by J G Jerome
I can tell the normally confident, stoic man is very upset.
“We’ll watch out for each other, Luis. We’ll get through it just fine.” He nods, putting his stoic facade back in place.
Manuel comes out the door to help the ladies with their bags, but they all beg off. Luis takes the keys from Rebecca and moves the car into the back of the house.
Viktorija flies out the door, and she launches into my arms and hugs me tight.
“Hey, Precious! Are you okay?” I ask, borrowing her Mistress’ pet name for her.
She whispers into my neck. “Just glad to see you, Will.” She releases me and steps back, clasping her hands in front of her waist. “Let me show you to your room. Audrey and Josie are already there. Dinner will be served at seven in the main dining room this evening. Come as you are; don’t bother dressing for dinner.”
She walks up to Carla and extends her hand. “You must be Carla. Audrey told me to expect you.”
Carla smiles gently as she shakes Viktorija’s hand. “Hopefully I’m not too big of a disappointment.”
Viktorija caresses her cheek. “If you’re hanging with this bunch, I’m sure you’re a delight. I look forward to getting to know you.” She hugs Carla quickly before collecting a hug and a quick kiss from Marissa and Rebecca, too. “Please. Come inside.”
We unpack quickly. Given how tightly wound the staff seems to be, we opt for a few minutes of seated meditation. We sit in a circle, left hand facing up, right hand facing down, clasping the hands of our neighbors on either side. Josie and I sit across from each other again. We both channel growth energy gently through the circle as we count each inhale for four counts and exhale for four counts. After fifteen minutes, we’re all relaxed, focused, and energized.
“My dears, the house is in an uproar,” I tell them. “We need to be the rock in this storm. We know the plan for the weekend. We will review it after dinner if my guess is correct.” I look around the circle. “Is everyone okay?”
There are nods all around the circle. “So no one needs a hug and a kiss before we go down to dinner?” I ask.
All the ladies indicate enthusiastically with raised hands, nods, and a variety of “me,” “yes, please,” and “I do” responses that they do indeed need a hug and kiss. I chuckle as I release Audrey and Rebecca’s hands and roll backwards to reverse somersault to my feet.
I stand by the door and give each a warm hug and a relatively chaste kiss as we file out the door. Carla is last, and she waits to take my arm after I pull the door closed.
Jack and Darcie arrive just as we reach the bottom of the stairs. Bernadette meets us at the entry to the dining room in a silken print … robe? It looks like a kaftan that has been split from throat to hem, but it manages to stay closed from just below her breasts to just below her vulva. I hug her and exchange our customary wet kiss.
As I release her she murmurs, “Velcro, darling. A wonder of the modern age.” I laugh as I release her to hug the rest of my family. Of course, she would know what I’m thinking. She gushes over Carla and congratulates her on her newly acquired skill. Carla is quick enough to figure out that she means having a soul. Carla looks at me, but I have to shrug. I’m not sure how she knows, but apparently she does.
We all take our seats, and Clarice and Candice serve dinner family style before joining us at the table. Manuel, Luis, Vanessa, and Rachel join us. The ladies are in loose casual trousers and sweaters. Luis is in his standard ‘winter attire’ - wearing a standard ‘Blues Brothers’ suit rather than looking like Crockett off Miami Vice. Manuel is in jeans and an oxford. Interestingly, Ilara’en does not join us.
We keep the conversation to small talk and routine catching up. Jack just finished an engagement for a client. I forget that he does similar work to me. Darcie reports she did well in her half-semester class at Yavapai County Community College. Rebecca and Josie share their passing of the GED. I add that they are planning to start at YCCC in January.
Marissa closed on the sale that she’s been working with the Bagdad Community Health Center.
I talk about the software project wrapping up. Carla shares what she can about her HR case.
Bernadette says she spent about twenty hours in her law office...which stops the conversation cold.
