Southwest Days (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 2), Kal Aaron [book recommendations based on other books .txt] 📗

hose into her house the night before. She’d lied and told them she was filling a huge fish tank, then made up an excuse why they couldn’t come and see it.

They didn’t need to know she was trying to power-wash monster grime off her regalia. Even the grand tools of ancient Lemuria needed laundry help now and again. She’d half-considered acting on her joke idea of walking through a car wash. For now, she’d have to tolerate the smell and figure out her next step.

She’d not done anything else yet because of a message from Samuel informing her he’d be stopping by at “some point” in the morning to discuss the contract, though there was technically only one hour left in the morning. With her luck, he’d show up at 11:59. It was annoying because she could have slept in and been spared the smell for a few more hours.

Thanks to her quick work, Samuel had received a preliminary report on her efforts the night before. She’d grown efficient and professional over the years at relating the most important pieces of information using her mirror shard. Hating bureaucracy didn’t mean not understanding the necessity of the occasional report.

“It would have been hilarious if he had to go in there, white suit and all,” Lyssa muttered. “I can see him coming out, dripping with goo and frowning like he always does. Even more annoying, he’d be the damned picture-perfect Sorcerer of dignity, goo-covered or not.”

“I presume you’re speaking of Elder Samuel?” Jofi asked, his voice as clear as ever despite being safely locked up. At least he’d been easy to clean. Sometimes the small miracles got a woman through the day.

“Yeah,” Lyssa replied. “He was never a Torch or Eclipse back in the day, so I don’t know how much he had to get his hands dirty with things like killing rogues or monster hunts. Also, hiring us out to the Shadows is a new thing.” She sat up. “Though I suppose everyone had to spend a lot more time back in the day trying to keep everything quiet, so the Shadows could live out their days not worried about giant monsters or not-so-giant monsters. It’s not like they could just show up afterward with some fake taxidermy and say it was a huge wolf.”

She went back and forth on whether she thought rogues were more active post-M-Day. With less concern about unusual events immediately drawing attention to the Society, there was a good argument to be made that things had become more dangerous.

A light knock came on the door. Lyssa hopped up and checked her peephole, convinced it was Samuel in disguise because of the sheer blandness of the gray-suited man on the other side who radiated faint sorcery. She’d gotten better at distinguishing other people’s sorcery from the background feeling of the spells protecting her home, and it was easier to sense subtle spells.

Lyssa opened the door and gestured inside. “A specific meeting time wouldn’t kill you. Sometimes a girl might want to make plans.”

The man waited until she closed the door to blur into the white-suited, white-haired Samuel.

He sniffed the air. “I’d hope for the sake of anyone around you that you’d avoid any activity until as such time as that unfortunate odor is better-handled.”

Lyssa grimaced. Getting dumped on by Samuel for her smell was a new low.

“When such incidents occur,” he continued, “even though you’re the one on the frontlines, there are many complicated things I’m required to handle behind the scenes. This means that I can’t always be prompt on my responses, let alone personal appearances.”

“Fair enough.” Lyssa dropped onto her couch. “By the way, don’t think I’m not still annoyed about you benching me for so long. This job shows I could have been kicking butt a long time ago. I blew away a whole swarm yesterday.”

“Benching you?” Samuel raised an eyebrow. “Regional Torch assignments were rerouted for a short period after a major success on your part that ended with you seriously injured. I did what I did out of consideration for you.”

“You saw me in decent shape shortly after.” Lyssa frowned. “And you knew I wanted work to get to Last Remnant. I’ve been sitting around doing nothing. Meanwhile, other Torches have been getting hurt.”

“I appreciate your concern for the others, but keep in mind for your situation that not every injury is physical in nature.” Samuel gave her a cool look. “I give your petulant attitude some latitude because of your tremendous talent and skill, but you’re still a young woman who exhibits excessive paranoia even by our standards. I thought it best to give you time to calm down after everything that happened. I didn’t want you overreacting to any other incident.”

Lyssa smirked. “That backfired in a big way.”

“Did it?” Samuel walked toward the couch and stared down at her. “The anniversary of your brother’s death complicated things unnecessarily. I suspect it complicated things far more than I realize, but I stand by my decision. Besides, it doesn’t matter now.”

“Why doesn’t it?” Lyssa asked.

Samuel’s gaze became cold and calculating. “You wanted to go to Last Remnant to disprove your brother’s death. You wanted evidence, and now you have it, even if it isn’t what you wished for. Thus, you no longer have a reason to go to Last Remnant.”

Lyssa gritted her teeth. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She stood and glared at him.

“Oh, you know about that?” Lyssa asked, her tone sharp. “So much for my privacy.”

Samuel looked disappointed. “Don’t be a child, Miss Corti. I wasn’t privy to your message, but I’m the Elder who controls this area, and anything potentially relevant to the Torches in my area of responsibility is passed along to me in one form or another. Your privacy, as such, is limited.”

“And you don’t think the timing is suspiciously convenient?” Lyssa snarled. “Everyone tells me Chris has to be dead. I point out his regalia’s not in the vault, and they offer excuses. Then suddenly,