They all ran for the cover of the outer ring. Except for Napkin, who got slowly to his feet, then in the blink of an eye, vanished and reappeared under the lower roof.

  “It’s the Alp!” Amanda hissed at Sirius.

  Along with everyone else, they watched as the spoons kept raining, until eventually, the creature ran out of spoons and, much like any regular rain storm, the flow petered out.

  Renault raised his hands. “Alright everyone! Let’s break for lunch until we get this mess sorted out.”

  Sirius leaned down close and spoke to Amanda. “I don’t think asking it to leave worked. Was there another way to get rid of it?”

  “Showing it its reflection.”

  “Really?”

  “That’s what the book said.”

  “Alright.” Sirius stood up straight and looked around.

  “Wait, what are you going to do? If you tell them then they’ll want to know how we know what it was? You’re not going to tell the council that it was us are you?” Amanda asked.

  “But it was us. Well, me specifically.” Sirius found where Sandy was and started off in his direction.

  Amanda rolled her eyes and followed after him. “Wait! You’re not taking credit for this alone.”

  They reached Sandy, who like many of the other council members was busy directing people.

  “Go tell Philip we have a code five in the Judgment Chambers.”

  “And possibly other parts of the city,” Beatrice added. “No wonder I couldn’t find any of my teaspoons this morning.”

  “There’s reports all over,” Eddie added, “of teaspoons going missing.”

  “What do you think we are dealing with?” asked Ren.

  “An attack from the fire islanders maybe?” suggested Renault.

  “Actually, I think it was me,” Sirius butted in.

  The council-members turned to look at him.

  Stupid honorable endearing fool, Amanda thought. “And me,” she added out loud.

  “What do you mean?” Sandy asked.

  “I accidentally summoned an Alp last night,” Sirius explained.

  “We,” Amanda corrected.

  “We. We thought we’d gotten rid of it.”

  “The good news is,” Amanda added quickly, “That we know of another way to get rid of it. We just have to show it its own reflection.”

  A shrill laugh sounded.

  They all turned to see Sirena join the group. “Oh, I beg my pardon, but you can’t get rid of an Alp by showing it its own reflection.”

  Amanda spent a minute or so resisting the urge to punch Sirena’s smug looking face.

  Sirius was cooler about her intrusion. “And why’s that?” he asked, as if she weren’t their mortal enemy.

  “Because Alps don’t have reflections,” Sirena explained. “Nor do any of their workings. A mirror is how you can tell an Alp’s illusions from real life.”

  “Is this true Vlad?” Renault asked.

  For a moment Amanda was confused as to who he was talking to but then the older stern looking vampire whose name she had yet to learn, answered with the slow bow of his head.

  “It is indeed.” It was the first time they had heard him talk all day.

  Amanda could feel heat fill her face. She wasn’t sure if it was more from embarrassment or anger. After all of the other things Sirena had done, she also had the audacity to butt in and show Amanda up on magical creature knowledge.

  Amanda felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She glanced to the side. Sirius was giving her a look. One that clearly said that he understood how she felt but that there were more important things to focus on right now. She knew he was right. She took in a deep breath, exhaled slowly and then asked, “Okay, so how do we get rid of it? The book I read also mentioned cheese.”

  Sirena nodded and without a hint of scorn or mocking or hatred, not even the threatening tone that Amanda associated with her the most, she replied, “That’s correct. Certain types of cheeses can be used to lure and capture them.”

  They were close enough now that Amanda could smell her. Sirena was wearing the same perfume that she’d been wearing at the docks in Scarlett. It was simple, lightweight, and elegant. It smelt like something Amanda could only describe as turquoise. It made Amanda hate the woman even more. Evil had no right to smell that good. Not that Amanda ever would have worn perfume like that. It pegged Sirena as a woman born of an entirely different class and everything about the woman up close made Amanda feel like a child. Sirena suited Capilliaria.

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  Amanda suited the sea, and the desert, and all the wild places.

  It was Sirius’s presence beside her that reminded her who she was, not in comparison to Sirena but on her own terms. She needed only to look at him to be reminded of that. She could see the way he saw her reflected back at her in his eyes, like the best version of herself, and it made her want to try harder to be that. Feeling comfortable with herself and by borrowing some of Sirius’s calm, Amanda found it within herself to work with her enemy for the greater good.

  “So how do we trap it?” she asked Sirena.

  “Same way you’d trap any small creature.” Sirena’s yellow eyes gleamed with the pleasure of one who likes a good hunt. “The question is, who gets to keep it once we do?”

  Amanda narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what Sirena had planned for the thing or what the pros and cons were of keeping it versus letting it go. She might be ready to work with Sirena but that didn’t mean she trusted her.

  Vlad solved their problem for them. “I do,” he stated. Not a single person questioned him about it. Amanda decided it was better than Sirena getting it.

  Vlad knew as much as Sirena did about the Alps and soon the two of then had hatched a plan to trap the creature. Everyone was given instructions and a mirror.

  “Alps do not like to be trapped and they will try to trick you,” Vlad said. “So until Sirena has completed the binding ritual, use the mirror to tell what’s real.”

