longer,” Celesse said.
“I’ve been patient. I showed him the tomb. I’m not even asking to be paid. I didn’t plan on this.”
“Neither did I,” Celesse said. “I’m sick of this place, too, but your attitude isn’t helping.”
Tony stood and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Celesse asked.
“Tell him I stayed as long as I could,” Tony said. “But this is stupid now.”
A tree rustled nearby.
Tony stopped. “Did you hear that?”
Celesse shrugged. Then she heard the sound of leaves crunching.
Were they footsteps?
Leaves crunched again. Crunch-crunch. Crunch-crunch .
The hair on the nape of her neck stood up. Something told her the footsteps weren’t human. It sounded as if something were slithering through the thicket.
Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a white card.
Celesse grabbed the wooden stake, clutching it as hard as she could without giving herself splinters.
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
An ear-shattering scream ripped through the woods, and Celesse screamed in response.
Tony jumped back and yelled, “Oh, crap!”
Green eyes blinked in the dark and a shadow leapt out of the woods at them.
XV
“How long until we arrive?” Miri asked.
Earl, until now, had been staring ahead dutifully, his hands on the wheel even though the car was on autopilot.
He glanced in the rearview mirror. Lucan was snoring. Then he turned to the professor and grinned. “About twenty minutes now, Miss.”
Miri couldn’t sleep. She’d tried to rest her head against the window, but it was cold. Besides, she couldn’t stop thinking about Old Dark. About her thesis and whether all the things she wrote were true. She kept playing the same facts in her head over and over, until she decided that she had thought about the matter enough for now.
“What part of town are you from, Earl?” Miri asked.
“The North Side.”
“Any elven blood?” With his broad stature he looked more human than elf, but one always had to ask so you knew what to say when discussing magic—or, in the case of a human, sometimes it was wise not to discuss magic at all for fear of making them feel ashamed.
“I’ve got a little in me,” Earl said. “About one sixty-fourth.”
“Can you use grimoires?”
“They don’t take to me, Miss. Can’t ever get them to work on account of my blood. Doctor said if I was one thirty-second then I’d be able to use a modicum of magic. Painful to think about.”
Only elves could use magic. Humans reaped the benefits from the magical society, but their strengths often lay elsewhere. She felt bad for Earl. Everyone deserved to cast a spell every now and again.
“Lucan said you have kids?”
“Seven.”
Earl handed a smartphone to her. Its screen glowed with a picture of Earl in a t-shirt and shorts, a kind-looking blonde woman with graying hair, and seven boys who seemed to be ages five through eighteen. They all sat on a couch, smiling.
“My!” Miri gasped. “Then this is an especially late night for you.”
Earl laughed. “They take care of each other while I’m gone.”
“I can’t imagine having a child, let alone seven. And boys at that.”
“Boys are national treasures. If only the university would help with tuition…”
“Call me when we get back. There might be a few things I can do.”
Earl tipped his cap to her. “You’re too kind. You married, Professor?”
“Ha! To my work, sure.”
“So am I.”
“I don’t think I could work all day and not see my family, though.”
“Comes with the occupation. I’m used to—”
A shadow darted across the road and the car struck it. Miri’s seatbelt snapped and pulled her back.
Earl flew forward and hit his head on the dashboard.
Lucan rolled onto the floor and woke up, bleary eyed. “Earl, what the hell?”
The car slowed to a stop and chimed. Earl took manual control, but it wouldn’t accelerate. The wheels revved
“I’ve been patient. I showed him the tomb. I’m not even asking to be paid. I didn’t plan on this.”
“Neither did I,” Celesse said. “I’m sick of this place, too, but your attitude isn’t helping.”
Tony stood and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Celesse asked.
“Tell him I stayed as long as I could,” Tony said. “But this is stupid now.”
A tree rustled nearby.
Tony stopped. “Did you hear that?”
Celesse shrugged. Then she heard the sound of leaves crunching.
Were they footsteps?
Leaves crunched again. Crunch-crunch. Crunch-crunch .
The hair on the nape of her neck stood up. Something told her the footsteps weren’t human. It sounded as if something were slithering through the thicket.
Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a white card.
Celesse grabbed the wooden stake, clutching it as hard as she could without giving herself splinters.
“What do you think it is?” she asked.
An ear-shattering scream ripped through the woods, and Celesse screamed in response.
Tony jumped back and yelled, “Oh, crap!”
Green eyes blinked in the dark and a shadow leapt out of the woods at them.
XV
“How long until we arrive?” Miri asked.
Earl, until now, had been staring ahead dutifully, his hands on the wheel even though the car was on autopilot.
He glanced in the rearview mirror. Lucan was snoring. Then he turned to the professor and grinned. “About twenty minutes now, Miss.”
Miri couldn’t sleep. She’d tried to rest her head against the window, but it was cold. Besides, she couldn’t stop thinking about Old Dark. About her thesis and whether all the things she wrote were true. She kept playing the same facts in her head over and over, until she decided that she had thought about the matter enough for now.
“What part of town are you from, Earl?” Miri asked.
“The North Side.”
“Any elven blood?” With his broad stature he looked more human than elf, but one always had to ask so you knew what to say when discussing magic—or, in the case of a human, sometimes it was wise not to discuss magic at all for fear of making them feel ashamed.
“I’ve got a little in me,” Earl said. “About one sixty-fourth.”
“Can you use grimoires?”
“They don’t take to me, Miss. Can’t ever get them to work on account of my blood. Doctor said if I was one thirty-second then I’d be able to use a modicum of magic. Painful to think about.”
Only elves could use magic. Humans reaped the benefits from the magical society, but their strengths often lay elsewhere. She felt bad for Earl. Everyone deserved to cast a spell every now and again.
“Lucan said you have kids?”
“Seven.”
Earl handed a smartphone to her. Its screen glowed with a picture of Earl in a t-shirt and shorts, a kind-looking blonde woman with graying hair, and seven boys who seemed to be ages five through eighteen. They all sat on a couch, smiling.
“My!” Miri gasped. “Then this is an especially late night for you.”
Earl laughed. “They take care of each other while I’m gone.”
“I can’t imagine having a child, let alone seven. And boys at that.”
“Boys are national treasures. If only the university would help with tuition…”
“Call me when we get back. There might be a few things I can do.”
Earl tipped his cap to her. “You’re too kind. You married, Professor?”
“Ha! To my work, sure.”
“So am I.”
“I don’t think I could work all day and not see my family, though.”
“Comes with the occupation. I’m used to—”
A shadow darted across the road and the car struck it. Miri’s seatbelt snapped and pulled her back.
Earl flew forward and hit his head on the dashboard.
Lucan rolled onto the floor and woke up, bleary eyed. “Earl, what the hell?”
The car slowed to a stop and chimed. Earl took manual control, but it wouldn’t accelerate. The wheels revved
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