She handed me a bag. “Potion bombs. Your familiar let me know you were headed out on a job.”
“Thank you.” I took it gratefully and added it to the messenger bag with the book.
“There are scissors in the kitchen drawer,” Mac said. “By the sink.”
While Eve gave Seraphia and Mac more of the potions she’d concocted, I retrieved the scissors. Quickly, Mac and Seraphia each removed a tiny lock of hair.
“I hope that works,” Eve said, “because I still haven’t figured out what’s in the curse. I’m going to the Sorcerers’ Guild and Witches’ Guild today to see if anyone there can help.”
“Let me know if you find anything, and I’ll do likewise.” I gave Mac and Seraphia worried glances. “Take it easy today, okay?”
Mac saluted. “Cartoons and ice cream, no problem.”
Despite the worry that still tugged at me, I laughed.
Grey and I left, and he led me toward the city gate I used most often.
“Are we headed to the Haunted Hound?” I asked.
“Yes. They have a portal that leads to Magic Side.”
As I walked beside him, I couldn’t help but remember the dream that had been so terrible.
“Are you all right?” he asked, noticing my silence.
“I’m fine.”
We reached the pub a few minutes later, arriving at the back of the establishment.
“This way.” Grey headed down the dark hallway to the main part of the pub. “The portal is in the other side of the building.”
We passed in front of the bar, and I gave Quinn a wave.
“You all right?” he asked. “How are Mac and Seraphia?”
“I’m fine. They’re not. We’re headed to Chicago to find a cure.”
“Good luck. Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
He watched us with a worried expression. Grey led me down a hallway identical to the other, with shelves full of liquor bottles and an unmarked door tucked into the corner at the end.
We stepped through, and the ether sucked me and spun me through space, spitting me out in a large open square. On either side of us, skyscrapers rose toward the pale blue sky. It was earlier in the day here, the sun lower in the sky. The light glinted off the buildings and the massive lake to the north.
I heard the roar of water and felt a fine mist on my skin. I turned and gasped. Behind me, an enormous water sculpture looped overhead, floating in the air like a giant ring. Water dripped down, and a dozen screaming, happy kids played underneath.
Grey caught my momentary surprise. “That’s the Rain Bridge. It’s the partner of the Cloud Gate in downtown Chicago. What the humans know of as The Bean.”
“Wow.” I spun in a circle, taking in the city. “I’ve never been to America.”
Grey smiled. “There are a lot of beautiful places here.”
“What body of water is that?” I pointed to the glittering expanse. There was no land in the distance that I could see, but on the shore to my left, the city stretched far into the distance. “Chicago is on one of their enormous lakes, isn’t it?”
“The Great Lakes. This is Lake Michigan. Magic Side sits just offshore of South Side. It resides in a pocket dimension, so it looks like water to humans.”
“So only supernaturals can see it?”
“Exactly.” He turned toward the street. “Come, we’re not too far from Ms. Cross’s office.”
I followed him down the busy city street, passing supernaturals of all shapes and sizes. Unlike Guild City, which looked as ancient and magical as an old teapot shooting silver stars, Magic Side looked modern and almost normal, except for the individuals who filled the streets and the cars that rushed by.
Horns and exotic features weren’t uncommon to see on passersby, and everyone’s magical signatures were on display.
“They don’t keep their signatures on lockdown, do they?” I asked.
Grey shook his head. “It’s not required here.”
“But why? Isn’t their city like ours, hidden amongst humans?”
“It’s similar, yes. Their rules are different. They consider it a First Amendment right.”
I frowned, disliking the iron control that Guild City exerted over the magical signatures of its residents. It seemed unnecessary. Magic Side was more relaxed and still managed to thrive.
We hopped on a trolley car painted red and cream with the words Magic Side Surface Lines written across the side.
I looked at the rectangular windows and leather seats. “Streetcars seem a little old fashioned, don’t they?”
Grey nodded. “Chicago phased out their trolley system in the ’40s and ’50s. Magic Side bought the old cars and kept them running. Downtown Magic Side is called the Circuit because of all the converging streetcar lines.”
I nodded as I leaned against the glass. Tall buildings whipped by, though mainly, I was paying attention to the throngs of supernaturals crowding the sidewalks.
We hopped off beside a long but narrow city park.
The green oasis was dotted with pathways and benches, inviting walkers and readers to enjoy the space. There was a small, round duck pond in the center, ringed by a walkway and flower beds. On one side of the park, an enormous neoclassical building rose several stories in the air. The heavy limestone stonework was beautiful, as was the massive set of wide stairs leading up to the columned entry and massive brass doors.
“Is that the Hall of Inquiry?” I asked.
“Yes.” He pulled a mobile from his pocket and typed in a message. “Ms. Cross will come get us soon.”
“We can’t meet her inside?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up in a small smile. “Technically, I’m not on their side of the law.”
“You mean the legal side?”
“Precisely.”
“How to you know Ms. Cross, then, if she’s an Order agent?”
“I know some people in Magic Side. It’s useful to have contacts at the Order for dealing with…” He hesitated, clearly searching for the right word. “Individuals who are like me.”
“You mean criminal kingpins.”
He shrugged elegantly and sat down on one of the stone benches beside the pond. I took a seat beside him and watched the ducks flapping their wings at each other. “I suppose you could call them that,” he said. “Chicago’s magical criminal underground predates Al Capone.”
“You mean gangsters? Like with Tommy guns and flappers on their arms?”
“Some might call them that, but it’s a bit more complicated.”
I grimaced. I’d gone a long way from Police College to associating with known criminals. “You don’t deal in guns or drugs or women, do you?”
His eyes flared with surprise. “Of course not.”
“Good.” I believed him. Mac had told me something of the sort when we’d first talked about Grey, and in all my time knowing him and visiting his headquarters, I’d never seen anything that would turn my stomach. There were plenty of ways to circumvent magical law and make a fortune that didn’t involve selling your soul.
As we waited, my mind turned back to the book I’d read last night. “You helped found Guild City.”