  “How do you know it will come?” Amanda asked.

  “Alps are tricksters and they like a challenge, almost as much as they like cheese.” He glanced toward the centre of the room where a large wheel of Brie was currently being rolled into place in the centre of a spring-triggered cage. Then he rubbed his hands together like he’d just masterminded the perfect trap, which she supposed he had, but it did make him look quite nefarious.

  “All we have to do to get it into the room is to call it. Once here, hopefully it will go for the cheese,” Vlad added.

  “And if it doesn’t?” Sirius asked.

  “It won’t try to feed from a vampire so if it goes for anyone it will be one of the witches, a human, or chikari. It will try to steal a kiss or a hug first. They must be invited to feed you see. Once invited, they will go for the nipples and won’t stop until they have tasted blood or milk. Humans are the sweetest drink,” Vlad said to Mickey with a look that made Amanda think Vlad was considering Mickey for his own lunch. “But youth also holds its own appeal.” He sent a look Amanda and Sirius’s direction. “All you must do to escape its clutches is to deny it. Call it for what it is and it will move onto the next person, and hopefully eventually the cheese. Once it is in the cage it will not be able to touch you but it will still be able to cast illusions until Sirena has the binding ritual in place.”

  “Do we trust her to get a binding seal right?” Sirius asked. “Her last one set acid-leaking creatures loose on my ship.”

  “It’s fine when it’s not scuffed,” Sirena retorted with a huff.

  “I’d rather Amanda did it,” Sirius said to the council, ignoring Sirena’s glare. He was definitely well past caring what she thought. “She’s good with magic.”

  “Why don’t they both do it. Joint magic is a thing,” Renault said as if the decision had already been made.

  “For advanced magic users,” Amanda replied.

  “Which you are,” Sirius said. “You did it with me.”

  “What about her?” Amanda nodded at Sirena. It was weird being this close to the woman given last time Sirena had been holding a knife at her throat.

  “I can if you will. It’s no trouble for me,” Sirena said with an air of superiority.

  “Fine.” Amanda gave a nod and resisted the urge to add some name-calling in.

  “What if it doesn’t go for the cheese? Perhaps we need some human bait?” suggested Mickey.

  “You are the only human here,” Vlad said, blinking several times in surprise.

  “I know.” Mickey nodded but he had a determined look on his face.

  “You’ll need a way to get out once it’s trapped, and without letting it out,” Sirena told him. “But I think I know how we might do this. I’ll show you.”

  She led Mickey over to where the cage was being set up. Amanda watched as they chatted. They looked like old friends. Mickey was smiling and everything. Was Sirena just talking about the plan to catch the Alp or was she discussing the case? Either way, seeing Sirena get on so well with one of the few councilors Amanda had assumed was on their side was somewhat disconcerting. Perhaps this was also her chance?

  “Alright everyone. Take your mirrors and spread out around the room,” Renault was instructing.

  Amanda watched where Mephistopheles went, and then without caring who was watching she placed herself where she could talk to him.

  Sirius was giving her a ‘what are you up to now?’ sort of look, but none of the other councilors appeared to have noticed.

  Mephistopheles soon noticed her though. He narrowed his eyes. So like Sirius’s were they that for a moment they gave Amanda pause and she wondered if she was doing the sort of thing Sirius would think was a wise move. A moment later she shook off her doubt and went with her gut.

  “How can you defend her when she ships snakes in such horrid conditions?” she asked Mephistopheles directly.

  Mephistopheles gave her a stern look. “You are not supposed to be speaking to me about matters of the case.”

  His words deflated her like a pin in a balloon. She knew if she pushed too hard she was likely to do more damage to their case than she was to aid it. But she had to know why he defended Sirena so. He seemed so sensible otherwise.

  “I just don’t understand,” she said, her tone betraying her weakened determination and the hopelessness she felt.

  But the honest emotion worked and Mephistopheles’s expression softened. In a quieter voice he whispered back, “Look, I am sorry for what Michael did. I understand what kind of man he was and it was not a nice one. Sirena was blinded by her love for him. He was her family and she has known him and helped care for him since he was a baby. But she is not like him.”

  “But the snakes…”

  He nodded. “Perhaps it is not ideal but those snakes do go to good homes-”

  “She doesn’t seem short of money.”

  He smiled. “First impressions do not always represent the truth and she must compete with a tough market. She spends where it matters. Perhaps care could be better but you’re defending a man who murders people.” He held up a finger before she could interrupt. “Even if he’s not responsible for Michael’s death, he is responsible for the deaths of others. I know what it’s like out there, what is considered justified on the open sea. Sirius James has a reputation.”

  “Yeah, well, first impressions aren’t always accurate,” Amanda shot back.

  Mephistopheles eyed her for several seconds, as if assessing her, although to what judgment he came to, Amanda could not be sure. And a few seconds later he remarked, “It is best we cease talking now.” He nodded over her shoulder.

  Amanda turned to see Sirena approaching. “Are you ready?” the woman asked.

  Amanda gave a nod and in a purely practical very restrained sort of tone she replied, “Let’s do this.”