Free Ghost Light by E. J. Stevens Page B

heard of faeries stealing human children from their beds, but not the other way around.  A mass kidnapping of faerie children didn’t make any sense.
    “And the clients on the phone?” I asked.
    “More children missing from their homes,” she said.  “I asked the parents to bring something from their kid’s room, something for you to touch.  The ones outside are the first to show up.  They came faster than I expected.”
    I closed my eyes, dizziness making the room spin.  Stress and fatigue were catching up with me.  Jinx sucked in a breath and my eyes sprung open to see what was wrong now.  I hoped whatever it was could wait.  I couldn’t face much more without a strong cup of coffee.  I looked down at my wrist and sighed.  The reason for her gasp was evident by the glow rising from my skin.
    “Crap, I don’t have time for this,” I said.
    “You didn’t eat anything today,” she said.  Jinx tapped a long, red fingernail on her desk blotter and gave me the stink-eye.  Tap, tap, tap.   “You didn’t sleep last night, either.”
    It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway.
    “Nope,” I said.  I released my grip on the chair, pushed hair from my face, and pulled it into a messy bun.  “Ceff’s bringing food, sleep will have to wait.”
    There would be no chance for sleep until I’d interviewed every last parent standing outside my office.  I glanced out the window and sighed.  The crowd of fae wasn’t getting any smaller.
    This wasn’t a case of one runaway juvenile bugbear.  We were dealing with the kidnapping of dozens of fae children.  To say we were unprepared and understaffed was an egregious understatement.  I was glad that Ceff had decided to stay.  We could use all the help we could get.
    I pulled myself up and went to sit behind my desk.  I wasn’t running away from Jinx’s reproachful stare, really.
    I thumped down in my chair and prepared myself for the case.  For though we had numerous clients, it was one case—it just had to be.  I closed my eyes and thought about frantic parents finding the beds of their children empty this morning.  I imagined frightened kids huddled somewhere cold and dark.  Rage burned in my chest and I watched the sparks of gold behind my eyelids begin to disappear.  I bit the inside of my cheek and remembered the families outside, desperate to save their children.  I grasped my anger with both hands and held on tight.
    Pain and anger had saved me before.  Hopefully, they could burn away the stress, worry, and fatigue until this was all over.   If embracing my anger toward the kidnapper—the true monster here, no matter what my clients looked like—helped to control my wisp powers, all the better.  Walking around the city with glowing skin would make my job more difficult, especially if the fae courts stepped in.
    It was hard to locate missing children while buried in a pine box.
    Damn, why did it have to be children?  I pounded my fist on the desk, knocking over a coffee mug filled with pens, pencils, and scissors.  I flicked a glance at my reflection in a large pair of scissors that landed on my desk blotter.  My skin was no longer glowing, thank Mab.  It was time to get to work and bring these kids home.
    I opened a drawer and pushed in the messy contents of my desk.  I could sort through the detritus later.  For now, I had a job to do.  I lifted my chin and turned to Jinx.
    “Let them in,” I said.
     

Chapter 9
     
    I met with crying gnomes, limping henkies, growling goblins, wailing banshees, and fluttering sprites—to name a few.  Every faerie who approached my desk had lost a loved one—a child, sibling, or grandchild—in the night.
    Though some of the fae races who visited had unsavory reputations, they all seemed genuinely distressed.  Ceff was quick to remind me that all fae have difficulty conceiving.  Faerie children therefore are a rare gift, treasured by their families.  The raw pain on his face drove