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
