The Shape of Fools

By Sara Tiger Ryan

When Peti-Captain Hashern interrupts Cady's Seek one too many times, giving him a severe magical backlash, Cady reaches his limit. He walks out of the city guards.
Because he still feels obliged to find the girl he was Seeking, Cady joins Miss Kitty Private Spy Agency part-time.
But he isn't used to searching for answers himself, he has relied on the beat guards to do this, and on his magic ability to Seek people.
Now he has to use all his talents to find the missing Lialian Graywool.
When the trail leads to a renowned professor, Cady knows this short, nobody, Race of Legend boy is way over his head.
He is going to need the backing of Miss Kitty's Private Spy Agency and their elite status, as well as all his talents—magical

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sara Tiger Ryan
• Release date: Jun 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215140147

Sara Tiger Ryan

Sara Tiger Ryan was born in New Hampshire. She now lives in Florida with her 2 cats. Make that minus one charming boy cat, add in a Mama cat who brought me 5 kittens--all of them adorable! Sara started writing novels in 1973 in high school study hall and hasn't stopped (for long) yet. She started out writing fantasy and added mystery. She also writes metaphysical non-fiction. Ryan was active in the small press in the mid 90's, and had her own 'zine, Star Triad.

Book preview

The Shape of Fools

Cady Longwish Mystery 1

Sara Tiger Ryan

Cady Longwish

All characters herein are entirely fictional.

Author's Note:

Herm is short for hermaphrodite.

All the work herein is copyright Sara Tiger Ryan, Tiger Moon Press. Smashwords Ebook Edition, June 2020.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting this author's work.

Table Of Contents

01 – A Shattered Seeking

02 – Fleetfoot Runners

03 - Tools

04 – Wolf Tracks

05 – Madame Herm

06 – Jodel Graywool

07 – An Irritating Map

08 – An Unexpected Save

09 – One Lost Boy

10 – Fearsome News

11 – A Worrisome Prince

12 – A Dire Mess

13 – Timdy Blocker

14 – Lilian Graywool

15 – Raiding Freedom House

16 – A Royal Thank You

Appendices

About Sara

Cady Longwish Mysteries

Other Series

The Next Longwish Mystery: The Shape of Greed

Chapter 1

A Shattered Seeking

1898

Laughing Fates Season 4

Kissing Fates 2

KnifeKissingday

Docket Cady Longwish allowed himself a small sigh of relief. He had Sought through his magic and Found the brickmaker's daughter still alive, still in town. In a candleflicker, he would have enough of a direction to Seek-walk her and she would be in the arms of her terrified parents before dusk.

His office door slammed open yanking Cady painfully out of his magic.

Peti-Captain Hashern smirked before saying loudly, The captain wants to see you immediately in his office. Hashern left, leaving the door open.

If he could have moved through the searing pain of his magic being interrupted so abruptly, Hashern would have been dead. Instead, he had to sit unmoving, breathe shallowly, and wait for the backlash pain to recede.

That was today, not in a week, Hashern said, stalking the other way by the door. The Mayor's little girl is in his office bawling her head off and you know how he hates that.

Cady bit back hot words. The Mayor's daughter was a spoiled brat. But, if the Mayor's daughter was in the captain's office, so, likely was the Mayor. Cady pushed carefully to his feet and made his way down the hall.

The child's shrieks cut through the door—and through his head, making it pang viciously. Cady took and held a breath a moment, before pushing the door open.

Jilly has lost her kitten, the Mayor said immediately. We need you to Find it.

Cady braced himself against the door jamb and didn't go for the Mayor's throat. He had been torn out of his magic to Seek a kitten that the brat, knowing her, probably had hidden in the first place. He didn't bother saying again he wasn't a creature Seeker and had no ability to Seek cats, he turned and walked out.

Cady returned to his office, scooped his personal things into a forearm square crate, wrote a succinct resignation letter, and handed it and his city guard emblemed tunic to the desk cadet on his way out. I have pay coming tomorrow, take my resignation money out of that.

You'd better stop by a talent healer on your way home, the cadet said. You look like crap.

Despite his blinding headache and roiling stomach, Cady slammed the station door on his way out. At the bottom step, he had to stop and brace himself on the porch column until the world stopped spinning.

