Alice took a deep breath and let it out in a long, unsteady breath. “Only the princess of the bloody fae in Enchanted,” Alice said angrily. “That’s all.”
15
Now We’re Getting To The Meat Of It
I busied myself all day selling books and taking care of bookstore business. Alice had taken herself up to her room not long after Sebille left, pleading a headache. I’d heard her yelling at someone shortly afterward and figured she’d called her superiors as she’d said she was going to do.
I was half afraid she’d come marching through the dividing door any minute with a packed suitcase and announce that she was leaving.
The thought made my armpits sweat and stars burst before my eyes.
Down by my feet, Fenwald made a small sound of concern and I glanced down at him, getting a tentative paw to the thigh in question.
“I’m fine, Fenny. Just feeling a little insecure. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon, are you?”
The big cat gave me a throaty yowl and rubbed against my leg, wrapping his enormous form around both of my calves before heading for a bright square of afternoon sunshine for a nap and a bath. It was his usual routine and nothing seemed to interfere with it.
I smiled as he flopped heavily onto the carpet and rolled onto his back, all four long legs beating the air as he batted at dust motes dancing in a sunbeam.
If only my life were as simple as Fenwald’s.
The bell jangled on the front door and Lea walked inside. She smiled at me. “How’s it going, Naida?”
I briefly considered telling her about the possible legal kerfuffle with the suitcase, but decided that would be disloyal to Alice. The poor woman needed someone on her side in the current mess. “Busy and terrifying.” I grinned to lighten my comment.
“Terrifying? What’s going on?”
I quickly told her about our adventure at Gnomish the night before.
By the time I finished, her face was filled with concern. “Gnomes can be really dangerous, Naida. You shouldn’t mess with them.” She cocked her head. “You’re lucky you got out of there alive.”
“We were lucky to have Sebille along,” I said.
Lea grimaced slightly and then quickly smoothed her features, nodding.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, really, Lea. Tell me. I’m feeling my way along here. If you can shine some light on anything…anything at all…it would be a huge help.”
Lea crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to be carefully considering her words. Finally, she said. “She’s just not my favorite person.”
“Sebille? Why?”
“I find her a bit…” As she struggled with the right word, my mind surprised me by filling in a few that were less than flattering.
“Bossy?” I suggested.
Lea’s brows rose and she nodded. “That could work.”
“Condescending?”
“Yes, yes, that one fits nicely.”
“Judgmental?”
“Now we’re getting to the meat of it,” Lea said in an “atta boy” tone of voice.
I grinned. “She’s a bit hard to take. But she saved our lives at Gnomish, and she healed me this morning. She didn’t have to do any of that.”
Lea got a strange look on her face. “Didn’t she?”
“What are you implying?”
The dividing door opened and Alice walked into the store holding the dreaded suitcase. She blinked in surprise when she saw Lea. “Oh. Hullo, sweetums.”
“Hey, Alice. How are you?”
“Aces.” Alice’s smile seemed forced.
I glanced at the suitcase artifact, alarmed to see it in her hands. “Where are you going with that?”
The Keeper bristled at my question and then seemed to catch herself, giving me another strained smile. “I’m taking it to the PTB. It’s too dangerous to leave here.”
Lea was staring at the suitcase with a look of horror on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
She didn’t seem to hear me. I reached out and touched her arm. “Lea?”
She blinked and turned to me. “What?”
“Is there something wrong with the suitcase?”
She shook her head, her body overtaken by a violent shudder. “The aura is…” She shuddered again.
“A red so deep it’s almost black,” Alice said, nodding. “Like blood.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Evil,” they both said at once.
Awesome sauce.
“You should call Grym and ask him for protection while you travel with that thing,” I told her, sudden worry tightening my chest.
“I’ll be fine, Naida. But thank you for your concern, sweetums.” She glanced toward the big cat stretched out in the fading sun. “I’m leaving Fenwald here. Do you think you can give him his dinner precisely at five?”
“Of course. Where are you meeting the PTB?” I asked.
“Enchanted park, near the pavilion. I shouldn’t be long.” She headed for the door, her steps brisk. “Ta!”
As the door closed behind her, Lea turned worried eyes to me. “She shouldn’t be alone out there with that thing.”
As if to verify Lea’s concern, Fenwald suddenly jumped up from his spot on the rug and ran to the front door, yowling and hissing in obvious feline hysteria.
Lea’s words confirmed what I’d been thinking. “Should we call Grym?”
She shook her head. “The PTB are anonymous by choice and necessity, Naida. The Universe wouldn’t thank us for bringing the Enchanted Police into this.”
“Then what?” I asked.
She thought about it for a moment and then grabbed my arm. “Lock up the store. I’ll meet you out front in five minutes.”
Lea’s car wasn’t really a car. She drove one of those baby trucks that were only good for carrying small stuff in the truck bed and barely big enough for two people in the front. On the positive side, it was bumble-bee yellow.
As I climbed into the cab, I gave Lea a raised eyebrow look.
“What?” she asked defensively.
“This thing glows in the dark. It’s not exactly conducive to following discreetly.”
She grinned. “I put a cloaking spell on it. It will kick in every time we get within two blocks of Alice’s car.”
I looked around the small but comfortable cab. “This is cute.”
Lea’s grin widened. “I love my Bee. I carry a lot of plants and supplies in it.”
“Yeah, I can see how you could get a
