The next morning, I opened a passage to Underhill in a doorway of the closet of our hotel room. Roy frowned. “Nothing is going to come out of there, will it?” “I’ll need to close it to open one back to this world.” “You can’t do two at once, huh?” “No, not anymore. There’s too much iron here.” I stepped through the passage. “See you this afternoon.” “Have fun,” Roy called. This end of the passage was a doorway in my house. I closed the passage and looked around. “Connie?” I called. At first, I didn’t see her. She was a very persistent phantasm I had made once. Most phantasms faded when the creator left Underhill. So far, she’d been there each time I returned. This time it had been months, though. Was she gone? “Connie?” A man appeared outside my window. “Yesanith, what’s all this yelling?” I dropped to my knees bowing when I saw who was. “Dhiarus.” “Oh, get up and invite me in.” I hurried and opened the door, still bowing my head. Many people once called me Gods blessed but it wasn’t every day I came face-to-face with a God. “Relax. You know that I don’t stand on ceremony.” “What are you doing here?” Aside from Shandalar’s answers to my prayers, I hadn’t seen any sign of the gods since my people disappeared. “I was tending your father’s vineyard. You’ve let it go terribly.” “Even if I had the time, I don’t have the skill.” I did try to tend it some, but couldn’t keep up. “I know. I told Bell that when you wanted to enlist. But we can’t let the vineyards grow completely wild.” “We probably should let it go. It will be a while before I can drink all the wine that’s left. There’s no one else to drink it. Everyone’s gone. Where are they?” “What did my sister say?” He asked. “She didn’t.” “If the goddess you worship won’t tell you, what makes you think I will?” “You’re not her. They’ve just been gone so long. Will they ever come back?” “It’s not for you to know everything. It’s been a while since you were Underhill. What brings you? And what were you yelling about?” I knew better than to press him about my people. He wouldn’t answer and I didn’t want to upset him. “I was passing through and wanted to talk to Connie. She’s a phantasm I’ve made.” He frowned. “Connie? That’s a human name.” “I know. I used to call her something. Construct is another name for a phantasm in English. Connie for short.” “Connie?” He seemed almost amused. “She doesn’t fade when I leave. Did you send her away?” “I haven’t gotten rid of any phantasms. She’s around someplace. Give her time. Take care, Yessie, and never give up hope.” I bowed. “Easier said than done, but I’ll do my best.” He nodded and left. *** I sighed. Connie would show or she wouldn’t. I opened the passage into Thompson’s living room. I rapped on the wall. “Knock, knock.” A woman entered. “James, he’s here.” She turned to me. “Come on in.” “Thank you. Call me Sean.” “I’m Rose.” “It’s about time,” Thompson said as he entered. “Problems?” “I couldn’t find Connie and I ran into Dhiarus. He said she’s around someplace.” “Dhiarus? Another elf?” Thompson asked. “No, the God of life.” “A God?” Rose looked like she thought I was crazy and regretted inviting me in. Thompson was used to my faith. “Those he worships as gods to appear in physical form,” he assured his wife. “Have you ever seen Shandalar?” “Not to my knowledge. The only one I know I’ve seen is Dhiarus. The others have joined us for worship sometimes, but they keep who they are hidden.” Rose excused herself and left. I could tell the conversation was making her uncomfortable. “We should get started,” Thompson suggested. “Can you leave the passage open in case we need Connie?” I nodded. “As long as the mithril Underhill doesn’t cause you trouble.” He was a seeker and was able to sense mithril. Large quantities gave him a headache. “I’ll live. This won’t be long.” I watched as Thompson blog into the messaging service with the screen name Paladin. It wasn’t long before someone with the screen name of the White Witch joined him. White Witch: I’ve been waiting. I was starting to wonder if you would show. Paladin: sorry. I had to get rid of someone. White Witch: So you’re alone? Paladin: My wife is in the other room. She can’t see this. White Witch: What about the elf? Paladin: He needs to at least see this. White Witch: Is he there? Paladin: Yes. Don’t worry. It’s a Luddite. He can’t tell who you are from this. “I think I’ve moved past my Luddite status,” I claimed. Thompson raised an eyebrow. “Is there something worse than a Luddite?” He challenged. White Witch: Good. What did you want to know? Paladin: What can you tell us about the magic at the Lucky Apple? White Witch: Bot much. It’s a rare form. I’ve never seen anything like it. Paladin: Is it human? White Witch: Yes. I felt the elf before. His magic was all over. “That was my glamour,” I said. Paladin: What was different about the thieves’ magic? White Witch: The feel was completely off. “Ask her what it reminded her of,” I suggested. Thompson looked at me with a frown. “When we first met, what was the first thing you thought of?” “Crap, Gillman wasn’t lying. There is an elf.” “No, not what did you think, what place for thing popped into your head?” Thompson frowned as he thought about it. He looked perplexed. “A vine-covered rocket.” “Plants and war. And Elven soldier. Most elves will have some form of nature.” “Kat was an overgrown swamp.” “Where the algae choke the life from everything?” I guessed. Thompson nodded. “What about me? What did you sense?” “I don’t have that