My phone rang, and I snatched it up. “Yes?”
“When you say she suspects something weird,” Malcolm said, “how seriously should I take that?”
“I don’t know. Not very. She noticed the invader came straight for us, and she recognized Allie as an Abernathy’s customer. She doesn’t know enough to put those things together and come up with anything dangerous.”
“I’m sorry you had to be involved in that chase. Sanford tells me the invader escaped containment a quarter mile from the mall. At that range, it couldn’t have been pursuing you. It was just coincidence that it reached a point where it could scent you. I assure you, you were never in any danger.”
“I know. Tell Allie I’m not upset, okay? I’ve never seen anyone chase an invader into a mall before.”
“Invader attacks increase every day. We don’t know what’s causing it, but I suspect it to be deliberate.”
“Deliberate?”
“I think the increased numbers of invaders are intended to conceal some other purpose. Possibly this creature we have been pursuing the last several days. It kills, then disappears only to strike elsewhere. We have very few records of such a monster, and none on how to effectively hunt it. Saying that I am frustrated understates the issue by several miles.”
“I can imagine. Do you think it’s the invader that killed Tiffany Alcock?”
“Was she the victim you referred to the other day?”
I closed my eyes and silently cursed. “Um. I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
“She’s not one of my prey’s victims. And I’m grateful you slipped. Knowing there is more than one of this type of invader out there will help my search.”
“Just don’t tell anyone—as if I needed to warn you to be discreet.”
He laughed, a warm sound that thrilled through me. “Your secrets are safe with me.”
“I know.”
He fell silent, but before it could become awkward, he said, “Even so, it’s possible you should not contact me about things that are the province of both factions. I would not want to put you in an untenable position.”
My heart constricted. “I…that occurred to me,” I lied. “But I don’t know anyone else well enough for that, and sometimes people have to be told.”
“You ought to contact Ryan Parish.”
Ryan Parish, leader of the Ambrosites and Malcolm’s putative boss, didn’t like me any more than I liked him. In a world without Rasmussen in it, he’d be my enemy. “I should. I will.”
“Very well. I will likely see you tomorrow. Good night, Helena.”
“Good night.”
I clutched my phone for a few moments after Malcolm hung up, fighting an urge to cry. This was stupid. Malcolm was right; I kept leaning on him, going out of my way to tell him things, and I ought to be telling his faction leader instead. But it still felt like a rejection. Which was also stupid, because we weren’t together, couldn’t be together, and I owed it to Jason not to be emotionally attached to another man. Even if we were only friends.
The sun had set, and lights came on up and down the street. I put on my pajamas and crawled into bed, then called Viv. It went to voicemail. Right, she’d gone out with Judy, and they were no doubt having more fun than I had. Though I’d been having fun right up until the end, I had to admit. Fun with my sister.
Irritated at Viv’s unavailability, I slapped my phone down on the nightstand. I should be happy that they were becoming friends, that they’d finally discovered something in common that had nothing to do with me, but I felt jealous and angry and depressed.
I picked up the phone again and scrolled through my contacts to Jason’s name, then let my finger hover over it for a few seconds. I didn’t want him to come over, because what I needed was someone to tell about the evening, and half of it was a secret. And for the other half, I wasn’t sure Jason would listen sympathetically when I complained about Cynthia. Frankly, there wasn’t much to complain about, which made me suspicious. If there was any weird behavior in the vicinity, it was hers.
I got out my diary, then sat cross-legged on the bed to write down what had happened—the bit about the invader, not the manicure. Someday an invader will catch me where I’m defenseless, I wrote, and that will be it for me. At least I know I’ll die free from pain. I put the pen down and re-read those lines. Disgust filled me like a bad taste in my mouth. Defeatist much? I crossed out the lines fiercely enough to leave a mark on the previous page.
Maybe it was time to start going armed, though guns made me uncomfortable. Hector Canales should be able to hook me up with an invader-fighting weapon, and Malcolm—no, Olivia and Derrick would teach me how to use it. I had to stop thinking of Malcolm first when I needed something.
I let the street noises soothe me to sleep, and fell into a dream in which Malcolm and Jason fought a series of duels for me and Jason won every time.
7
I pushed the wide-headed broom through the aisles of Abernathy’s. It was exactly wide enough to fit between the shelves that were closest together, the ones where if you met someone coming the other way, one of you would have to back up. Abernathy’s never got really dirty, but all those books shed dust, and I sometimes felt half my job was keeping up with it.
The store was quiet that morning, a stillness almost reaching that of the oracle, though the oracle’s quiet had a deeper hush to it. I reveled in the stillness. Soon enough the place would be thronged with Nicolliens, and possibly Malcolm, and though most of my customers were as quiet in Abernathy’s as they would be in church, a lot of people all in one place made noise even when they were trying not to.
“Helena?”
“Back here.”
Judy came around a corner, her arms full of books. “I found these in the back of the office. Do you want them shelved?”
“Oh. Those were left over from Mr. Hallstrom’s last augury. They’re the ones the store wouldn’t give credit for. I don’t think we ought to shelve them if the oracle doesn’t want them.”
