Witch for Hire by N. E. Conneely Page A

vibes.  
    Landa peeked in, as the last of us sat down, to tell us she'd be in her room. She also mentioned the rest of the guests and residents had other lunch plans. Left alone, the six of us fell into an easy conversation.  
    "Thank you for the charms. We didn't need them, but it was a relief to have healing aids." Liam bowed his head in thanks.
    "No problem. Was the ritual a success?" I wanted to know what they'd been up to, but wasn't brave enough to ask.
    "Indeed," Liam answered. "Under Bobby's guidance, I was able to pass the alpha trial."
    "Congratulations. I'm told it's one of the most difficult to finish." Having natural leadership qualities or strength to rule others wasn't enough; the trial tested something deeper. Not being a wolf, I'd never been told what was tested, only the difficulty of success.  
    "Thank you."
    "I wasn't aware pack members were able to guide others through the trial." The two of them exchanged a glance. "If you can't or don't want to tell me, that's fine."
    After a pause, Bobby answered. "I'm the sage of the pack. I give them spiritual guidance and show them how to start the ritual and trials."
    "Ah, thank you. I don't know much about werewolves." Which wasn't strictly true; I knew the basics of their culture. Book learning was valuable, but I always learned more about a culture from that people. Growing up, I hadn't known any werewolves.
    "Few people outside the pack are knowledgeable in our ways."  
    Conversation lulled as we ate, before being picked up again by Liam. "Michelle, do you know much about the local pack?"
    "Hmm. Not really. I've heard the current alpha is a good guy, but I don't know him. Why?"
    "We're from a neighboring pack and heard there was a bit of turmoil." His answer was just a little too smooth for me to trust completely.  
    "They must have serious problems for other packs to hear of them." It wasn't common, but troubled packs had been taken over before. It was one of the ways packs could expand their territory. The one rule all races adhered to was that they could control their species in an area, but they couldn't rule others. A pack of werewolves couldn't take over a pack of werebears. If different species had disagreements, there were several ways they could resolve them after negotiations failed. Historically, there could be war, champions could battle, or a third party could arbitrate. Today, arbitration or lawsuits were the most common practices between disagreeing species.  
    "News travels."  
    "It has a tendency to do that."  
    One of the other wolves, Roland, I think, spoke up. "What's this thing with the trolls? I've heard part of the story, but not enough to understand."  
    "Oh, I can explain." Taking a moment to remember the public story, I continued, "There was an explosion at the preserve and several trolls made it through the breach. A few of them have been recovered." Dead trolls wouldn't be causing problems, and they were in police custody. "The police are closing in on the remainder."
    "Do they know what caused the explosion?" Roland asked.  
    "I'm afraid I can't comment on that." Seeing their slightly puzzled looks I answered the unspoken question. "I'm working the case, so there are limitations to what I'm permitted to say."
    "Is there anything else you can say?"  
    I answered in a deep, serious voice. "I'm not at liberty to say." The men chuckled and I giggled, breaking the tension the troll talk caused.  
    "Do you like living here?" Roland was a curious wolf.  
    "Very much. Landa's nice. She's an easy landlord, and my mom trusts her so she worries less. I don't have much time to cook, and I'm often running in and out at odd hours, making the meals convenient. And as you've noticed, they're astonishingly tasty. The only odd part is never knowing who will be at meals. Also, I'm never sure how many people are staying here."
    "You're very fond of Landa."  
    "Yes. She's a great friend of the family and I love living here. I say family