059 A Wizard!

"Let's get back first." Erebus nodded and took Kitty's hand, "We need to talk."

Winnie nodded gloomily for her mistake. She was mad at herself for putting Kitty in danger now, and even if Kitty was not, the idea of using the girl who trusted her so much now pains her.

"Would you like to hold her?" Kitty suddenly said, and handed over Emma.

"I..." Winnie was shocked. She cared about Emma only because she thought Emma was her friend's daughter, and now that seemingly selfish idea made her blush.

"I think you DID care about me too." Kitty suddenly said.

"W-what?!" Winnie's eyes were so widely opened that they seemed as if were popping out of her socket.

"You did everything you could. No one could have foreseen what was going to happen." Kitty said, "On the matters that not involves Emma, you have been caring about me. You even give Phosis to me."

"I..." Winnie hesitated for a second, and looked straight in Kitty's eyes: "I WAS thinking about taking that away from you, if necessary, and I wanted to make that clear to you."

She could NOT lie to Kitty again. The feeling of others seeing through her lies were so horrible that Winnie didn't want to see that ever again, not from Kitty at least.

"But you did save me." Kitty was a bit surprised, but she comforted Winnie nonetheless.

"I-- Why are you not mad at me?" Winnie exclaimed.

"Let's just say, I've seen much worse." Kitty shrugged, "I'm grateful for kindness from others, but I take hospitality from people just normality. Nothing to hold a grudge over."

"I DO care about you, and I won't ever consider taking it back if it weren't that Phosis is important to Lili's -- well, your mom's -- cause!" Winnie explained in a haste, "I'm sorry--"

"It's okay." Kitty put a hand on hers, "You were doing everything you could for Emma, AND for my mom, and for that, I'm really grateful. Don't beat yourself up over this."

"Thanks." Winnie mumbled. Her gratitude was so deep that there wasn't anything else that could express her feeling better anyways.

She took over Emma from Kitty and hugged her. Emma was laughing in her arms innocently, unaware of what a dangerous situation she had just be in.

Kitty turned to Erebus, but he was on the phone: "Menoetius, talk to me."

"I've been following him this whole morning, and talking to him since an hour ago. I could barely find ANYTHING more to say and it was awkwardddd--" Menoetius's high-speed complaint rushed through the phone.

"Get to the point." Erebus cut him off.

"Well, I don't think he had intervened, OR gave away any information during this time." Menoetius quickly stopped and reported.

"I see. You've done well. Get back soon." Erebus said.

"My Lord, what does it mean--" Menoetius's voice couldn't get through the phone completely before Erebus hung it up.

What does it mean? It means, among the people who were present at the bar when Kitty tore up the paper doll, there was a mole, and hopefully, not moles.

They are his Dim Patronus and Winnie. And he just confirmed, it was not Winnie.

Kitty watched Erebus's sullen look and went up to him without a word. She just held his hand in hers as she rubbed her head against his arm.

"It will be alright." Erebus said.

He was the one who was heartbroken, but he was so used to be there for everyone else that he automatically started comforting Kitty.

"It's okay if it's not alright, we will face it together." Kitty said; her fingers tightened around his.

Erebus didn't say any more comforting words, instead, he put his arm around Kitty's waist and took her up into his arms, and walked towards the subway.

"My Lord, you--" Metis started, but she soon swallowed the rest of her sentence and changed it into:

"We will get back to the bar and wait for you."

"No," Erebus said, "Close the bar. We use The Fort from now on."

He took off with Kitty after that simple order, leaving the rest of the crowd at that abandoned building by the river.

"Maybe they noticed the paper doll," Kitty remained in silent until they got into the subway and sat down, "It's a magic item after all, so maybe the wizard detected it somehow?"

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Erebus gave her an encouraging and satisfied smile.

"Because you chose to get back with subway, you want to avoid someone, or, everyone." Kitty said, "And I'm guessing that's because you don't trust them. You DID mention that it was weird how I got into the trap right after I was transferred into the spell."

"Smart." Erebus nodded with satisfaction in his look, "For that to work, they would have to know exactly when, and where you will be beforehand, meaning--"

"Meaning, they know which paper doll I took and who it was on." Kitty nodded.

"There were a few people that I had my suspect on. Winnie was one, and Menoetius was onto another. But both of them was cleared of the suspicion." Erebus nodded.

"And the rest that was there, was all your people..." Kitty mumbled, "I'm really sorry..."

"Don't be. It's my fault that I couldn't see betrayal right in front of me." Erebus shook his head, and sighed slight as he fell back and leaned against the wall of the carriage.

"It's nice to be so quiet and away from all the plans and secrets once in a while though," He continued, "I like to think here when I'm bothered. I have been feeling that dark, invisible web for some time now."

"Since you started investigating into the Queen." Kitty said.

"That's right..." Erebus sighed again.

He never shows that worried, confused look in front of people. It was only in this place where he knew he could afford a little bit privacy that he was revealing a bit of his mind.

"Why the subway though?" Kitty asked, "There are so many people here."

"Well, avoiding them is one thing. But there's one more reason." Erebus turned around and put his arm up against the wall to create a corner around Kitty so others won't squeeze into her.

"What?" Kitty was a bit flushed at that intimate position.

"No bugs, or surveillance spell can work here in the subway. So in here, the more people, the less chance to be followed, actually." Erebus said.

"Ohh, because the signal would--? Wait, not even spell?!" Kitty exclaimed and immediately lowered her voice, "You... you--"

"You were right. I have magic, too." Erebus grinned at her.