Vers Ibrae were scattered, just barely noticeable: a pair of translucent ghosts passing through the crowd, a mage sigil graffitied in red spray paint on the bricks, a street musician whose eyes flashed silver as they glanced at Lola.


    Lola couldn¡¯t help but smile to herself as she took it in. This right here was Shrikeport. This was her city. Even the unease that threaded through the air couldn¡¯t quite tamp down the way it soothed her soul.


    All of a sudden, her introspection was interrupted by Danae tapping lightly on her arm. Lola glanced over. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Danae pointed at something behind Lola¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I think they want to talk to you.¡±

 Chapter 11: A Strange Encounter, And Also Breakfast

    Lola turned immediately, her gaze following Danae¡¯s outstretched hand.


    Danae was pointing at something standing a few feet away from them. It was less a person than the suggestion of one, a ripple in the air that seemed faintly like it was breaking the rules of how things were supposed to be. The crowd had unconsciously parted around it, like water in a river breaking around a rock. It seemed to most likely be some kind of ghost or spirit, but something about it felt different from anything Lola had seen before.


    The being moved closer to the two of them, it¡¯s mouth opening and closing as if it wanted to speak. Lola took a step forward, entranced, the rest of the world seeming to fall away for a moment.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Lola asked.


    It shook its head, and slowly raised an arm to point at the two of them, the gesture an almost perfect mirror of Danae¡¯s still-outstretched hand.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Danae asked quietly. It took another step forward, and then shook its head again. A palpable tension began to fill the air, an acrid sort of electricity crackling around them. Lola realized she was holding her breath, and she shared a glance with Danae, whose gaze was locked on the strange spirit. They seemed to be in a sort of battle of wills. Danae murmured, ¡°What are you trying to tell us?¡± Unconsciously, Lola moved closer


    Lola blinked.


    When she opened her eyes, the crowd had converged again around the spot where¡­ wait a minute, what had been there? She looked over at Danae, who was also blinking dazedly. She reached back several seconds into her memory, trying to recall what had been so strange, so important. They¡¯d gone to the station, they¡¯d stopped by the platform, and then they¡¯d seen¡­ they¡¯d seen¡­


    It was like there was a blind spot in her memory, her mind skipping over the moment like a scratched CD. Lola looked at Danae. ¡°Did you¡­¡± She trailed off, unsure of how to vocalize what sounded a bit crazy even inside her own head.


    Danae caught Lola¡¯s gaze, her dark eyes even more piercing than usual. ¡°Yes. I saw it too.¡±


    Both Lola and Danae had troubled expressions on their faces as they stepped onto the subway car, looking deep in thought. Lola¡¯s head was practically spinning, replaying the moment over and over again.


    This really was too much, she thought to herself. Danae¡¯s strange appearance and memory issues, Ree¡¯s disappearance and the mysterious note, and now this too? It seemed her hunch the other night had been right. Something strange was happening. One weird, magical event was unusual, two was a coincidence, but three in the span of a few days?


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked Danae in a low voice.


    Danae pressed her lips together, looking perturbed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It keeps trying to slip out of my mind, and I¡¯m sure one of lesser magic would already have forgotten.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Although my memory is rather unreliable, I don¡¯t think¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anything like that before.¡±


    They stood there in silence for a moment, processing this. Around them, the car was crowded as usual, the ordinary mix of college students, commuters with earbuds in, and a subway witch or two. The one thing they all had in common was a complete lack of interest in anyone or anything else.