Judy snorted irritably. “And yet we’re supposed to dispose of them. I think we should charge Hallstrom rent.”
“I wonder where he’s getting these books. Do you think Abernathy’s would reject them if they were stolen? Or does it care?”
“You’d know that better than me.” Judy hefted the books into a less awkward position. “I’ll put them back and they can gather dust until we figure out what to do with them. Take them to a thrift store, probably.”
“That makes sense.” Casually, my eyes on the broom, I said, “Is that what you and Viv did last night? Thrift store shopping?”
“Vintage stores, yes. It was fun. I didn’t realize Viv actually knew anything about the clothes she wears. We had a good time.”
I pushed away feelings of jealousy. “That sounds nice.”
“What about you and your sister? Was she the demon from hell you expected?”
“Not really. We were attacked by an invader that nearly took a bite out of her because she thought it was a dog.”
Judy laughed. “Invaders never look like the cute and cuddly kind of dog. Your sister is crazy.”
“Tell me about it. And she recognized Allie Sanford. It took some fast talking to keep her from thinking there was some plot going on involving me and this bookstore.”
Judy stopped laughing. “That’s serious. You can’t let her know the truth.”
“She doesn’t even know there’s a truth. I’m not worried. Malcolm wasn’t worried.”
“When did Campbell get involved?”
“We, um, spoke after the attack.”
“You, um, spoke?” Judy rolled her eyes. “When are you going to learn—”
“He called me, Judy. Allie told him about the attack.”
“Even so, it’s not healthy for you to stay so close.”
“I know!” I leaned the broom handle up against the nearest bookcase. “I’m trying, I swear.”
“I believe you.” Judy focuse
d on my new bracelet. I’d worn it even though it didn’t match my outfit. “Where did you get that? The color’s all wrong for you.”
I scowled and swept my way out of the stacks. My peaceful mood had evaporated like morning mist. Now I just wanted the Nicolliens to arrive so I could busy myself with the oracle and stop thinking about my life as a burden. I was so tired of feeling cranky all the time.
I put the broom away in the basement and came trotting back up the splintery steps, worn in the middle from generations of feet. Judy passed me on her way into the office. “They’re lining up already,” she said. I groaned. It was going to be another busy day.
I checked my phone for the time. 9:53. I could open a little early if there were customers already waiting. And there were—two men and a woman, peering through the front windows with their eyes shielded against the morning light.
I crossed to the front door, opened it, and shrieked, recoiling. Two nasty-looking creatures, one black with a spiked carapace, the other blood red with writhing tentacles growing out of its back, lunged for me. I slammed the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily. Damn Nicolliens and their damn familiars.
I heard knocking. Someone, his voice muffled by the door, said, “Ms. Davies? We’re so sorry about that. They’re leashed now—you can open the door.”
I released a deep breath and opened the door. Both familiars were tied to a nearby lamp post. When they saw me, they sent up an awful keening howl and strained at their leashes, trying to reach me. A whiff of paint thinner, the usual smell of a familiar, came to my nose. I retreated to beyond the countertop, which wasn’t much reassurance because I could still see their awful shapes through the plate glass window with ABERNATHY’S stenciled across the top.
“They won’t hurt you,” the man said, hurrying in past his companions and shutting the door.
“They give a good impression otherwise,” I said, shuffling around so I didn’t have to look at the creatures.
“It’s just that you’re a custodian. They do it to Lucia, too, or would if she’d let us bring them anywhere near her.”
Lucia was smart and nasty enough to enforce that. I was just too much of a pushover. “Let’s just get this over with,” I said. “Augury?”
“Safe deposit box.”
I escorted the man to the basement, with its wall of silver safe deposit boxes, and returned upstairs to find the front of the store thronged with Wardens. A quick glance outside showed not only that the familiars were still there, but there were more of them. They circled one another, sniffing as if they were the dogs everyone else saw. “What is this, Bring Your Monster to Work Day?” I asked the next woman in line.
“It’s these threats from the Ambrosites,” she said, handing over her augury slip. “The idiots think our familiars are behind the increase in invader attacks. As if that was even possible.”
“I hadn’t heard that.” I glanced through the window at the familiars. One multi-segmented monster had climbed up on something with too much grass-green fur and was either trying to mate with it or eat it. “I admit that sounds unlikely.”
“It’s just an excuse to bring up the old challenge, to force us to stop using familiars. They’d rather we lose the Long War than use every advantage we have. No familiar has hurt a human in any way in over seventy years.”
“But you have to admit they’re terrifying. I can see why people would think they’re dangerous.”
The woman shrugged. “No more dangerous than keeping a Rottweiler. Those are perfectly safe—they just look terrifying. Bad press.”
I felt her judgment was compromised by not seeing her familiar in its true guise—the illusions magi placed on them affected everyone except me, as Abernathy’s custodian—but just nodded and walked away into the oracle. I’d seen a familiar take down an invader, preventing harm to its team and to innocent bystanders, so I couldn’t say the risk of capturing invaders and forcing them to work against their own kind wasn’t worth it. But hard as I tried for impartiality, it was something I had trouble accepting.
