A Smidge of Magic

Chapter 30

Ian awoke to gentle shaking from Ban. The carriage pulled up to a modest homestead in a long row of similar houses. The safe house was a mere stone's throw away from the black wall that ringed the city. From this distance, Ian could make out the size of each carved block. The Great Pyramid of Giza had nothing on these mammoth slabs of rock. And again, the image of a wizard humming and waving a wand to move each block into place came to mind.

Ban paid the carriage driver while Ian helped Mal down the single step. The group waited until the vehicle was completely out of sight before approaching a knee-level wrought iron fence. There were two wide bay windows in front which gave an excellent view into the home when the curtains were open, as they were now. Ian admired the open design and the cleverness of a safe house. It was unassuming and bland. It reminded him of how they picked them back in D.C.

Ban pushed open the gate and held it as the others walked up the narrow path leading to the front door. After pulling a key from his jacket and unlocking the front door Ban leaned inside the doorway and tapped something on the inside wall. A faint hum emanated from inside and then suddenly faded. The door swung the rest of the way open and the minotaur stepped inside, welcoming his guests with a wave of his arm.

"Make yourselves comfortable, but please remove your shoes first," Ban requested. Ban pulled his hammer from its clasp and hung it on a wall hook before picking up a small brush. He stepped outside and used the brush to clean out his hooves as Ian and Vale went in.

They pulled off their shoes and set them down by the door. The house was immaculate but very minimalist in furniture and decoration. From the sitting area, which was comprised of a few cushions around a low sitting platform-table, Ian could see into the kitchen. In the other direction a tall wooden divider separated another space. Ian could make out the edge of a dresser with a mirror atop it. Probably the sleeping area, he thought. In fact, there was only one interior door in the whole house, which led to the bathroom.

Ian flumped down on a cushion in the living area. Vale joined him, getting comfortable while they waited for Ban to return. Ian allowed his head to hang down as he breathed a sigh of relief at the first relative safety he'd felt all day. The angle gave him a good view of his wolf-blood soaked clothes and hands. He knew that he'd need to get himself cleaned up, but first he needed a moment to simply be still.

After Mal had a look around, he padded over to lay by the hearth in the corner, walking a circle before settling to face Vale. The strain of the day and his healing had finally caught up with the mighty wolf and he fell into a deep sleep.

Ban came in and went to the kitchen, "I'm going to make tea. Any takers?"

"Yes." Ian and Vale chorused.

Shortly the stout minotaur came into the living space with a tray of steaming aromatic mugs. The pleasant scent made Ian's nose twitch. Ban placed the tray on the table before seating himself in a kneeling position on a free cushion.

"So, I imagine you'll want to know more about the Court," Ban began. "Sadly, I don't have much information to give, but I will share what I know. I infiltrated the Justiciar Law at the behest of the Order of Brass some time ago, trying to get some information on their dealings and ties to the Court. According to my contacts the Court is attempting something that could change the world as we know it, and not for the better. But they are so fiercely secretive that I have gleaned no viable confirmation or details of their plot. And almost nothing in the law office leads me to believe they have ties to the Court. I was actually going to leave once my current cases were wrapped up. Aside from what you have already learned yourselves, that is all I know. I have worked with neither client nor colleague who could divulge anything further. Not a very successful reconnaissance mission, I know. Your meeting with the Partner, Dakon DeBarro, is the biggest development I've had. Or it was until tonight's attacks and attempted abduction of Ian."