Honeyed Words

by J. A. Pitts

  Stuart slid the box around and read the note aloud.

  “IN GREAT MOMENTS OF FEAR AND LOSS, WE TURN TO OUR TOTEMS, OUR RELICS, TO SEEK ANSWERS FROM THE UNANSWERABLE. TO SEEK THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE, AND UNRAVEL THE MYSTERIES THAT PLAGUE OUR DREAMS.”

  “I got the safe-deposit key when they read the will,” Jimmy said, scrubbing his face. “Their lawyer had had it in his possession since the time I first saw this map.” Jimmy pointed to the dragon map that dominated the room. “He knew then that I’d have to seek answers when they’d gone beyond our reach.”

  “So, why the Valkyrie?” Gunther asked. “Why not the statues of Odin or Thor?”

  “Back to Sarah,” Jimmy said quietly. “She told us how they’d come to take Susan and Maggie to Valhalla.”

  The three men sat quietly, wrapped in thought.

  “Makes sense,” Stuart said, wiping his eyes. “Still haunts my dreams.”

  “Aye,” Gunther agreed. “Old One-Eye has proved a rascal, for sure, but the Valkyrie seem the logical choice, all things considered.”

  “My gut tells me to start here,” Jimmy said, sure of his decision. “I think we need to figure this out, before we risk the other two statues.”

  Gunther dragged his finger on the table, spinning the ring in a lazy circle. “This may not lead us to someone your father knows,” he offered. “It may be something you need to protect yourself. Some magic to balance that set against you.”

  “That seems more likely,” Stuart said, straightening his shoulders. “Or maybe something you need to protect.”

  Gunther clapped Stuart on the shoulder, smiling at his friend. “Aye, that smells right. The Orders were as likely to hide artifacts as secrets.”

  Jimmy reached across the table and took up the ring, holding it in his open palm. “Maybe I’m supposed to wear it.”

  Stuart and Gunther both lunged at him, slapping their hands over his. They shared a quick glance, laughing.

  “Better to understand it first,” Gunther said. “May not be for you. May be for Katie.”

  “Aye,” Stuart said with a grunt. “Or it may be cursed. Just handling the ring could be sending out all kinds of woo-woo vibes.”

  They all three looked toward the stairs.

  “Best to keep it down here, then.” Jimmy set the ring in the cigar box, rolled the marbles back inside, and closed the lid. “On to the code, then.”

  Gunther drummed his fingers on the table. “We do this, there’s no going back; you know that. You can’t unlearn the secrets you unravel.”

  “True,” Jimmy said. “But we don’t have to take action. We can bide our time further, if we need.”

  Stuart looked up. “Not bloody likely. That ship sailed when Sarah killed the dragon.”

  Nineteen

  I met Frank at the Circle Q the next morning. I’d had about seven hours of sleep: better than my average. I pulled up to the front barn, right next to Frank’s truck, and got out. He was having a conversation with Mary, the farm owner. I have to admit, my stomach was a little tweaky. I hadn’t been out here since the dustup with Jack and Steve, two of her old hands. That night of drunken excess was not something I liked to think about, but the fight and near rape were fairly vivid in my memory. I know Jack and Steve had moved on, but it was like I expected to see their ghosts.

  I guess it was my own ghost I was more afraid of at that moment. Some memories were better left to die a quiet death.

  Mary was cordial and left us to our work. Only five horses today, but that would be a good chunk of change. We’d work this farm for most of the week as she had a big herd.

  We broke for lunch, each lost in our own thoughts, and finished up around two in the afternoon. I wasn’t complaining; I could definitely use a little free time after the whirlwind events of the past few days.

  Frank talked with Mary as I finished packing my gear. I walked down the long aisle of the barn, making sure each of the horses we’d worked with were settled in their stalls securely. Dotting the i’s, crossing the t’s.

  Mary nodded to me as I walked up.

  “I’ll be sure to pass on your concern to Julie,” Frank said solemnly.

  “Is there a problem?” I asked. I hoped that we weren’t dwelling on the crap that happened in the spring.

