“And what’s best, out of this mess?”
Griffen waved his hand at the two men still arguing. Tammy had slumped in her captors’ grips, defeated. Tears running down her face. The shifters holding her kept looking about, not sure what to do next.
“I am glad you asked, but you won’t like the answer.”
Rose cleared her throat loudly enough to draw attention. A few of the voodoo practitioners gasped, including Estella. Rose walked through the crowd, careful not to brush against anyone, though most people moved back out of her way, even those who didn’t know who she was.
Estella’s voice was strangled.
“Rose?”
“Shh, I know you have questions, but you do fine without my answers. Besides, I promised your mother I would let you go your own way,” Rose said, and walked past the high priestess.
Tink was staring at Rose, something in his posture telling Griffen the changeling knew damn well what this was, if not who. Harrison likewise stood captivated, though Griffen wasn’t sure why.
“Long time, no see, David,” Rose said with a sly smile, looking at Harrison.
Griffen was tired of being shocked that night, but he was once more. He had never once caught Harrison’s full name.
“Rose…” Harrison said, and his voice had the unmistakable tones of someone talking to an old love.
She smiled and turned away from him, stepping up to Tammy.
“I’m afraid that you will be coming with me, my dear. It is best for everyone,” Rose said.
She leaned in, and brushed her lips against Tammy’s forehead. The fey girl’s eyes widened, then closed, and her breath went out in a long sigh.
Then she slumped, a deadweight in the shifters’ hands.
Harrison’s hands trembled as he pointed his gun at Rose. Griffen stood rigid, no question in his mind what Rose had just done. He was appalled and relieved and terrified all at once, and hated having to be in this position.
“What did you do?” Harrison said.
“What I had to,” Rose said.
“Don’t make me…”
“What? Shoot me? Oh, David, I am so glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
Rose moved into him, and the gun passed through her body as if it weren’t there. She smiled, and brushed a barely tangible hand over Harrison’s cheek. For just a moment, Griffen could see a vague, coltish outline standing behind Rose. Tammy’s wide eyes looked at him, even though he could see right through her.
Then both ghosts vanished, and the shifters lowered the body to the floor.
There was a long silence.
“McCandles,” Harrison said.
“Yes, Detective?”
“I just remembered something.”
“What would that be, Detective?” Griffen asked.
“I’m a fucking vice cop. None of this shit is my problem.”
With that, Harrison holstered his pistol and looked around the room.
“Far as I’m concerned, I was never here. I suggest you find the psycho Lizzy a nice, small clinic where they might not file police reports. You decide what to do about Tammy, but I’d call it in.”
He paused to look down at the body, which looked like that of a coltish young woman in her early teens.
“Looks like heart failure. Natural, happens all the time,” he said.
He glared momentarily at Griffen, in a clear message that said “but we will be talking about all of this, after I’ve had a few days, and probably a few drinks.” Then he walked out of the ballroom.
Tink shook his head and muttered half to himself, half for Griffen.
“Good man, stubborn, but good. Don’t worry. We won’t have to put him on a spot. Her body will fade in three days.”
Griffen blinked at him but didn’t have room to doubt him.
Griffen looked around the room. The decorations had been trashed. There were signs of blood and debris from the fighting. Lowell was still sipping his drink, and the floor contained one corpse, four unconscious werewolves, and a still-bleeding dragon.
Kane spoke up, his accent thick.
“Well now, dat sure was one helluva party! Not no bad conclave either, when all is tol’ and done.”
Griffen did something he wouldn’t have thought possible on a night like this.
He smiled.
Fifty-five
It was the night after the masked ball.
Valerie sat alone in the courtyard of the complex. She was always slightly amazed by being able to see so many stars from what was essentially the heart of a major city. The skies always seemed to glitter in the French Quarter if one looked past the neon of Bourbon Street.
It had been a long while since she had taken the time simply to enjoy that. Her job was hardly demanding; she could change a beer keg or unload boxes faster and better than any of the men at the bar. Still, it seemed when she got home there was always some major or minor crisis that drew everyone’s attention. A part of her was grateful for that. After all, it distracted her from her own worries.
It was nice, though, to take a few minutes of solitude, with nobody else intruding on her thoughts. It didn’t last as long as she liked. The gate opened and closed noisily, stirring her from her thoughts. Despite a bit of irritation at the interruption, there was a small smile on her face as she saw her brother approaching. Some company was always welcome.
“Hey, Big Brother, it’s barely after midnight. What’s the matter, you sick?”
“Just didn’t feel like drinking. Shocking, isn’t it?” Griffen said.
“Very. What’s the matter? No female companionship to stroke your… ego?”
“Wasn’t really what was getting to me. I’ve spent the day wrapping up the conclave. Most everyone’s left town, or at least gone back to their own parts of it. Though I’m afraid to say a few will be back.”
“Yeah, but some of them are okay. I think there is a good chance of Robin and Hobb coming down here to settle,” Valerie said.
“I wouldn’t know… None of the changelings wanted to see me today. Tink just left a voice mail on my phone. Thanking me for all my courtesy and assuring me none of this was my fault.”
“Which you won’t believe even if it’s true,” Val said.
