The two of them were back to the silent debating. Braid shrugged and Spike nodded, as they came to some agreement.
“Should we count the two times we brought her over?” Braid asked, pointing at me again.
“No,” Hawk said.
“Then none.”
“If you’re looking for more Whimsy witches, it’s not our fault. It’s been slim pickings,” Spike added. “We’ve been trying.”
Braid nodded, completely missing the point of this conversation. We didn’t care if there weren’t more witches and warlocks, only that nothing was adding up. How had Marvin kept the factory running?
“What about the last couple of years?” Hawk asked.
“A handful. Maybe four?” Braid said right away. After they hadn’t gotten beheaded for the first answer, they clearly didn’t feel the need for another debate.
I didn’t know the math, or how many Whimsy witches were born a year, but that didn’t sound like enough to keep the engine churning at the factory.
Hawk waved toward the door. “You can go.”
“We can? That’s it?” Braid asked.
“That’s it.”
Instead of running out of the office, they both got up like they’d just finished a marathon and all their energy was depleted. They looked about the room, as if they were stupid enough to think someone was going to fill them in on what was afoot.
Hawk cleared his throat and then pointedly looked at the door.
They nodded and headed in that direction with a bit more speed. I followed, smiling as I showed them out.
I held the door open as they left and then kept it open a few inches as they walked away. They didn’t bother looking back as they started talking.
Braid turned to Spike. “You know, considering the lack of pop-ups, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvin gets desperate enough to use the hill again.”
“I don’t think he’ll do that anymore.”
I flattened my palm on the door, pushing it wide open. “What’s the hill?” I yelled.
They turned, their faces stark white and the urge to run in their twitchy gazes. As a former runner myself, I was a master at spotting another.
“Hawk,” I called inside, grateful I had some backup on hand. Last attempt I’d made at questioning one of them had led to a merry chase first.
“I’m right here,” Hawk said from behind me. “We need these two still?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” Hawk said, “you heard her. We need to talk some more.” He had one hand on the door, holding it open while he waited for them to turn back around.
They were cursing under their breath as they walked back in.
Spike turned to Braid. “You call me the stupid one, but you’re the one always gabbing away. Can’t keep your mouth shut for nothing.”
“Shut up or I’ll shut yours for you.” Braid elbowed him.
Hawk tilted his head back to the bench. I didn’t wait for anyone to tell me to take the lead. They’d have to fight to take the reins out of my hand.
“What’s the hill?” I asked.
“We don’t know.” Braid couldn’t sit still.
Spike stared at his shoes, saying nothing.
“You just talked about it,” I said.
“That doesn’t mean we know.” Spike looked up, even as he kept his head down.
Braid shook his head. “We really don’t know. We hear shit. No one tells us anything.”
“And what shit do you hear?” I asked, as Hawk stepped closer.
“We can’t talk about it. You don’t understand. He’ll kill us.”
“You think I won’t?” Hawk asked. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors. Trust me when I tell you that not only will I kill you, but I’ll enjoy it. You two have been nothing but a pain in my ass. I’d be happy to kill you.”
Bibbi walked over and stood on my other side, a letter opener in her hand. “Let me have a chance at them. We’ll see what they know.”
I swung an arm out, stopping her from getting too close. “Hang on there. I think we should give them a chance to talk first.”
“Fine. We can give them a chance. But for the record, I don’t have a lot of patience.” She dropped her hand only enough so it was no longer level with their necks.
Braid and Spike’s faces were white enough that you couldn’t help but wonder if they had any blood left.
Braid said, keeping his eyes on Bibbi’s letter opener, “Marvin mentioned in passing once that we either found him more pop-ups, ones who weren’t totally useless—”
Braid elbowed Spike in the ribs. Braid seemed to catch his error and looked at me, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to say you were useless. Just most pop-ups are weak as hell, and—”
“I don’t care. Keep going. What else did he say?” I asked.
“He’d have to go back to ‘the hill,’ and he didn’t want to do that again. That’s it,” Braid answered, putting up his palms.
I kept staring at him for another few moments, trying to smell a lie. They squirmed a bit, but nothing worse than what I’d expect with a rabid Bibbi ready to gut them.
“Don’t move,” I told them.
“I’ll watch them. They won’t go anywhere,” Bibbi said.
I walked to the other side of the office. Everyone followed me but Bibbi, who stood in front of them, flipping her letter opener end over end.
“Do you think they’re telling us everything?” I asked.
“I do,” Hawk said.
“Yeah. Me too,” Oscar said.
Musso and Zab agreed. It was unlikely we were all wrong.
“Bibbi, cut them loose,” I said.
She turned toward me. “Really? Do I have to?”
Braid and Spike took off. Bibbi let out a grunt as she watched their backs. They were lucky she wasn’t giving chase.
Musso hummed. “What hill could they be talking about? After all my years here, I thought I was aware of every nook and cranny in Xest.”
“Maybe the hill behind the mailbox?” Zab asked.
“I think I might have a lead on the hill,” I said, remembering the place Bautere had brought me. It had seemed like nothing, but it might be the only lead.
Hawk turned back my way. “You do, do you?” There was no need for him to say anything further.
“I wouldn’t get all judgmental if I were you.” I went and grabbed a jacket, and everyone in the office went to do the same. “Um, I’m not sure if we should all go. It’s in Bautere’s…”
I didn’t have to finish. They were already putting their coats down. That was easy enough.
Hawk walked to the stairs, waiting, the only one who didn’t mind going into Bautere’s territory.
26
It was more of a mound, and that was a generous description. This thing wouldn’t trigger a deep breath if I ran up it hard and fast. But this was the place Bautere had said seemed odd. It was our one and only lead at the moment.
Hawk walked cautiously around it, giving it much more respect than I did. He circled in tighter and tighter rings as he approached.