A Monster's Paradise (Away From Whipplethorn Book Three)

by A W Hartoin

  Mr. Marfisi worked on me with a less interesting handkerchief and went faster. I had less blood. The sword strokes had sprayed mostly away from me. “So,” he said. “You went to the Louvre.”

  “We did. It wasn’t what we expected,” I said.

  “No?”

  “It’s crawling with sea serpents and other freaks.”

  Dad gave me a scathing look, but I ignored him. There I went making another decision.

  “Like what?” Mrs. Marfisi tried to act disinterested, but totally failed.

  “Lots of species. Phalanx and some brown-winged fairies. Not very friendly.” I watched Mrs. Marfisi out of the corner of my eye. She sucked in her bottom lip and bit it.

  “Where did you go in the museum?” Mr. Marfisi asked.

  Dad kept glaring at me.

  Go ahead and glare. I know what I’m doing.

  “We didn’t get through the whole thing, just up to the first floor,” I said with wide eyes. “It was beautiful.”

  Mr. Marfisi ducked his head and said something from the look of his jaw. I looked at Dad. He shook his head.

  “We should get to your mother now, Matilda,” he said.

  “You still have blood on your pants. My favorite part was the Napoleon III apartment.”

  Mr. Marfisi’s head jerked up. “What did you…like about it?”

  “Everything. The gilded woodwork. The piano.” I leaned in and looked him in the eyes. “The throne room.”

  He jerked back. “The throne room is magnificent.”

  “Did you meet anyone interesting there?” asked Mrs. Marfisi, her cheeks much paler than her hair.

  “You could say that,” I said.

  Dad pushed Mrs. Marfisi’s handkerchief away. “I think that’s quite enough. Let’s go, Matilda.”

  I sat down. “I can’t. I have to give Mrs. Marfisi’s boots back.”

  “We have to go.” Dad and I stared at each other. I don’t know if that was the moment it dawned on him or what. I wasn’t a child and he couldn’t make me.

  “Alright, but please…be careful…about your leg.”

  I smiled. “I’m always careful.”

  Dad flew out the door slowly, glared at me from the doorway, and then left.

  “What was that about?” asked Judd.

  “You’re about to find out.”

  Judd closed the door and sat on the bed, legs crisscrossed, chin on hands. The Marfisis shuffled around. Mrs. Marfisi was actually wringing her hands. If she thought that was scary, she was in for a rude awakening. She had no idea how scary I could be. The Marfisis had information and I was going to get it. It could be easy or it could be hard. I was exhausted and my leg was trying to kill me from the toes up. I really didn’t care which way it went.

  “You know the vermillion, don’t you?” I asked.

  They backed away, but didn’t fly. I liked the indecision. I needed it.

  “My foot’s really messed up. Can you help me with the boot?”

  Mrs. Marfisi hesitated, but she knelt in front of me and unlaced the long leather. “I think it’s stuck.”

  “I might’ve bled in it. I’m sorry.”

  Mr. Marfisi wiggled the boot back and forth.

  “I know you know who I’m talking about,” I said.

  They concentrated on my boot, but they were thinking about what to do, what to say. They didn’t have a ton of options. I hoped they were thinking about that.

  “Please,” I said. “Miss Penrose is dying.”

  They looked up. “Who?”

  “My teacher. We hid her from you, so you wouldn’t know why we were really in Paris.”

  Judd whistled. “Your parents are going to be pissed.”

  I shrugged. “They’re our last hope. I didn’t come this far to fail.”

  “Where is she?” asked Mrs. Marfisi.

  “In Tess’s room with Lrag and Bentha. They’ll survive. She won’t, unless we find the vermillion immediately.”

  “Is she that bad?” asked Mrs. Marfisi.

  “Yes, she is.”

  “We still can’t tell you.”

  “I think different.”

  “Please, Matilda. You know what it’s like out there.”

  “And I know what it’s like in here.”

  Mr. Marfisi pulled off the boot. A little more roughly than necessary, if you ask me. They and Judd recoiled at the soaked bandages. It wasn’t blood as I feared, but the nasty yellow pus was back. Great, just what I needed.