“You know me so well, sister of mine.”
Val smiled and stared up at the stars.
“Have all the chats you need to? Harrison, for example?”
“Tried that one; he gave me a very definite ‘you don’t call me, I will call you.’ A lot to get his head around I suppose.”
“Ya think? How about Fox Lisa? I half expected you and her to end up here tonight. You know, ‘talking’ things over.” Val smirked.
“You couldn’t be more wrong. Lisa is currently staying at Mai’s.”
“What?!”
“You heard right. It seems when Lizzy burst in, Mai took it upon herself to gather up the waitstaff and get them out the back. Clear out those who really didn’t need to see dragons brawling. I’m amazed that no one else had the sense to think of it.”
“For the most part everyone ignored the waiters all night—something about the fog… or a ward… or something,” Val said.
“Yeah, and I’m glad Mai did remember. I don’t trust whatever Estella and the rest had cooked up to deal with the image of warring dragons. But it still left her and a still-pissed Fox Lisa alone in an alleyway. And I have no idea yet what they have talked about,” Griffen said.
“Mhmm, and whether it is good or bad, both will enjoy making you sweat it out. So they decided to camp out together. You do realize your love life is going to start becoming one of the Quarter’s most popular spectator sports?”
“Maybe I should have Jerome start a new betting pool.”
“He’d give you lousy odds. Sit down and shut up, Big Brother. Join me in a little stargazing.”
Griffen did as he was told, pulling up a lawn chair and setting it next to Valerie’s. He stared upward, watching a light cloud drift over a sliver of mo
on. It seemed to glow and sparkle as it obscured and revealed stars in its passing.
“So what does it look like to you?” Griffen said, looking for a shape in the cloud.
“Perfect timing,” Valerie said.
It was such an odd comment that Griffen looked over at her. She knew that she was worrying him but couldn’t help it. Even in the darkness, he could see the twin trails of tears that had begun to streak her face.
“Val!” Griffen sat up straight. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… everything. No, nothing. I’ve just made a decision I should have made a while ago.”
“And that would be?”
“To tell you something. Relax, Griffen. Lean back, look at the stars, or at least not at me.”
Again, Griffen did as he was told, though this time it was obviously a lot harder. She watched the tension in him as he leaned back and looked upward. The night went silent, but for the soft sounds of Valerie crying. It wasn’t sobs, it wasn’t sniffles, just the gentle flow of emotion too long pent up. Griffen watched the cloud and waited.
“I’m sorry I held this back… You’ve just been so busy. So many things going on. Romance, the conclave, so much pressure, so much responsibility. I wanted to be strong for you, Big Brother.”
“You are one of the strongest people I know, Valerie. Even though I’m still ticked that you could hide something like Lizzy from me, the reasons you did it for… Well, stupid as it was, strong and brave and self-sacrificing doesn’t cover it. I’ve always admired that. Hell, I’ve always envied it, a little.”
“That’s because you’re a dope.”
“Well, of course.”
Griffen’s eyes flickered to his sister. She smiled a bit, so he did, too, then looked back up.
“I’m pregnant.”
Griffen opened his mouth and closed it, as if he couldn’t find the words. When he finally managed to find his voice, it was strained. Valerie couldn’t sort through whatever mixed emotions filled that voice and doubted he could either.
“So that’s what Lizzy meant. How long?”
“I’ve known for over a month, but… It was Nathaniel. No one else possible.”
Valerie watched him out of the corner of her eye, and to his credit he kept his eyes firmly on the clouds above. Again, his mouth and throat worked, as if he were tasting words before letting them out. Still looking up, he reached out, and managed to find her hand in the darkness.
She tightened her grip around his and silently hoped he didn’t say the one thing she couldn’t stand to hear just then. Sorry.
It was a long pause before he spoke.
“I want one thing perfectly clear,” he said, “it is Uncle Griffen. Uncle Grifter sounds too much like a bad forties cartoon character.”
Val laughed and dropped his hand. She reached out and affectionately smacked Griffen on the back of the head. Griffen somehow managed not to get knocked out of the chair.
“I can’t believe you just said that,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m pretty unbelievable.”
Griffen took her hand again and looked over to her face.
“You know that it’ll be all right. I’ll be here for you. God, Val, I should have been here for you from the beginning, and you should have known that. Lizzy I can understand, kind of. But this…”
“I did know that, but you had to be here for a lot of other people, too. And I had to be here for you.”
“Family comes first, Valerie… Or at least, you come first.”
“And what about this?” She touched her hand lightly to her stomach. “Does this family come first?”
This time, he didn’t pause for a moment.
“Yeah. If you have decided to keep it, then I’m Uncle Griffen. And if I kill his father, we won’t tell him till his sixteenth birthday.”
“I get dibs.”
“We’ll talk.”
The two shared a glance, and Griffen gave back Valerie’s hand. Then he reached out and smacked her on the back of the head.
“Hey! What was that for?” Valerie said.
She smacked him back, on the shoulder. She didn’t want to give him a concussion.
“For the ‘this is my fight’ routine when you are pregnant? Getting bashed around a ballroom is not motherly behavior,” Griffen said.
