so far.”
In response to her questioning look, I explained, “From the moment the humans and I left the dungeons, we have been mostly on the run. Very little time for much beyond staying a step ahead of the posse. Not to mention all the others who would like to see me caught and convicted on general principles.”
“Ah.” She nodded once. Then she bit her lip, her prismatic eyes sparkling even more vividly than usual. “Perhaps I can be of assistance in that area. I shall see what I can do.”
I bowed. “Much appreciated.”
She smiled a very faint smile then, for only a second. Then, “Baranak travels all the wrong roads in search of you. As I thought he would.”
I nodded.
“Good. Might I assume you had something to do with that?”
The flickering smile appeared and disappeared again, so quickly I thought I might have only imagined it.
“There is something to be said for consistency, for predictability, for the cautious and conservative approach at all times,” she said, by way of answer. “In Baranak’s case, that ‘something’ is called stubbornness. Lack of imagination. Stupidity, one might even say.”
I shrugged.
“So long as he keeps searching for me in places I am not.”
“Even so, I would defer any extended island vacations until later, Lucian. You are probably safe here for a day or so, but I would not linger beyond that.”
I nodded.
She stood and her white robes, catching the breeze, flared out from her, revealing more of her than I had expected to see. Quickly she pulled them in tighter. As always, with Alaria, I had no idea how intentional it had been.
“Until later, then,” she said.
I nodded, then hesitated.
“Say—how long have you known about my little island paradise, here?”
She snapped her fingers and a sparkling white portal flared into existence, tweaked by her power and her vanity into appearing as an ornate, full-length mirror.
“Oh, Lucian. Everyone knows about your island hideaway.”
Her rainbow eyes caught mine once more.
“If you are, in fact, missing some ‘stuff,’ as you say, then I would suggest it could have been any of two dozen different gods who took it. Or perhaps all of them.”
And with that, she stepped through the looking glass and vanished.
I reeled. All of them? I could not believe it. Everyone knew about this hideaway?
I kicked the sand at my feet. I had been out of circulation for a long time, but I had never suspected the others might start uncovering all of my old secrets in the interim. Malachek knew about one, and now Alaria claimed everyone knew about another. If they had all been compromised during my exile—if my private sanctuaries were all exposed and my hidden resources were long gone—my chances of redeeming myself were decreasing by the moment.
And where in the hell were the humans?
“She’s gone at last, then.”
I whirled.
At the top of the rise stood Arendal.
“Must be tourist season,” I muttered.
“You knew you could not long escape me,” he said. “I’m not Baranak, for crying out loud.”
I looked him up and down. His formerly immaculate, cream-colored suit was discolored with burn marks. One entire sleeve was nearly burned away. Dried blood covered half of his face.
“Those pilot lights can be a bitch to light, can’t they?” I said.
He shifted his silver cane from one hand to the other, then exerted a small fraction of the Power. His appearance and his clothing reverted to normal.
“I simply wanted you to see one of the reasons why I have become so put out with you,” he said.
I shrugged. We regarded one another in silence for a time.
“I should have known it was Alaria who let you out,” he said finally. “Under normal circumstances, I would have known. These are, of course, not normal circumstances.” He took a few steps down the hill towards me. “And I will say she’s been much better lately at avoiding my surveillance than in the past.”
I began forming tiny blue spheres
In response to her questioning look, I explained, “From the moment the humans and I left the dungeons, we have been mostly on the run. Very little time for much beyond staying a step ahead of the posse. Not to mention all the others who would like to see me caught and convicted on general principles.”
“Ah.” She nodded once. Then she bit her lip, her prismatic eyes sparkling even more vividly than usual. “Perhaps I can be of assistance in that area. I shall see what I can do.”
I bowed. “Much appreciated.”
She smiled a very faint smile then, for only a second. Then, “Baranak travels all the wrong roads in search of you. As I thought he would.”
I nodded.
“Good. Might I assume you had something to do with that?”
The flickering smile appeared and disappeared again, so quickly I thought I might have only imagined it.
“There is something to be said for consistency, for predictability, for the cautious and conservative approach at all times,” she said, by way of answer. “In Baranak’s case, that ‘something’ is called stubbornness. Lack of imagination. Stupidity, one might even say.”
I shrugged.
“So long as he keeps searching for me in places I am not.”
“Even so, I would defer any extended island vacations until later, Lucian. You are probably safe here for a day or so, but I would not linger beyond that.”
I nodded.
She stood and her white robes, catching the breeze, flared out from her, revealing more of her than I had expected to see. Quickly she pulled them in tighter. As always, with Alaria, I had no idea how intentional it had been.
“Until later, then,” she said.
I nodded, then hesitated.
“Say—how long have you known about my little island paradise, here?”
She snapped her fingers and a sparkling white portal flared into existence, tweaked by her power and her vanity into appearing as an ornate, full-length mirror.
“Oh, Lucian. Everyone knows about your island hideaway.”
Her rainbow eyes caught mine once more.
“If you are, in fact, missing some ‘stuff,’ as you say, then I would suggest it could have been any of two dozen different gods who took it. Or perhaps all of them.”
And with that, she stepped through the looking glass and vanished.
I reeled. All of them? I could not believe it. Everyone knew about this hideaway?
I kicked the sand at my feet. I had been out of circulation for a long time, but I had never suspected the others might start uncovering all of my old secrets in the interim. Malachek knew about one, and now Alaria claimed everyone knew about another. If they had all been compromised during my exile—if my private sanctuaries were all exposed and my hidden resources were long gone—my chances of redeeming myself were decreasing by the moment.
And where in the hell were the humans?
“She’s gone at last, then.”
I whirled.
At the top of the rise stood Arendal.
“Must be tourist season,” I muttered.
“You knew you could not long escape me,” he said. “I’m not Baranak, for crying out loud.”
I looked him up and down. His formerly immaculate, cream-colored suit was discolored with burn marks. One entire sleeve was nearly burned away. Dried blood covered half of his face.
“Those pilot lights can be a bitch to light, can’t they?” I said.
He shifted his silver cane from one hand to the other, then exerted a small fraction of the Power. His appearance and his clothing reverted to normal.
“I simply wanted you to see one of the reasons why I have become so put out with you,” he said.
I shrugged. We regarded one another in silence for a time.
“I should have known it was Alaria who let you out,” he said finally. “Under normal circumstances, I would have known. These are, of course, not normal circumstances.” He took a few steps down the hill towards me. “And I will say she’s been much better lately at avoiding my surveillance than in the past.”
I began forming tiny blue spheres
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