me about sex."
"If you've been watching so many movies, honey, you know more than enough."
"Not about ... you know ... him."
I gave her a sharp look. She sounded breathless. Gone was all mischief; she looked
positively doe-eyed. Dani--tough, punk Dani--looked like she'd gone soft at the knees.
I was flabbergasted. "You've got a crush on Barrons now? I thought it was V'lane you
were so crazy about."
"Him, too. But when Barrons came and pulled you out of here, dude, you shoulda
seen the way he looked at you!"
"I'm not a dude. Lose it." I was not going to ask. "So, how did he look at me?"
"Like it was his birthday and you were the cake."
At least he hadn't smashed this one into the ceiling. It seemed Barrons had finally
gotten his cake and eaten it, too.
I winced. I refused to entertain that metaphor further. Barrons-thoughts were far too
complicated for me to deal with. Especially any that involved eating the cake. Later I
might get around to asking Dani about my earliest, confused days at the abbey. Now I
had other priorities. "My turn. What happened to you?" Everywhere that skin was
visible on the fiery-haired teen, she had bruises. Her forearms were especially bad. Two
fingers were splinted. One eye was black and blue and swollen nearly closed, her lip
was busted, and both cheeks sported the yellowish-purple blossoms of healing
contusions.
She glanced around edgily.
I tensed instantly. "What? Is somebody coming?"
"You never know `round here anymore," she muttered, and looked around again.
Although the hall was empty, she lowered her voice. "Been trying to get into the
Forbidden Libraries. Hasn't been working so well."
"By doing what? Blasting into the doors at high speed?"
She shrugged. "Sort of. Mostly I been falling down. No big."
"It's a big to me. It doesn't look like superhealing is one of your strengths. Try to be
more careful with yourself, okay?"
She gave me a quick, startled look. "Okay, Mac."
Had everyone at the abbey left her alone for so long that a mere expression of
concern for her well-being startled her? "I mean it. Quit banging yourself up unless it's
absolutely necessary."
"I hear and obey, Big Mac." She flashed me an outrageous grin.
Big Mac. It was like a fist to my heart. Alina had called me Baby Mac. Sometimes
Junior. I'd called her Big Mac. It was an inside joke with us. "Why'd you call me that?"
"Movies. American stuff. McDonald's. You know."
"Don't call me Big Mac and I won't call you ... Danielle." I took a guess and knew
by her instant sour look I'd guessed right. "Deal?"
"Deal."
"Where's my spear?"
She stiffened again, glanced around again, and dropped her voice even further.
"Don't know," she said softly. "But we picked it up that day at the church. Kat brought
it back. Hasn't been seen since. I kinda thought she'd arm one of us with it. She hasn't."
My lips thinned. I knew why. Rowena was carrying it herself.
"I think so, too," Dani said, and I looked at her sharply. "Nah, I just know the way
you think. We're alike that way. We see things the way they are, not the way folks want
us to believe they are or how we wish they were."
"Where is the old witch?"
Dani gave me a glum look. "Right now?"
I nodded.
"Behind you."
I whirled, bringing my gun up sharp and hard. And there it was: my biggest, most
disconcerting shock of the day. Far more shocking than expanding Dark Zones, sky
battles, and Interdimensional Fairy Potholes.
There stood Rowena, decked out in high Grand Mistress garb--the robes of the order
that had been founded for the express purpose of hunting and killing Fae--arm in arm
with a Fae. The Fae that had just sifted her in behind me.
It was no wonder Dani had been looking around nervously.
And no wonder V'lane had known my spear was at the abbey.
He was at the abbey.
All cozy with Rowena. Sifting her around, apparently.
I
"If you've been watching so many movies, honey, you know more than enough."
"Not about ... you know ... him."
I gave her a sharp look. She sounded breathless. Gone was all mischief; she looked
positively doe-eyed. Dani--tough, punk Dani--looked like she'd gone soft at the knees.
I was flabbergasted. "You've got a crush on Barrons now? I thought it was V'lane you
were so crazy about."
"Him, too. But when Barrons came and pulled you out of here, dude, you shoulda
seen the way he looked at you!"
"I'm not a dude. Lose it." I was not going to ask. "So, how did he look at me?"
"Like it was his birthday and you were the cake."
At least he hadn't smashed this one into the ceiling. It seemed Barrons had finally
gotten his cake and eaten it, too.
I winced. I refused to entertain that metaphor further. Barrons-thoughts were far too
complicated for me to deal with. Especially any that involved eating the cake. Later I
might get around to asking Dani about my earliest, confused days at the abbey. Now I
had other priorities. "My turn. What happened to you?" Everywhere that skin was
visible on the fiery-haired teen, she had bruises. Her forearms were especially bad. Two
fingers were splinted. One eye was black and blue and swollen nearly closed, her lip
was busted, and both cheeks sported the yellowish-purple blossoms of healing
contusions.
She glanced around edgily.
I tensed instantly. "What? Is somebody coming?"
"You never know `round here anymore," she muttered, and looked around again.
Although the hall was empty, she lowered her voice. "Been trying to get into the
Forbidden Libraries. Hasn't been working so well."
"By doing what? Blasting into the doors at high speed?"
She shrugged. "Sort of. Mostly I been falling down. No big."
"It's a big to me. It doesn't look like superhealing is one of your strengths. Try to be
more careful with yourself, okay?"
She gave me a quick, startled look. "Okay, Mac."
Had everyone at the abbey left her alone for so long that a mere expression of
concern for her well-being startled her? "I mean it. Quit banging yourself up unless it's
absolutely necessary."
"I hear and obey, Big Mac." She flashed me an outrageous grin.
Big Mac. It was like a fist to my heart. Alina had called me Baby Mac. Sometimes
Junior. I'd called her Big Mac. It was an inside joke with us. "Why'd you call me that?"
"Movies. American stuff. McDonald's. You know."
"Don't call me Big Mac and I won't call you ... Danielle." I took a guess and knew
by her instant sour look I'd guessed right. "Deal?"
"Deal."
"Where's my spear?"
She stiffened again, glanced around again, and dropped her voice even further.
"Don't know," she said softly. "But we picked it up that day at the church. Kat brought
it back. Hasn't been seen since. I kinda thought she'd arm one of us with it. She hasn't."
My lips thinned. I knew why. Rowena was carrying it herself.
"I think so, too," Dani said, and I looked at her sharply. "Nah, I just know the way
you think. We're alike that way. We see things the way they are, not the way folks want
us to believe they are or how we wish they were."
"Where is the old witch?"
Dani gave me a glum look. "Right now?"
I nodded.
"Behind you."
I whirled, bringing my gun up sharp and hard. And there it was: my biggest, most
disconcerting shock of the day. Far more shocking than expanding Dark Zones, sky
battles, and Interdimensional Fairy Potholes.
There stood Rowena, decked out in high Grand Mistress garb--the robes of the order
that had been founded for the express purpose of hunting and killing Fae--arm in arm
with a Fae. The Fae that had just sifted her in behind me.
It was no wonder Dani had been looking around nervously.
And no wonder V'lane had known my spear was at the abbey.
He was at the abbey.
All cozy with Rowena. Sifting her around, apparently.
I
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