Oracle

Part 6

"I need to get out of here soon," the warden muttered to herself darkly. Both John and Calder smiled at her but Calder's aide looked more uncomfortable at the idea.

"You can try, Warden," Calder smiled lazily.

She glared at him, her eyes flashing yellow, her hands morphing into claws as she stood up, her hands slamming against the wooden table. John's own eyes flashed and he raised one of his hands to calm her. "Maria," John said firmly, "You are a guest in my house! Sit." She glared at him too but sat, her hand leaving scorch marks behind her.

"Calder, please do not threaten the warden. I will let her punch you if you continue," John then warned Calder. "City Lord or not, if you break the rules of my house, I will not keep my agreements either."

"My apologies Sir John," Calder said coolly, seemingly unfazed by the warning, though his eyes were one Maria and the slightly crispy table in front of her. Her eyes were still demonic and her hands still claws, neither looking about to go away. "Maria..." He paused, thinking over his next words carefully, aware of the truth crystal still shining calmly in the room. "I do not like the idea you would leave the city," he settled on.

"I get it, you don't want to lose the warden you have under your thumb," Maria hissed, still clearly unhappy.

Fini walked back into the room with a tray of tea, calmly putting down the tray, seemingly ignoring the fuming warden. John kept one eye on him, aware that while the warden was not known for hurting anyone accidentally, she was currently looking very hostile. Calder actually showed some emotion as Maria's more demon features remained strong.

"Maria, you are not under my thumb," Calder commented gently. "Not completely anyway."

"Was that supposed to make me feel better about all this Calder?" the warden asked her voice not quite a hiss but clearly unhappy. Her hand morphed back into a human hand as she accepted a cup of tea from Fini. The boy actually smiling softly for a moment as she met his eyes and said thank you to him before returning to glaring at Calder.

"Warden, there is no one in this city who is not under Calder's control to a certain extent. Do not concern yourself with this, it is simply how the city works. Do you think either of the new wardens will last long given how much damage they cause in their wake? Good intentions aside?" John commented gently. "This is not an easy post to fill, which is why we want you to stay. You may be more influenced by the underbelly than most of the green-eyed wardens who get posted here but at least you keep the balance set. Timothy's has already got a date set."

"No more information please," Maria said looking slightly green rather than angry at that information. "I thought you guys liked Tim," she closed her eyes, her head hurting slightly. She would have to warn the man to watch his back. A date set didn't necessarily mean he would die but it was pretty much death bells ringing. "Calder, I trust you will check over all your businesses and ensure their staff are not cutting corners. I will check in about ..." She paused. "What is the name of this poor soul?"

Calder's aide made a strangled noise and looked through the papers he had on him. "Jaspar Tinman," the man commented almost triumphantly when he found the name.

"Jaspar Tinman... I will check in on Jaspar in a few days. In the meantime, I'm going to do my own checking. I'm not sure I want to work in the office for a few weeks," Maria commented finishing her tea with a bitter tone and standing up. "Who knows, I might apply for a holiday and go see my friends outside the city for awhile," she said darkly before bowing her head to both men. "Goodnight, gentlemen."

"Goodnight, Maria," they smiled at her politely, Calder's aide murmuring her title instead of her name. Fini only waved his hand. She left through the same door as Elison, wings appearing on her back as she took flight out of the room. The warden liked to fly when she was stressed and the doorway had no doubt led her to the top of one of the many skyscrapers in the city. The door slammed closed behind her, and for a moment the door was silent.

John scratched his head as Fini passed his own cup of tea to him. "You really shouldn't taunt her Calder, it only makes her feel more rebellious," he scolded, crossing his legs. "She's a good soul, she's bound to feel guilt when dealing with dark matters and letting things slide."

Calder shrugged, standing himself. His aide packing away his papers. "She will stay," he said sternly, with the air and power of someone who could indeed make this happen. "I may have to do some blackmailing, but she will stay," he paused, "Though maybe it is worth making sure she doesn't have to deal with the underbelly for a little while. This organ trade business leaves a nasty taste. Hopefully, for the boy, the vision was just an after effect. It would not be a good thing for him to still be an oracle and as helpless as he now is."

"And if that is the case?" John asked.

"Then I guess I'm going into the seer business after all," Calder said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. John only smiled. Humans! They thought they knew everything. Though John would admit that this one had a very good eye for business.