    All of a sudden, Lola snapped her fingers, an idea coming to mind. ¡°Kezi! We should talk to Kezi about this! After all, they¡¯re an exorcist- if anyone¡¯s gonna be able to help us figure out what that was, it¡¯s them!¡±


    Danae nodded in agreement. ¡°I still need to talk to them about my odd condition as well.¡±


    Lola sighed. ¡°There¡¯s so much going on- I almost feel like I need to write a list or something. Talk to Kezi, help figure out Ree¡¯s kidnappers, figure out what that thing was¡­¡± Her stomach growled again, and she added, ¡°Go get some breakfast¡­¡± Danae cracked a slight smile at that. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I think I¡¯m gonna call Kezi.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    Lola took out her phone and dialed Kezi¡¯s number. The phone rang once, twice¡­ finally, Kezi¡¯s voice rang out, but Lola let out a disappointed breath when she heard the message: ¡°Hey, this is Keziah Ngwenya, for some reason I¡¯m not available right now, so go ahead and leave a message or whatever.¡±


    ¡°At the tone, please record a message.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Hey Kezi, sorry to bother you, but this is Lola again. Danae and I saw a weird¡­ spirit-thing down at the 2nd Street subway station, and we were wondering if you¡¯d be able to help us figure out what it was¡­ it was really weird, kinda seemed like it wanted to talk to us or something?¡± Saying it out loud made Lola feel a little dumb- compared to everything else going on, the issue wasn¡¯t really that pressing. ¡°Again, so sorry to bother you, I know you¡¯re probably really busy right now- just¡­ call me back if you get the chance, okay? Bye!¡±


    She hung up, slipping her phone back into her pocket, and let out a sigh, turning to Danae. ¡°Guess that¡¯s gonna have to wait.¡±


    They sat in silence for a few moments, just listening to the clatter of the subway car and the whoosh of the wind blowing past. Lola caught a glimpse of some graffiti on the side of the tunnel, a stunning art piece of a woman half turned into a wolf. After a while, Danae spoke up, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me changing the subject for now, what restaurant are you taking me to?¡±


    For a moment, Lola flushed slightly at the wording. She¡¯d almost made it sound like Lola was taking her out on a date¡­ but that was just Danae¡¯s rather archaic way of speaking.


    Lola responded, ¡°It¡¯s called the Breakfast Hut! I¡¯ve been eating their pancakes pretty much my entire life, it was a very defining part of my childhood.¡±


    ¡°Pancakes¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve had those before.¡± Danae almost sounded like she was talking to herself.


    Lola fake-gasped and pressed her hand to her chest in mock affront. ¡°Never had pancakes? Well, we have to fix that as soon as possible!¡± The speakers above them dinged, announcing they¡¯d arrived at the next station. Lola caught Danae¡¯s eye. ¡°This is our stop!¡±


    When they emerged from the subway station into the bright morning, Lola had to blink a few times to get adjusted to the sunlight. She gestured with her hand for Danae to follow. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just a block away.¡±


    In no time, they¡¯d arrived at the restaurant. Luckily, Lola¡¯d had the presence of mind to call ahead and reserve a table, because the place was crowded, the tables packed with people.


    Danae whispered something to Rova and Dulun, and they flew off, landing on the telephone wire above as the two of them settled down to eat, at a cute little light-green table with matching chairs. There was a little vase full of small white flowers perched in the middle of the table, and there was a menu and a glass of water set in front of each chair.


    Lola took a sip of water as Danae flipped through the menu. ¡°Which of these pancakes are your favorite?¡± she asked Lola, eyes scanning across the menu.


    Without a hint of hesitation, Lola replied, ¡°Blueberry-chocolate, it¡¯s not even a question.¡± She sighed wistfully, thinking of her one true love (blueberry-chocolate pancakes).


