Owl and the Japanese Circus
Page 42
Yeah, I was that pissed.
A man in pajama bottoms, with a slight build—more sinuous than muscular—and long brown hair tied in a ponytail, sat across from me. There was a window behind him, looking out on a forest somewhere. It was morning, roughly the same time of day—Northwest, from the look of it . . . His jaw dropped as he realized what I’d done.
“What kind of an asshole spies on his friends and then threatens them? I mean, who does that?” I said.
He recovered fast, I’ll give him that. He set his jaw and looked straight at me. “Sorry, but you weren’t leaving me any choice.”
“Fantastic. Is there anything you couldn’t find out about me behind my back I can help you with?”
He swore under his breath. “Yes, as a matter of fact. The one thing I need to know and I couldn’t find out was whether you were familiar with Egyptian spell books, Old and Middle Kingdom.”
I just about fell out of the chair. “Pardon?”
“I know you’ve been to Egypt a number of times. You even came back with a Mau cat. What I don’t know is whether you’ve dealt with any Egyptian mummies, or if you’ve come across the spell books—”
I closed my eyes and buried my head on my desk. I attract trouble, I work for a dragon, my go-between is a naga, and I date an incubus. But even I know when to run in the other direction, and if I was going to draw the line somewhere, Egyptian mummies were it.
“Hell no,” I said. “Now listen good. I’m turning you off and forgetting we ever had this conversation. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of my personal life and also forget we ever had this conversation.”
Carpe frowned. He was good-looking in a feminine, geek chic kind of way. Not my type, but even I had to admit he wasn’t the fat, acned kid I’d pictured. He was still a royal jerk however.
“Owl, if it’s a question of money, I can pay—”
“Yeah, and if I become suicidal, I’ll let you know.”
“You’re overreacting, and I don’t think you realize how serious this is. I’m not kidding when I say it’s a life-and-death matter.”
Do one supernatural job and start working for a dragon . . .
“Do I really look that stupid? Oh, don’t look so put out. Look at it this way. If you’re not dead by this weekend, I’ll see you on World Quest. By the way, nice pajamas.” I tried to close the screen, but Carpe had gotten in and locked it.
“Son of a bitch—Carpe, get out of my laptop.”
“It’s one spell book. That’s all I need—”
“Yeah, and I’m pretty sure the dead guy is still using said spell book, so the answer is still no.”
“Please, I’m begging you—”
Rynn got out of the shower just as Carpe pleaded with me. He’d been headed for the kitchen and coffee machine, but he stopped at the sound of Carpe’s voice.
“Owl, who are you talking to?” he said, making a beeline for my laptop, a deep frown etched on his face.
“My World Quest friend, Carpe. And we’re done talking—Rynn, do you mind? I’m finishing an argument,” I said as he leaned over my shoulder and took over my keyboard, zooming in on Carpe’s face. Rynn’s lip curled, and I noticed Carpe’s smile drop.
Rynn turned to me, his brow furrowed. “When the hell did you start talking to elves?”
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my husband, Steve, and my friend Leanne Tremblay, who read each and every chapter. I don’t know if I would have finished the book without their feedback and encouragement.
I also have to thank my agent, Carolyn Forde, who picked my manuscript out of the slush pile; Alison Clarke and Adam Wilson from Simon & Schuster, who both saw something in Owl; and my editor, Sean Mackiewicz, for his keen eye and hard work. There are many other people who have mentored and encouraged me in my writing career over the past few years, but this space is small. Thank you all!
Finally, there is one non-human without whom this book would never have been written, and that is my cat Captain Flash, on whom the character Captain is absolutely based.
About the Author
Kristi Charish is a scientist and science fiction/fantasy writer who resides in Vancouver, Canada, with her spousal unit, Steve, and two cats named Captain Flash and Alaska. She received a BS and MS in molecular biology and biochemistry from Simon Fraser University, and a PhD in zoology from the University of British Columbia. Kristi writes what she loves: adventure-heavy stories featuring strong, savvy female protagonists.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Kristi-Charish
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Kristi Charish
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First Gallery Books trade paperback edition January 2015
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Interior design by Lewelin Polanco
Cover art by Fred Gambino
ISBN 978-1-4767-9499-0
ISBN 978-1-4767-7867-9 (ebook)
Contents
Chapter 1: Egg Hunt
Chapter 2: The Trouble with Vampires
Chapter 3: Tokyo Rose
Chapter 4: Rynn and the Gaijin Cloud
Chapter 5: Bali
Chapter 6: Sanur
Chapter 7: The Dragon Catacombs
Chapter 8: Cockroaches, Vampires, and Other Assorted Pests
Chapter 9: Get Me the Fuck out of Bali
Chapter 10: Nuroshi, the Amazing Turnip
Chapter 11: So Much for Staying out of Trouble
Chapter 12: Worst. Hangover. Ever.
Chapter 13: Fanatics and Computers
Chapter 14: A Trusted Friend Is like a Live Orc . . .
Chapter 15: So You Want to Play with Monsters?
Chapter 16: Breaking and Entering
Chapter 17: Oubliette; a Deep, Dark, Doorless Pit
Chapter 18: I Need to Stop Letting Monsters Beat the Shit out of Me . . .
Chapter 19: Throwing in the Game Controller
Chapter 20: What You See Is What You Get
Chapter 21: I Hate Snakes
Chapter 22: We All Have Our Ghosts
Chapter 23: I Hate Dragons
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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