thorough knowledge than the Niteclif of investigative procedures.”
“But—” I began.
Bahlin silenced everyone. “No, Maddy. Imeena’s right. We won’t know as much as you will about finding this killer.”
I was confused. Bahlin had worked with the last two Niteclifs, so he should be as adept as anyone. “But Bahlin, you—”
“No, Maddy. I mean it.” He looked at me pointedly. And I realized in that instant that his efforts, his identity, had all been concealed behind the fictional character of Watson. It was then that I remembered what he had said to me, “You’re the first person to put it all together.” No one knew who he was.
I nodded slightly and said, “Okay. Then I suggest that we save our individual speculations until I’ve had a chance to do some fieldwork. We can meet again, preferably in a neutral location, and discuss what I’ve found. Acceptable? Besides, I could use some rest.” And it was true. I was wearing down fast.
“Agreed,” said Tarrek.
Bahlin nodded back to me, looking relieved. We’d have to talk about trust if this was going to go on, us working together and putting our lives in each others’ hands. Because while I was undeniably attracted to him, I didn’t trust him. Or Tarrek. Or anyone in this room. I had a murderer to find, and no one was excluded from being suspect as of yet. No one.
Tarrek rose, helping his mother to her feet. She stared at me for a long minute then turned and walked out of the amphitheater. We all followed her lead.
Bahlin, Tarrek and I returned to the room I had called home for the last three unconscious days.
“What are the chances I could get some working clothes, Tarrek?” I asked, rolling my shoulders at the weight of the gown. I felt stifled and fraudulent. It just wasn’t my style.
“Of course, Maddy. I’ll go get something from one of the women and return shortly.” He took my hand and kissed it softly. I retrieved it as fast as I could without being bitchy. Behind him Bahlin rolled his eyes.
“Okay, Bay, tell me how likely it is that what you did earlier will cause any lasting effects with us.”
Bahlin sauntered over to the chair by the door and sat, leaning back and crossing his feet at the ankles, arms over his chest. “Would it be so bad?”
“I don’t know how to answer that since I don’t know what it might mean that we’ve shared whatever it is we’ve shared.” I crawled up on the edge of the bed, the cumbersome skirts slowing my progress. Turning to face him, I continued with my thought. “Do I even have power to share?”
“You will, have power, that is. The longer you do this and hone your skills, the more power you’ll accumulate. You’ve already learned that you can sense when someone is trying to use magic to manipulate you.”
“I did?”
Bahlin sighed and said, “Maddy, you shut Hellion and Gretta down when they tried to compel you with magic to answer their questions. Right?”
“Yeah. How did you understand that?”
“I’m a dragon, love. We’re magical creatures in our own right.”
“I want to know more about dragons.”
A soft knock sounded at the door. Bahlin held his finger to his lips to silence me and motioned for me to get all the way back in bed. I climbed further in, pulling the covers up around my hips. He took three short, light steps to the door and peered out, exchanging soft words with the visitor before letting her pass. She was petite, blond and ethereal, seemingly ageless though she walked with the aid of a walking stick. I wouldn’t have cared if she was, literally, a hag, because she was carrying what looked like pants and a shirt. Bahlin followed her closely as she made her way into the room, keeping no more than a couple of lengths from her.
Moving with more glide than walk, she made her way to the side of the bed, depositing the clothes next to me gently. “Madeline Niteclif, I am Pirsen, the Seelie’s primary healer. I’ve been attending you since your arrival. I’d like to look at your shoulder.”
“Just Maddy.” I nodded, unreasonable fear flooding my veins. The blue tonic was what we assumed had poisoned me since it was the only thing I’d ingested after waking and I couldn’t help but worry that she was the responsible party. I watched her as carefully as a rabbit watches a coyote. She turned to the bedside table and