She laughs, “I think you all know that I’m a lawyer. I think I even mentioned that I still practice. Idle hands and all that. I’m working on a case against one of the local utilities and the corporation commission for unfair billing practices - mostly strategizing with my lead litigator. I also have a sexual harassment suit against an investment banker I’m leading and a breach of contract suit that I need to consult on. Plus I’m working on a little side project for William.” She smiles brightly at me.
I must look confused, so her face takes on a school marm expression as she taps her left ring finger and looks at each of my ladies.
“Oh! Right. That’s great news, Bernadette.”
Bernadette “Carla, too?”
“Too early to say,” I say.
Carla squints at me for a moment before addressing our hostess, “Of course, Bernadette.” She looks at me. “Men really are clueless.”
I shrug, “We’re not there, Carla.”
She says, “We’re both running that direction about as fast as our feet can carry us. Don’t act surprised when you realize we’ve been there for some time.”
Audrey says, “I’m in, Carla. Come sleep in my bed whenever you wish.”
Carla grins happily. “I enjoyed your visit for lunch.”
Bernadette regales us with tales of some of her past legal conquests, including an interesting cooperative contract she wrote for a group in Ash Fork - west of Flagstaff and north of Prescott. She looks at me pointedly.
After dinner we adjourn to the parlor to discuss the plan for tomorrow.
Manuel stands outside the door, and Luis retires to the small cubicle off the entryway that houses a compact security workstation. I never knew that was there before, but it explains how one of the staff is always there to greet us when we arrive.
Viktorija and Clarice each pull a device out of their pockets while Candice uses a tablet to lower the ‘cone of silence.’
Bernadette engages everyone in a discussion about the meal we just had and discusses options for tomorrow’s menus with Candice. She waves everyone to participate.
Meanwhile, the devices that Viktorija and Clarice are employing light up. Clarice waves me over as she points in a potted plant. She raises a finger to shush me, then points to a small figurine near the edge of the pot. She points to my eyes with two fingers and then at the figurine.
I eventually pull my head out of my ass and look at the figurine with my second sight. There is a red glow like the ‘demon’ glyphs I found on Gwen’s bonds - traveler magic.
I give Clarice a questioning look. She pulls the chopsticks from her hair, and it falls in a golden cascade about her shoulders. She uses them to pick up the figurine. She carries it to a small plastic pail that had been hidden behind the door when I walked in.
Clarice waves at me to accompany Viktorija. She is focused on a Hummel figurine. I look at the figurine with my second site, but I find no glow. I scan the vicinity - still nothing. I shake my head. Viktorija pushes me gently back, and then walks around the table looking at the figurine. She points at the figurine.
Viktorija picks it up and turns it over. There’s nothing inside it either. I get down on my knees and look under the table. Second sight reveals nothing, but I see a small brown blemish in the bottom of the tabletop. I wave Viktorija to look at it. She squats down and points her device at the ‘blemish,’ and it lights up. She pulls a large tweezer from her pocket and plucks the little thing off the table. She walks over and drops it into the bucket.
Clarice waves me over to Bernadette’s desk. There’s a small cup-like vessel holding four pens, two automatic pencils, a six-inch ruler, and a small scissor. Clarice’s device is pointing at the cup and flashi
ng two different colors. I turn my second sight on the cup, and I immediately see one of the pens is glowing bright red. I pick up the two mechanical pencils and use them as chopsticks to pick up the glowing pen. Bernadette stutters for a moment before continuing the inane conversation.
Clarice runs to the door and returns with the bucket. I see it’s got about six inches of water in the bottom. I drop the pen in it. It doesn’t stop glowing immediately, but fades gradually. The figurine that Clarice dropped in first is barely glowing at all. I point at the cup again, so Clarice points the device at the cup again. It lights up again. I pull all the implements out of the cup and look inside. I see a small microphone with a short tail in the bottom. I show it to Clarice. She frowns and points at the bucket, so I dump the device into the water.
Viktorija clears her throat. We turn and she’s pointing at the ceiling lamp. The ceiling in the parlor is roughly fourteen feet high. The lamp is about nine or ten feet up. My second sight doesn’t reveal anything showing traveler magic.
