temporary—for entertaining. The ones here could remain unchanged for centuries.
He heard a tentative sound as he passed one room and backed up to investigate it. The open door revealed a cat staring at him from amongst rumpled bedcovers. It was a fluffy mass of the deepest charcoal with a pug nose and whiskers so thick and long they drooped at the tips. It mewed again in invitation and then cocked its head questioningly. Tal had always had an affinity with cats. They seemed drawn to his fire magic and he often found them following him around, seeking a warm lap to curl up in, when he was on topside patrol. He inclined his head and squeezed his eyelids together in what he’d learned was a friendly greeting to the species. Once again, the cat seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember why.
The cat likewise closed eyes and squeezed and started to stand, probably to come for a pet, but he raised a hand. “Not right now,” he said quietly. “I’ll try to come back later, but I’ve no time at the moment.” He broke eye contact to affirm it and was pleased to see in his peripheral vision that the cat settled back into the deep piles of bedding.
He reached the living room again, where Candace had tried to convince them that Sela wasn’t in the house—even though she clearly was. But he remained convinced she hadn’t been lying when she said it. That told him that Sela had somehow gotten into the house without the others knowing. Perhaps through that twice-damned gate.
Muted voices from behind a slatted door off the dining room told him where the kitchen was. He paused to listen before walking in, and was glad he did.
“Tell me of this Sela. How does she come to live here?” The old woman’s voice was stern and disapproving and it affected the tone of the answer.
“You make it sound like some sort of back-alley drug deal, Baba. Sela was just my roommate. She’s lived here about two years and this is the first weird thing that’s happened. It’s not like I’m stupid. How could I have foreseen something like this?”
Candy’s tentative voice came from slightly farther away, as though she was on the other side of the room. “That’s not quite true, Mila. Don’t you remember how Sela rented the place? That was a little creepy, wasn’t it?”
“I do not know this word, creepy ,” said the older woman. “Tell me of this.”
There was a long pause where the only sound was bubbling fluid that smelled of sweet herbs and flowers. It was similar to the tea his mother made, but a bit sharper. Finally, Mila spoke. “Yeah, I suppose that was a little strange. She just showed up one day and said that she was answering my ad in the paper for a roommate.”
Candy broke in. “Except that Mila hadn’t put in an ad. We’d talked about it, but she hadn’t decided for sure that she wanted someone living here.”
“At least until the probate finished. But here it is, two years later and they’re still fighting it. Thank heavens I work for a law firm, or I’d be bankrupt trying to keep this house.”
The old woman’s voice lost the anger and filled with a comforting warmth that told Tal while she might be stern, she cared very much for Mila. “Miss Armstrong was a good woman, Mila. She gave you this house in kindness. It will not be taken from you by greedy skusas who don’t respect their elders.”
“I hope so, ’cause it’s been going on too long as is. If I didn’t know how important it had been to Lillian that her nephews never got their hands on this house, I probably would have given up long before now. But yeah, Candy’s right. It was strange how Sela just showed up like that. She checked out, though. Good credit history, no criminal record, paid the rent on time, and didn’t mess up the bathroom. She’s been a good roomie overall. In fact, more than once she bailed me out between paychecks.”
“But where did she get the money?” Conversation in the other room stopped, and Tal realized
He heard a tentative sound as he passed one room and backed up to investigate it. The open door revealed a cat staring at him from amongst rumpled bedcovers. It was a fluffy mass of the deepest charcoal with a pug nose and whiskers so thick and long they drooped at the tips. It mewed again in invitation and then cocked its head questioningly. Tal had always had an affinity with cats. They seemed drawn to his fire magic and he often found them following him around, seeking a warm lap to curl up in, when he was on topside patrol. He inclined his head and squeezed his eyelids together in what he’d learned was a friendly greeting to the species. Once again, the cat seemed familiar, but he couldn’t remember why.
The cat likewise closed eyes and squeezed and started to stand, probably to come for a pet, but he raised a hand. “Not right now,” he said quietly. “I’ll try to come back later, but I’ve no time at the moment.” He broke eye contact to affirm it and was pleased to see in his peripheral vision that the cat settled back into the deep piles of bedding.
He reached the living room again, where Candace had tried to convince them that Sela wasn’t in the house—even though she clearly was. But he remained convinced she hadn’t been lying when she said it. That told him that Sela had somehow gotten into the house without the others knowing. Perhaps through that twice-damned gate.
Muted voices from behind a slatted door off the dining room told him where the kitchen was. He paused to listen before walking in, and was glad he did.
“Tell me of this Sela. How does she come to live here?” The old woman’s voice was stern and disapproving and it affected the tone of the answer.
“You make it sound like some sort of back-alley drug deal, Baba. Sela was just my roommate. She’s lived here about two years and this is the first weird thing that’s happened. It’s not like I’m stupid. How could I have foreseen something like this?”
Candy’s tentative voice came from slightly farther away, as though she was on the other side of the room. “That’s not quite true, Mila. Don’t you remember how Sela rented the place? That was a little creepy, wasn’t it?”
“I do not know this word, creepy ,” said the older woman. “Tell me of this.”
There was a long pause where the only sound was bubbling fluid that smelled of sweet herbs and flowers. It was similar to the tea his mother made, but a bit sharper. Finally, Mila spoke. “Yeah, I suppose that was a little strange. She just showed up one day and said that she was answering my ad in the paper for a roommate.”
Candy broke in. “Except that Mila hadn’t put in an ad. We’d talked about it, but she hadn’t decided for sure that she wanted someone living here.”
“At least until the probate finished. But here it is, two years later and they’re still fighting it. Thank heavens I work for a law firm, or I’d be bankrupt trying to keep this house.”
The old woman’s voice lost the anger and filled with a comforting warmth that told Tal while she might be stern, she cared very much for Mila. “Miss Armstrong was a good woman, Mila. She gave you this house in kindness. It will not be taken from you by greedy skusas who don’t respect their elders.”
“I hope so, ’cause it’s been going on too long as is. If I didn’t know how important it had been to Lillian that her nephews never got their hands on this house, I probably would have given up long before now. But yeah, Candy’s right. It was strange how Sela just showed up like that. She checked out, though. Good credit history, no criminal record, paid the rent on time, and didn’t mess up the bathroom. She’s been a good roomie overall. In fact, more than once she bailed me out between paychecks.”
“But where did she get the money?” Conversation in the other room stopped, and Tal realized
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