Sticks and Stones

by Alexie Aaron

  “Good for him,” Mia said quickly. “When are we going to Vegas again?”

  Ted could tell Mia wanted to change the subject. She hated Vegas.

  The subject changed to Vegas. Ted told them how he got kicked out of the Bellagio for counting cards. “I’m really surprised they even let me in.”

  “When was this?”

  “Not long after I met the woman of my dreams.”

  Mia blushed.

  “I’m sure they won’t remember you. Do you want to try it again?” Bernard asked.

  “No, you better take Angelo,” Ted advised. “I’m just going to get us thrown into jail.”

  “I’m so proud,” Mia said.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Jake, open the force field and close it after me,” Mia instructed.

  “Where are you going, Mrs. Martin?”

  “I’m on a diplomatic mission.”

  “Is that why you’re carrying Ethan’s old wetsuit?”

  She wasn’t sure Baxter was going to take her up on her offer, but she wanted to be prepared. Ethan’s old spring break wetsuit was a pleasant surprise. Mia paid him more than he asked for if he drove it over right away. Ethan arrived in his pajamas and a smile. Ted made a derogatory comment about how quickly Mia could order a male in Big Bear Lake.

  “It’s a little snug in the… nevermind. I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

  “Good luck,” Jake said.

  Mia took off and flew to Quentin’s. Baxter met her on the back patio. Mia slipped out of her outer clothing and pulled on the wetsuit. Baxter cut a slit in it and helped Mia ease her wings out. He then sealed the excess with waterproof tape. “Thank you, the water’s freaking cold.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Baxter asked.

  “Yes. Before we do this, I’m going to bundle your body up. Because if you freeze to death, I’m going to be stuck with you in my head. I’ve been there before. It’s no fun.”

  Baxter laid down. Mia zipped up the zipper of the arctic sleeping bag. She put a note on top of his body for Quentin, just in case he woke before they returned.

  Mia put her bare hand to his forehead and Baxter moved into her body. Mia turned around and scanned the area before she took off. Mia entered the GSD and cruised just high enough to avoid running into boats and low enough so she could scan the water for a mass of nymphs.

  “How are you doing?” she asked Baxter.

  “Fine. You really are a beautiful flyer.”

  “Thank you. I see a mass. It could be a school of large fish, but I’m going down anyway. Just before I hit the water, I will be tucking my wings back so I can get some depth before I bring them in to swim, so don’t be afraid.”

  “Thanks for the warning.”

  Mia dove downward, imitating the gannets Jake showed her on the big monitor.

  Baxter experienced Mia basically drowning until her gills took over. He would never discount her courage again. She swam towards the mass and then stopped and drifted. Mia waited to be noticed.

  “Meeeeeeahhhh,” her name was said in a chorus of buttery tones. The words did not come through the water but through her skin.

  “I’ve come to talk with you about Baxter,” Mia copied.

  “He’s too angry.”

  “He told me he’s sorry. I have many problems that he helps me with. I think, lately, I’ve bothered him too much.”

  “He is fond of you, Meeeeeeahhh.”

  “I’m sorry I have taken so much of his time. I know how much he enjoys your company.”

  “Does he?”

  “Tell them how empty my life is when they are not near.”

  “He says that his life is empty without you near.”

  “We miss his warmth at night.”

  “Will you please return to him?”

  “Meeeeeahhh, why aren’t you keeping him warm?”

  “I have Ted. Ted is mine to keep warm.”

  “We will come with the morning light.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Stay with him until then.”

  “Hoo boy. It’s going to be a difficult text to Ted.”

  “We won’t come if you do not promise.”

  “I’ll be there,” Mia promised.

  Mia turned and swam upwards. She swam closer to the shore before diving down to the bottom. She then used her strong legs to push up. As she exploded out of the water, she twitched her wings and the water fell off, and she opened them and pushed higher. Mia turned and got her bearings before she flew the GSD towards Chicago and Baxter’s body.

  “Is this what it’s like to fly?” Baxter asked. “To feel the freedom from land and water?”

  “But we aren’t truly free. Only Sariel can cut the bonds of the earth. I must live within its atmosphere. Gravity pulls even snowflakes down.”

  “You will never be mistaken for a snowflake.”

  “I guess I am no longer the Ice Queen.”

  “You were never an Ice Queen. From the moment I laid eyes upon you, I knew you to be someone filled with warmth and compassion. It’s only those who are bitter because they can’t have you who think of you as an Ice Queen.”

  Mia landed and walked over to find Baxter’s body safe and the note undisturbed. She placed her hand on his forehead, and Baxter moved into his body. Mia waited until he had moved everything movable before letting go. She shed her wetsuit and underthings and pulled her clothes over her shivering body before checking her phone.

  Baxter watched her as she texted her husband. He got up and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m going in. Come in and get warm, don’t stay out here too long.”

  “I won’t. I’m seeing if Ted is awake enough to talk to. I’ll be in soon.”

  Mia’s phone vibrated. “Hello, Teddy Bear.”

  “How did it go?”

  “I think I convinced the nymphs to come in and talk with him. They asked me to wait until they arrive at first light. Do you think you could manage to not add to our divorce file if I stay out all night?”

