Adriana Vega pushed open the door to the two-bedroom apartment, revealing chaos.

  “This is how I found it,” she said, her voice tight.

  Gretta took one look at the wreckage inside and exhaled slowly. Shattered furniture, overturned chairs—a brawl for sure. But the couch? A clean, surgical gap, as if someone had sliced through it with an impossibly sharp blade.

  “Huh,” Gretta muttered. That didn’t fit.

  From her position, the living room and kitchen were visible. The kitchen chairs were knocked over, the table snapped in half—but the couch? The missing chunk felt deliberate, precise. Maybe the attacker had a weapon sharp enough to shear through fabric and wood in one cut. But then… where was the missing piece? Everything else had been left in ruins, splintered and scattered. Why take a scrap of couch? What made that different from everything else?

  Gretta frowned. “Didn’t you already report this? What did the police say?”

  Adriana walked over to the couch, tracing the clean edge where fabric, stuffing, and wood should have been. “The police barely glanced around before giving up. Said there was nothing they could do. What did you think they’d say when they see this?”

  “I can’t think of anything that destroys a space this cleanly. But who knows—maybe there’s a mundane explanation.” Gretta gave the couch another look. It looked like magic had disintegrated it. The matter had been removed.

  Adriana shook her head and sighed. “I wouldn’t have come to a private eye without a track record if I thought I had any other choice. No offense.”

  Gretta swallowed the urge to snap back. Rent doesn’t pay itself. And, realistically, if her kid and grandkid were missing, she’d probably be cranky too. “Does your son often get into magical brawls?”

  Adriana grinned. “Now and then.”

  “You know that I’m a PI, not a bodyguard,” Gretta said. “I might be able to track down your son and granddaughter, but I don’t fight their battles.”

  “That’s not what I heard,” Adriana said, but before Gretta could argue, she continued, “Just find them. Call me. I’ll handle the rest.”

  Gretta looked around at the disheveled room. “Why would somebody be after your son and Sofia?”

  Adriana’s look turned intense.“Miguel? He’s just in the way. But Sofia…” Adriana’s voice dropped. “She’s special. A child with that much magic? That much raw potential?”

  Gretta’s stomach tightened. She forced her face to stay neutral, but a cold knot twisted at the base of her spine. She’d tracked missing kids before while working as an apprentice—runaways, custody disputes. But this? This was different. People didn’t go missing for no reason, and kids with power? That was the kind of reason that got them taken.

  “She’d be the perfect host,” Adriana said softly. “For a god.”

  Gretta gasped. “Like an avatar? I thought that took a willing host. A god can’t simply take over somebody.”

  Adriana looked sad again. “A child’s will is easily broken when put to the test.”

  Gretta cleared her throat. “I see pictures of Sofia and your son, Miguel, but I don’t see any of your daughter-in-law. Why is that?”

  “Ah, Lucia,” Adriana said. Her voice cracked, and she looked away. “She’s no longer in the picture. I think Miguel finally realized she was keeping secrets from him.”

  Gretta walked across the living room to a computer desk. “Could Lucia have taken Sofia and Miguel?”

  “Maybe, but I don’t think she succeeded,” Adriana said.

  “Why not?” Gretta asked as she shook the computer’s mouse.

  “Well, Miguel’s car was missing. So, he probably escaped whoever attacked him.”

  "If he ran, he left a trail." Gretta clicked the mouse, and the computer whirred to life.

  A login screen popped up.

  Great. Just once, she’d like to meet someone with worse cybersecurity than her.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  She reached for the keyboard, tilting it up slightly—bingo. A sticky note with scribbled passwords.

  “I feel like this is illegal,” Adriana muttered.

  “Not if nobody finds out,” Gretta said, already typing.

  She skimmed the list, found what she needed, and typed it in.

  Adriana walked over. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for clues as to where your son went,” Gretta said. “Did the cops even check his bank activity? Or did they just shrug and move on?”

  Gretta typed and clicked to scan Miguel’s browsing history, spotted a link to a banking account, navigated to it, and then logged in using the password saved in the browser.

  “Is this legal?”

  Gretta flushed. “Um. I won’t tell if you don’t. I thought you wanted your son found.”

  Adriana smiled. “I won’t say a word.”

