by Crook, Amy
“Oh, no,” said Julian sadly. “Who was it?”
James opened the door, but stayed where he was otherwise. “From the description, they think it might be your mystery customer, Jack,” he said. “Lapointe will be by tomorrow with a photo.”
“What seed did they find?” asked Alex shrewdly, shifting to make sure they were both covered.
“They believe it’s a small packet of witch grass seeds,” said James. “Lapointe is having them sent to a different evidence location under the excuse that we need to positively identify them.”
“Smart,” said Julian. He sighed. “Do you need us to get up?”
“No,” said James firmly. “You need to rest, but I wanted to give you the news. Will you need anything to help you sleep?”
“A cup of tea might be nice,” said Alex. “Alys makes me a nice camomile mint sometimes.”
“I’d like that, too,” said Julian. Horace chirped from his perch on the headboard and Julian chuckled. “You can’t have tea, but you’ll keep watch over us while we sleep.”
“Come here, Horace, you can supervise the tea-making and I’ll give you a little energy,” said James.
Julian beamed in the dim room. “Thank you,” he said, chuckling when James showed off by lifting his hand at the last possible moment for Horace to land.
“You’re both welcome,” said James, rubbing his cheek against Horace’s head before moving him from hand to shoulder. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Julian snuggled deeper into the covers, though it was just a light blanket and sheet in deference to the late August weather. He wasn’t too cold tonight, not after the bath and their post-bath activities, but knowing that someone out there was murdering people for something he had gave him a chill.
Alex pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and then the side of his head. “We’ll be safe, love,” said Alex, and it sounded more like a wish than a certainty.
“We made wishes today,” said Julian. “Even Horace got one, we made friends with the wish tree at the Temple.”
“Of course you did,” said Alex fondly. “I bet it really liked you.”
Julian flushed with pleasure at the warmth in Alex’s tone. “It liked me because I listened to it. Plants like to tell their stories just as much as people, and the wish tree is old and knows lots of stories.” He twisted around for another kiss. “I think you’d like it, if you could listen.”
“I might be able to, we’ll visit next time we’re allowed out,” said Alex, kissing his hair. “Maybe we can make it some special fertilising potion, you’ve been wanting me to work on one for you anyway.”
“Only in your spare time, of which you have none at the moment,” said Julian with a chuckle.
“You’ll both have free time again someday soon,” said James, coming in with two steaming cups and a cheerful bird.
Horace fluttered down to the bed and hopped over for attention, and Julian stroked his head, feeling him flush with energy from James and Jacques both. “Are you bribing my bird to report to you?” said Julian teasingly.
“It’s not a bribe,” prevaricated James.
“It totally is,” said Alex, sitting up to accept one of the cups of tea. “Hand us the pyjamas there?”
James set the other cup down and brought over the two folded sets of pyjamas they’d set out for later. “It’ll help him alert us if something’s wrong, that’s all,” said James. “I’m going to go, but I’m leaving the door cracked now that you’re done.”
Julian chuckled. “Thank you for respecting our privacy earlier,” said Julian, still hiding in the blankets.
Alex tucked Julian’s clothes into the warm space between them and pulled on his own shirt. “We’ll close it if we’re inspired to need more alone time,” teased Alex. “How’s Jones?”
“We told him the news, and he left a message with Victor that he’s trapped here. MacLean moved his car into your spot so your building manager would shut up; they got caught up with the work team downstairs and are off to the crime scene now.”
“Long night for them,” said Julian with a sigh, shifting around to start getting into his pyjamas. “Get some rest yourselves, okay?”
“I plan to,” said James. “We all need it, and Alex’s wards are strong.”
“I’ve got my flute by the bed,” assured Alex, rustling around as he dressed.
Julian sat up to button his shirt properly, then snagged his tea. “Thanks,” he said, taking a sip. “Mmm, that’s perfect.”
“Sweet dreams,” said James, ruffling Julian’s hair before he left, door open just enough for easy access for human, brownie or bird.