  “Judd, can you find Lucrece? I need to soak this stupid thing and some white willow would be good. Don’t bring Mom.”

  “No problem. I’m stealthy.” He stomped out of the room. Just like a human. Real stealthy.

  I peeled the bandages off and the Marfisis wrinkled their noses.

  “Now about the vermillion,” I said.

  They shook their heads. They probably would’ve held their noses, if it wouldn’t have been so impolite.

  I started on the second layer of bandages and the smell got worse. Maybe I could stink the truth out of them.

  “Come on. I could fly out that window and describe you to anyone. You can’t be that hard to identify. Look at you. Those clothes and shoes. You can’t be regular fairies.” The Marfisis went back to looking terrified. I guess it never occurred to them that I could just out them at any minute. “But I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Matilda, our lives are at stake. You’ll have to find out on your own.”

  “I am finding out. Right here. Right now.”

  “I’m afraid not. You can tell others about us, but I don’t think you will. You couldn’t live with what would happen.”

  “Oh, I can live with it. You don’t know how much I have to live with already, but I’d rather not. I’ll make you a deal, a life for a life.”

  “You’re really threatening us?” asked Mrs. Marfisi, her pretty eyes going watery.

  “No. I’m making you an offer. I’ll tell you my secret, if you tell me yours.”

  Mr. Marfisi stood up and dropped the boot with a thump. “No secret you could have is worth our lives.”

  I cupped my hands and snapping yellow flames burst to life. “Wrong.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  THE MARFISIS BACKED up into the window frame so hard I’m surprised they didn’t break their wings. I guess it was a bit of a shock and I meant it to be. No secret I could have, indeed.

  “So there you have it. I’m a kindler. Possibly the only one in the world.”

  They stared at my flames, so I continued. “In case that’s not enough of a secret for you, here’s some more. Three out of the five horen in the world have seen me back in the States. They tried pretty hard to kill me. Horen aren’t big on competition. Now there’s a fourth horen here in Paris. I’m certain he’d like to kill me, too. If my family got in the way, he’d kill them just for fun. Horen aren’t picky about their victims from what I can tell.”

  I closed my hands and the flames extinguished. The Marfisis relaxed ever so slightly, but they weren’t talking yet.

  “We’re even,” I said. “My life and Miss Penrose’s lives depend on you. Yours depend on me. Are you going to tell me or what?”

  “I knew there was something special about you,” said Mrs. Marfisi. “I just couldn’t put my finger on it.”

  “I get that a lot. Are you really the Marfisis?”

  “Yes. We should’ve come up with an alias, but we never imagined anyone would be here,” said Mr. Marfisi.

  “Why not?”

  “This building is thought to be haunted. It was built by a human Bourbon, a seer. The royal guard brought prisoners here for interrogation. None made it out alive. That hasn’t happened in a century, but the stigma remains. I was sure we’d be safe.”

  “And who are you really?”

  “Royal retainers. Shoemakers to the king and court.”

  I looked down at Mrs. Marfisi’s rough hands and stunning shoes. “Of course. Why aren’t you with the king?”
<
br />   “His Majesty ordered us to go when the court’s hiding place in Napoleon’s throne had been discovered. We left immediately. The court stayed behind to pack. Did you find them? Have they been captured?” Mrs. Marfisi trembled, fearing my answer.

  “I didn’t see them. The revolutionaries have taken control of the throne room and there was fighting in the Medieval Louvre section. Did the vermillion stay with the court?”

  “No. All the major retainers were ordered to leave. Only household staff stayed to pack the royal family and courtiers’ belongings. It takes some time and planning. The court is large and cumbersome. We’d feared they didn’t move fast enough.”

  “Where did the vermillion go?”

  “Why does it have to be them? There are other healers in Paris.”

  “Miss Penrose has congestive heart failure and it’s progressing rapidly. The vermillion have the only cure.”

  “Oh,” said Mr. Marfisi. “I assumed she was a wood fairy.”

  “She is,” I said.

