Page 11 of Road To Runes

An array of crystals, potion ingredients, and all manner of occult equipment laden the shelves, the most expensive of which stayed locked inside glass displays atop wrought iron legs. A cabinet on the right-hand wall drew my attention; lined with velvet on the inside, as if mimicking the look of a fancy box, an assortment of shiny tarot cards glinted like treasures. Penny would have passed out in here.

As I looked over the collection of cards, my mind wandered to my imminent quest of stealing powers. Not only did I need Troy Franklin's, but also a few more for the commissions of grimoires I was overdue on delivering. Perhaps I also needed to stock up on talismans just in case. I didn't want to get caught out with noequipment on the job; going back to a location a second time was not something I wanted to get in the habit of.

I picked out a tarot card set for Penny that represented all the figures as candyfloss style characters, complete with a pastel colour scheme. Even for a tarot witch, I didn't think Penny enjoyed all the sharp imagery that came with traditional tarot sets.

Alongside the cards, I picked out a few talismans I needed and went to pay at the till. The mustachioed man, who I assumed was Oliver, rang me up with a few grunts and a beckoning of his hand. Five star customer service.

I took my items and stashed them in the pouch on my belt, which bulged with its new contents. But as Oliver looked down to put my money in the till, he leapt backward and snatched a broom that leaned against the doorframe behind him.

"What are you doing back here, you filthy animal? And with my pocket watch!" he bellowed.

My heart leapt, and everything descended into slow-motion even without the use of Troy Franklin's power.

Hecate jumped up on the desk as Oliver drew back the broom, ready to swing it in her direction. I lunged.

Chapter 6

Hecate's fur raised and she hissed, dropping the pocket watch onto the counter as I curled my shoulder into the gap between her and the broom. I gathered her up in both arms and a hard thwack on my back had me staggering forward, my shoulder and spine stinging in the aftermath.

I breathed through the pain, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Hecate clambered up my other shoulder, laying her paws on it and licking my cheek. At least she was sorry.

"Was that your plan?" Oliver bellowed. "Distract me with buying useless tat while your familiar steals the valuable stuff?"

"Oh, please." I exaggerated a sigh as I turned around, clutching Hecate to my chest. "That thing wouldn't go for pennies at a flea market. She just likes shiny things, that's all. There's no need to attack her!"

"You stay here a minute longer and I'll do worse than attack!" Oliver brandished his broom, his entire face north of his moustache the colour of a ripe tomato.

"All right, all right!" I barged out of the door, ensuring to make the bell clang extra loud on my way.

Hecate rolled into my arms like she was a baby being cradled and touched a paw to my neck."I'm sorry."

"You're lucky you're so cute," I said, and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

No matter how much trouble she got me into, I could never make her feel bad about it. For a thief, she made herself surprisingly accountable.

A pressing sensation intensified inside me as I closed the cover of the final grimoire. My work desk didn't even need organising. I had tidied as I went along to stall for time. The glows of the powers in their talismans from the surrounding shelves gleamed across the crystals embedded into the grimoire's leather cover. All it was missing, like the two others, was the protective power to imbue it with.

Given that all commissions were anonymous, on account of me performing illegal work for shady people, I wouldn't exactly get customer complaints if their products were late. But I didn't want to make a habit of pissing off unknown people after nefarious items.

I had already tracked down the locations of the powers I needed for the grimoires, but the one I needed for my personal vendetta weighed on my mind. A power like Troy Franklin's was rare. I was lucky enough that it had fallen into my lap, but the power to track someone with such precision was thelongest possible shot. I would never find it with my usual search technique, which was to scour the Nexus database of released criminals and find the one I needed.

Powers that rare were never put on display for the public to see, not even if they were career criminals. Nexus would have seen to that. The question weighed heavily on my mind: how on earth would I even find someone with it?

I drummed my fingers on the cover and headed for the door to my bedroom. No matter how urgently I wanted an answer, it would have to wait. Commissions came first at the moment. They paid well and I had rent every month. Not to mention I needed to keep my bribery fund topped up in case Hecate got caught again.

"Right," I said, as I slid the panel back into place in the wall of my room. "Are you ready?"

Hecate stretched out on my bedcovers and blinked sleepily. She didn't look ready. When I sat down next to her, she laid a paw on my hand to communicate with me.

"We're not leaving for a few hours yet. Why the rush?"

"I didn't say are you ready togo. Are you ready for later?" I asked.

"Ask me after my nap."

"You are unbelievable."

"A cat burglar must be well rested. Do you want me to make silly mistakes?"

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