Secrets and Lies

The spinning sensation only lasted a second or two, and when it ended I realized with a shock that I was somewhere else.

Looking around, the best way I could think to describe it was a spacious modern log cabin. The interior was an open concept design, dominated by a large round fireplace in the very centre. A big bonfire was burning there, and that gave off more than enough heat to keep the whole place comfortably warm.

That was surrounded by a couple comfy-looking sofas and easy chairs that were all positioned facing inwards towards the fire. Further back there was a desk and bookcase in one corner, and both appeared to be well-used. Papers, notebooks, pens and pencils were spread out across the desktop, while the bookcase shelves were filled with a large assortment of books, notebooks, keepsakes and nicknacks. There was a kitchen in the next corner, with a counter and cupboards, some small appliances, and a breakfast table surrounded by four chairs.

In between the office and kitchen areas was an open doorway, that led to a hallway with passages to the left and right. And in the middle of the opposite wall was what I took to be the front door of the building, but that was closed up tight. There were a number of small windows on the walls to either side, and judging by the light outside it appeared to be daytime here. Wherever here was, I could also see some trees out there and in the distance, mountains. Finally there appeared to be a closet in the corner off to one side of the front door, but that too was closed up tight.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the decor was the statue. It stood about mid-way between the front door and the large fire, positioned so it was facing the fireplace. It was life-size, and appeared to depict a young girl of about ten years of age. The child was dressed in what I took to be old-timey Celtic-inspired clothes, including a torc around her neck. And most bizarre, she had a sword belt looped from her right shoulder to her left hip, where a small sword hung in a scabbard at her side.

I slowly turned full-circle where I was standing, and that's when I realized I wasn't alone. Cindy Talbot, my strange young boss, was sitting barefoot and cross-legged on one of the easy chairs. She looked completely relaxed and comfortable, and somehow I knew this log cabin was hers. I still didn't know where this place was, but she was clearly very comfortable here.

"Hey," she greeted me with an awkward wave and smile. "Relax, have a seat. We can talk here, it's totally safe and nobody can disturb us."

I nodded slowly as I moved to sit down on the sofa to the girl's right. Then I asked, "Where are we, what is this place? How did we get here?"

"And no offence but," I added warily, "What are you? How are you doing all this?"

The teen shrugged, "It's magic, obviously. And I'm really good at it. I'm basically a sorceress?"

"As for this place," she continued, "It exists outside the regular world. It's sort of my domain? Technically it belongs to a Welsh goddess of war, but I kind of took it over. Oh and I sort of teleported you here, but it's not that simple. Like I mean, people can't get here with normal teleportation spells. Nobody can come here unless I let them. So like I said, we're safe and nobody can interrupt us."

Hearing mention of a war goddess my eyes flicked back to that statue for a moment, and I recalled that terrorist attack in London last November. A few witnesses claimed they'd seen a young girl enter the building just after the initial explosion, but no trace of her was ever found. Then again no trace of explosives or accelerant was ever found there either, as far as I could recall.

Another detail that stuck in my mind was how my teenaged boss was apparently squatting in this goddess's home. Then there was the concept of 'normal teleportation spells'. Although perhaps that shouldn't have surprised me so much, considering the last spell in the magic ebook I'd been reading was just that.

"So I got your email about mental health," she announced, changing the subject completely. "And yeah those are some super valid concerns. I actually know a therapist who's familiar with this stuff, I could ask if she'd be willing to make herself available to you and everyone else at LIES."

The girl added, "The only thing is she lives in Canada, but Maria knows how to teleport so distance isn't a problem. Time zones might be."

"Or if you want to find someone local, or you already know someone you like, then that's cool too," she continued. "Either way I'll make sure there's money in the budget for mental health care. Or well, I mean I'll ask my girlfriend to do it. I'm really bad at math and numbers and stuff. Zoe can handle it though, and I know the money's there. Like I mean, it's not a problem or anything."

I nodded slowly, "Thank you Miss Talbot, I appreciate that. Not just for myself, but for my new colleagues as well."

"Um," I hesitated, "Perhaps it'd be best if you coordinated those details with Dr. Bishop? Whether that means bringing in your friend from Canada or letting LIES handle it locally, I feel like that's more an administrative function. Not really my area of expertise."

Cindy shrugged, "Sure that works. I'll let Zoe know after you and I are done, and she can work out the details with Grace."

I thanked her again, then moved on to something else I needed to report. "I really appreciate that ebook you sent me, it's been amazing and fascinating to read. Unfortunately the man who kidnapped me found it when he took my phone. He also took that protective amulet Owen gave me."

Miss Talbot made a face, "Yeah I know. I've already taken care of that problem. I'll replace your phone, that's no big deal. And instead of another amulet, how do you feel about some magical protection that can't be lost or stolen?"

