James Baldwin - Stained Glass

An uncomfortable silence hung over the room until Ayashe finally spoke. “Body parts.”

I rubbed my face again, frustrated. Even with open questions, it was like wringing blood from a stone. “Right. And what kinds of animal did they transform into?”

Jenner laughed, harsh and crow-like. Talya grimaced. Zane’s face froze into a pleasant mask. I’d stepped on a landmine.

“That is a vulgar question,” Michael said. “All matters related to the Ka are private unless the person desires to share it. Even the dead.”

“It’s important to know.” I jerked my shoulders, trying and failing to read faces. “The organs and body parts of various animals are used in specific magic rituals. If I know what animals we are talking about, then I can probably tell you more about who would have done this.”

Jenner didn’t seem to be nearly as annoyed as the rest of them. She planted her hands on her hips. “What kind of magic?”

“Magic like the rituals in the Liber Virtutis Animalium ,” I said, focusing on her. “A lot of medieval spells used the body parts of particular animals for various things. The hearts of dogs were used in love spells, bulls’ hearts were used to gain strength. This kind of magic was popular in esoteric Church rituals. Catholic and Protestant.”

Aaron shifted in place, but he didn’t deny it.

I continued on. “Different organs have different applications, so if I knew what their alternate forms were…”

“Fair enough.” Even Spotted Elk sounded a little stiff. “Michael? Karim?”

“Lily was Hyena.” Michael grunted, after a reluctant pause. “Dru was Hoopoe.”

Oh – now that was interesting. I nodded. “Both hyenas and hoopoes have a powerful connection to medieval church magic. Let me assume that they had taken Lily’s right hand, and Dru’s brain, heart, and blood?”

That made a few people sit up. Michael averted his eyes, as did Aaron. Jenner snorted, a mingled sound of disgust and amusement. One of the nameless silent observers in the Four Fires quarter had gone very pale, and other people had linked their arms around her shoulders. There was a uniform niceness to the people on Spotted Elk’s side… maybe all of them had been rescues at some point in their lives.

Spotted Elk regarded me intently. “Yes. What do you know about this?”

“Hoopoes are one of the most significant birds in the European magical tradition,” I said. “They’ve been used for ritual since Ancient Egyptian times. They were regarded to be king of all birds, and they symbolize virtue. Their organs were used to bind summoned demons. The brain, tongue and blood were particularly valued by medieval sorcerers. Genitalia, especially from men, have always been used for ritual purposes.”

My only answer from the assembled were looks of distaste and disbelief. I cleared my throat.

“One old and prominent spell uses the right paw of a hyena as a talisman,” I continued. “ Specifically the right paw. It was believed that anyone carrying a hyena paw charm would be successful in politics, able to sway and convince kings and lords to do their bidding. So if those are what they took from your dead, I can assume that this is someone who is well versed in medieval ritual church magic and the creation of talismans. They must also have known what Lily and Dru could transform into.”

Michael and Karim looked at one another, and then at me. Talya covered her mouth. Spotted Elk sat back, glancing at Ayashe.

“Sometimes it takes an outsider to spot something that’s completely freakin’ obvious,” she said.

“Neither of our Elders were involved in politics,” Michael said. “It is forbidden.”

“They wouldn’t have had to be involved themselves,” I replied. “It’s not their politics that matters: it is the magician’s. The magician turns the body part into a talisman. Are there drawings of the symbols found at the house?”

“We have photos,” Ayashe said. “But what the Vigiles don’t have is resources. The way the government has us set up, we don’t have access to anything that’s actually useful half the time. That’s why we need a Spook, a good Spook. Someone more mobile who can work faster without having to clear a slip for every damn book they borrow from the Masonic vault.”

Someone not placed under the artificial restraints of the law. And someone expendable. I felt a tic form beside my eye. “You said you hired another Spook to look into this before. What did they find out?”

“’Hired’ isn’t the right word. This guy was searching for a missing person, and he was sure that the murders were tied into it,” Ayashe replied. “He tracked down Spotted Elk and me and made the initial contact. Told us that he didn’t want anything up front, just our help.”

“Yes, but what did he find?”

“The last we heard of him was about a week ago.” Ayashe paused for a moment, her frown deepening. “He said he was looking into some human trafficking ring while he investigated the occult leads. He was going to get the info for me, and then I was going to file the report with my boss and see if we couldn’t mobilize an operation. The last thing he went to go do was to visit Lily and Dru’s changing ground. They had—”

“No,” Michael said. “We can compromise on discussing the dead, but I refuse to allow discussion of the changing ground with a stranger.”

“You can’t hide evidence in the course of an investigation,” Ayashe retorted. “I don’t know where it is, anyway. You were the one that told Angkor where it was.”

“Yes,” Michael replied. “I regret my decision.”

My stomach chilled. Human trafficking ring? I only knew of three organizations in New York who dealt in human trafficking. The Triad, the Cartels, and the Yaroshenko Organizatsiya. “Why hasn’t anyone gone there?”

“It is a changing ground,” Michael replied, as if it should be evident. Even though his voice was soft, when he spoke, the room went quiet. “They are absolutely confidential. Only I know where it is, and I made a mistake in telling Angkor where to find it.”

Spotted Elk, Ayashe, and Jenner exchanged glances, and Ayashe spoke for them. “We are concerned that the kids might be killed or trafficked for magical purposes. Angkor didn’t elaborate on what he knew; told us it was speculation until he gathered proper evidence. We… decided to wait until we had something other than hypotheticals.”

They weren’t telling me something about this mess. My instincts were certain of that fact. There was a skeleton in this particular closet. “I’m can probably help you, but I need the case file and photos, and I’m not working for free.”

Ayashe scowled and opened her mouth, only to be waved down by Spotted Elk. His thin face was graven, and it was clear he was tired. Tired of death, tired of talking. “I accept this and vote that you come and assist us. We don’t have a lot of money, but between us, we will do what we can. If you can shed some light on the death of our friends and the abduction of our children, we will pay you proportionately.”

“Me and Mason can front up,” Jenner said. “Rex knows his shit. I vote to take him on.”

“His knowledge is already proving valuable,” Michael said. “I vote the same.”

Ayashe frowned. “I still want some references.”

Jenner chuffed, and waved her down. “What’s the kill fee?”

“For a job as complex as this one, I’ll accept a trade of services from your people in advance of any money.” I faced the Tigers’ President front on. “It’s grunt work. I need to get into my old apartment, retrieve my magical tools, and rescue my cat.”

Both of Jenner’s eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. Zane, standing to the side of me, also turned his face. Ayashe looked up, and her foot stopped twitching.