  The Marfisi looked at each other. I didn’t think they could get any more nervous, but they managed it.

  “That’s unusual,” said Mr. Marfisi slowly. “Are you certain?”

  “I am.”

  “Is she very pale with white wings?”

  “Yes. So where are the vermillion?” I asked.

  Mr. Marfisi took a deep breath and said, “To the catacombs. They’re behind the Cemetery of the Innocents sign April 1786.”

  “Gross. Why didn’t they just come with you?”

  “We thought it best to go in different directions. That way even if some were found, not all would be and could serve the king when he takes control again.”

  “It sounds like you’d expect to be killed if someone found out about you.”

  “There’s no doubt about it. The royal lacemakers, hairdressers, and cabinetmakers were found while the court was moving to the Louvre. They were executed in public for crimes against the people.”

  “What crimes?” I asked.

  “Serving the court, of course.”

  “That’s not much of a crime. Didn’t they catch anybody who wasn’t a servant?”

  “Multiple members of the court have been caught and imprisoned. The other royal families in Austria, England, etc… would strike out if more was done. The revolution only kills servants,” said Mr. Marfisi, bitterly.

  Mrs. Marfisi burst into tears. “And seers.”

  “What?”

  “Our seer, the dearest man in the world, was killed in a car accident just before we left the Louvre,” said Mr. Marfisi.

  “It was no accident. Carl could not have had that kind of accident. He never drove ninety miles an hour in his life. He was always careful. Those scum got to him.” Mrs Marfisi covered her face with a fresh handkerchief and sobbed.

  Mr. Marfisi and I watched her for a moment. I wasn’t sure what to say. What would I do if something happened to Tess and Judd or Marie and Sarah because they saw us? The thought made me sick. We had to get out of Paris quick.

  “How will I find the Cemetery of the Innocents sign? Catacombs sound pretty huge.”

  “We’ve never been there, so I can’t tell you. I believe there is a symbol of some sort near the sign designating the entrance to the vermillion hiding place.”

  Judd’s door opened. Before he could walk through, Mom rushed in and barreled towards me.

  Great!

  Mom ran across the sill and hugged me until I thought my eyes would pop out. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m good.”

  She held me by the shoulders and wrinkled her nose. “What is that horrible smell?”

  “My leg.”

  “Where’s Lucrece? Get Lucrece!”

  Judd sat on the bed and held out his finger. “She’s right here.”

  Lucrece hobbled off, carrying Grandma’s medical bag and a flask. “Getting into trouble, I see. Just as it should be.”

  She knelt at my feet and unwound the last bandage, revealing the oozing wounds in my ankle. There was considerable swelling, but it felt good to get air on it.

  “What happened?” asked Mrs. Marfisi. “Did something bite you?”

  “Close. Horen claws,” I said.

  “But no one survives a horen.”

  “I’m not no one.”

  I took a huge swig from Lucrece’s flask, white willow, reishi and something else. It almost tasted good.

  “Lucrece, this is kind of good. What’s in it?” I asked.

  Lucrece’s cheeks turned a sickly shade of yellow. “Rose water. I thought it might help the flavor.”

  “It does. Thanks. You’re getting really good at this.”

  She smiled, showing me her jagged teeth covered with a lifelong layer of scum. I suppressed a shudder and smiled back until she applied witch hazel to the holes in my ankle. “Ahhh! Find something to make that better.”

  “It will get better in a second,” said Mom.

  Easy for her to say. Her leg wasn’t on fire.

  “Yeah, Matilda,” said Judd, grinning his naughty grin. “Toughen up, buttercup.”

  “Back away before I set your nose hairs on fire,” I said through gritted teeth.

  Everyone was still laughing when Marie marched in with her laptop. “I’ve got him.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Thaddeus. The devil has been away from his desk.”

  Marie sat next to Judd and put her laptop where we could all see.

  “I heard that,” said Thaddeus, his smiling face on the screen.

  “You were meant to. Where’s Lucien?” asked Marie.