"It kinda involves getting a small tattoo," she warned. Then she held out her arm so I could see some black markings on the inside of her right wrist, like a set of three runic sigils. "If you don't mind a little ink it's a pretty cool solution. Way better than the amulets."

My eyebrows crept up as I stared for a moment. "That sounds...good? Does it have to be on the wrist? Or could it be somewhere a little less obvious?"

"Nah anywhere works," Cindy replied. "A lot of my friends go for ankle tats. Or back of the shoulder? Or on the hip. Doesn't hafta be runes either, it can be pretty much anything you like. Flowers, cute critters, that kinda thing. Got a favourite animal or something?"

I thought for a moment before admitting, "I do rather like the humble British stoat. They're small and cute, but surprisingly tenacious, tough, and fierce. They frequently take down prey twice their own size, almost as if they like punching up or hitting above their weight class. And I think they're adorable, I've heard people refer to them as kitten-snakes. Perhaps a little stoat tattoo on my ankle would be good?"

"Cool," the teen grinned. At the same time there was another brief flare of purple light in her eyes, and I felt some warmth around my right ankle.

I blinked in surprise then looked down as I pulled up the cuff of my leggings. Sure enough there was now an adorable little stoat tattooed on my lower leg. It was about ten centimetres long and rendered in full colour in its summer coat. And the way it was positioned, it appeared to be wrapped part-way around my ankle, as if it was looking inquisitively to see what was on the other side of my leg.

"That's amazing," I commented as I leaned down to get a closer look at it. "And this will protect me like the amulet did?"

Cindy nodded, "It's made up of a bunch of super-tiny runes and enchantments, and works even better then the amulet. It'll protect you from both physical and magical harm. It doesn't make you invincible or immortal, but it'll stop most minor injuries. And major ones will be a lot less nasty. It'll also help you heal faster, if something does manage to hurt you."

"Plus it'll provide a few little bonuses that'll help with your new job," the teen added with a coy smile.

I looked up at her, "What? What do you mean, what sort of bonuses?"

Her smile became more of a grin as she shrugged, "Nothing crazy. Mostly it'll just make it easier for you to learn magic, like the spells I sent you. Like I said, it's just stuff to help you with work."

"And speaking of work," she added as her expression became more serious, "Is there anything else I can do to help you with that? Or any other questions you have about the job? Or concerns?"

I straightened up in my seat to face her properly then asked, "I don't suppose you know what happened to Owen and Martin? I'm assuming they weren't taken by the same guy who had me, or you'd have saved them already. Can you help us find them? Scry for them or something?"

Cindy grimaced then shook her head, "Sorry. Benjamin's people didn't take them, he's pretty sure that 'angel' is behind their disappearance."

"And while I could try and push through whatever anti-scrying wards have them hidden," she continued with a sigh, "The thing is if that's actually a real angel then it's really not safe for me to be directly involved. Because angels mean gods, and I can't afford to go around pissing off any more of those. Especially not one of the big ones."

I frowned, "You've pissed off gods before? As in, more than one of them?"

The teen grimaced again, "I mean, we've got a sort of truce right now? Between me and three goddess sisters. I also kind of defeated two others, but mostly that was a bit of planning and a whole bunch of luck. They were both pretty small too, in the grand scheme of things? I really don't wanna incur the wrath of one of the big ones."

Once again it took me a few moments to process the impossible information my boss was sharing with me. The thought that she'd personally had run-ins with multiple gods and goddesses was incredible enough. The fact that she'd actually defeated two of them was even more mind-numbing.

After a couple seconds I decided it was best for my mental health to just let that topic go. Instead I focused on work once again. "Back on the subject of work, I'm curious about my new partner. I know Phoebe Campbell was disciplined, and that included using magic to regress her age. I don't know what else, if anything, was done to her. So can I ask what her status is? Where does she stand with you, and the organization?"

"I'm asking because to be honest it makes me uncomfortable knowing my partner and my manager are both scared of you," I clarified. "Honestly it makes me wonder if LIES is really the right place for me or not."

Cindy winced and her shoulders slumped. She admitted with a sigh, "I'm not a good boss, ok? I know that, I'm not good at managing people. Which is why I wanted Owen and Grace to run things, they're both way better and have experience and everything?"

"My only rule was don't hire any dicks or assholes," she continued. "I was on the fence about Miss Campbell from the start. She wasn't a hardcore Brotherhood believer, but she was pretty much all-in on their methods. Owen vouched for her though, he swore his friend would be a good fit, so I went along with it."

The teen made a face, "When I found out Phoebe broke the rules in Whitby I'd have just got rid of her, fired her on the spot. Owen begged me to give her a second chance though, so this is the compromise we came up with. Miss Campbell got to keep her job, but she's starting over at the bottom, on probation and all that stuff."