I look at it trying to figure out what to do. I pull out my phone, open a text, and type ‘ladder?’ I show it to Viktorija. She shakes her head, puts her device in her pocket, and takes my phone. She types in ‘cheerleader.’
I have no clue what she means. She points at Audrey. I turn toward Audrey with a puzzled look. Viktorija waves her over. She shows Audrey the ‘cheerleader’ text. Audrey snorts while trying to stifle a laugh and waggles her hand in a ‘kinda’ gesture.
Viktorija points at my shoulders. Audrey looks confused, so Viktorija leans in and whispers in her ear. Audrey’s eyes flash wide open.
Audrey turns and waves my ladies over and leads them to the door. She whispers to them before they return to stand around me. She positions me under the edge of the lamp. Carla kicks off her shoes. Marissa, Audrey, Josie, and Viktorija follow her lead.
Audrey pulls me down and whispers into my ear. “I’m gonna pyramid on your shoulders. I may need you to press me up. You up for this?”
I think about it. Pressing her up while balancing on my hands might be a challenge, but I think her height from my shoulders should be high enough to look inside.
I walk around the perimeter of the lamp shade. I think I see something facing toward Bernadette’s desk. I point up at it and set my feet in a wide, left-lead stance under it. Audrey faces me, standing next to my left knee.
I squat and extend my left hand to her and hold my right flat above my right shoulder. She grabs my left hand, steps on my left knee with her left foot and launches up into the air. Once she has enough lift, she reaches across her right and grabs mine as she spins around to my back. I’m assuming she’s piking as I feel her weight push heavily into my hands. Regardless, I launch up into a standing posture. Her right foot slides onto my right shoulder. I lock my posture to steady myself. Audrey slides her left foot onto my left shoulder.
We wobble a bit until Marissa and Josie walk up on either side with Carla and Viktorija sitting on their shoulders. I’m curious how they did that, but I need to focus on maintaining Audrey’s base.
I feel Audrey’s feet press into my shoulders. Slowly she releases my hands, so I reach up to grasp her thighs to stabilize her. Carla and Viktorija hold her waist while Clarice stands in front of Josie holding the bucket. Audrey wobbles a bit and then exhales. Clarice nods and catches something dropping from the lamp in the bucket. She points her device at the lamp again and gets no more lights.
Clarice nods up at Audrey right before I feel Audrey's hands clasp mine. She murmurs, “Front.” I clasp her hands and post. Audrey presses her weight down onto my hands and her feet slide forward off my shoulders. I catch her around the waist as Carla and Viktorija jump down.
Clarice and Viktorija take another tour around the room before Viktorija declares, “All clear, Mistress.”
Bernadette says, “Now we can talk through the plan.
Jack starts off. “Tonight we collar Candice, and she goes home with Darcie and I tonight. They will stay at my house here in town.”
Audrey says, “Carla is going to stay in the suite to summon the critters.”
Carla says, “Josie and Marissa will guard Rebecca, Vanessa, and myself.”
Josie demonstrates a new weaponized nail construct she devised. She has three packages of 8d finish nails. The nails from a single package are a weapon. She is able to use one as a wand to direct the others to a target at high speed. It’s quieter than a gun and less likely to injure anyone Josie doesn’t want hurt.
Rebecca has ten small paper pouches full of powders. She has cayenne pepper and nettle in eight of them. The other two hold dried spores of the fungus that causes Valley Fever. She plans to power them as she throws them into the face of an aggressor. The fungus will definitely be fatal. The irritants might be depending on the victim’s health and how much they inhale.
Jack says, “I’ll arrive at 8:30 in the morning to guard. I’m bringing silenced pistols for your ladies, Will. They are a different model - Sig P320 compacts. They are similar in size to what the ladies are accustomed to with a ten round magazine. The nose is a little heavier from the silencer, and you’ll lose some muzzle velocity from it too.”