“So if your wards don’t really need the doors to be closed,” asked Julian, settling into Alex now that they were both clothed, “what are they anchored on?”
“I use the building supports, the underlying structure that would make the ceiling or floor collapse if you got rid of them,” said Alex.
“Oh, that’s clever,” said Julian. “Did you do that at the nursery, too?”
“Of course,” said Alex. “And there I used the ground itself, as well, and made connections to the deep earth.”
“I’ll have to practice feeling around for your wards,” said Julian. He took a sip of tea and then said, “I want to get better at feeling magic, especially if I’m feeding into it.”
“I think that’s why your amulet gave that mugger such a zap,” said Alex. “You’d been wearing it a long time, and adding your own power to the magic I put into it.”
“That’s comforting, actually,” said Julian. “It means that whatever you give me to protect myself, I can help it work better.”
“You helped today, giving James and Jacques your power so the three of us could free Jones,” reminded Alex.
Julian smiled and snugged him. “I did, didn’t I? I almost gave too much, though.” A yawn caught him, and then Alex followed, and they both chuckled. “Tea’s working.”
“Let’s finish it and sleep,” said Alex, downing the rest of his. Julian followed suit, and they snuggled up again, getting elbows and knees sorted out until they were in a warm cocoon of comfort once again. “You know I love you,” whispered Alex, breath warm against Julian’s ear.
“I feel it,” said Julian, pulling Alex’s hand up to kiss the palm. “I love you, too.”
“I hear it,” said Alex, kissing Julian’s ear. “It’s become my favourite melody in all the world.”
Julian purred and gave him a squeeze. “I love my plants and Horace, but I always feel best when I’m in your arms,” said Julian. “Now go to sleep or I’ll make James dose you.”
Alex chuckled and slowly relaxed, and soon enough Julian followed suit and slept.
CHAPTER 17
For all their preparations, the rest of the night passed quietly and Julian and Alex woke mid-morning to the news that Dr. Chesterfield would be there soon. Julian felt like he was getting the flu; his body and head ached from everything he’d put them through, and from the expression on Alex’s face he wasn’t alone. They shared a quick but hot shower to clean up for the doctor, then put on fresh pyjamas and made their way to the kitchen for a huge breakfast.
“I have to admit, I’d want to stay home even if I didn’t have to stay home,” said Julian, slumping in his chair and cradling the coffee Alys had provided once they’d eaten, after Alex had declared they needed it to be human enough for guests.
“And we still have people coming,” said Alex, just as miserable. He sat up enough to drink some coffee, then flopped against the table again.
“Soon, in fact,” said Jacques. He had dark circles under his eyes and a bit of a bruise on one cheekbone, but was otherwise perfectly chipper despite the magical output yesterday.
Alex let out a little moan and forced himself to sit up and drink more coffee.
“Dramatic,” said Jones. He was a lot more bruised, with adorable bed head on top of his sleepy face.
“Good thing I like the brooding dark hero sort,�
�� said Julian, though deep down he really wanted to echo Alex’s sentiment. “Maybe we can nap later?”
“Doctor’s orders, possibly,” said James. He didn’t even have the grace to get dark circles under his eyes, and he kept getting up and pacing over to stare at the door.
Alex sighed. “The wards are fine, no one else has poked at us since yesterday,” he said.
The oven timer dinged, and a batch of cinnamon rolls emerged from it. “Give ‘em ten minutes or so to cool, and you boys can have those for a snack with your coffee,” said Alys, sitting on her tall chair and eating her own breakfast.
“More coffee?” said Alex hopefully, holding up his now-empty mug.
She snorted, but the cup floated away to meet with the pot rather than her telling him to get it himself, so apparently they were going to be properly coddled today as befit miserably drained men.
“So, am I trapped here with you?” asked Jones, sipping his own coffee more slowly.
James and Jacques exchanged glances. “We think you’d be safer here,” said Jacques, “but you’re not our Charge, so we can’t make you stay.”