  Mary looked at me, and her face softened. “Just business,” she said.

  “I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with me,” I replied. I knew it was self-centered, but I couldn’t stand it if Julie lost a customer because of something I’d done.

  “If I had a problem with you,” Mary said, her gaze steady and serious, “I wouldn’t let you near my animals.”

  Frank watched me, curious.

  “Well, with Steve and Jack bugging out on you…” Maybe I should’ve let it go, but I had to get this stuff in the open.

  “Look,” Mary said, using her best boss voice. “My employees are my business. I understand this is a small community, and rumors get around, but I’d thank you to not go spreading tales.”

  Woah … what the hell was that?

  “I’m sure she meant no offense,” Frank said, stepping in.

  “None at all,” I said, shocked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”

  She glared at me a minute, then shook her head. “Ain’t that important,” she said, obviously holding on to some level of anger. “They didn’t steal from me, if that’s what you’re thinking. They just left me without notice. Luckily, the foaling season was over.”

  “I could come help out, if you need.” It seemed to be the right thing to say.

  She looked from me to Frank, then back again. “I could use someone who ain’t afraid of hard work, and the smell.”

  Frank chuckled at that.

  “We’re done early today,” I said. “Could take the next couple of hours and muck stalls if that’s what you need.”

  “Deal,” Mary said, shaking my hand. “You know the routine?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said, feeling better than I had all day. Hard work didn’t bother me. Having people thinking poorly of me was much worse than a little smell and sore muscles. Besides, I felt like I owed her.

  Frank had me walk to his truck. “She says folks are talking that maybe Julie’s fire wasn’t an accident.”

  I looked at him like he was speaking Klingon. “What?”

  “Not really my business,” he said, obviously wanting my take on the whole thing. “Some folks think it’s suspicious that Julie gets hurt, her place gets burned down, then them boys skedaddle off to Oklahoma without as much as a how-do-you-do.”

  My head was spinning. “Who’s saying things?” This made no sense. “Someone’s claiming that Jack and Steve did that to her, burned her out and ran off?”

  He shrugged. “I know Julie has her reasons for keeping things under wraps, but the fire’s suspicious, and those two aren’t exactly Boy Scouts. Bartender over at the Triple Nickel says they got rough with a gal the night before, thought it might have been a triangle thing between Julie and them two boys.”

  I sat on the gate of his truck, my heart hammering. What the hell? Julie and I don’t look anything alike. How could folks mix the two of us up? But then again, rumormongers don’t need facts.

  “That’s not how it went down,” I said to Frank. “Julie went out with Jack a time or two, but he showed his colors soon enough.”

  “Not really my business,” he said. But it was obvious we’d all just made it our business. “That’s what I was discussing with Ms. Campbell when you came up. Not sure what you think you had in the mess, but she likes you and Julie and didn’t want to see either of you getting a bad reputation in this business. Horse folks talk.”

  I nodded. “Aye, and blacksmiths.”

  He just grunted and opened his truck door. “Was nice of you to offer to help her out. She’ll be okay, but folks see you covering for her, helping out, will go a long way to quieting the more reasonable of the lot.”

  “Thanks,�
� I said, sliding my hands into my pockets.

  Frank smiled at me, started his truck, and pulled around to the side of the barn. I watched him as he waved. Soon all I saw was a cloud of dust.

  People are crazy. Julie was as good as they get. If I ever found out who started those rumors, I’d give them a knuckle sandwich.

  I wrapped up just after five. Not a bad job for only three hours. Mary was impressed.

  “Make sure you tell Julie I asked after her,” she said as I was washing up. “Jack said something to the effect that she’d been a big reason for him and Steve bugging out.”

  “Ain’t true,” I said, suddenly defensive again. “Julie is as right and honest as anyone I know. If anything, he was fleeing his own guilt.”

  She watched me for a second, appraising me. “I’m glad you speak up for her. Says a lot about a person to have folks defending them.” She glanced at her feet, trying to say something hard, I reckoned. “I heard a few things that I didn’t give any credence to.” She looked back up at me. “Wasn’t about Julie.”

