Page 51 of Queen of Wrath

Anxiety crawled up my spine and grabbed the hold of my chest.

“What do you mean you work for Diesel?” I could barely utter the words.

Did I just invite an agent of my enemy to stay in my home?

“Diesel often hires me to do jobs that require someone small and stealthy. I usually slip in and out of places without being detected, but my luck ran out when a guard saw me. I’ve been imprisoned there for a week before you guys came along,” she explained, but my mind was still reeling.

What have I done?

“How long have you been loyal to Diesel Ransom?”

She couldn't have been older than Kiyan. They looked to be about the same age.

I doubted that she had been working with him for long. Perhaps I could sway her fealty to me.

“A year or two maybe. I wouldn't say I'm loyal to him. He gives me money after job completion, which puts food in my belly.” She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, dropping her gaze away from mine as if she were embarrassed to tell me that.

“Do you have anyone else? Who takes care of you?” My questions only made her more uncomfortable.

“It's just me now. My parents were taken in for questioning and never came back. They were apparently charged for transporting illegal potions. But they didn't do it! My mother was just a simple farmer, and my father wrote articles for the Theskin newsletter.” Tears filled her eyes and the dark purple turned into lavender.

“Did your father happen to be an investigative writer?” I was willing to bet my potion notebook that her father had likely been working on an article that didn't paint Diesel in the best light. That must have been why her parents had been arrested.

“How did you know that?” She swept her fist across her eyes, wiping away her tears.

“Just a hunch.” I didn't feel like distressing her more than she already was. I had to change the subject. “In any case, you won't have to worry about that stuff from now on. My name is Uremma Mirth, and I’d like to offer you a job working with me.”

“Ravana Laskie. What type of job are we talking about here? I'm okay with lying, stealing, and breaking things, but I draw the line at murder.” Exhaustion swept over her face as she quietly succumbed to disappointment.

“For Lunaira’s sake! No. It's an actual job. A legal one. I want you to work with me as a Potionist’s Apprentice. I will teach you what I know, and then eventually, you can take over my job.” I was quick to put her mind at ease.

The disappointment in her eyes disappeared in an instant.

She did everything he could to fend off the smile that was pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Really? That sounds pretty fancy. Do you think I'm qualified?”

“You were already born with the thing you need to become a Postionist— magical essence. Everything else can be taught.”

She looked down at her scuffed and dirty hands. “I'm going to make potions? Does that mean I'll have to wear fancy clothes like you, too? I don't have anything like that.”

“I can take you shopping. We'll get you a whole new wardrobe. You'll be unrecognizable by the time I’m through with you!” I found myself even more excited than she was. I felt like I had a purpose again…other than taking down the Ransoms. I actually had the chance to make a difference in someone's life.

“You're okay with spending coin on me?” She ducked her head down, unwilling to even face me as she asked the question.

“I have more money than I'll ever know what to do with. I can't think of a better way to spend it.” I reassured her. “If you're feeling up to it, we can go right now!”

I nearly catapulted myself off the couch, but stopped once I realized she wasn't following me.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Her question rang in my ear, silencing all other thoughts. I turned slowly to see her face had dropped. “What's the catch?”

“There's no catch. Sometimes people are just good.” It took all the strength in my body not to cry.

She had such a morbid outlook of the world.

I couldn't blame her for it either.

She had seen the worst of what it had to offer.

So had I.

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