I came out of the oracle and handed over the book. “That doesn’t explain—”
The door flew open, and a man in a polo shirt and pressed khakis came through, preceded by a stinking whirlwind of tiny clawed limbs and an oversized head with slavering jaws. I screamed and put the counter between me and it as fast as possible. “I’m here for an augury,” the man said, yanking on the leash to bring his familiar to heel. It ran around behind him and flung itself at me.
The crowd murmured, shifting to allow the man plenty of space. “Get out!” I shrieked. “And take that thing with you!”
“I’m entitled to an augury. And Venom would never harm—”
I tried to calm my agitated, rapid breathing. “No familiars on the premises,” I said. “The Accords clearly state that. Get out. And don’t come back.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Want to bet I can?” I pulled out my phone and called Lucia, though I knew she wouldn’t answer. She let all calls go straight to voice mail. “If you leash your monster outside with the rest, I’ll give you a pass this once. But don’t you dare try to make your business more important than the oracle’s.”
The familiar made another lunge for me. I stood my ground, though I wanted to cower behind the counter. If I did that, I wouldn’t know where the thing was, whether it was coming for me. The man looked around, for sympathy, I thought, and found none forthcoming. He yanked on his familiar’s leash and left the store. I watched him walk away down the sidewalk and sighed. My legs were shaking and I needed the support of the counter to stand.
“I’m sorry about that,” said one of the waiting customers. “He knows the rules. He probably hoped you didn’t, being as new as you are.”
“Why did you all bring them?” I tried to take a step and found I was still too shaky with nerves and adrenalin. “I’ve never seen so many.” I’d never seen any at Abernathy’s, to be honest, but then I rarely had time to look out the windows while the store was open.
“There have already been attacks on familiars,” said the woman waiting for her augury. “We want to keep them close, just in case.”
“Bad idea parking them all outside, then,” said Judy. She had the receipt book in hand and was looking out the window at the familiars. “Just one disgruntled Ambrosite and you’re all out your familiars, not to mention the costs of keeping them in check.”
A murmur went up. Two men silently left the store, taking up guard positions near the familiars. I handed the book to the woman and said, “$500. I’m sorry people have been attacking familiars.”
“Thanks. I’m determined it’s not going to happen to Panic. I’ve had it for seventeen years and it’s like family now.”
I suppressed a shudder and turned to accept the next augury slip.
It was twelve-thirty by the time everyone cleared out. I leaned against the counter and scrubbed my eyes. “I know your father’s a Nicollien, but you can’t tell me you don’t find familiars a little unsettling.”
“I grew up with Shard and Shatter. They were just like big dogs,” Judy said, putting the ledger away.
“How do they make familiars, anyway? I’ve seen invaders captured, but there’s got to be more to it than putting them on a leash.”
“It’s complicated magic. You need a bone magus for the binding, and a paper magus for the illusion—it has to be an origami illusion for it to last—”
The door swung open. “I hope you haven’t had lunch yet,” Jason said. His hands were full of a couple of bags containing takeout cartons. They smelled deliciously of hot meat and vegetables. “I know how you like ginger walnut shrimp.”
“I do. That’s so sweet of you!” I went to kiss him, feeling cheered by his presence.
“I brought enough for all of us—”
“That’s okay, I brought lunch,” Judy said swiftly. I opened my mouth to protest that she’d done no such thing, but was silenced by her glare. “Why don�
��t you eat upstairs, and I’ll let you know if anyone comes in who needs help.” Her glare broadened to include clearly the unspoken words spend time with your boyfriend and stop pining after the unobtainable.
“Sounds good to me,” Jason said. “Where’s this mysterious apartment I keep hearing about?”
Jason was suitably impressed by my home, which was decorated in the style of seventy years before. “Does this work?” he asked, running his fingers along the cabinet of the antique radio that sat below my very modern television.
“No, unfortunately. I keep meaning to see if I can have it fixed, but that takes time.”
“Which you have little of, I know.” He smiled to let me know it wasn’t a jab. “The place smells like sunshine.”
“And motor exhaust. That’s what you get when you live above a busy street.”
“I’d think zoning laws would prevent you living here. How’d you get around that?”
“Oh, there’s some exemption or something,” I said airily. I didn’t actually know how the Wardens had arranged things so I could live here, and I was afraid to think too much about it for fear of breaking the magic. “Come look at the kitchen.”
Jason wandered past the white painted cabinets to my antique refrigerator, opening it to look inside. He ran a finger along the stove top, with its gas burners, and flicked one on and off again before I could smell more than a whiff of gas. “Wow. Makes me wish I knew how to cook.”
“My mother keeps hoping it will rub off on me.”
“She would. Want to eat? There’s chopsticks.”
I brought out napkins and then, after a moment’s reflection, a couple of cold bottles of beer. We sat and ate in peaceful contemplation. Jason caught my eye and winked, making me smile. This wasn’t so bad. In fact, I couldn’t remember why I’d been so opposed to having him up here.
The Book of Mayhem Page 7