A figure swept around from my side and crouched in front of me. The entirety of his cloak arrived a split second after. He pushed a generous hood away from his pale face and bald head and smiled. Sort of. The shape he was making with his mouth could read as a grimace as easily as something smile-adjacent.
I patted the ground for the handle of the toilet plunger. Taking comfort in the thickness of the dowel, I almost copied Jasper and hissed when I spoke.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked, unable to stop the question from blurting out of my mouth. My curiosity, stunned from the shock of the man’s arrival, shriveled and landed belly-up. I was done with being blindsided by Magicals and their predilection for dramatic arrivals and departures. “And what do you want?”
“I’m Alabastair,” he said, extending his arm. His skintight black shirt had a hole at the end of the sleeve for his thumb. Circling his thumb was a wide metal band, inscribed with markings. “Alabastair Nekrosine, and I will be your portal host this evening.” He rolled his eyes and made a self-deprecating face. “Well, tomorrow too, and any other time during the next three months until you’re ready to travel by yourself.”
Alabastair’s jocular tone prevented me spitting out more swears, but so help me, Goddess… In a flash, it dawned on me this was the “interesting” Portal Keeper Kaz and Wes had mentioned. My fingers thanked me for loosening my grip on the dowel.
“I must have texted the wrong number.” His facial features melted into contrite. “I am so sorry if this is a surprise.”
I took in a long breath through my nose and tried to pry Jasper’s claws from my leg. One of the front panels of my robe was shredded. “Is there a reason why you’ve shown up at my house, at night? In a cape?”
He nodded. “I always wear a cape when I’m on a job. Earlier today, I received an assignment to escort you to a portal located on the property of Meribah Flechette once it was dark.”
“I can tell right now that is a flat out hell no, Alabastair.” Only a sick and twisted mind would think that my presence at my ex-mother-in-law’s estate was a positive. “Who sent you here in the first place?”
“I…” Alabastair looked confused. He patted the front of his shirt then consulted the smart watch strapped over his sleeve. “Maritza Brodeur, the necromancer, and her brother, Malvyn. The sorcerer? Do you not know them? Professor Brodeur is overseeing my apprenticeship. Portal Resurrection and Maintenance is my sub-specialty.” He leaned to one side then the other, appraising the tree behind me. “Correction: one of my sub-specialties. The tree you’re sitting under was once a mini-hub. Four portals are accessible from this very spot, but they’ve been neglected, and a neglected portal is a…”
“Alabastair,” I said, holding up my palm. Thank Goddess not everything the necromancer was saying sounded completely out of left field. “Back up. I know this tree is special, but I am tired. I am wearing a bathrobe, my hair is wet, and this beast of a feline is cutting off circulation to my legs. Would you like to come inside? Maybe join me for a cup of tea, allow me to me check your references?”
He shook his head. “Time is of the essence, Ms. Jones. The sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can go.”
I sighed. Lifted my eyes to the heavens and made a silent plea for guidance. If Maritza and Malvyn wanted me at the Flechette estate, they had to have compelling reasons for entrusting me to the care of this Magical. “What type of event am I dressing for?”
He stood and swept his cape to the side. He was garbed head to toe in snug black pants and a pullover shirt. Only his feet, hands, and head were bared. “We have been assigned to make a reconnaissance mission.”
“And you’re certain the Brodeurs want us to go to this particular property?”
His nod was solemn. He pointed to his wrist. “I have the coordinates right here.”
“Did Malvyn mention why he wants me on this mission? Did he happen to fill you in on the events of the past forty-eight hours? And isn’t this kind of dangerous?”
“Very dangerous,” Alabastair said, “but we have an advantage. The Flechettes are not expecting anyone to arrive on their property via portal. Why? Because no one has used it in forever. And while I do not know if Malvyn shared all the details with me, he did say this particular task is connected to information gathered via his interrogation of two Fae seeking to plea bargain their way out of…” He stopped reading off his watch. His widened eyes mirrored the celestial orbs I had been admiring. “Murder charges. Well, this is a first for me.”
“Me too.” I cocked my head to the side. “Though I’m not quite seeing how dropping an untrained individual into the middle of a protected property makes for smart spy work.” Malvyn must have been extremely short-staffed or desperate to send me into a venue I had no desire to see again. Especially with a half-cocked, cape-wearing lunatic.
The lunatic smiled. “Have you ever read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?”
I nodded, confused. So very, very confused. Alabastair had yet to win me over. Or Jasper.
“There’s the lion,” he said, pointing to Jasper, “you’re the witch, and I’ve got the wardrobe.” He felt for the edges of his cape, bowed, and offered his hand. “Come. Let’s see what’s in your closet. And by the way, Jasper is critical to our mission. I hope you have a cat carrier.”
Alabastair waited on the front porch, citing an allergy to cat fur and the desire to reread Malvyn’s notes. I left the caped crusader in the dark about Coon cat’s fur being hypo-allergenic while Jasper led