    Danae nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Good to know.¡±


    At that moment, the waiter came up to take their orders. Lola ordered her usual (blueberry-chocolate pancakes), and the waiter turned to Danae, who said simply, ¡°I¡¯ll have what she¡¯s having.¡±


    As the waiter left, Danae looked up at Lola and said, in her typical, rather quiet, voice, ¡°Thank you so much for getting me breakfast. I do appreciate your hospitality quite a lot.¡±


    Lola smiled. ¡°Of course! I don¡¯t mind at all.¡± Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. ¡°By the way, I just realized- we¡¯ve known each other for nearly two days now, but I hardly know anything about you. I¡¯ve told you about my undying love for chocolate-blueberry pancakes¡­ what¡¯s your favorite food?¡±


    This time, it was Danae¡¯s turn to reply immediately. ¡°I like soup.¡±


    ¡°Any kind of soup in particular?¡±


    Danae shrugged. ¡°Soup.¡±


    Lola had no choice but to nod approvingly. ¡°Honestly, a very valid answer.¡± She laced her fingers together, propped up her chin, and peered at Danae. ¡°Alright, now it¡¯s your turn: ask me a question!¡±


    Danae hummed. ¡°What is your favorite species of butterfly?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it before¡­ monarch butterflies are pretty, though!¡± Danae nodded approvingly. Lola fired off her next question: ¡°If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?¡±


    It took a few moments of thought before Danae replied, ¡°A compass, a book, and perhaps some kind of book.¡±


    Lola laughed. ¡°How practical, I like it. But what about Rova and Dulun?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯d be with me, of course. They go where I go.¡±


    The two of them continued in this vein for the next ten minutes or so, trading questions back and forth. Lola answered various inquiries about her favorite string instrument (the cello), what she¡¯d save in an apartment fire (her recipe books), and the language she best liked the sound of (French, as she¡¯d studied it at school). In return, she learned that Danae¡¯s favorite color was blue, that her hobbies included collecting the most colorful pieces of broken glass she could find on the street, and that she didn¡¯t have a 2nd favorite animal other than crows (¡®Just crows,¡¯ she¡¯d responded. ¡®I like crows¡¯).


    When it was Danae¡¯s turn again, she leaned forward and asked, ¡°What is your most treasured memory?¡±


    Most treasured¡­? Lola frowned to herself as she mulled over the question. Pretty weighty stuff to be thinking about before breakfast, honestly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not quite sure, frankly. I guess... probably my mom teaching me how to cook when I was younger?¡±


    She was definitely fond of the memory, and it was one of her favorites, but the word ¡®treasured¡¯ felt so weighty to her. To treasure a memory, to prize it above all others¡­ the answer she¡¯d gone with felt a bit unsatisfactory, but at that moment the food arrived, effectively cutting off any further conversation as Lola¡¯s view narrowed to a tunnel vision of her most dearly beloved, long-awaited blueberry-chocolate pancakes.


    Existential crisis forgotten, she thanked the waiter, turned to Danae, and gestured to the food with a grin. ¡°Are you ready? ¡®Cause these pancakes are about to change your life!¡±

 Chapter 12: In Which Not A Whole Lot Happens, But I Did Enjoy Writing It

    Fifteen minutes later, Lola sat back in her chair contentedly, stomach full. Danae was still eating, nibbling haphazardly on her pancakes. She lifted an elegant ebony hand and twisted her fingers, beckoning the crows over. They cawed as they flew over, swooping down to hop around on the pavement. Danae tore off two small pieces of pancake and tossed them down onto the pavement. Rova and Dulun hopped over and began to poke curiously at the pancake bits, croaking happily.


    Lola¡¯s brow furrowed as she looked at the two crows. ¡°How do you tell them apart? I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t figure out which is which!¡± she said, with a slightly self-deprecating laugh.


    Danae blinked owlishly. ¡°I suppose¡­ I¡¯ve never really thought about it? I can just¡­ tell, I think.¡± She peered at her crows, as if seeing them in a new light. ¡°That one is Rova,¡± she said, pointing to the one with its beak currently stuck in a pancake chunk, ¡°and that one is Dulun,¡± she finished, pointing to the crow perching a few feet away on the curb.


    Now it was Lola¡¯s turn to peer at the crows inquisitively. She squinted at them for a moment, eyes scanning over every inch of their sleek black feathers. Eventually, she had to shake her head in defeat. ¡°Nope, I still can¡¯t tell.¡± She almost felt a bit ashamed about it, even though she couldn¡¯t reasonably be expected to tell the difference between two nearly-identical (horrible) birds.