I frowned as I thought that over. I remembered how scared the redhead seemed at the prospect of being fired, how desperate she was to keep working with LIES. Which didn't quite add up, considering how she seemed so fearful of Cindy. That thought led me to one more question, "What would have happened to her if she was let go? I can't help feeling like it's not as simple a run of the mill dismissal."

"It's not like a lifetime commitment or anything," Cindy responded. "I'm not going around killing people who wanna quit or get themselves fired."

"But?" I asked, feeling like there was something I was still missing.

She sighed, "The Brotherhood taught its agents a bunch of really vile spells. She used one of them on you in Whitby, and she might have done even worse if Martin hadn't stopped her. If we'd let her go then I'd have removed that knowledge from her mind. She'd still be alive and healthy and everything else. Just no more magic. Cos she'd already shown she was willing to use it, and if I let someone like that go they'd just cause us or some other innocent folks more problems later on."

"Ah," I nodded slowly as my eyes widened. Phoebe's reaction suddenly made perfect sense to me. Justified or not, the idea of having some hard-earned knowledge and skills simply erased from one's mind was frankly terrifying.

I tried not to let my fear show too much as I asked, "So if I someday decide to quit does that mean you'd do the same to me? Erase any knowledge of magic from my mind? Or purge everything about LIES, so I couldn't divulge any secrets?"

"What? No, of course not!" the teen insisted. "For one thing none of the spells I shared with you are anywhere near as bad as the stuff the Brotherhood liked to use. And if you were the sort of person who'd do that kind of thing I wouldn't have let Owen hire you in the first place."

That helped put my mind at ease a little. But only a little. I had one more question that was somewhat related though. I gestured towards the new tattoo on my ankle and asked, "Would you consider giving Phoebe the same sort of upgraded protection? That way she won't have to worry about losing her amulet. And I think it'd go a long way to settling some of her concerns, regarding her job security."

Cindy seemed to consider my request for a second or two before asking, "How are you and her getting along? Do you like her? Any particular thoughts or feelings about her?"

I raised an eyebrow, as some awkward thoughts flitted through my mind. Like all the teasing and flirting going on between the busty redhead and myself over the past few days.

After a brief pause I responded in my best calm level voice, "As colleagues and work partners, Phoebe and I are getting along just fine. She's been very helpful, she seems earnest, and I believe she's highly motivated to do a good job. We've only been paired up for less than a week, but we're getting to know each other better as coworkers. And I believe we're working well together."

"If you're asking how I feel about her tampering with my and Inspector Carter's minds on that case in Whitby," I continued, "At the time I was understandably upset and distressed. I'm not holding that against her though. I know she's been reprimanded and I believe she's learned her lesson."

Finally I added, "As for how we're getting along outside of a work context, that's none of your business."

The blonde giggled, "Yeah sorry I definitely meant from a work angle! And about being paired up with the person who messed with your mind. If you and her have anything personal going on that's totally between the two of you."

"So yeah I'll give her the upgraded protection like you asked," she added as she got serious again. "Do you have any other questions for me? Or are you ready to head back to Canterbury?"

I frowned, "What did you do to that man who kidnapped me? And who exactly was he? Did he work for the Security Service, or some other government organization? I half expected to find him here with you when I arrived. And what about the other men working for him, the ones who grabbed me?"

"Yeah Benjamin Morrison worked for some secret internal police group," Cindy replied with a scowl. "Apparently one of his superiors was in tight with the Brotherhood, so they've known about magic and stuff for years. I'll be visiting that guy soon, to have some words with him."

Then she shrugged, "Anyways you didn't want me to kill them, so instead I've given Benjamin and the rest of his team an opportunity to make amends for their misdeeds. Although Benjamin's do-over will be a little more challenging, cos his crimes were the worst of the lot."

"I also got him to make me a list of all the other people he did that stuff to," she added with another dark look. "What he was planning to do with you, I mean? Once we're done talking I hafta go and help the ones who're still alive."

I noted that she hadn't actually shared anything specific about my captor's fate, but after a moment I decided I was probably better off not knowing. The fact that he had a chance to redeem himself was all I needed to know. And Cindy promising to help his other victims was much more important.

"Thank you," I finally responded. "For everything. I appreciate your candour in answering my questions and addressing my concerns."

Then I looked to the front door and asked, "So um, how do I get back to Canterbury from here?"

Cindy grinned, "Like this!"

There was another flare of pastel purple light in her eyes, and the interior of the log cabin spun as it faded away. A moment later I found myself standing in the middle of a luxurious hotel suite.

I hadn't quite got my bearings yet when a familiar voice exclaimed, "Trillium!"

Then before I could respond the petite redhead threw her arms around me in a surprise hug.