  “It’s pretty tempting,” Ted said. “Actually, I’m working on your skates.”

  “My skates?”

  “Yes, I’m going to use the blackmail of you spending the night with Baxter to get you to go with Gates to a Fresh Meat weekend tryout for one of the clubs that use the infected building.”

  “Did you think this up all by your devious self?” Mia asked.

  “No, Jake helped.”

  “Baxter thinks it would be a good idea too. I’ll be home, hopefully, for breakfast.”

  “Make it lunch. I’ve got this. Let Quentin spoil you.”

  Mia thought about her wet clothes and the draw of the bathtub upstairs. “Okay, I’ll skate for you, master manipulator.”

  “If the nymphs don’t come back…”

  “He’ll have to deal with it. I did my best. My first independent peace mission. I hope it is successful.”

  “Me too, Minnie Mouse, me too.”

  Baxter, who had been listening in, smiled. He was feeling unusually vulnerable. It was nice to know Mia was staying.

  Mia entered the mansion and rubbed the chill from her arms. “I’m going to rinse a few things out and take a bath, but after, let’s see if we can figure out that video game Quentin has been playing,” Mia said.

  “Here’s a robe. Throw everything in the washer. I’ll have a cup of hot tea waiting to warm you up.”

  “Point me in the right direction.”

  Baxter did and handed Mia the robe.

  Minutes later she entered the kitchen. Her hair fell about her head in lazy ringlets. She took the cup, added sugar and cream, and lifted herself up on the counter, tucked her feet in, and drank.

  “I guess making yourself at home is already ingrained in you,” he observed.

  Mia looked over and smiled. “I do love it here. I’m not sure I could live this close to the water with the children. They need
room to roam without too many hazards. That’s why I’m selling the peninsula house. It’s time to close that chapter in my life.”

  “You’ve given up a lot for your family.”

  “I’ve gained so much more,” Mia argued good-naturedly.

  “Mia, thank you for what you’ve done tonight.”

  “I hope we’re successful.”

  “If they don’t come, I’ll adjust. I’ve had many adjustments over the years.”

  “Do you feel things clearly in your present persona?” Mia asked. “The reason I ask is, I’m planning on putting on a glamour to age along with my husband, but if I can’t feel…”

  “Yes, it feels different. I think Ted won’t mind you not aging. Many women spend a lot of money to stay looking young. I think it will just be assumed that’s why you look younger than your husband.”

  “Nanny says when I’m forty, I will pretty much look forty until I’m 200, and then if I live longer than that, I’ll age a year for every hundred.”

  “How old is Nanny Berta?”

  “800 years give or take. Are you immortal?” Mia asked.

  “I can be killed, Mia. You removed the last piece of spear I received in the ill-fated battle with Theseus. I used the magic and grace left to me to turn one of his men who had died in the battle into an image of me and me him. Theseus maintained his hero status, and I was listed as a monster, a child from an unfortunate love affair. I lived but always with the reminder of Theseus in my hip. You took away my pain and have given me so much more.”

  Mia slipped off the counter, tossed her sweats in the dryer, and hung her undergarments up. She turned to see Baxter watching her. “What?”

  “Dare I hope that we can be friends for eons to come?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure how long I have, but if I’m alive, I’m your friend.”

  “Your words give me great comfort, Mia.”

  “How did you and Altair meet?” Mia asked.

  “Ah, my competition.”

  Mia shook her head. “Neither of you should feel this way. He’s jealous because you have made such an impression on me in such a short time. Tell me about Altair.”

  “When I met him, he was a fallen masquerading as a possessing demon in the body of various creatures. I think the last was Wyatt Wayne. Being villains, we crossed paths from time to time. He was the being who convinced Quentin’s father that I may be able to stabilize him.”

  “Who was Quentin’s father?”

  “I think Quentin should tell you that. But I will tell you, he tried to love Quentin, but the narcissistic nature of him got the better of Reynolds. And Quentin suffered because of it. He and Altair were contemporaries. You could ask Altair these questions.”

  “I’ll ask Quentin. His father, his business.”

  Baxter smiled.

  “Altair has decided to become my tutor in all things.”

  Baxter lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want to be tutored?”

  “I like learning. I like Altair. He’s not exactly reliable, but because he’s not perfect, I don’t have to always be on my best.”

  “You’re very accepting,” Baxter observed. “It’s what draws us villains to you.”

  “Villains?”

  “Yes. Mia, I’m a cloaked Minotaur who sleeps with a bed full of nymphs.”

  “Lucky you. Lucky them.”

  “See. This is not normal behavior. You’re supposed to be scandalized.”

  “I flew a death spiral just about naked, baring my soul with my one-time nemesis in front of 500,000 demons and my husband to save the world. That’s not exactly normal.”

  Baxter chuckled. “You’ve made your point.”

  The door from the lake opened and the nymphs entered.

  Mia watched them interact with Baxter for a moment. She slid off the counter and walked into the laundry to collect her clothes. When she emerged, the mass of blue seal-skinned women and Baxter were gone. She washed her cup and set it on the drainboard. She sensed someone in the kitchen and turned to see a nymph staring at her.