  Thaddeus held up a finger. Lucien stood next to the fingernail, looking just the same with his waist-length gray hair and white toga. The hair flowed in gentle waves around his head like he was underwater. The last time I’d seen Lucien was right before we left the States, but it felt like a million years ago. I wondered if I looked as different as I felt.

  “What’s your assessment, Matilda?” Lucien asked.

  “Miss Penrose is deteriorating fast. I resorted to meadowsweet and ma huang again.”

  “I agree. She’s taken a turn and we haven’t much time left. Have you found the vermillion yet?”

  “No, but I know where they are.”

  “You do?” Mom kissed my cheek. “It’s a miracle.”

  “Not quite. The Marfisis told me,” I said.

  Everyone looked at the Marfisis and they looked back less fearful than I’d ever seen them.

  “Who are you?” asked Lucien.

  “Shoemakers to the king. We know the vermillion quite well.”

  “Excellent. Matilda, you must get the cure immediately. I never would’ve expected the disease to take such a rapid path. Keep up with the meadowsweet and ma huang.”

  “What about the kaki persimmon root? Can I double the dose?” I asked.

  “Yes. That will give her a few extra days if we’re lucky. Keep a close watch and lower the dose if her speech becomes slurred or if she doesn’t recognize you,” said Lucien.

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” said Mom.

  “I know, Adele. It’s all we can do until Matilda gets the cure.” Lucien smiled and I instantly felt better. We knew where the vermillion were. I could do it. “Now let me see that leg of yours, Matilda.”

  I held up my leg and Judd moved the laptop, so Lucien could get a better look. Lucien’s hair flowed around his face, coiled into springs, snapped in and then back out again.

  “What do you think?” I asked. “It started swelling and oozing when we got here.”

  Lucrece put an ash leaf on my forehead, but it barely curled. No fever.

  “Like Miss Penrose’s condition, your situation is unprecedented. You were healing well before going to France, so my best guess is your activity level is aggravating your leg. All you can do is soak the leg every chance you get, wrap and elevate it.”

  “That’s it?” said Mom. “My little girl’s leg smells like it’s rotti
ng.”

  “The vermillion may have a better treatment. Their line is ancient,” said Lucien.

  The Marfisis nodded in agreement. “Their skills are wonderous to behold. They have cured a great many illness in the royal line that were thought to be uncurable,” said Mr. Marfisi.

  “If only they could answer the people’s plea,” said Mrs. Marfisi, her eyes swollen.

  “It wasn’t a plea. It was a demand. His Majesty could never capitulate to that rabble’s demands.”

  “So much violence may have been avoided.”

  “It is not for us to question His Majesty’s decision. The vermillion will be as they have always been, bound to the king,” said Mr. Marfisi.

  “Even if it is the wrong decision for the royal family and the people?” asked Mrs. Marfisi.

  His shoulders sagged. “Even so. He is our sovereign.”

  Thaddeus’s finger moved closer to the camera and Lucien’s body filled the screen. “Things haven’t changed then. The king still binds the vermillion to him and the court. I thought it would’ve changed by now.”

  “Yes,” said Mrs. Marfisi. “The king has not wavered.”

  “What does that mean?” Mom took my hand and held it to her cheek. I couldn’t remember the last time she did that.

  “It means the vermillion aren’t allowed to treat anyone outside of the royal court,” said Lucien, his voice growing harder than I’d ever heard it. “They keep their healing to themselves.”

  “It isn’t their choice,” said Mrs. Marfisi. “It’s part of the original marriage contract.”

  “That was signed in 1660. It’s ridiculous.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “You’re saying the vermillion can’t treat Matilda and Penrose?” asked Mom.

  “Technically, yes.” Lucien looked to Mr. Marfisi.

  He nodded. “The vermillion came to France as part of the marriage contract of Marie Theresa of Spain, when she married Louis the Fourteenth. Almost all royalty are seers. The Sun King only agreed to the marriage if the vermillion were part of the deal. His royal fae were suffering from…several illnesses that he thought only the vermillion could heal. They became part of the court, treating only the human and fae royalty and courtiers as per the contract.”

  “But…” said Lucien.