“Like I had much choice?”
“Not knocking me out of the way and keeping me from the fight sounds like a pretty valid choice to me,” he said.
Valerie sighed.
“Yeah, well, maybe next time,” she said.
“Next time?!”
Valerie smiled at his shocked tone. She shrugged.
“Truth be told, I expected her to go for the stomach a lot more. Guess she really was conflicted over the whole mess.”
“You expected it, and still jumped into the deep end without looking. You got lucky, sis, real lucky.”
“Me and you both, brother. Luck seems to be keeping us afloat these days. Almost as much as skill. Must be in the blood.”
“Dragons’ luck? Would explain a few things,” Griffen said.
The two lapsed into silence again. Valerie looked over at her brother, and saw the deep frown. He shook his head, a little too hard, and she watched him force the expression away. Though he couldn’t completely hide the look of concern in his eyes.
“I just can’t let it go. Why, Valerie? Why keep this much from me?”
“I thought I had to. Mai pointed out how much trouble you were in right then.”
“You told Mai instead of me?” Griffen didn’t try to hide his surprise.
“No, she figured it out and came to me. I would have probably told you if we hadn’t talked. But she made a lot of sense.”
“Did she now…?”
Griffen looked back up at the clouds, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. His sister knew him well enough to know that he was suddenly very angry with Mai. The two stared up at the sky together. Val broke the silence first.
“A puppy dog with one club foot.”
“What?” Griffen blinked, not sure where that came from.
“The cloud, stupid. It’s a puppy with a club foot. Pay attention,” Val said, grinning.
“You pay attention, it’s clearly a duck with a hat.”
“What kind of hat?”
“Cowboy hat.”
“You’re crazy, Big Brother. I think you are suffering from lack of alcohol.”
“Yeah, probably. How about we go out together?”
“Why not, it’s early. For this town.”
“Yeah. It’ll be nice not to have to worry about what supernatural nut I’ll run into at my favorite watering hole,” Griffen said.
The two stood, and Valerie grabbed Griffen and hugged him as tight as she could. He didn’t comment as his back popped, just hugged her back fiercely. She let him go finally, smiling hugely, and turned toward the gate.
“But!” he called after her, “strictly nonalcoholic beverages for you!”
“Ah! He’s nagging already! I knew no good deed went unpunished!”
The two laughed and headed out into the night.
Epilogue
It was a small clinic, tucked away far from the tourist areas of the Quarter. It was the kind of place that really didn’t ask questions. Run by the kind of doctors who didn’t care about their patients’ pasts, but were just worried about making sure they had a future. Mose had surprised Griffen by telling him just how much their gambling organization contributed yearly to the clinic. It and several other shady groups in the city.
You never knew when you might need such a place.
One of Mose’s people, or Griffen’s people depending on how one counted, sat in the lobby. His instructions were plain: call up the line if anything happened, and don’t interfere. He wasn’t told any more than that, or any less.
A long, black car pulled up in front of the clinic. The type of car that never, ever got seen on this side of town. Not even passing through. Three men, built str
ong and solid, stepped out of the car. They all looked professional, dressed in suits cut just big enough to hide the bulge under each of their jackets. Yet they also seemed to have a family resemblance.
Next out of the car was a short, round woman who still seemed just as solid as the boys. Her face was fleshy and plain, but her eyes were sharp as a hawk’s. Even out in the street, the man inside could tell that she was watching everything. This was someone he would never, ever play cards with, and that was how he made his living.
The four of them came into the clinic. They didn’t stop to ask for directions. They didn’t pay any attention to anyone but watched everyone just the same. The woman seemed to lead, even though two of the men stood in front of her and the third just behind.
They walked to the room Griffen’s man had been told to watch. Didn’t knock, didn’t hesitate, just went on inside. He pulled out his cell, put out the call, and did not interfere. Orders were orders, and he was glad for these ones. He had thought it was the woman inside the room he had to worry about.
Inside, Lizzy lay on a hospital bed, and even in the dim light, she looked awful. Her face was a collection of bruises. Gauze was packed over one eye and wrapped around her head. Most of her was hidden by a blanket, but at least one leg was in a cast and an IV provided a constant drip of painkillers.
She stirred, seeming half-conscious, and her good eye rolled for a few moments before tracking, even the fractured colors in it appearing pale and sickly. When it caught sight of the woman standing just inside the doorway, it widened. Lizzy tried to sit up and groaned, falling back in bed.
Her voice was soft, quiet. A wounded-kitten voice.
“M-m-mmmother?” she stammered.
Melinda stepped up to the bed and picked up the chart hanging off the end of it. With one hand on the bed rail, she read it while her fingers tapped a slow rhythm. Her anger apparent only in the force of her drumming fingers, which were slowly denting the metal.
She put down the chart, and her voice was molten iron as she spoke two simple words that made her daughter flinch and try to curl in on herself.
“What. Happened?”
ROBERT (LYNN) ASPRIN, born in 1946, is best known for the Myth Adventures and Phule series. He also edited the groundbreaking Thieves’ World anthologies with Lynn Abbey. He died at his home in New Orleans in May 2008.
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