Deciding to take control of the conversation, I smiled, wincing as the swelling on my eye pulled. Giving up on my dazzle-them-to-distraction approach, I faced him squarely, pushing the tension from my shoulders down to my stomach, where he couldn’t see it. “I’d like to apologize for my associate’s behavior, Captain Edden.” I looked at his bandaged wrist. “Did she break it?”

The barest wisp of surprise crossed him. “Worse. It’s fractured in four places. They’ll tell me tomorrow if I have to get a cast or simply wait for it to heal. Damn infirmary won’t let me take anything stronger than an aspirin. It’s a full moon next week, Ms. Morgan. Do you realize how far behind I will be if I have to take even one day off?”

This chitchat was going nowhere. My pain was starting to flow back, and I had to find out what Edden wanted before it was too late to move on Kalamack. It had to be more than Trent; he could have dealt with Ivy alone if that was all he wanted.

Steadying myself, I took off one of my amulets and pushed it across the desk. My bag was full of spells, but not one of them was for pain. “I understand, Captain Edden. I’m sure we can come to an agreement that would be mutually beneficial.” My fingers left the small disk, and I struggled to keep my eyes from widening at the rush of pain. Nausea twisted my stomach, and I felt three times as weak. I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake offering it to him. As witnessed by the desk clerk, few humans approved of Inderlanders, much less their magic. I thought it worth the risk. Edden seemed unusually open-minded. It remained to be seen how far.

His eyes showed only curiosity as he reached for the charm. “You know I can’t accept this,” he said. “As an FIB officer, it would be considered …” His face went slack as his fingers closed upon the amulet and the pain in his wrist was deadened. “… a bribe,” he finished softly.

His dark eyes met mine, and I smiled despite my pain. “A trade.” I arched my eyebrows, ignoring the pull of tape. “An aspirin for an aspirin?” If he was smart, he’d understand I was testing the waters. If he was stupid, It didn’t matter, and I’d be dead by the end of the week. But if there was no way to convince him to act on my “tip,” I wouldn’t be sitting in his office.

For a moment Edden sat as if afraid to move and break the spell. Finally an honest smile came over him. He leaned to his open door and bellowed out into the hall, “Rose! Get me a couple of aspirin. I’m dying in here.” He leaned back, grinning as he hung the amulet about his neck and hid it behind his shirt. His relief was obvious. It was a start.

My worry grew as a harried-looking woman walked in, her heels clicking on the gray tile. She visibly jerked at finding us in Edden’s office. Pulling her eyes from me, she held out two paper cups, and he pointed to the desk. The woman’s brow furrowed, and she set them next to his hand and silently left. Edden reached a foot out after her and kicked the door shut. He waited, shifting his glasses higher up his nose before crossing his good arm over his bad.