Even knowing it would be futile, he tried to Seek the brickmaker's girl. The resulting pain made his eyes water and he got nothing. He tried to capture a memory of which direction she had been in. Maybe south and east. Not in the Dancing District where he worked anyway. At least, having quit, Captain Rander no longer had any say over him Seeking outside of his district. Maybe in Sidewise Market.

Cady made it to Sidewise Market with no memory of how he had gotten there, other than that his stomach had threatened to heave his breakfast every few steps. He turned his head, scanning the market, and everything seemed to spin with him. His vision flared white, then crisped black around the edges.

Cady braced himself on the nearest booth, closed his eyes a heartbeat, then blinked several times. His sight stayed blurred. He steadied himself and took a step.

Cady?

Cady turned towards the voice and the world dipped and threatened never to right itself. He grabbed out. A hand caught his arm, steadying him, and Docket Paff said some worried sounding words that slurred into meaningless sounds.

Paff gave him a light tug in the wrong direction.

Cady resisted, trying to explain that he had to get to the brickmaker's girl before her abductor killed her.

You're in no shape to Seek-walk even the little girl over there eating iced cream with her mum, Paff argued.

Cady tried to pull away anyway. The world swung out ominously and he had to grab Paff for support again. More dangerously, he could feel his hold on his human shape fraying.

Come on, the talent healer's first, Dusty second.

Dusty. If his mind had been working, he might have thought of the only other truly talented people Seeker in town besides himself.

Dusty, he agreed. Except there was some reason he shouldn't bother Dusty. He couldn't remember why right now. Maybe just because his folks had always said not to bring Taman into Community business.

Paff tugged at him again. First a talent healer so you'll be able to make sense telling Dusty who to Seek.

It would be too late.

It's on the way.

Dusty, he insisted.

You're in my district, you're my duty.

He kept arguing and trying to pull away, but the pain had him too blind, the world swirled ominously every few steps, and he lost the nebulous direction of the brickmaker's girl. Walking at least made him feel as if he was doing something toward his goal. Paff kept him walking.

What in the Thunderlands happened to you! someone exclaimed softly, then hands grabbed his and Cady felt the blessed warmth of a talent healing fill him.

I can't get it all at once, the healer said after a few minutes, you'll have to sleep the rest off. Whatever did you do to get so bad?

Peti-Captain Hashern broke my Seeking trance again. The memory of Hashern's smirk grabbed him and Cady fisted his hands.

The healer's mouth pursed. Am I allowed to say my piece about him yet?

Yes. I hit my limit. I resigned. I'm done working with an idiot that thinks it's funny to slam me into a talent backlash. And for a captain who wouldn't stop the idiot.

A bit more of his memories returned and he checked for Paff. Yes, the young, dark-curly-haired guard from the Sidewise District leaned against the wall to the right waiting for him. The brickmaker's daughter: Lialian Graywool. He tried to Seek her and met a wall of thick, dull pain. From experience, he knew it would be tomorrow morning at best and afternoon, more likely, before he could Seek again—and that barely. He'd be two or three days recovering entirely. That left Dusten Kincaid.

Cady pushed to his feet, took a step, wavered a second, then steadied. I only hope Dusty is there.

Don't be doing any Seeking till you've recovered, the healer scolded.

Yes, ma'am.

The healer blew out an exasperated breath. Don't get so bad you have to crawl in again, then.

That order he would definitely try to obey.

And don't forget what I told you the last time: Each time you get such a bad backlash, a bit of your talent doesn't recover. Too many more times and you won't have a talent to backlash.

Cady stiffened. It wasn't as if he had ever purposely invited Hashern to cut off his Seeks.

Not trusting himself to answer civilly, Cady just fell in beside Paff and they left Healers Market for Five Whippet West, Miss Kitty's Private Spy Agency, and Dusten Kincaid: his only hope for Finding Lialian Graywool before it was too late.

I should have brought the paper on her with me no matter what, he said as they reached Brwk Street.

Paff handed him a small crate. You had this with you. There're a few papers in here.

Good, he had swept everything on his desk into the crate, not just his few personal things. The portrait the guard artist had made of Lialian should be there to give Dusty something to Seek by.