  Gretta scrolled through Miguel’s recent purchases. The last two purchases were at a gas station and then a diner in Marana. There weren’t any unusually large deposits or withdrawals, and as she scanned through the previous month, it seemed that Miguel lived a fairly predictable life. The only odd thing was the number and frequency of his spending at a gardening store—but judging by the sheer number of potted plants, maybe he was just really passionate about them. She took a quick picture of the screen. She pulled up a map webpage and looked for the diner and the gas station.

  “Looks like they passed through Marana. They stopped at the gas station first and then the diner. Maybe they are heading west.”

  Adriana shrugged. “Or maybe they got back on the freeway.”

  Gretta took down a picture of Miguel and his daughter Sofia. It looked like they were at a birthday party. “Mind if I take this?”

  “Go right ahead,” Adriana said.

  “You said that Miguel gets in fights sometimes? What sort of magic does he have?”

  Adriana grinned. “Miguel is a disciple of the Wild Mother, like you. So, you can imagine why he likes a good fight.”

  “The Wild Mother values growth and adaptability,” Gretta said.

  Adriana smirked, which was the first time she hadn’t looked upset since Gretta had met her. “What about strength and cunning?”

  Gretta shrugged. “Yes, but only in that strength and adaptability helps to protect others. We don’t seek out fights.”

  “If you say so,” Adriana said.

  Gretta wanted to press the issue but remembered that Adriana was a paying customer. She looked around the room and spotted a framed picture. Gretta removed the photo from the frame. “I doubt we’ll get much more from here. Do you know what kind of car Miguel drove? Maybe a license plate number?”

  “He drives a blue Toyota Corolla with a white hood and a grey trunk,” Adriana said. “I don’t know the license plate number.”

  Gretta scanned a stack of bills and spotted an insurance bill. She reviewed it and then took a picture when she saw the license plate number.

  Gretta whispered an ancient word of power, sharpening her senses. The room came into sharper focus, but she didn’t see or hear anything that helped her search. That wasn’t why she had cast the spell, though. Gretta breathed deeply through her nose and took in the scents. She caught the scent of four people she didn’t know.

  “I have your contact information. I will check out the diner and see what I find.”

  “I should come with you. Every moment they are on the run is another moment that they might come to harm.”

  “I expect they are long gone, and I’ll just be interviewing people there. If I find a lead, I might have to act fast, and I’d rather be free to use more of my powers.”

  Adriana shook her head. “Shapeshifters. Always want to do things alone.”

  Gretta stilled, pulse kicking up half a beat. She shouldn’t know that. It wasn’t something she advertised, and the Wild Mother wasn’t in the habit of handing out personal details.

  “Huh,” Gretta said, keeping her tone neutral. “Didn’t think that was public knowledge.”

  Adriana just gave a small, knowing smile.

  The fact that Adriana knew this much about her was unsettling. Adriana had known that Gretta had powers, but that might have been explained by a prayer that led to a deity nudging Adriana toward the only disciple of the Wild Mother who might be able to help. As far as Gretta knew, only the Wild Mother would know Gretta’s abilities, and it felt unlikely she would have revealed them to a stranger. Adriana was not a disciple of the Wild Mother. Her magic felt potent, but it wasn’t that of a storm or nature. It was more like the power of the sun.

  Gretta could see why Adriana wanted to be present, but she also couldn’t see a way to keep Adriana alive if a fight broke out. “Like I said, I’d rather be free to use more of my powers if there’s trouble, and I don’t think I can keep you safe while investigating.”

  Adriana looked weary. “And exactly what do you think you are keeping me safe from?”

  Gretta pointed to the disintegrated couch. “Maybe a disciple of destruction?”

  Adriana’s expression turned shocked. “Nobody has seen or heard of anybody following the Lord of Destruction.”

  Gretta shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe your son was doing something that got the Beacon of Light riled up and seeking justice, but I’ve heard things get fiery when she gets involved. I don’t see any signs of fire here.”

  “If it is one of the Lord’s disciples, you won’t be a match for him alone.”

  Gretta nodded. “But I’ll feel better if we both don’t die.” Gretta turned away from Adriana. “If I don’t check in by tomorrow, pack your bags and leave the state.”

  Adriana’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded. Gretta had the distinct impression she wouldn’t leave the state, no matter what happened.

  She should have walked. But something—or someone—was out there, tearing holes in the world.

  And a kid was at stake.

  Gretta squared her shoulders, shoved the doubt aside, and stepped into the fire.