  I froze, my heart a rock in my chest. “About that…” I started, but she held up a hand, interrupting me.

  “Some men talk about things they shouldn’t,” she said firmly. It was like she was trying to tell me something with her eyes, saying something that she couldn’t put words to.

  I nodded, swallowing hard. “Sometimes good people say things when they’re angry. Act in ways they wouldn’t normally.”

  This woman had class. Hardworking, and stout. Her face had lines that spoke of hardships and joy. The eyes were the true mirror, and they held no judgment.

  “Even the good Lord had his moments of doubt and pain. I’d say we are all due a little forgiveness.”

  Relief washed through me. Before I realized it I was crying. Quietly at first, but she stepped in and drew me to her, hugging me despite the filth and sweat.

  It didn’t last long, just a brief thunderstorm in an otherwise quiet day. I felt like a hundred pounds of pain had been lifted from my head.

  “Sometimes men make the world hard,” she said, holding me out at arm’s length. “It don’t help us to add to it.”

  I wiped my face and smiled at her. “Thank you.”

  “You hear of anyone who is looking for work,” she said, moving us back into a business mode, “you let me know. They gotta be good with horses, and not afraid of hard work.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  She waved at me as I climbed back into the car and pulled down the long drive. Mary Campbell was damn fine people. Took her kind to keep the world from spinning out of control.

  Which, of course, made me think of the dragons.

  The conversation with Qindra kept playing in my head. What would the world be like without the dragons running things? And how much did they really control?

  Twenty

  Julie wasn’t home when I pulled in around six thirty. I jumped in the shower quick, and then grabbed a beer from the fridge. I sat in the armchair, holding the cold bottle to my forehead, and debated on what I should do with my evening.

  I could clean house, but Julie had started doing that more and more. Gave her something to do, and I think with the sudden appearance of flower vases with doilies under them she was making herself at home. About damn time.

  Of course, I was beginning to not recognize my apartment. I hadn’t lost a goldfish in months, and the fridge had real food in it, and nothing was covered in mold. It was like being invaded by house elves. And not the kind that spy at you in the shower.

  The stack of bills on my desk wasn’t getting any smaller, so I figured that was the right thing to do with my evening. I hated it, but they weren’t gonna pay themselves.

  I fired up my online checking and began slitting open envelopes. The stack never seemed to grow any shorter. The student loans were the hardest to take, but I ground my teeth and plunged ahead. Mary said she’d pay me at the end of the week for mucking stalls, and I’d get to do it at least one more day this week. Frank would pay me for the horse work, and then I’d be flush again.

  Sorta.

  The one thing I liked about online banking was that I could postdate the payments, and they’d go out in a few days. Better than skating checks like I did in college.

  With figuring the hours I’d work for Mary, and my cut of the farrier money, I had enough to cover all my bills, fill up the car a couple of times, and buy some groceries. The damn Taurus drank more gas than my old Civic ever had, so that was putting a crimp in my budget. But the movie thing would kick in again in the next couple of weeks and I’d have that revenue stream.

  I was checking my budget forecasts and thinking how I couldn’t even pay my rent at this point. Crap. Back to Top Ramen.

  Maybe I’d have to slide my insurance check. Hate to go without coverage. I flipped through the envelopes on my desk. This weekend was spendy, but the credit card allowed a very minimal payment.

  I put my head in my hands and felt the headache coming on. There was another option, of course. Right in my desk drawer, a large parachute fraught with uncomfortable attachments and an unfortunate amount of spilt blood. I slid the drawer open and looked in at the check Frederick Sawyer had sent me for the sword.

  Fifty thousand dollars. It would be so damn easy to put that in the bank. I could get a new car. But I didn’t want to be beholden to Sawyer, even this slightly. Of course, I had my stake in Flight Test from him, more or less. But that was wergild, earned with blood and sweat. He lost it on the field of battle, reparations for the hornet’s nest he’d stirred up.

