Page 73 of Heir of Uncertain Magic

Hulda paused, turning the selenite rock over in her hands. Reached into the bag and pulled out another selenite stone.

She had ...twocommunion stones?

The one in her left hand was Merritt’s—she’d used it enough to recognize it easily. It was about the size of her fist and had a strong blue tint. The other was notably smaller, shaped more like, oh, a large piece of gnocchi, mostly gray slashed with white. The spell rune on it was smaller as well.

However did this end up in her bag? Was this from Mr.Baillie? Was he ready to speak with her?

Eyeing the ward at her door, Hulda dared to activate the spell.

“Hello?” she asked.

A few heartbeats passed before a woman’s voice responded, “Hulda, are you alone?”

She nearly dropped the stone. Sliding off the bed to her knees, she scrambled, “M-Myra?”

“Keep your voice down,” the stone murmured back.

Hulda’s mouth worked. Chills rushed up and down her arms. When had Myra accessed her bag? Surely she wouldn’t have snuck into the hotel in the middle of the night! Hulda hadn’t left it unsupervised anywhere ... That woman in the street, who’d run into her so violently ... had it been Myra? Had she beenright thereand Hulda hadn’t noticed?

“Are you alone?” the voice pressed.

“Y-Yes. I’m in my room at the hotel. It’s warded.”

A sigh of relief trickled through the selenite.

“Myra, meet me. Anywhere. I’ll leave right now—”

“No, it’s too dangerous.” Myra spoke just above a whisper. “If my involvement with Mr.Hogwood is discovered, I’ll be arrested. If you’re tied to me, you’ll be arrested, too.”

Hulda squeezed the stone and watched her fingers turn white. “But—”

“I got your message.”

Her heart flipped. “You did? Which one? I sent out so many—”

“Stop looking for me, Hulda.” The words were harsh, but her tone softened with each one. Hulda could see the expression on Myra’s face in her mind’s eye—creases in her forehead; brows drawn; wide, downcast eyes; her only tell the way her mouth twisted toward one dimple. “You’re putting yourself in danger.”

“Then answer my questions—”

“No.” A pause. “I need to go.”

Panic pulsed through Hulda’s veins. She rushed, “Who threatened you?”

The stone didn’t reply, and for a tense moment, Hulda worried she’d lost the connection. But she thought she heard an exhale on the other side.

“I’d like to think you left it for me to find,” Hulda pressed. “So tell me.”

“I don’t know.” Myra’s voice was airy.

“What does he want?” She brought the stone closer to her mouth and lowered her voice even further. “Myra, you’ve already wrung me out and left me sun bleached on the line. Tell me what I need to know. Tell me why Mr.Walker is hunting down expenses.” She hesitated. “Tell me what happened to Mr.Hogwood.”

Another long pause. Finally, “BIKER has control of more than you realize. The man who threatened me—I’m sure it’s a man—somehow figured it out.”

Control of more? What did that mean? But Hulda didn’t know how much time she had, so she kept her line of questioning direct. “Is that where the missing funds are going?”

Silence.

“Myra. I need to know.”

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