Page 14 of Midnight in the Garden of Okay and Meh
Allie looked at Christian, who was again a bit reluctant in answering. “According to what Finch told me, I believe the underworlds have automated systems to allow the passage of all but the most powerful beings.”
“That doesn’t make sense, does it?” Karma asked, looking as puzzled as I felt. “I mean, shouldn’t the more powerful beings be the ones who can travel on their own?”
“Yeah, that’s not how it works,” Jim said. I gave it a pat on the head for offering information instead of me ordering it to do so. “The more powerful beings usually diminish into the Beyond, like my mom did, but if they don’t, then they are contained in various Hours.”
Silence fell over the table as we all considered this information.
“The answer appears to be simple,” I said, my eyes on the notes May had made. “We find one of these reclusive reapers, and he or she goes to fetch Jim’s dad from the Thirteenth Hour. I bet even if the reaper person could get him to the regular Akasha, I could summon them both.”
“Right, and after we get Jim’s dad out, he can help Allie and Christian stuff the bad vampire thane back into Finch’s Hour,” Ysolde said with obvious satisfaction. “I believe we have a plan, one in which everyone will be happy.”
“Far from it,” I heard Jim mutter under its breath. Baltic must have also heard it, because he sent a speculative look Jim’s way.
“What we need is a Broker to find the reaper,” Adam said suddenly. “I can help with locating one, but unfortunately, due to my position with the Watch, I’m not allowed to have anything to do with them. Brokers, not reapers.”
“What sort of Broker?” Ysolde asked.
“Real estate or financial?” I frowned in thought. “We can help with both if needed, although I can tell you that Drake is going to be annoyed if we have to barter real estate. You know how dragons are—they hold what is theirs even when they don’t show their beloved mates the full listing of their real estate holdings, and she has to find out from a stray comment from Kostya about an apartment in Rio.”
“I told you that my mother was living there,” Drake answered me with a sardonic twist of one eyebrow. “And you are familiar enough with her to know she’d never willingly pay for her own accommodations when she can use mine. The point is moot, however, since the Broker Adam means is not mortal.”
“Broker,” Ysolde said, her eyes narrowed on her glass of wine. “Wait ... it’s coming to me. ... Damn my ex for messing up my memories. ... Got it! The Midnight Bazaar! That’s where the Broker is.”
Baltic nodded when she looked to him for confirmation.
“Show of hands those of us who don’t know what this Midnight Bazaar is,” I said, suiting action to word. May, Allie, and Karma all raised their hands, as well. “Excellent. Who wants to explain?”
The men all sat silent. Ysolde, with an annoyed tsk, said, “I would, but all I remember is that it’s located in ... Budapest?”
“Amsterdam,” Drake corrected, shaking his head. “It was located in Buda until the early seventeen hundreds; then it moved due to the incoming Broker’s preference.”
“So this person helps you hire reapers?” Karma asked Adam.
“I believe so, although I’ve never actually visited the bazaar.” Adam looked at the other men present. “I assume since the rest of you are much older than me, you have?”
They all nodded.
“OK, so I have added ‘go to the bazaar to find the Broker’ to our to-do list,” May said, flipping a page in her notebook. “I’d like to know a little more about the bazaar. Do they sell magical things there? Is it like the Committee’s Buy and Sell group? We’ve found some fun glamours there, although dragons don’t often use them.”
No one answered her.
I looked at Drake. “Would you like to do the honors so Ysolde doesn’t have to elbow Baltic again?”
“Not in the least, but I will, simply because it is almost the time we told the children we would be home for our video call with them. The bazaar does not market things. ... Instead, it facilitates the exchange of services,” he answered, once more rubbing a finger over his chin, but this time, I could tell he was watching for me to react to it.
I covertly slid my hand over to his leg, and gave it a pinch.
“What kind of services?” Karma asked.
“Those whose legality is highly questionable, if what I’ve been told is true,” Adam answered before Drake could. “Which is yet another reason why the Watch would be unhappy with me if I were to get involved with them.”
“How about I volunteer to contact the bazaar?” I suggested. “Things are light in the Guardian department right now, and we’re staying in England and Scotland for the next four months, so I have the time to handle it. I can line us up a reaper to go into the Thirteenth Hour. Jim, if the reaper says it’s possible, would you want to go with him or her to find your dad?”
“I guess so,” it said, scratching at a spot on its neck.
There was a bit more discussion, but as Drake hustled me off for our video call before he left for Budapest the next morning, we all agreed that we’d go the reaper route to finding Jim’s dad.
“I just hope it doesn’t somehow end up making things worse,” I told Drake as I snuggled against him in the intimate darkness of the car.
