Elemental Thief

Chapter 17

Goosebumps crawled up Ridley's arms, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Illicit underworld ... of magic?" she whispered. "Why—why would I know about that?"

He frowned. "Because you're a thief?"

"Oh." Her racing pulse slowed slightly. "Right."

He leaned forward against the back of the couch, his eyes never leaving her. "You really expect me to believe that you, a criminal, know nothing about the people who live illegally beneath the city's surface where the drones can't detect them?"

"I'm not that kind of criminal," Ridley answered. "I keep to myself. I steal things and pass them on to Ezra. That's pretty much it for my criminal life."

"Oh. That's a bit of a letdown." Archer pushed away from the couch. "Here I was thinking I've been in the company of a genuine crook."

"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm really more of a straight A scholarship student than anything else."

"That's unfortunate."

Ridley glared at him. "I assume you mentioned this alleged magical underworld for a reason?"

"Right." He sat on the arm of the couch as he looked around the room once more. "This building conceals one of the entrances. Plenty of people who claim to live here merely use this place as a route underground."

Ridley waited for him to start laughing, to crack a smile, but his eyes continued to examine the room. "You expect me to believe this nonsense? Magic is dangerous, unreliable. Totally unstable since the Cataclysm. People who use it get killed. If this underworld you're talking about really did exist, there's no way it would remain secret. There'd be underground explosions all over the place, the ground would crack apart, and buildings would cave in."

Archer shrugged. "Perhaps it isn't as dangerous as everyone believes."

"It is," Ridley said. "I've seen what happens to people who use it. So have you." She thought of the woman who'd died just days ago. She thought of Serena Adams. Ridley's own magic was different, of course. The power that existed inside her had never changed, never fought back or become uncontrollable. But the magic out there—the magic everyone had pulled for centuries—was different. She only had to look out at the wastelands or up at the stormy sky to know this was true.

"Maybe what you've seen is a lie," Archer said.

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm pretty sure I saw a woman completely lose control of magic a few days ago."

"Look, I don't know what to tell you, Ridley," he said as he stood. "This underground community exists. They use magic in the same way we used to use it before the Cataclysm." He crossed the room and peered into the bathroom, as if Ridley might somehow have missed a secret doorway inside that part of the apartment.

"Okay," she said. "Let's say I believe you. I assume the government doesn't know about this magical underworld?"

Archer turned away from the bathroom. "Of course not. It wouldn't exist if they knew about it."

"How do you know about it?"

"I didn't," he admitted, "until I left Lumina City. Anyway, my point is that your friend Ezra could very well be down there. If you've seen him coming in and out of this apartment, it could be because he wants to hide where he's really going."

"Or," Ridley countered, "he moved, and this is the last of his furniture that hasn't gone yet."

"A couch, a chair, and a table, neatly arranged on a little rug, all within perfect view of someone standing at the door." Archer strode to the doorway. "It's only when the door is fully open and someone steps inside that they can see the rest of the apartment is empty."