The ladies all nod. Audrey says, “I will summon our target. Father will set a containment circle outside mine to hold any travelers inside it.”
I say, “Magnus should be here at 9:00. I expect to take 30 minutes for introductions, agree to the plan, and get oriented. We’ll start at 9:30.”
“Good,” Bernadette says. “I told them 11:00, so hopefully we catch him unaware. The dementia patient is in a guest room across from your suite, Darling.”
I nod, “I will pull his soul out tonight and have him ready for tomorrow.”
I ask, “Where’s Ilara’en?”
Bernadette says, “I think she’s the one that planted the bugs. No proof, but I think she’s reporting back to Valya. I told the customer service staff to always act as though there are strangers in the house - no honorifics, no mention of where I’m from or Vanessa’s friend. Despite that, I am pretty certain Valya knows my station if not my identity.”
She frowns cutely. “I assigned Ilara’en to housekeeping staff, but that gives her a lot of access. I always check my office for bugs, and we started finding them within a day of her arrival. Viktorija found two in my suite. We left them there, your suite, and this room until now.”
“I don’t understand,” I say. “Why do that?”
Bernadette says, “Elven society is very political and prone to grand schemes. Many of the commoners are decent people - essentially like American humans from the northeast or California. You don’t care for the way they live, but you find yourself enjoying their company regardless. The royal houses are the worst. House Valeran is worse than most royal houses - their insistence on acting like boors is a badge of honor among them.”
Audrey says, “They are the ‘Jersey Shore’ of elves - thoroughly despicable beings.”
Bernadette nods. “Judging from the few things I know about them, that sounds about right.”
“Well, I need to create a zombie before bed. What’s his name?” I ask.
Viktorija says, “Jonathan Copeland. He’s eighty-two. He is physically healthy enough other than his brain. The poor man is confused as hell. Housekeeping is very busy with the rate he soils himself and the suite. He just doesn’t recognize he needs to go until it’s done. He usually doesn’t notice that he’s done it. Ilara’en is about to kill him.”
I muse, “I wonder, Bernadette. If I pull his soul tonight and don’t reanimate him until tomorrow. Would that result in a ghoul?”
Bernadette says, “Not normally. The corpse needs to ripen for a few days. I learned a week is required. The one time I did it, the guy had been dead for a month. As confused as Mr. Copeland is, it may not matter. We ensured that vascular dementia is his primary problem to ensure that any traveler would have problems once in his body. He’s been off the meds for two weeks. I recommend you just
make him a zombie. That is what I was told to provide.”
I nod. “I guess I better go do that.”
Bernadette warns me, “Ilara’en should be with him.”
Jack pulls out a black braided leather collar with a medallion on it. The medallion is similar to the one on Darcie’s pendant. Candice kneels before him and bows her head. Jack wraps the collar around her neck, Darcie lifts Candice’s hair, and Jack buckles the collar onto the diminutive escort. He says, “Say your goodbyes my pets.”
Candice gasps with lust. “Yes master.”
We all stand and pass hugs around. Darcie and Candice leave immediately after hugging us all.
I pull Bernadette into a passionate kiss. She wraps her arms around me and leans into my neck. “Thank you, Will.”
“Of course, darling. We’ll get this resolved tomorrow, so you don’t have to spend a minute worrying about this again.”
Bernadette caresses my face as she looks into my eyes. “Thank you is not nearly enough to express my gratitude,” she says softly.
I murmur. “It is, love. I admire your courage in setting this up. It can’t be easy given what you’ve told me.”
She kisses me again. “Get out of here before I get all maudlin.”
I tell her, “Sleep well, love.”
As Jack walks up, I pat his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Jack.” I follow my ladies out, leaving only Jack and Bernadette in the Parlor.
38
John Copeland becomes a zombie
Bernadette pastes a smile on her face. Jack approaches and grasps her shoulders. “You’re in love with him.”
Bernadette looks away as she answers. “As if, Jack. You know what I am.”