Thank the Fates Entire, Dusty was in his office. Cady went directly there without registering that Dusty had a client until he reached the doorway. Then, instead of retreating politely, he had to lean on the door casing while his head panged viciously and his vision faded in and out.

Dusty stood and said, I'm sorry, Matron Winglass, my next client is here. You can let Douglas know I'm working on it.

Cady slid around the doorjamb, leaving room for the woman to get by. She kept talking even as she left, words trailing behind her about someone's nightmares. Was Dusty supposed to investigate nightmares now? For a moment, that seemed a realistic expectation ... meaning the talent healer was right (of course!) and he needed an extended rest. He had a reason why he couldn't do that yet. Whatever that reason was. Besides, Dusty looked as if he had been investigating nightmares.

Someone came up behind him and Cady started and felt his shape begin to shift. Only years of training himself not to shape in front of Taman held him steady.

Paff put a warm hand on his upper arm. You were going to ask Dusty to Seek someone. Paff squeezed by him and set a crate on the corner of Dusty's desk.

Should you go to a healer? Dusty asked.

We were just there, Paff answered for him. How are you? I didn't expect to see you up so soon.

Dusty shrugged, perched on the corner of his desk not occupied by a crate, and said, Miranda came in and caught me. Who did you want me to Seek?

Lia Graywool. Cady pushed from the doorjamb toward Dusty's client chair, caught himself on the back of the chair and slid over the arm and onto the seat. Because Paff set the crate in his lap, he didn't just fall asleep.

You said Kadelee had done a portrait of your Seek, Paff prompted.

Cady checked the crate. Yes, he had swept Lia's portrait in it by mistake. He pulled the page out, smoothed it and handed it to Dusty. I had just Found her, he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. A second later, I would have been Seek-walking her. But he would have gone through his Everel talent. So, thank the Fates that Hashern had come in when he had and not a moment later, when the peti-captain would have seen him fade into the Space Continuum.

I keep Finding her and losing her, Dusty said.

Which meant Lialian, being (like him) part Ta'Shen, the shapeshifting Race of Legend, might be shaping. But back and forth? That sounded dangerous. Could she have gotten into some dragon's bane, the herb that weakened one's shaping hold? If her captor knew about her ability to shapeshift, Cady didn't even want to think about what state he might find her...or the remains of her, more likely. Shapeshifters generally ended up second on the list of which Race of Legend people feared the most.

Paff tapped him on the boot and Cady glanced up.

Paff said, We're headed to the meeting room to look at maps.

Dusty Found her?

He says she's flickering and fading.

Fading? As in dying? Her folks would never forgive him. His mother would tell him again how he should concentrate on doing his job being a normal guard, not offer people unnatural hope that he wouldn't fulfill. But, if he cut off his talents, he'd feel even more like crap than he did now.

Paff tugged him up and down the hall to the meeting room—where they usually ate. Too bad there wasn't one of Edgy Yallow's amazing meals sitting on the table now, he could have eaten the whole pot.

Dusty tossed something at him. Cady caught it reflexively, saw what it was, and made a face. But he peeled the waxed paper off the brown cylinder of healer's food and bit into the overly sweet, but filling food stick.

Dusty pulled one of the maps out of the pile, laid it on a cork sheet and hovered his hand over the map, then stabbed down, leaving a map pin behind. He did that several more times, then sat. That's it, I can’t even get a whisper of her any more.

Cady took a breath, not wanting to ask what he feared most.

It’s most likely me, not her, Dusty said, obviously guessing his concern. I haven’t recovered my stamina yet.

Cady went close enough to check the pinned area.

This part, Paff said, tracing his finger from one pin to another, looks like the northern Legend Community... He kept his finger going, into the side of the Flats.

Cady started toward the hall door.

Paff stepped in front of him and stopped him with a hand to his chest. Not now, you'd be dead in a heartbeat walking there in the condition you're in.

I have to—

I'll go on my way back to the station. Paff said. You will either go home or stay here and sleep on Miss Sazzy's couch till we know we won't find you floating in the river from wandering off a bridge.

Not on Miss Sazzy's couch, she didn't like him.

I need to go home and rest again anyway, Dusty said. I'll walk him home. We can hold each other up.