“I’ll alter yon pyjamas today,” said Alys, “and your clothes from yesterday are clean, I don’t mind cleaning ‘em every night.”
Jones chuckled sheepishly. “I’m not your Charge, but you can order me around if you need to,” he said. “Obviously I wasn’t being safe enough.”
“Was it worth it, to finally get Jenny’s number?” teased Alex. He’d managed to keep his pretty face from getting bruised, but he had a fair number of interesting ones on the rest of his body, and Julian suspected this was his way of telling Jones all was forgiven.
Jones grinned. “Maybe,” he said, voice full of glee. “Depends on how she reacts when I call her later.”
“Totally worth it,” said Julian. “And we get fresh-baked cinnamon rolls as consolation.”
“That is pretty good consolation,” said James, eyeing the pan. “Especially since Jacques helped bake.”
“Alys did most of the work,” Jacques said, rubbing the back of his neck with a little smile playing around his mouth. “I just helped a little with the recipe.”
“We’ll see whether or not it’s an improvement,” said Alys, but she was grinning, too. “Jacques and I will be cooking dinner together tonight, as well.”
“Ooh, you must like him if you’re letting him into the kitchen,” said Julian, impressed despite having eaten Jacques’ wonderful cooking before. Alys didn’t even let Julian and Alex make tea.
“He’s not bad, for a human,” said Alys, shrugging. Her tone was grudgingly factual, as though it pained her to admit any human might be up to her standards. “He’s not one of those recipe-bound clods with no sense of the seasons.”
“Alys understands about making do with what you have,” said Jacques, sounding openly admiring. “That’s why it’s so good that you get food from the manor houses, it’s always seasonal and fresh.”
“Will we be able to get deliveries still?” asked Julian, eyeing the cupboards dubiously, since he had no idea what was in them from day to day.
“Oh, aye,” said Nat. “Yer Guardians’ll check out the deliveries afore they come inside, and Alex’s wards are good enough to bank on.”
“Much better than when Con broke in,” said Alys.
“Hey!” said Alex, mock-offended. “He had help, you know.”
Before they could get too into the old familiar bantering, the doorbell rang, and everyone went on alert. The brownies vanished, and James rocketed from his seat to the door. Alex followed at a more leisurely pace after retrieving his flute from the bag he’d slung over his chair. There was a bit of low conversation and a short tune from Alex, and soon enough Dr. Chesterfield was inside, along with a couple of bulky equipment cases.
“There’s coffee,” said Julian, and he chuckled when the pastries began to leave their pan for plates and gain delicious drizzles of icing. “And cinnamon rolls.”
“Cinnamon rolls from a brownie? That’s a good reason to leave the office,” said Dr. Chesterfield, smiling cheerfully. “You’ll all be glad to know that Apprentice Jordan woke up this morning, thanks to your assistance, Alex.”
“I am glad,” said Alex, pausing to wipe off his flute before stowing it back in the bag. “Let’s move out here to the living room?”
The plates detoured out to the coffee table, followed by the sugar bowl, milk pitcher, and an extra mug of coffee with a spoon already inside. “Our brownies are a little shy around strangers,” said Julian, standing and following once he was sure the food was all that was going. “But they take good care of us.”
“So I see,” said Dr. Chesterfield, taking a seat on one of the chairs. Alex shared the big chair with Julian, and the other three men shared the sofa, making a comfortable conversation group. “These look delicious, tha-”
“Don’t,” said Julian. “Say ‘that’s wonderful’ instead.”
“Right, sorry,” said the doctor with a laugh. “That’s splendid.”
“That’ll do,” said Alys’ disembodied voice. “Just ask if you need more coffee.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Alex, using his longer reach to snag rolls for himself and Julian. “So, you’re definitely here to see me and Julian, and we’d like it if you could also look over Jones.” He paused and glanced at the Guardians. “I don’t know how James and Jacques feel about it, but they did get drained, too.”
