Me and My Shadow
Page 32
“Baltic bombed us,” I said, trying to look as calm as Drake. When faced with us on his doorstep, he had simply ushered us into the house, not even a simple “What happened?” passing his lips. “We could go to a hotel if there’s not room for us.”
“Don’t be silly,” Aisling said as she started down the stairs. “There’s plenty of room. Let’s see. I’ll put you in the . . . no, Catalina commandeered that room. How about the . . . oh, wait. René is there. I know! You can have the yellow room; it has a view of the river. And Cyrene can have . . . hmm.”
“I like rivers,” Cyrene said, yawning. “The yellow room will be fine for me.”
“No, wait—hang on,” I said, holding my twin back when she was about to go up the stairs. Guilt dug at me with spiky little fingers. “I appreciate you putting us up—I really can’t think of anywhere safer we could stay—but if space is short, then Cy can go back to her flat. She has one in town.”
“So do you!” she countered.
“Not anymore. I gave it up a few weeks ago.”
“You can’t expect me to go back to my flat alone! All by myself?” she squeaked. “I’m emotionally distraught! I’m a wreck! I shouldn’t be alone at a time like this—everyone knows that!”
“You broke up with a boyfriend, something you’ve done several hundred times over the last thousand years, so I think you can handle one more,” I pointed out.
She glared at me. “You have no heart, Mayling.”
“I have a heart. I also have an idea of how many people Aisling has crammed under her roof right now, and I’m sure the house is about at capacity.”
Cyrene gave Aisling a pathetic look, allowing her lower lip to quiver just a smidgen. “Aisling?”
“It is a bit tight now,” Aisling said.
Cyrene sniffled, and did her utmost to look pathetic and frail. “Fine. I’ll just go back to my cold, dark, lonely, empty flat, and think cold, dark, lonely thoughts.”
“You forgot empty,” Jim said helpfully.
She stepped on its toes.
“Ow! You’re not allowed to abuse me! Only Aisling can do that! Or I suppose May could if she wanted to, but May is obviously not the evil twin, and would never do anything so cruel and heinous as stepping on my toes.”
I pinched its ear.
“I’m going to be black-and-blue all over by the time Aisling pops that baby,” Jim grumbled, huffing its way over to sit next to Aisling.
“There is the attic,” Aisling said slowly, tapping her fingers on her belly as she thought. “Those rooms are habitable, aren’t they, Drake?”
“Yes, but they have not been decorated since the First World War,” he answered.
“Anything is fine, truly,” Cyrene said, making large puppy-dog eyes at her. “I just don’t want to be alone.”
Aisling smiled. “I’m sure we’ll fit you in. There are four attic rooms, so that should take care of Cyrene, Maata, and the two other bodyguards.”
“You know, I should really have the yellow room,” Cyrene said as we trooped down the hallway. “It has a river view, and as a naiad, I’m the best choice for the room. Don’t you think?”
I didn’t buy that line of reasoning, and told her so, much to her irritation. Despite that, it wasn’t long before we were all settled into our respective rooms. Drake refused to allow Aisling to do more than bring me a new toothbrush, a couple of towels, and a bar of soap. As green and silver dragons bustled back and forth, getting bed linens and other necessities, I pulled Aisling aside into the small room in the back of the house given over to me.
“You’re limping. Were you hurt in the explosion?”
“No, that’s a souvenir from Baltic’s earlier attack. Maata did the best she could with the wound, but it is still a little tender.”
“I could get a green dragon healer—” Aisling gestured toward a phone.
I waved aside her offer. “It’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”
“All right, but if you change your mind, let us know. I’m sorry that you and Cyrene will have to share a bathroom with Nora and René,” Aisling apologized as I sat on the edge of the bed. She eased herself into an old gold and rose damask-covered armchair. “I’d dearly love to boot Catalina out so you can have the room that you and Gabriel normally have when you stay with us, but I think it would take an atomic bomb to get rid of her,” Aisling said with a heavy sigh. “I’m so glad you have a nice mother-in-law. I’d offer to trade you, but I wouldn’t wish Catalina on anyone.”
“I didn’t think she was that bad,” I said with a little smile. “A bit forceful, and refused to believe me when I said I wasn’t deranged, but some people are like that. And stop apologizing for the accommodations—we’re nothing but grateful that you are willing to put us up.”
“I want to hear all about what happened with you and Baltic,” she said, casting a glance toward the open door. “But Drake will be coming back as soon as he gets your bodyguards settled, so it’ll have to wait until morning.”
“Actually, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about. Rather, talk to you and Nora about.” I gave her a concise recounting of the events with Bael.
“Holy moly,” she said when I finished. Her eyes were wide as she looked me over. “A demon lord’s powers, but not a demon lord. You’re not proscribed, so I assume you haven’t used the dark power?”
“I don’t know what that is, so I guess not.”
“You’d know it if you used it. Have you tried using any of the power?”
“No, nor do I intend to. The dragon shard possessing me is quite enough, thank you.”
“That must be why you’re able to keep it from messing with you the way it did me,” she mused, her hands rubbing her big belly. “It just about drove me nuts, but you’ve got that piece of dragon in you, and everyone knows dragons aren’t easily controlled by anything. In a way, it’s lucky you have the shard.”
I let that comment go. “What I want to know is what I can do about the situation. I was hoping you and Nora would be able to advise me.”