Cady woke with a start and pushed up on his elbows, winced and collapsed back down with a groan. How had he gotten home? He had no idea. But he did remember why he felt like crap: Peti-captain Hashern. He drifted a moment, then sat up with a jerk. Lialian Graywool!

More muscles than he remembered having shrieked from his move. Sucking a breath in through his teeth, Cady dropped flat and endured until the pain eased.

Efficiently, he had put his packets of pain-reliever away in the locked chest by the dry sink. If he'd been sensible instead, he would have put them in the drawer of his nightstand.

How had he gotten home?

Paff? Did he remember Dusty Seeking Lialian?

He hoped not. He hadn’t really gone begging a Seek when Dusty wasn't more than a day or two past almost dying from that Calder dame's gargoyle poison, had he?

Yes, he had.

Cady Longwish, you are a schmuck, he said with a groan. But at least he didn't need to stagger out and Seek-walk Lia. Luckily, since he couldn't move yet.

What else?

Dusten Kincaid, recent reject of the Pale Fates, had walked him home.

Double schmuck.

He had walked out of his job.

Cady winced. His parents were going to have fits. His older brother would understand, but lift an eyebrow, silently saying, 'Couldn't you have made your move a bit smoother and with more panache so you didn't upset the folks so badly?' Especially after they had lost Dair just last Season. Which meant his folks were going to react really badly, because they would connect his sudden move with Dair's, and expect it to end just as disastrously, with no way to convince them he would be dead faster if he stayed in the guards than if he left. Like Dair had died faster staying in school than leaving.

Cady covered his eyes with his arm. He missed his younger brother...even though, with Dair in Yght's school, he hadn't seen his brother more than once or twice over the last year. But, at least when Dair had still been alive, he'd been able to touch his younger brother’s energy in a Seek every so often.

If he had any sense, he would find another job before he went to his folks' for dinner SingingHeartday eve—even if only a short term, dead end job. The thought of having to look for a job while feeling like something a vulture wouldn't even touch, along with having a headache that seemed to consist of stampeding horses and screaming banshees made him want to crawl under his bed and stay...until things didn't hurt so badly.

Maybe he could fade awhile to take the worst edge off.

Except, if he did, he wouldn't want to come back...until someone else (as if!) had solved his problems for him.

Luckily he had five days to find a job before his folks expected him to the weekly family dinner.

Some day he hoped to shape in front of Hashern and send the bastard of a peti-captain into a state of groveling terror. Maybe that would be enough pay back for all the times Hashern had broken his Seek and sent him into a roiling well of pain. No, it would take lots more than a single shapeshift before he felt the scales were balanced.

A tapping on his door interrupted him trying to discover an appropriate and fulfilling revenge. Cady turned his head toward the sound. He didn't recognize the knock. He didn't think he could move to open the door.

His door opened and Cady found he could move, even if that move sliced pain through every limb. He rolled to his feet...and nearly blacked out.

It's only me, Dusty called in.

Cady eased back on his bed with a stifled groan and half shut his eyes against the waves of pain and disorientation.

I said I'd be back to see if you could move enough to come to dinner, Dusty continued, coming toward him.

Cady managed to be sitting up in bed leaning against his headboard by the time Dusty reached the bedroom.

Dusty took a breath to speak and started rummaging in the many pockets of his ever-present tinker's coat instead. A few seconds later, he pulled out a double packet of what looked like Wort Racher's special pain reliever. Dusty handed him the packet and backed out into the main room.

It took Cady two tries to tear the packet open. By that time Dusty had returned with a cup of water.

Once the pain reliever had worked, Dusty insisted him to his feet, saying, If you don't eat, you'll be down a week rather than a mere two days.

Cady steadied himself on his nightstand. Lia?

I lost the sense of her entirely mid afternoon. The last time I sensed her, it felt like the edge of the Old Wall District, up to Gorbelly Court, and down to Welladay Avenue. Paff planned to check the whole area I pinned. He'll be at dinner. We can find out what he discovered. Come on, I brought a chair runner.

Cady made an unhappy sound. But Dusty was right about him not being able to walk even the few blocks to Miss Kitty's.

For myself, as well, Dusty added, then handed him a shirt, helped him into it, and steadied him out his door and to the chair runner.

The chair runner eyed