“Ted’s working on it.”
“Ted’s working on what?” Ted asked from the bathroom door.
Roumain had disappeared.
Mia wiped the steam away from the glass.
“I came over to help you with the linens…” he said, shutting the door and locking it. He undressed and entered the shower with Mia. He kissed her deeply. It made her forget all about Roumain, which was some accomplishment.
~
Mia and Ted bounded through the back door carrying a basketful of bedding along with Mia’s drenched clothes. She tossed the linens in the laundry and draped her wet clothes over the utility sink.
Cid was looking at all the fish the boys had cleaned with a quizzical look. “I wish I had seen what kind of fish these were before they filleted them.”
“Does it make a difference? Just fry them up,” Mia said. “I’ll do it if you want.”
“Step away from the stove. Why are you wearing different clothes than you went out with, and why are you wearing rainboots? It’s sunny outside.”
“He asks such personal questions,” Mia said. “It’s not like I haven’t arrived home wearing worse.”
“She went to speak with Roumain,” Ted said.
“And?” Cid asked.
“He will set up a meeting with the council but wants us to continue to look for Quazar.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Cid said.
“Well, if you won’t let me fry fish, I’m going to change,” she told Cid. She looked over at Ted and asked, “Wanna come up?”
Ted scooped her up and ran up the stairs with her.
Cid pulled out his iPod, put on his earbuds, and turned up the music.
~
Orion opened the door, amazed to see Altair standing there. “Altair, what a surprise.”
“I hope I’m not disturbing you. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Audrey took Luke to her parents. I have a few hours. Would you like a drink?”
“Yes, I would,” Altair said and followed Orion into his office. It was a large warm room with many Greek accents.
Orion walked over to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Midleton. “Ice?”
“No, thank you.”
Orion poured a healthy measure into an old-fashioned glass and handed it to Altair. He poured a smaller amount for himself and added ice. He sat next to Altair, taking the other leather high-back chair after he slid a small footstool over to set his diminutive feet on.
Altair sipped his drink, taking in the birdman before him. He set his drink down and pulled out a wrapped bundle and handed it to Orion.
Orion recognized the tea towel from Mia’s guesthouse but was shocked to see what it contained. “I never thought I would see a copy of this in my lifetime.”
“It’s yours.”
“What?”
“It’s your reward for stepping up twenty years ago,” Altair said.
“I’m sorry but are we talking about the candle incident?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I could remember it.”
“So do I, but that doesn’t matter. I can tell you that you behaved contrary to how most would have handled the situation. You protected your granddaughter once you knew she was related.”
“I hope I would have done so without Mia and I being related.”
“You’re part demon, aren’t you?”
“Yes. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t advance beyond my job as a scribe.”
“You arrived at my house with an impressive guard,” Altair said.
“Who was it?”
“Nicholai.”
“Hmmm, they wouldn’t have sent Nicholai if they didn’t suspect you of foul play. Maybe they thought we could just take the book from you if you didn’t agree to sell it to us.”
“I don’t blame them. Angelo showed up too. He was a bit undisciplined.”
“Angelo is many birds,” Orion said. “He is an excellent librarian, yet he can inspire and lead a flock into battle.”
“Sariel and he have worked together, but still my associate is concerned over Angelo’s motives regarding your granddaughter. I am too. He’s obsessed.”
“It surprised me, considering he once wrote quite an essay touting the need to return the birdman to their purest genetic line,” Orion said.
“You don’t agree.”
“I don’t. Yes, the diluted bloodline makes us weaker in stature but healthier in other ways. Our children are stronger and smarter.”
“Then you agree with genetic engineering?” Altair questioned.
“No, not like Mia, no. I just think let the young seek out mates for more than the furtherment of the population. I’ve never been happier, and I have a bossy wife.”
Altair laughed. “She is a very positive person, I’ve noticed.”
“She is,” Orion said. “Audrey’s a good mother and friend. An excellent researcher too.”
“You’re a lucky man.”
“Altair, what’s your role in Mia’s life?”
“I’m not sure. We’re friends. I owe her a big debt. She got me forgiven and my wings back. Twenty years ago, I was bemused when she came to me, a fallen, for help.”
“That’s quite a compliment. Of all the living, she trusted you most.”
“Which brings up the ghost in the room,” Altair said. “Stephen Murphy. She ran to him first. Should we be worried?”
“No,” Orion said. “Think about the Mia we would have been dealing with if not for Stephen being her knight that fateful evening when her peers were hurting her.”
“So is he the pivotal player in why Mia didn’t kill Abigor?” Altair asked.
“No. Abigor is. I’ve researched this in the dark vault. Abigor was informed by a mole in the Council of Women of what they were up to. He arrived not long after her birth to deal with his assassin.”
“What happened?”
“He left her unharmed, placed a tracker on her, and forgot all about her until he summoned her from Cambodia. I think Mia knows what happened,
