Page 4 of A Vampire in a Pear Tree
We spent a good ten minutes talking about his life pre–troll attack, and I admired many photos of his two daughters and one son, as well as a smiling Maura.
“Back to what you said—I’m happy to feed you, but really, I wanted you here for two reasons: one was to tell you about the job opportunity, and the other was to share our good news.I should wait for Maura to be here, but I don’t think she’ll mind me spilling it to you.”
“You’re having another baby?”I asked, surprised but pleased for them.Savian had been a well-known ladies’ man for most of his life, but once he met Maura, he turned into an admirable husband and father.
“No, I think we’re done there.Although ...no.We’re good with three.Our news is that we’re about to become official dragons.”He beamed with obvious pleasure.
“I thought Maura was a dragon already.Is it because her mom is human that she isn’t considered one?”I asked, confused.
“No, not at all.In fact, quite the opposite—she could be a wyvern if she wanted,” he answered, offering me a box of cookies.I picked out one, fighting to keep from stuffing it in my face.“And since I assume that look of confusion means you don’t know what a wyvern is, they are the leaders of the various dragon groups called septs.We’ve accepted the offer made by the wyvern of the red sept to formally become members.Maura’s father was a red dragon, you see, so it makes sense for us to join the sept now that it’s been re-formed.”
“Congrats to all of you.Will that mean any changes for you working as a thief taker?”
“As I’m freelance, not a one,” he said, offering me the biscuit tin again, winking when I hesitated.“Go ahead.You’ve got that look in your eyes that says you’d eat roast behemoth if you had the chance.”
I limited my second dip into the cookies to just two more, giving him a grateful glance.“I may not look like I’ve been on a tight budget, but I assure you I am, so thank you for this treat.What job do you think I would be able to get for the Committee?”
“My old job, as a matter of fact,” he said, shifting his legs.I grabbed a couple of small pillows he had strained to reach, and propped them under his legs so they were at a more comfortable angle.“I left off being an official thief taker for the L’au-dela seven years ago, and although they’ve had a few people fill the role, no one’s stuck to it for more than a half year.You have the heritage, the brains, and a brilliant cousin who will impart to you all of his knowledge about the ways of tracking, so I have no doubt you’d be perfect for the job.”
“A thief taker,” I said slowly, musing over the idea.Our grandfather had been a well-known thief taker, and although my side of the family had never followed that path—my father was a knocker, and passed that on down to me—Savian had a point.I did have tracking in my blood.“Hmm.It’s not a bad idea, so long as you let me know best practices.”
“I thought you’d like it,” he said, his smile both warm and somewhat smug as he leaned back in his chair.“The application is online.I’m happy to help you fill it out, if you’d like.”
I jumped on the offer, and spent the rest of the afternoon with him.By the time Maura and the kids returned, I’d filled out the application, uploaded my CV, washed the tea things, and, under Savian’s supervision, whipped up two shepherd’s pies and a batch of my grandmother’s Moravian spice cookies.Dinner was a bit chaotic, but as I genuinely liked Maura and the children, I returned home to my dark room with a full stomach, a container of leftover dinner, and, more important, hope for my future.
Five days later, after a trip to Paris to meet with Savian’s grandfather-in-law (the man who basically ran the European Otherworld) Dr.Kostich, I was granted the title of provisional thief taker of the L’au-dela.
Twelve hours after I returned to London clutching a card naming me as an employee of the Committee, I got a phone call.
“I need a thief taker in London,” a woman said without a greeting.“You’re the only one who is in town.How quickly can you find my son?”
“I don’t know,” I said, a bit confused.“Why don’t you start by telling me how old he is?Also, the mortal police are very good at tracking lost children, so I’d recommend you talk to them, too—”
“I don’t know the exact year Owain was born, because we didn’t number things at that time, but it was the year we had an eclipse.I distinctly remember the mortals believing the world had come to an end.”
I pursed my lips at her answer, and pulled out a small notebook and pen to take down relevant information.“OK.I’m glad it’s not a missing child we’re looking for.Can I get your name for my records, please?And also, tell me about your son.”
“I’m Jericho Taf, although you may call me Jerry.My eldest son’s name is Owain, which, since it’s pronounced ‘Owen,’ is modern enough, I suppose, although I pointed out to him that we’ve all taken other names to fit in.All but my sister Ozymandra, and she insisted on keeping her name despite me warning her that she would never pass as mortal if she did.But she’s dead now, so I suppose it’s a moot point.”
“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, wondering about this potential client.Was she just talkative, or a bit scatty?It was hard to tell at this point.
“Eh.It’s not the tragedy you imagine, although I did think Cadell could have dealt with her without having a demon lop off her head, but there you are.”
I stared in growing horror at the ugly carpet of my rented room.“Someone hired a demon to kill your sister?Was it your son?”
“Yes.Cadell, although he uses another name now.Devon?Dermott?Something along those lines.”
I was silent for almost half a minute before I could interrupt her stream of consciousness.“I’m sure names are important, but right now I’d like to gather some information about your son.Er ...the one you’re looking for, not the demon-hiring one.”
“Owain was ...staying with me for a bit.”There was an odd note to her voice that I couldn’t pinpoint, but I had a feeling it was anger.“He left without me knowing, he and that mangy bird he insists on keeping.I want you to find him.”
“Not that I wish to pry, but is there a reason why your son can’t be out on his own?”I asked, mindful of the instruction I’d been receiving from Savian to get me up to speed.“That is to say, is he mentally at risk if he was out in the mortal world?”
Her voice was filled with irritation.“His mind is all there.Such as it is.No, you need to find him because he has something of mine, and I want it back.”
I waited for her to mention whatever it was he had taken, but she hummed “Last Christmas” softly to herself.
“OK.Can you send me a picture of him?And what was his last known location?”