ability. Seekers, sensitives, empaths, and a few other human mages are the only ones who can.” He turned back to the computer. Paladin: What was the first thing you thought when you got there? White Witch: Rotting, bloody, vegetation. Thompson frowned and looked at me. “That sounds like perhaps Redcaps.” “Redcaps?” “Unseelie assassins.” “Like Kat?” “She wasn’t a Redcap. Their brutality is unsurpassed. Kat was too quick and efficient to fit in with them.” “I thought you didn’t know her back then.” “I didn’t know her, but I knew of her. Katrine Shedree was legendary. Ask White Witch if she is sure they were human.” Paladin: Are you sure they were human? The elf says it sounds like Unseelie killers.” White Witch: I’m sure. I’m not familiar with Unseelie, but this was nothing like the elf who used to live here. “How can a human use elf magic?” Thompson asked me. “You can’t,” a woman’s voice said behind us. We both jumped and turned to see Connie standing in the passageway. “Where have you been?” I asked. “I thought you faded.” “I’ve been around. A girl’s got to keep busy since you never come Underhill.” “We’ll talk later,” I suggested. “Dhiarus said you were looking for me. What do you need?” “You spend a lot of time in the library there,” Thompson said. “I hope you might know something that might help us identify our thief.” She smiled. “Hi, James. It’s good to see you.” “I’m still married,” he insisted. She had flirted with him in the past. “I’d assumed as much. And I have no intention of coming between you and your wife. Your faithfulness is admirable. Shandalar wouldn’t like it if I caused you to be unfaithful.” “How can a human magic feel like a Redcap’s?” I asked. White Witch: Hello? Are you still there? Paladin: sorry. We were checking something to see how a human’s magic could be like an elf’s. “If someone was a grower, but also violent, they may seem similar,” Connie said. Thompson relayed the information to White Witch White Witch: Never heard of a grower. “They’re a rare type of mage that works with plants,” I said. “They used to pretend to be hedge witches.” “All human magic is rare,” Thompson reminded me. White Witch: One other thing. I don’t think the mage went into the shop. Or if he did, he didn’t cast. I only smelled the magic by the door. Paladin: Thanks, and thanks for your help. White Witch: I don’t like thieves in my town. I’ll contact you the same way if I see anything else. If you need me, talk to Mrs. Hermas. Paladin: We will, and thanks again. White Witch logged off and so did Thompson. “If the mage’s that awful, I agree that he never entered the stores,” I said. “None of them seemed hostile towards Butch.” “Who’s Butch?” Thompson asked. “A watchdog at Fashion Freddy’s, the second place they hit.” “It might also be a butcher, Connie suggested. “Or someone else who’s worked a lot with blood.” “So a doctor?” Thompson guessed. “Maybe a surgeon or someone who works at a blood bank,” I suggested. “This doesn’t seem like it would help you find him,” Connie said. “I’m at a loss,” I admitted. “I want them found before they come here,” Thompson insisted. “What about a spell to find all mages in the town?” Connie asked. “Then you can keep an eye on all of them.” “That would be an invasion of privacy,” I told her. She frowned. “And what effect would it have on Sean?” Thompson asked. “It. wouldn’t be pretty,” I admitted. “But that’s the price of my service.” “No. There’s a limit to what I can ask you to do. If I had realized that spell would be that hard on you, I wouldn’t have asked to you cast it.” I knew which spell he meant. I’d cast one last fall to help find some kidnapped people. It had made me so sick that Connie had exhausted herself trying to heal me. “To find Lorraine and the kids was worth it.” “You’ll see that attitude with all of Shandalar’s followers,” Connie claimed. She was probably right. “Well, not on this case. No one’s being hurt.” “Thanks for your help,” I said as I returned through the passage. “Where have you been these last months?” Connie asked once the passage was closed. “Sandlake. But right now, I need to get back to Hartvale.” “Where you used to live?” “Yeah, I’m helping with a case.” “How’s Tif?” It’s easy to forget she knows everything I do since I created her. “Tif’s fine. They all are.” “Was it good to see her?” “You sound jealous. It was good to have some closure. I loved her but I was wrong to think she’d forgive my lies.” “Elves can’t lie.” “Not directly but using a glamour, pretending to be human was just as deceptive as any lie. She wouldn’t have accepted me not being human.” Connie shrugged. “Perhaps.” “But I should go. There’s a gang of thieves heading for Sandlake. We’d like to catch them before they get there?” Connie nodded. “Come see me sometime.” “I’ll see what I can do,” I promised. I opened a passage back to the human world. Connie peaked out. “Hi, Roy.” “Hi, Connie.” Roy winced as he waved. “Is your arm still bothering you?” I asked. He shrugged. “I’m still sleeping or this lousy bed.” “I’ll see you, Connie,” I said as I closed the passage. “So that’s what took you so long,” Roy claimed. “I wasn’t gone that long, was I?” “No. Did you actually help the chief? Or did you spend all the time with Connie?” “I barely saw her. She came while we were talking to the mage. I did not sleep with her today.” Ray snorted. “Today” “It’s been months.” “Why? She’s pretty and she seems willing.” “Then you sleep with her.” “I have a girlfriend.” “She’s not real. I prefer real women.”