I groaned with the movement of the couch as Kara sat with me. I was still having trouble keeping food down and any movement irritated my stomach. She glanced at me in concern and I put an arm around her to reassure her that I was on the mend. It had been a week since the fight at Soul Stone. I had slept for three days, and so had Kat. Connie cared for us. She then lectured us for overdoing it with our magic and taking the potion that delayed the magic’s effects on us. It was a dangerous potion. Kara handed me a glass of water. I took a sip. It was cool and was so refreshing. I should still be Underhill, but I knew the others would be worried about us. Connie had sent a supply of food for Kat and me so we didn’t have to eat human food with iron in it. I was slowly improving. Roy put a bucket near my feet. Jacquie slapped his arm and grabbed the thing back. “Can’t you be nice?” “No,” I claimed. Kat snickered. She was recovering faster than I was. I’d been the one to open the passage back here. And I hadn’t been back to full strength after overdoing it at Blossom’s Unlimited. She was avoiding casting. She wasn’t using her glamour. Jonan brought her over. She’d come in with her hood covering her white hair and most of her face. Her hands had stayed stuffed in her pockets until the door was closed. Jacquie had done a double-take when she took off her coat. She’d only seen me a few times. “I’m trying to help him not make a mess in his apartment,” Roy claimed. “None of us want to clean that up and he’s in no condition to do it.” “I can handle that if I need to,” I assured him. “I haven’t eaten anything for a while. And I should be able to keep down water.” I’d kept down my breakfast of dry toast and my lunch of crackers. I hadn’t wanted any dinner. “Maybe some ginger ale,” Jacquie suggested. “Oh, that sounds so good,” Kat agreed. “We aren’t supposed to eat human foods,” I reminded her. “Everything you’ve eaten, humans eat,” Jacquie protested. “It’s the same kind of food,” Roy explained. “But it came from Underhill. The nutritional values are different.” She gave a long-suffering sigh. “Honey, you have the patience of a saint,” she told Kara. Kara shrugged. “It’s give and take. We do well.” “Wait until Roy gets sick,” I claimed. “I don’t get sick as often as you,” he claimed. “Wait until you’re over a thousand,” I countered. “If he’s still around in a thousand years, he has the right to be sick as often as he wants,” Jonan declared. “If he were a mage could he live that long?” Kara asked. “I’m not a mage,” Roy insisted. “He’s not. And no, human mages don’t live so long. Depending on their specialties, some might live a little longer. It’s hard to tell,” I explained. “Yeah, many don’t handle their magic well. Humans don’t believe in it and think they’re going crazy or turn to drugs,” Kat added. I thought of Mike and how knowing me had helped him. Then I thought of the thieves. “And if they believe, they turn to crime,” Roy said. “Just because those two did doesn’t mean all will,” Kat claimed. “You mean the thieves?” Jonan asked. I nodded. “Both thieves suspected they were different from others, but didn’t know much. Then word got around about me and they realized magic was real. They met online on a site talking about me.” “And they started using their magic to break into places?” Jacquie asked. I nodded. “Then they met the other two and plans grew to something bigger,” Roy added. “They discovered natural passages to Underhill and were using them to be able to rob more places and fence the stuff thousands of miles away. They got the idea that if they could open their own passages, they could go anywhere, but neither mage was that strong so they were building a device that could open both a passage Underhill and a second from Underhill back to the human world at the same time and it would check for safety in both areas.” “That’s impressive,” Kat said. “And it would take a lot of magic to do. It’s doubtful they could have created.” “That’s why they were at Soul Stone. They weren’t looking for funding. They were after diamonds for their refractive properties,” I explained. “They can be used to magnify magic. You get enough of them or a big enough one, you can do a lot.” “Don’t you need uncut ones?” Kat asked. “They had some there,” Roy confirmed. “And they were good sized too.” “How big?” Kat asked. “I don’t know. I don’t know much about diamonds.” “Sucks for you,” Kat told Jacquie. “We are not anywhere near that stage. And if we ever get to that stage, I can help him. My dad used to be an appraiser.” “Kara? What about you and Sean? He hasn’t mentioned you two dating yet in chat,” Jonan said. “I was waiting to see the fallout from me being outed as an elf. I don’t want anything to happen to her,” I explained. “It’s only been since he got back into town,” Kara told him. “And now you’re taking care of him? Lucky you.” “It’s not the first time I’ve helped him out.” Roy nodded. “You should have seen how much help he needed last fall when he broke his leg.” “I was pretty bad off,” I admitted. “We all need help. And he’s helped me with my ex several times, even before we were friends,” Kara said. “I’ve heard that with enough magic, you can fuse several diamonds together,” I said, wanting to keep them from giving Kara a hard time about taking care of me. I had told her she didn’t need to, it was her choice. “I’ve heard that too but I don’t believe it,” Kat claimed. “It would make it impossible to cut and polish.” I nodded. I’d thought the same thing. What would be the point except to use it as a charm? Even then, I couldn’t imagine what kind of spell would take that much magic. “Would you recover faster if you went Underhill?” Jonan asked. Given the look Kat gave him, I had a feeling they’d already had this conversation. “It would cut down the time some, but opening a passage would set me back too much,” I explained. “Aren’t there natural passages?” Kara asked. “I know I’ve read that, but I don’t know if it’s true. “There are, but not close. The nearest one I’ve found is a several-hour drive north of here. I don’t know if I could handle the car ride. Unless Kat knows of another.” Kat shook her head. “I didn’t even know about that one. It’s not on my dad’s map.” “What about one of these human mages?” Jacquie asked. “Some might be able to,” I confirmed, mindful of not giving away Thompson’s secret. “But they’d have to know the spell. And they’d have to be strong enough to do it. Of the few mages I know, I don’t know how many are that strong.” “Not that little Suzie,” Kat decided. “She’s too young. Her magic is still developing.” “What about that Mike? Or White Witch?” Roy asked. “Mike maybe. I don’t even know who White Witch is. It’s not that important. I should be back to work by the end of the week, probably before.” There were plenty of reasons not to encourage humans to open passages. “Who’s White Witch?” Kat asked. “Didn’t I just say I didn’t know? Am I hallucinating?” I asked. “You didn’t pull that name out of your hat. Tell me what you do know,” Kat insisted. “She’s a mage. She knows one of the victims up in Northridge. She seems to be some kind of sensitive, maybe an empath. That’s all I know.” “Or a seeker?” Kat asked. “I don’t know. She doesn’t want anyone to know who she is. For all I know, she could be one of the thieves.” Roy chuckled. “That would have been funny. Her helping to solve her own crimes.” I nodded. It was unlikely. “It’s too bad. Having a seeker help the department would take a lot of stress off you, Sean,” Kat reasoned. “Yeah, put me out of a job,” I agreed. “I doubt it. Seekers aren’t that good. You can’t find a person that way,” Kat assured him. “I was only thinking of you. Besides, who else wants to learn that software you use for making videos.” “You use it,” I reminded her. “But I’m an artist. Not everyone is,” she pointed out. “Do you use it for art?” Jonan asked me. “I’ve tried a little. I like painting though.” “I jumped on 3D because I couldn’t paint, or draw or anything like that,” he admitted. “They didn’t have 3D back when I started,” I pointed out. “Do you have something you could show us?” Jacquie asked. I started to get up but Roy stopped me. He went and brought out two of my paintings. Then he took Jacquie into the bedroom I keep my painting stuff in to show her more. Kat followed with Jonan to play chaperon. Once we were alone, I kissed Kara grateful for the friends I’ve found.