  I know Nidhogg pressured Frederick into giving up most of his stake, taking some for herself, but who understood politics, especially among dragons? Hell, as far as I knew, they could even be related. Not that many of them out there, in the grand scheme of things, right? Surely they were all related somehow.

  I closed the drawer, hiding the check once again, and rubbed my eyes. Tomorrow I’d see if Mary needed any work on the weekend as well. Extra hours would help. One of these days I’d start an honest-to-goodness savings account. When and if I ever had enough to save.

  I went and got a drink of water. Balance in the checking was pretty low, but I wasn’t getting evicted today. Just needed to make a few things late so I could pay the rent. Then catch up over time, leapfrogging my way fiscally.

  My cell rang. It was Katie.

  “Hey, hon,” I said, feeling a moment’s lightening of my mood. “How was your day?”

  “Great!” she screamed into the phone. “I bought a new car.”

  I felt a twitch in my left eye. Goodie.

  “Don’t be mad or anything,” she said. “But I want to come pick you up and take you to dinner. Show off the car.”

  I let my head fall into my open palm, thinking. Her old car was new, before the dragon torched it. Of course her insurance was going to replace it. Me, my little car had been paid off for years. Barely enough insurance to tow the damn thing.

  “Sure,” I said. “Just wrapping up a few things.”

  “Good,” she said, practically squealing with excitement. “I’m outside your apartment building right now.”

  Of course she was. I smiled, letting a little of her joy infect me. What the hell. I needed to eat, and seeing her would be nice.

  “Okay, I’ll be right down.”

  I grabbed a light jacket and wrote a note for Julie. No reason for her to worry. Dinner out would be nice. Talking over the stuff out at the Circle Q would be good.

  I stopped and grabbed my mail before I jetted off. More bills, lucky me. I trudged back up the stairs, flipping through the huge stack of envelopes. There was a bunch addressed to Julie. Apparently her friends had finally gotten word that she was staying with me. There were half a dozen cards and only two bills. I’d have to look at them later.

  At the bottom of the stack was a card with my name on it. I held it up, saw the kittens-and-crosses motif on the envelope, and immediately flipped it into the garbage.
Mom had been using the same stationery ever since I could remember. I didn’t have time for her usual preachy bullshit.

  The bills went onto the desk, and I was out the door. I was looking forward to seeing Katie.

  Twenty-one

  Katie had gotten a new Miata—stunner. It seemed everyone owned one. She wanted to surprise me with the fact that she got the midnight blue, instead of her usual red. “You can even drive it,” she’d said.

  I’d given her the stink eye, like I’d be seen driving such a chick car.

  She punched me, the harlot.

  Dinner was brief, Mexican down the street, but the conversation was excellent.

  She’d been exchanging e-mails with Cassidy Stone of The Harpers. He wanted her to jam with them again sometime. She was so damn cute about it. With Ari out of the picture, their tour had come to a crashing halt, so they were back home in Boston trying to figure out what they were going to do next.

  By the time I dragged myself back up the stairs to my apartment, the earlier trauma had been wiped away. Damn, that girl had a way of turning my head round and round.

  With her kiss still lingering on my lips, I jogged up the stairs three at a time. I was feeling springy. Julie wasn’t home but I could tell she’d been there, since the cards I’d left stacked on the counter were opened and displayed around the dining-room table. That’s something my mother would have done.

  Well, Mom would have stacked them across the top of the television first, but the leftovers would be on the dining-room table.

  I was getting a glass of water when Julie came in. She walked across the room with just her cane. I watched her, making sure she was okay, admiring the way she didn’t fight it but let things happen at the pace they needed to work.

  “Evening,” she said, approaching me.

  “Been out, I see.”

  “Mrs. Sorenson is teaching me the finer points of gin rummy.” Julie settled into a chair across from me and leaned her cane against the table. “How’d it go out at the Circle Q?”

  I watched her for a second. I was fairly sure that Frank would have called her already. Was she fishing for different news? Looking to see how I handled things? Or maybe Frank hadn’t called.