  “Hello. I’m just about finished. I’ll lock the door after me.”

  The nymph purred and moved towards her. “Come lay with us, and let us keep you warm.”

  “I’m going home to keep Ted warm. Thank you for coming back early.”

  “You are always welcomed to be with us, Meeeeeeahhh.”

  Mia smiled shyly and watched the nymph leave the room.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Ted was surprised to see Mia sleeping next to him in the morning. He slipped out to use the bathroom and returned to see her looking at him. “How long before I have to be on skates?”

  “Hours.”

  “Come here,” she said. “I’ve spent a little time at the bottom of Lake Michigan. And then I watched a dozen or so blue women undulate against Baxter. Let me see if I learned anything.”

  Ted grinned. “I think I have time for this most worthy experiment.”

  “There is only one of me, so I’m going to have to work harder.”

  “Your dedication is appreciated.”

  ~

  Murphy heard wheels, rhythmic pulses of spinning wheels, and the constant hum of larger lighter wheels. Mia rolled by him on the road pushing the baby carriage. It sounded like the twins were enjoying the experience. The fall canopy of trees would provide a colorful moving backdrop to the face of their mother propelling the stroller.

  “What are you doing?” Murphy asked.

  “Ted put some road wheels on my skates so I could take advantage of the blacktop and build up my skating muscles. I’m actually learning to dodge a few stones too.”

  “Can I stay with you? If you fall, the babies will be on a wild ride until they get to Ed’s house at the end of the street.”

  “Sure. We would love the company, wouldn’t we girls?” Mia said.

  “I like your hair. It’s all bouncy,” Murphy said, trying not to concentrate on how Mia’s leggings molded to her behind.

  “Dash Renee cut my and Ted’s hair yesterday.”

  “Is this because you’re going to start training again?”

  “Partly. I don’t have a partner, unless you want to trade blows with me?”

  “What about Sariel?”

  “Ha, he’s a hard one to pin down. Ed should be back this winter. If we can keep me limber until then, I would be appreciative.”

  “Have you given up on birdmen?” Murphy asked.

  “For sparring, yes.”

  “I thought you and Enos had made remarkable strides.”

  “And look at the hullabaloo that caused.”

  “I thought you were exonerated?”

  “I was, but I’m not ready to move on.”

  “I understand. So, they talked you into this roller derby farce.”

  “Yes, I was bartered into it. Plus, Baxter thinks it would be good if I could try to make a few casual friendships.”

  “He may be right. This way you won’t stiffen up each time a woman approaches you when you’re in town.”

  “You’re very observant.”

  “Just looking out for you. Speaking of, I’m going to speed ahead and clear off a few stones.”

  “My hero.”

  Mia hopped over a stick. “Whoa, girls, sticks and stones may break my bones...”

  “Did you call for me?” Sticks asked, dropping down from an oak branch shading the road.

  Mia stopped and embraced the young demon. His wooden appearance had garnered him the name Sticks. He was taller and broader than when Mia had last seen him. “I ran into cousins of yours.”

  “The tree-bark demons aren’t cousins. They are a whole different species,” Sticks schooled Mia.

  “I love it when you talk genus.”

  Sticks shook his head, not quite understanding.

  Murphy watched warily as Sticks gushed over Mia’s babies. He remarked how fragile human babies were. Murphy knew
if Sticks was here, it was because he was sent. He was now part of the House of Abigor. Murphy searched the sky overhead to see if the winged horse-riding Duke of Hades was anywhere about.

  “What brings you here? Not that you’re not always welcome,” Mia said.

  “I feel I need to impart information to you for you to store just in case something happens to me.”

  “Are you in danger?”

  “No. But Hell is a dangerous place.”

  “It is,” Mia agreed.

  “May I place my forehead upon yours. It’s easier to explain in pictures.”

  “Yes.”

  Murphy watched as the demon gathered Mia up in his arms and brought her head up to his. The babies oohed as they saw their mother above them along with a face that looked very familiar to them.

  Sticks lowered Mia once she too had shared all she knew and had done regarding Lucifer. “So much has become clearer to me. You can’t feel without a heart. He’s so paranoid that he’s dangerous. Please take care and don’t take any chances. I’ll confer with Forneus and let him know that, perhaps, his cover has been blown and he should prepare for repercussions. I’m in your debt.”

  “No, you’re not. It was Abigor who thought that I should warn you. And he and Hell are still in your debt, Mia.”

  Sticks took a last look at the babies and saluted to Murphy and scrambled up a tree and disappeared.

  Mia bent over and raised each baby to make sure they were still dry. She snuggled each one before returning the children to the safety of the stroller. Mia looked over at Murphy. Her eyes watered, but she bit her lip and didn’t cry.

  Murphy would have loved to take his Mia away from all harm. But he couldn’t stifle her life nor protect her by himself. There had to be alliances with archangels and birdmen. Mia shifted her trust away from the birdmen after the tribunal. She had put her trust in someone fallible. Murphy liked Nicholai and thought he was better than the emotional Angelo or the warrior Victor, but now he wasn’t so sure.