Garrett said .
"What for?" Warren groaned .
"It'll only take a minute."
"You're going to see that vampire girl, aren't you?"
"Hey!" Garrett said, "Marla gave me a really nice present, and I just wanted to say thanks."
"Really?" Warren cocked his ears to a sarcastic angle, "What'd she get you?"
Garrett hesitated, his voice low, " A fairy."
"A what?"
"A fairy," Garrett repeated, louder this time .
Warren burst into laughter, clutching his sides as he leaned against the tunnel wall. "Well," he managed to say at last, "we'd better go and thank her then!"
Garrett grumbled as the two of them headed up the tunnel toward the market. After a moment, he spoke again, "When is your birthday, Warren?"
"Oh," Warren said, "ghouls don't celebrate birthdays, only deathdays."
"Well how do you know when your deathday is?"
"You don't."
****
Garrett emerged from one of the many underground entrances hidden among the city's back alleys. He slipped through the narrow gap between the corners of the Dervish alehouse and the silk merchant's stall and stepped into the gray light of mid-morning .
He made his way through the jostling crowds to the narrow lane of curious little magic shops. The shutters were drawn shut in the window of Mrs. Veranu's pet store. Nevertheless, Garrett knew, as the sign on the door assured him, they were open for business .
The doorbells jingled as Garrett let himself in. He was careful to shut the door quickly, letting in as little light as possible .
"Hello?" he called out as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the shop .
"Garrett?" Mrs. Veranu's voice answered, "We're in the back. Please join us."
Garrett glanced around at the many tiny creatures locked in their cages on shelves or hooks. Fairy wings fluttered and tiny frilled chameleons flared their ruffs at him. He let himself through the gate and stepped behind the counter. He jumped when a bright red lizard in a silver cage hissed suddenly. He gave it a nasty look and hurried through the rune-marked curtain into the back room .
Marla and her mother were kneeling on the floor, pinning a squirming furry creature down with their hands and knees .
Marla greeted him, smiling, a wisp of her dark hair fallen across one eye. Her gray coveralls were rolled down to her waist, revealing a white linen undershirt that left her arms and shoulders bare. Garrett's heart leapt in his chest and he could only grin mutely in response .
Mrs. Veranu smiled up at him as well, but so taken was he by her daughter's beauty, he did not at first realize that Mrs. Veranu wasn't wearing her scarf. Mrs. Veranu's eyes were sparkling and mischievous as ever, but Garrett drew back at the sight of her fanged teeth, bared in a wide grin .
"Oh... hi, Mrs. Veranu," he stammered, hoping to cover his embarrassment. If she had noticed his reaction, she gave no sign .
"Give us a hand here Garrett," she said, thinning her smile to an almost human appearance .
"Sure," he said, " What do you want me to do?"
"You see the collar on the table there?" she asked .
"Yeah."
"Bring it here and lock it around the neck of this trilbette while Marla and I hold him down."
Garrett had no idea what a trilbette was. Judging from the look of it, it was a beast the size of a large dog, covered in brown fur, and possessing a long, wet proboscis. It didn't look too dangerous, but, if it took two vampires to hold it down, it had to be strong .
Garrett picked up the collar from the table. The thick silver band looked heavier than it proved to be. Its surface gleamed with intricate filigree and interlocking circular runes. The trilbette's eyes went wide at the sight of it .
"Bring the collar, please, Garrett," Mrs. Veranu said. Her sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and Garrett could see the muscles of her forearms tense and strain to hold the thrashing creature to the floor. "Quickly, if you will."
Garrett hastened to her side and cautiously stepped over the struggling trilbette, straddling it.
"What for?" Warren groaned .
"It'll only take a minute."
"You're going to see that vampire girl, aren't you?"
"Hey!" Garrett said, "Marla gave me a really nice present, and I just wanted to say thanks."
"Really?" Warren cocked his ears to a sarcastic angle, "What'd she get you?"
Garrett hesitated, his voice low, " A fairy."
"A what?"
"A fairy," Garrett repeated, louder this time .
Warren burst into laughter, clutching his sides as he leaned against the tunnel wall. "Well," he managed to say at last, "we'd better go and thank her then!"
Garrett grumbled as the two of them headed up the tunnel toward the market. After a moment, he spoke again, "When is your birthday, Warren?"
"Oh," Warren said, "ghouls don't celebrate birthdays, only deathdays."
"Well how do you know when your deathday is?"
"You don't."
****
Garrett emerged from one of the many underground entrances hidden among the city's back alleys. He slipped through the narrow gap between the corners of the Dervish alehouse and the silk merchant's stall and stepped into the gray light of mid-morning .
He made his way through the jostling crowds to the narrow lane of curious little magic shops. The shutters were drawn shut in the window of Mrs. Veranu's pet store. Nevertheless, Garrett knew, as the sign on the door assured him, they were open for business .
The doorbells jingled as Garrett let himself in. He was careful to shut the door quickly, letting in as little light as possible .
"Hello?" he called out as his eyes adjusted to the dim interior of the shop .
"Garrett?" Mrs. Veranu's voice answered, "We're in the back. Please join us."
Garrett glanced around at the many tiny creatures locked in their cages on shelves or hooks. Fairy wings fluttered and tiny frilled chameleons flared their ruffs at him. He let himself through the gate and stepped behind the counter. He jumped when a bright red lizard in a silver cage hissed suddenly. He gave it a nasty look and hurried through the rune-marked curtain into the back room .
Marla and her mother were kneeling on the floor, pinning a squirming furry creature down with their hands and knees .
Marla greeted him, smiling, a wisp of her dark hair fallen across one eye. Her gray coveralls were rolled down to her waist, revealing a white linen undershirt that left her arms and shoulders bare. Garrett's heart leapt in his chest and he could only grin mutely in response .
Mrs. Veranu smiled up at him as well, but so taken was he by her daughter's beauty, he did not at first realize that Mrs. Veranu wasn't wearing her scarf. Mrs. Veranu's eyes were sparkling and mischievous as ever, but Garrett drew back at the sight of her fanged teeth, bared in a wide grin .
"Oh... hi, Mrs. Veranu," he stammered, hoping to cover his embarrassment. If she had noticed his reaction, she gave no sign .
"Give us a hand here Garrett," she said, thinning her smile to an almost human appearance .
"Sure," he said, " What do you want me to do?"
"You see the collar on the table there?" she asked .
"Yeah."
"Bring it here and lock it around the neck of this trilbette while Marla and I hold him down."
Garrett had no idea what a trilbette was. Judging from the look of it, it was a beast the size of a large dog, covered in brown fur, and possessing a long, wet proboscis. It didn't look too dangerous, but, if it took two vampires to hold it down, it had to be strong .
Garrett picked up the collar from the table. The thick silver band looked heavier than it proved to be. Its surface gleamed with intricate filigree and interlocking circular runes. The trilbette's eyes went wide at the sight of it .
"Bring the collar, please, Garrett," Mrs. Veranu said. Her sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and Garrett could see the muscles of her forearms tense and strain to hold the thrashing creature to the floor. "Quickly, if you will."
Garrett hastened to her side and cautiously stepped over the struggling trilbette, straddling it.
Similar Books
