Aife shot back.
Silence ensued, as though everyone had chosen that moment to ponder the enormity of their undertaking. God knew David had little enough to say, in spite of the fact that he still had a day’s worth of questions, contingencies, and stratagems to bring up. Never mind the fact that he was tired to the bone. When had he slept, anyway? Back on the boat, between their arrival in the seas of Faerie and their return to the Oconee at Whitehall: twelve hours, maybe? Plus a catnap on the way up from Athens. Shoot, he was barely back from one fool’s errand and here he went on another! “Well,” he yawned finally, rising, and realizing to his surprise that he was sore, “what I suggest is that everybody who’s goin’ to Faerie get fed, clean up, and grab some shut-eye if you can; and everybody else chase down as many bangy-things as they can and meet back here in…an hour.” He glanced at Aikin. “That work for you?”
“Make it one-point-five,” Aikin countered. “I have gotta get a shower, but I can do that over at the folks’ place.Guns’re over there anyway.”
Calvin laid a hand on David’s shoulder. “And, Dave, my man, I hate to say this, but now that the sun’s out, might be a good time for me to make tracks—’less you want me to hang around.”
“It’s cool,” David grunted, reaching over to give him a rough half-hug. “Just take care of yourself and give my regards to…whoever.”
“Right,” Calvin affirmed, then made the rest of his goodbyes and departed.
“So we’re basically lookin’ at noon?” David asked Fionchadd.
“Aye,” the Faery murmured, then stared at Elyyoth warily. “And what of you? What would you do in all this?”
The guardsman sighed wearily—like a mortal, David thought. “It is my duty to guard, to fight. But I am tired, so very tired…”
“Your strength will return soon enough,” Fionchadd assured him. “And if your duty is to guard, then guard you shall. It is likely the Sons, or others of their ilk, know already what transpires here. There may be attacks on this house in our absence. Such protection as you can afford, by weapon or Power, you should provide these folk. I would put on the stuff of this World, however.”
Elyyoth simply nodded.
David slumped down in the nearest chair. God, but he was fried! Too fried for any of this, frankly. He started to speak, but Fionchadd was already kneeling beside him. “Sorry, man,” David mumbled. “Just need to grab some Zs.”
“A bath,” Liz corrected. “You’re starting to smell a little ripe.”
David sniffed an armpit. “And then a nap.”
“There will be time to sleep on the journey,” Fionchadd informed him curtly. “Of that you may be certain.”
“Just hope we wake up again,” Aikin called from the door, then suddenly looked alarmed. “Oh, crap, I don’t have my car. Will somebody…?”
“Take mine,” JoAnne hollered, fishing in her pocket for the keys to her latest Crown Vic. “Not your style, but some of us got taste.”
Aikin caught the keys on the fly and grinned. “And some of us got brains.”
David giggled like a fool as his mother chased his buddy out the door, swearing like a sailor in mock anger as they fought the latest skirmish in the lesser but more tenured war between Ford and Chevy.
“Bath’s clear,” Alec prompted. “You go, then Brock.”
“I’ll chase down the guns and ammo,” Big Billy rumbled.
“And I’ll—” Little Billy began.
“—stay out of the way,” his mother finished for him.
“Come…child,” said Elyyoth the Faery. “I will show you a wonder.”
David wondered whose smile was brighter: this odd silent refugee warrior, or his voluble younger brother.
“I’ll call the rest of the Gang,” Liz volunteered. “Figured they’d at least like to see you off. Plus, they really do need to know what’s going on.”
And then Alec dragged David to his feet, hustled him down the hall, stuffed him into the bathroom,
Silence ensued, as though everyone had chosen that moment to ponder the enormity of their undertaking. God knew David had little enough to say, in spite of the fact that he still had a day’s worth of questions, contingencies, and stratagems to bring up. Never mind the fact that he was tired to the bone. When had he slept, anyway? Back on the boat, between their arrival in the seas of Faerie and their return to the Oconee at Whitehall: twelve hours, maybe? Plus a catnap on the way up from Athens. Shoot, he was barely back from one fool’s errand and here he went on another! “Well,” he yawned finally, rising, and realizing to his surprise that he was sore, “what I suggest is that everybody who’s goin’ to Faerie get fed, clean up, and grab some shut-eye if you can; and everybody else chase down as many bangy-things as they can and meet back here in…an hour.” He glanced at Aikin. “That work for you?”
“Make it one-point-five,” Aikin countered. “I have gotta get a shower, but I can do that over at the folks’ place.Guns’re over there anyway.”
Calvin laid a hand on David’s shoulder. “And, Dave, my man, I hate to say this, but now that the sun’s out, might be a good time for me to make tracks—’less you want me to hang around.”
“It’s cool,” David grunted, reaching over to give him a rough half-hug. “Just take care of yourself and give my regards to…whoever.”
“Right,” Calvin affirmed, then made the rest of his goodbyes and departed.
“So we’re basically lookin’ at noon?” David asked Fionchadd.
“Aye,” the Faery murmured, then stared at Elyyoth warily. “And what of you? What would you do in all this?”
The guardsman sighed wearily—like a mortal, David thought. “It is my duty to guard, to fight. But I am tired, so very tired…”
“Your strength will return soon enough,” Fionchadd assured him. “And if your duty is to guard, then guard you shall. It is likely the Sons, or others of their ilk, know already what transpires here. There may be attacks on this house in our absence. Such protection as you can afford, by weapon or Power, you should provide these folk. I would put on the stuff of this World, however.”
Elyyoth simply nodded.
David slumped down in the nearest chair. God, but he was fried! Too fried for any of this, frankly. He started to speak, but Fionchadd was already kneeling beside him. “Sorry, man,” David mumbled. “Just need to grab some Zs.”
“A bath,” Liz corrected. “You’re starting to smell a little ripe.”
David sniffed an armpit. “And then a nap.”
“There will be time to sleep on the journey,” Fionchadd informed him curtly. “Of that you may be certain.”
“Just hope we wake up again,” Aikin called from the door, then suddenly looked alarmed. “Oh, crap, I don’t have my car. Will somebody…?”
“Take mine,” JoAnne hollered, fishing in her pocket for the keys to her latest Crown Vic. “Not your style, but some of us got taste.”
Aikin caught the keys on the fly and grinned. “And some of us got brains.”
David giggled like a fool as his mother chased his buddy out the door, swearing like a sailor in mock anger as they fought the latest skirmish in the lesser but more tenured war between Ford and Chevy.
“Bath’s clear,” Alec prompted. “You go, then Brock.”
“I’ll chase down the guns and ammo,” Big Billy rumbled.
“And I’ll—” Little Billy began.
“—stay out of the way,” his mother finished for him.
“Come…child,” said Elyyoth the Faery. “I will show you a wonder.”
David wondered whose smile was brighter: this odd silent refugee warrior, or his voluble younger brother.
“I’ll call the rest of the Gang,” Liz volunteered. “Figured they’d at least like to see you off. Plus, they really do need to know what’s going on.”
And then Alec dragged David to his feet, hustled him down the hall, stuffed him into the bathroom,
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