“Absolutely,” Aisling said quickly. “She’ll be happy to help, as will I. Jim, what the devil do you have on now?”
“Don’t be silly,” Aisling said as she started down the stairs. “There’s plenty of room. Let’s see. I’ll put you in the . . . no, Catalina commandeered that room. How about the . . . oh, wait. René is there. I know! You can have the yellow room; it has a view of the river. And Cyrene can have . . . hmm.”
“I like rivers,” Cyrene said, yawning. “The yellow room will be fine for me.”
“No, wait—hang on,” I said, holding my twin back when she was about to go up the stairs. Guilt dug at me with spiky little fingers. “I appreciate you putting us up—I really can’t think of anywhere safer we could stay—but if space is short, then Cy can go back to her flat. She has one in town.”
“So do you!” she countered.
“Not anymore. I gave it up a few weeks ago.”
“You can’t expect me to go back to my flat alone! All by myself?” she squeaked. “I’m emotionally distraught! I’m a wreck! I shouldn’t be alone at a time like this—everyone knows that!”
“You broke up with a boyfriend, something you’ve done several hundred times over the last thousand years, so I think you can handle one more,” I pointed out.
She glared at me. “You have no heart, Mayling.”
“I have a heart. I also have an idea of how many people Aisling has crammed under her roof right now, and I’m sure the house is about at capacity.”
Cyrene gave Aisling a pathetic look, allowing her lower lip to quiver just a smidgen. “Aisling?”
“It is a bit tight now,” Aisling said.
Cyrene sniffled, and did her utmost to look pathetic and frail. “Fine. I’ll just go back to my cold, dark, lonely, empty flat, and think cold, dark, lonely thoughts.”
“You forgot empty,” Jim said helpfully.
She stepped on its toes.
“Ow! You’re not allowed to abuse me! Only Aisling can do that! Or I suppose May could if she wanted to, but May is obviously not the evil twin, and would never do anything so cruel and heinous as stepping on my toes.”
I pinched its ear.
“I’m going to be black-and-blue all over by the time Aisling pops that baby,” Jim grumbled, huffing its way over to sit next to Aisling.
“There is the attic,” Aisling said slowly, tapping her fingers on her belly as she thought. “Those rooms are habitable, aren’t they, Drake?”
“Yes, but they have not been decorated since the First World War,” he answered.
“Anything is fine, truly,” Cyrene said, making large puppy-dog eyes at her. “I just don’t want to be alone.”
Aisling smiled. “I’m sure we’ll fit you in. There are four attic rooms, so that should take care of Cyrene, Maata, and the two other bodyguards.”
“You know, I should really have the yellow room,” Cyrene said as we trooped down the hallway. “It has a river view, and as a naiad, I’m the best choice for the room. Don’t you think?”
I didn’t buy that line of reasoning, and told her so, much to her irritation. Despite that, it wasn’t long before we were all settled into our respective rooms. Drake refused to allow Aisling to do more than bring me a new toothbrush, a couple of towels, and a bar of soap. As green and silver dragons bustled back and forth, getting bed linens and other necessities, I pulled Aisling aside into the small room in the back of the house given over to me.
“You’re limping. Were you hurt in the explosion?”
“No, that’s a souvenir from Baltic’s earlier attack. Maata did the best she could with the wound, but it is still a little tender.”
“I could get a green dragon healer—” Aisling gestured toward a phone.
I waved aside her offer. “It’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.”
“All right, but if you change your mind, let us know. I’m sorry that you and Cyrene will have to share a bathroom with Nora and René,” Aisling apologized as I sat on the edge of the bed. She eased herself into an old gold and rose damask-covered armchair. “I’d dearly love to boot Catalina out so you can have the room that you and Gabriel normally have when you stay with us, but I think it would take an atomic bomb to get rid of her,” Aisling said with a heavy sigh. “I’m so glad you have a nice mother-in-law. I’d offer to trade you, but I wouldn’t wish Catalina on anyone.”
“I didn’t think she was that bad,” I said with a little smile. “A bit forceful, and refused to believe me when I said I wasn’t deranged, but some people are like that. And stop apologizing for the accommodations—we’re nothing but grateful that you are willing to put us up.”
“I want to hear all about what happened with you and Baltic,” she said, casting a glance toward the open door. “But Drake will be coming back as soon as he gets your bodyguards settled, so it’ll have to wait until morning.”
“Actually, I had something else I wanted to talk to you about. Rather, talk to you and Nora about.” I gave her a concise recounting of the events with Bael.
“Holy moly,” she said when I finished. Her eyes were wide as she looked me over. “A demon lord’s powers, but not a demon lord. You’re not proscribed, so I assume you haven’t used the dark power?”
“I don’t know what that is, so I guess not.”
“You’d know it if you used it. Have you tried using any of the power?”
“No, nor do I intend to. The dragon shard possessing me is quite enough, thank you.”
“That must be why you’re able to keep it from messing with you the way it did me,” she mused, her hands rubbing her big belly. “It just about drove me nuts, but you’ve got that piece of dragon in you, and everyone knows dragons aren’t easily controlled by anything. In a way, it’s lucky you have the shard.”
I let that comment go. “What I want to know is what I can do about the situation. I was hoping you and Nora would be able to advise me.”
“Absolutely,” Aisling said quickly. “She’ll be happy to help, as will I. Jim, what the devil do you have on now?”