“Though you were the only one that fainted,” said James. “If the good doctor wishes to examine me, he may, but it’s not necessary.”
“I’m not sure I could resist,” said Dr. Chesterfield, “It’s not often one gets the chance to treat a Guardian’s magic.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you were a Temple healer,” said Jacques with a snort. “But you’re welcome to examine me, too.”
“He may stay for lunch if he likes,” said Alys. “There’s plenty.”
“Then it’s decided,” said Dr. Chesterfied. “After I finish this absolutely delicious pastry, I’ll start with Alex, whose magical anomalies I’m at least familiar with. Now, why don’t you tell me what happened to get you all in such a state?”
They told a shortened version of the events of the past ten days, from the first murder to the last and all the attacks between. They were all well into a second cup of coffee before they finished, and Alys had sent out biscuits that so far no one had touched.
“That’s quite a story,” said the doctor, setting his cup down. “I think I have an idea of what to look for now, anyway. Alex, where shall we go?”
“Hm. Bedroom’s got more space, but my lab’s got better lighting,” said Alex. He gave Julian a little nuzzle before disentangling them to get up.
“You should use the lab, so Jones can shower,” said Julian. “That way he’ll be clean for Dr. Chesterfield to look at his bruises.”
“The doctor doesn’t need to worry about my…” began Jones.
“That would be perfect, thank you,” interrupted Chesterfield. “I’ll want to see to all of your health, I’m primarily a Healer of bodies still, despite my specialised interest in magical cases.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jones sheepishly. “I’ll go shower, then.”
They all went their separate ways, with Alys making sure that the doctor had what he needed in the lab, and Jones had clean clothes and towels in the bathroom.
“This flat was really not meant to hold five,” said James with a chuckle. “We’re lucky you two trust us and sleep soundly, or we’d never manage to get us all clean.”
“We’re lucky you guys are used to going short on sleep, too,” said Julian. “If we all slept like we eat, we’d never manage.”
“You’ll get used to the eating,” assured Jacques, patting Julian’s knee and then giving him a biscuit before taking another pair for himself and James.
James nibbled on it and nodded. “It’s just at first that it seems crazy to try to stuff that much into yourself.”
“Your body needs the fuel, though,” said Jacques. He’d eaten his own biscuit in two big bites.
Jones chuckled. “It’s a good thing Alys knows how to portion for a normal human, too, or I’d be about to burst. I don’t know where you put it all.”
“So,” said Julian, glancing toward the closed door of Alex’s work room, “do you guys know more about the new murder?”
“We do, but you can wait until Lapointe comes and tells you both,” said James. “The location was another old site, in her majesty’s historical garden maze.”
“Don’t they have guards on that or something?” said Julian, surprised.
“Do you guard your gardens?” James shot right back, then he chuckled. “There are guards, but in that area they’re not frequent. They found him pretty fast, the coroner said he’d only been dead for an hour or a bit more.”
“It’s harder to feel sorry for him, since he did help try to hurt me,” said Julian, dunking his biscuit in his coffee and taking a bite. “Mmm, these are so good.”
They talked about food instead for a while, and gave Julian more suggestions for managing his new appetite. Alys promised to work on some seedcakes and other portable forms of energy, and switched them all to tea when they finished their coffee. Soon enough Alex and Jones both came out of hiding, and then it was Jones’ turn with the good doctor.
Alex snuggled up with his own cup of tea and biscuits and stole a kiss. “He’s going to examine all of us and then go over the data, and give recommendations in public or private as we wish.”
“Good thing you’ve got that big, private work room for him to use,” teased Julian, claiming another kiss for good measure. “I haven’t had my magic looked at much, is it weird?”
“No weirder than any other medical stuff,” assured Alex, tickling Julian’s side.
Julian giggled and kissed him to make him stop, and then kissed him a little more until the doorbell rang and he sighed. “Who is it?”
Alex whistled and the wards showed them an image of Father Stephen carrying a satchel and looking worried.