happy?”
“Yes! It does. Freak.”
Finn just smiled at me, not moving.
I grabbed his arm. “Come on, you stupid redneck zombie. Let’s go.”
I stepped into the hall and then stopped. Which way, left or right? I imagined Dardennes’ little sitting room; maybe he’d be there and I could go confess my sins. I got a weird vibe off to my right, so I went that way, dragging Finn with me.
Spike appeared, coming out of a doorway on our left. Immediately his eyes started to glow red. “Well, hello, Jayne.” He smiled at me, giving me his famous hotsexy grin.
“Not now, Spike, I don’t have time for your shit.”
Spike was taken aback. He snapped back to regular Spike ... the non-incubus Spike. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Just help me get Finn to Dardennes’ office.”
A door just up ahead had a candleglow around the edges. This must be what Finn was talking about, that I’d know the door when I saw it.
I knocked on the door three times.
“Enter!” I heard, coming from inside.
I pushed on the heavy door, swinging it inwards, dragging Finn in by the hand. Spike followed and shut the door behind us.
Dardennes was sitting at his desk, Céline standing at his right looking over his shoulder at a map laid out on the surface. Niles the dwarf was on his left, also examining the document. Ivar stood in the corner, a few paces back from them, near one of the many floor to ceiling bookshelves.
Dardennes lifted an eyebrow as we approached. “Yes, Jayne? How may we help you?”
I sighed, a little guiltily. “I think I did it again.”
“Did what again?”
“Gave some elves a stroke or something. Like I did to Céline.”
Dardennes looked at Céline and then at Niles. They all looked back at me with questions in their eyes.
“Which elves?”
“You know very well which elves. The green elves. The ones you told to try and kill me today.”
Dardennes chuckled. “Jayne, the green elves did not try to kill you. Perhaps you are letting your imagination get away from you.”
“Listen, old man, when thirty elves notch arrows in their bows at you and tell you that you have thirty seconds to figure out how to defend yourself, that’s attempted murder. It’s not my friggin’ imagination.” I grabbed Finn by the shoulder of his tunic, pulling him forward. “Tell ‘em Finn. Tell ‘em what they did.”
They turned their gaze to Finn.
Finn said nothing.
I whacked him on the back. “Finn! Wake up, you redneck idiot! Tell them what happened.”
“Wait, Jayne, let me see what I can do,” said Céline, coming around the desk, looking concerned.
She reached Finn, stopping in front of him. She took his hands in hers and stared into his eyes. I could see her thumbs rubbing circles on the backs of his hands.
Finn was smiling, saying nothing.
“Finn. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in the light.”
“Are you in The Green?”
“Yes.”
Céline broke her gaze away and looked over at Dardennes, nodding at him. He reciprocated the gesture, giving her some sort of approval.
Céline turned back to Finn. “Finn, I need you to come out of The Green. Come back to us here at the compound.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she said sternly, jerking on his hands. “You cannot stay in The Green. Mother needs you here.”
Finn had the look of a petulant child on his face – a child who was going to refuse an order from his parent; but then he reluctantly gave in. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them back up.
He saw Céline standing right smack in front of him and backed his head up as far as he could without stepping away from her. He pulled his hands from hers and leaned a bit to the right, looking around her left shoulder to Dardennes and the others by the desk. Then he turned his head sideways, looking at me.
“Jayne? What in the H-E-double hockey
“Yes! It does. Freak.”
Finn just smiled at me, not moving.
I grabbed his arm. “Come on, you stupid redneck zombie. Let’s go.”
I stepped into the hall and then stopped. Which way, left or right? I imagined Dardennes’ little sitting room; maybe he’d be there and I could go confess my sins. I got a weird vibe off to my right, so I went that way, dragging Finn with me.
Spike appeared, coming out of a doorway on our left. Immediately his eyes started to glow red. “Well, hello, Jayne.” He smiled at me, giving me his famous hotsexy grin.
“Not now, Spike, I don’t have time for your shit.”
Spike was taken aback. He snapped back to regular Spike ... the non-incubus Spike. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Just help me get Finn to Dardennes’ office.”
A door just up ahead had a candleglow around the edges. This must be what Finn was talking about, that I’d know the door when I saw it.
I knocked on the door three times.
“Enter!” I heard, coming from inside.
I pushed on the heavy door, swinging it inwards, dragging Finn in by the hand. Spike followed and shut the door behind us.
Dardennes was sitting at his desk, Céline standing at his right looking over his shoulder at a map laid out on the surface. Niles the dwarf was on his left, also examining the document. Ivar stood in the corner, a few paces back from them, near one of the many floor to ceiling bookshelves.
Dardennes lifted an eyebrow as we approached. “Yes, Jayne? How may we help you?”
I sighed, a little guiltily. “I think I did it again.”
“Did what again?”
“Gave some elves a stroke or something. Like I did to Céline.”
Dardennes looked at Céline and then at Niles. They all looked back at me with questions in their eyes.
“Which elves?”
“You know very well which elves. The green elves. The ones you told to try and kill me today.”
Dardennes chuckled. “Jayne, the green elves did not try to kill you. Perhaps you are letting your imagination get away from you.”
“Listen, old man, when thirty elves notch arrows in their bows at you and tell you that you have thirty seconds to figure out how to defend yourself, that’s attempted murder. It’s not my friggin’ imagination.” I grabbed Finn by the shoulder of his tunic, pulling him forward. “Tell ‘em Finn. Tell ‘em what they did.”
They turned their gaze to Finn.
Finn said nothing.
I whacked him on the back. “Finn! Wake up, you redneck idiot! Tell them what happened.”
“Wait, Jayne, let me see what I can do,” said Céline, coming around the desk, looking concerned.
She reached Finn, stopping in front of him. She took his hands in hers and stared into his eyes. I could see her thumbs rubbing circles on the backs of his hands.
Finn was smiling, saying nothing.
“Finn. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in the light.”
“Are you in The Green?”
“Yes.”
Céline broke her gaze away and looked over at Dardennes, nodding at him. He reciprocated the gesture, giving her some sort of approval.
Céline turned back to Finn. “Finn, I need you to come out of The Green. Come back to us here at the compound.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she said sternly, jerking on his hands. “You cannot stay in The Green. Mother needs you here.”
Finn had the look of a petulant child on his face – a child who was going to refuse an order from his parent; but then he reluctantly gave in. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them back up.
He saw Céline standing right smack in front of him and backed his head up as far as he could without stepping away from her. He pulled his hands from hers and leaned a bit to the right, looking around her left shoulder to Dardennes and the others by the desk. Then he turned his head sideways, looking at me.
“Jayne? What in the H-E-double hockey
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