    Danae let out a breathy laugh. ¡°That¡¯s perfectly alright. I¡¯m sure they don¡¯t mind it too much, and perhaps after time it will become easier.¡± Lola¡¯s emotions did a strange little twist at that, at the insinuation of spending more time together, but she ignored it, electing instead to glare back at the crows, whose twin sets of beady eyes were staring at her with an expression of pure unfiltered malice.


    ¡°What are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?¡± Danae asked, propping up her chin on her hand as she leaned over the table.


    ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s a few things.¡± Lola ticked off the items of the list on her fingers as she spoke, ¡°I¡¯d like to meet back up with Cato and figure out all this Vers Ibrae... stuff, but I have to run a few errands first- I need to buy groceries, and the shelf in my bathroom broke and the lightbulbs are burnt out so I need to swing by the hardware store too¡­ then I¡¯ll probably check in with Cato and his family, and Kezi too...¡± She let out a rather stressed sigh.


    Danae looked at her consideringly. ¡°Please let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help you with all of this. You have shown me so much kindness, I would be glad to do anything to help you in return.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Aw, uh, thanks,¡± Lola replied, feeling a bit flustered. ¡°It¡¯s really no big deal, but I¡¯ll keep your offer in mind!¡±


    At that moment, the waiter came by with the bill, and Lola passed him her card. She glanced at Danae, pointing to the remnants of the other woman¡¯s pancakes. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re gonna eat the rest of this, or should we get a to-go box?¡±


    Danae shrugged. ¡°To-go is fine.¡±


    Later, after the waiter had returned and they¡¯d packed up the food, the two of them walked down to the subway station together. Danae was holding a stack of two to-go boxes in her arms, and Lola knew that the two crows were following them high above the streets somewhere. The commotion of the city surrounded them, the subway station positively crowded to the brim with people.


    She looked over at Danae. The Crow Queen¡¯s gaze was focused straight ahead as she deftly maneuvered through the crowd, her lips pursed in concentration. Her expression was what Lola was coming to see as her default look, regal and completely inscrutable.


    Not for the first time that day, Lola had a moment of self-reflection. For all intents and purposes, Danae was a stranger to her. Probably any other person would have¡­ well, not let a total stranger stay in their apartment, for starters, and probably not then take said stranger out to breakfast. Lola wanted to insist to herself that she was doing it because Danae needed her help, but if she was honest with herself, from what she¡¯d seen, Danae was capable of taking care of herself on her own. Lola had no idea how long Danae had been wandering by herself, after all, and her gut instinct told her that- knowing spirits- it was probably a long, long time.


    The two of them boarded the subway car together. Danae took a seat, setting the boxes on her lap, and Lola stood, hand reaching up to hold onto a strap for balance as the car began to move.


    Was she really going to take Danae back to her apartment yet again? How long was she going to let Danae stay? Lola let out a heavy breath. Admittedly, it was probably good to think about this now, before she got in too deep. Lola was not usually in the habit of trusting strangers- lest anyone get the wrong impression- but she just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Danae was someone worthy of trust.


    After mulling it over in her mind for a minute or two, Lola came to a decision. She¡¯d offer to let Danae stay for the next few days, and then they could reassess. After all, things were changing so quickly. Who knew what the next few days would bring? And she would feel better if she knew that Danae was safe and had a place to sleep.


    With that decided, she turned to Danae. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna go run errands once we get back to the apartment. You¡¯re welcome to come with me if you¡¯d like!¡±


    Danae hesitated. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to be a bother¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about it. It would be nice to have some company!¡±


    ¡°In that case, I shall accompany you.¡±


    Lola couldn¡¯t keep a quick smile from flashing across her face. Then, she considered something, and added, ¡°You¡¯ll have to leave Rova and Dulun behind, though. I don¡¯t think the grocery store allows birds.¡±