Page 9 of Wanderer

Nodding, I headed deeper into the complex setup of greenhouses, polytunnels, and high raised beds to find our resident witch. As True had said, it was another plant in crisis. Each and every plant we could get through a winter season was vital to our self-sufficiency plan. Year upon year, we worked on our plan to grow and raise most of our food to cut down trips to nearby towns and cities. A necessary thing for our survival, especially as the outside world relied more and more on technology that could out us before we were ready, or before the humans were.

Greyhaven wasn’t just our home. It was a sanctuary for many who couldn’t live in the outside world safely. Either they didn’t blend in well, or they struggled with their powers. I had neither problem, but I’d always been in Greyhaven. I never planned on leaving either, not after the stories I’d been told by some of our residents.

Despite the growing feeling of isolation I struggled with, I knew my magic was vital to the town. Without me there’d be less magic for the wards, no one to teach my magical courses at the college, or to step in and help with the plants like I’d just done. As the years passed without my parents around, I’d built a place for myself. Okay, I didn’t have a busy social life, but I wasn’t completely alone. It still felt as if something was missing, though. As if there were a hole in my heart that needed that special someone to fix it.

People called out goodbyes to me as I wandered back toward the school building and my office. I was just in the door, about to take a seat, when Cian, my TA and assistant, burst through the door. “Gareth! There’s a newcomer! Hestia wants to see you.”

I sighed and muttered under my breath. As much as I wanted to help, I was also tired after using so much magic. “When did they arrive?”

“Yesterday!” He was almost bouncing like a puppy. A strange look on the gray, withered-looking old man. Cian was a bodach, and as such, was unable to live freely in the outside world. His appearance could be terrifying to those unacquainted with his personality. Cian, despite his trickster nature, was the sweetest soul. He had been around for so long now that no one knew how old he was, just that he’d made Greyhaven his home and wasn’t anything like the stories had made his kind out to be.

I frowned at the news. “Why wasn’t I called yesterday?” Hestia liked me to check out new people for any strange spells they could be carrying.

“Um, maybe because it was nearly evening?” Cian drawled sarcastically. “You work long hours, Gareth. Hestia values you too much to overwork you.”

“Hmm, you’ve been gossiping with Debra again.” He and the brownie had a bit of a thing going. Most of the town was rooting for them to finally make it official. “What do I need to know about this newcomer?” I couldn’t help but be curious despite my fatigue.

Cian filled me in on the shifter’s appearance in Greyhaven while I collected my things to brave the snow outside. I bundled myself up in my thick coat, a scarf, and heavy-duty gloves before heading out. It was a far longer walk than the one from the greenhouses to the college, since some students gained credits by learning to farm the land. The idea of the long walk to City Hall really made me question why I hadn’t brought my car.

I pulled up short when I opened the massive doors to find a police car waiting outside. “Hey, Gareth, thought I’d give you a ride to see the mayor.” Tatsuya’s grin was wide, making the dragon’s eyes spark. This was a side of the usually more stoic dragon that most people didn’t get to see.

Gratitude for my friend swelled up inside me, and I sagged with relief at not having to walk all the way across town to see the mayor in this weather. Snow clung to every surface, and the walkways were slick with ice. Someone had been sleeping on their salting duties.

“Man, am I glad to see you,” I said as I got into the empty front passenger seat. After taking off my gloves and unwinding my scarf, I leaned over to hug him. “How you been?”

“The usual, you know how it is. The mayor said she wanted you to consult on this newcomer, so I thought I’d give you a ride…” He trailed off with a shrug. Something was off about the situation, setting me on guard.

“What’s going on?” I asked warily. Tatsuya wasn’t usually this reticent with me.

“Hmm, nothing.” He pulled away from the curb with confidence. Unlike the pavements, the roads were pretty clear at this time of the afternoon.

“Tatsuya.” I dropped a hint of warning into my voice and let my power spark through me. He knew me well enough to know I’d zap him if I had to. His dragon hide was thick enough to handle my magic, but it always got results.

“Fine, fine,” he sighed. “The dude is weird. Panicked and withdrawn, like a lot of people are before you bite my head off! But it’s more than that.” My best friend was frowning as he expertly steered the car through the streets. We only had a couple of minutes at most before we’d be there.

His words, or rather his tone, caught my attention. Tatsuya wasn’t someone who made something out of nothing. “What is it? You know I trust your judgment, right?”

He blew out a breath. “This is between us, okay?”

“Of course.”

“He smells wrong,” Tatsuya admitted bluntly. My friend was usually more diplomatic than that, especially on the rare occasions that we had new people arrive. Each new person was treasured. Tatsuya valued his job welcoming newbies, so this was… odd.

While most people would have laughed at his words, likely not getting it, I took them to heart. This was bothering him. “Wrong how? What kind of supernatural is he?”

Tatsuya looked at me gratefully. “He claims to be a shifter, and we saw him in his bobcat form…”

“So?”

“I know what feline shifters smell like, Gar.”

He really did. It wasn’t just that he had a good nose—which he did, the same as most dragons—it was that he was a step above a regular dragon when it came to his senses. His magic was just more in tune with his dragon self, and that made it harder to fool him. It was likely that this new guy didn’t smell any different to anyone else, it was just that Tatsuya’s inner dragon was telling him something was off and representing that with scent.

“Right. So, you think he’s lying? Maybe used magic to glamor himself into a cat?” The idea had me on guard. This person shouldn’t have been able to get through the wards if they were here to cause trouble, but no spell was infallible. Our wards had failed before.

A tiny smile lifted his lips. “I have no fucking clue. Just be on your guard around him. He’s not what he seems.”

Parting from Tatsuya, I made a promise that I’d be careful around this guy. Riley, he had said. Just the name alone sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t decide if I was afraid to meet him or excited.