Chapter#19

She opened the door of her room and skulked downstairs where she saw Zel digging in the fireplace. Going past, she entered the small bathroom on the first floor, closing the door behind her. She flicked the light switch and took off her shirt, trying to get a better look.

"You look startled." Oliver stepped out from behind her. She spun in place, but he wasn't actually there.

"Is this... is this a trick?" Beth faced the mirror. Oliver watched her, his eyes aglow.

"Oh, I am very much here. In a way." He grabbed her reflection and gave it a squeeze. She felt a light pressure where his hands were, but nothing more.

"What do you want?"

"I think that should be obvious." He stepped around her reflection and stood just behind the mirror's surface. "I thought I would get you when you fell into that reflecting pool but was unable to grab onto you tight enough. Lucky ducky."

"You want me."

"Good guess." The light above the mirror cast a shadow behind Oliver onto the back wall. His shadow was taller than it should be and had a pair of wicked looking horns. The bathroom in the mirror was cast in an eerie red glow.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons. Loneliness. Curiosity. Mainly though, because I want you back here with me."

"And why would I go back to you? You were going to trap me for all eternity."

"And I still will, given half a chance." Oliver pressed his fingertips against the glass. "What if I say pretty please?"

"How are you here? You aren't allowed here, the geas should have kept you out."

Oliver chuckled. "I'm afraid I'm not going to explain it to you, but you're a smart girl, I'm sure you'll figure it out. However, I will tell you everything you wish if you want. All you have to do is come inside." He tapped the glass and it rippled. Beth felt a hot breeze fill the small bathroom. "Just mind the faucet when you crawl over it. You might bang a knee."

"Fuck no." Beth shook her head, putting her shirt back on quickly. Her reflection passed through Oliver like a ghost, his features scattering like smoke. He blew her a kiss and grabbed her reflection's breasts, giving them a squeeze. Spectral fingers groped her through her shirt and Oliver licked her neck.

"See you later," he said when she ran out of the door.

-

Mike had the dagger strapped into the back of his belt and a small hammer in his left hand. He stood in front of the smoking room door and helped Tink pull off the boards they had nailed over it. Cecilia had already gone inside to check for rats and had come back with a thumbs up. Zel stood in the hall, rummaging through one of her saddlebags. Now that she was mostly human, she had no easy way to carry everything.

"Here you go." She handed over four vials. "The red one is to stop the bleeding, drink it or pour it on the wound. The green one is to get away without being seen, but it will only work on one person. Pour it over their head. The yellow one is in case you get trapped somewhere, it's essentially a powerful acid, so be careful with it. This last one is only in case of emergencies." The last vial was stoppered in a thick glass bottle with a skull drawn on it. The contents looked like black sand with tiny leaves. "It will only work on living things. Unstopper the cork and either throw it or run. Under no circumstance should you be nearby when it goes off."

"Thank you." Mike tucked the vials in his pockets. Abella was balanced on the window sill, shaking her head.

"I wish you'd let me go with you."

"I wish you could. I need you to stay here in case the rats or Jenny return. Also, you're too big and we could easily get separated. Oh, there you are." Beth had joined them, her face pale. She looked like she was going to be sick. "Naia said you can hang out with her in the fountain if you would feel safer."

"What?" She seemed lost in thought. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. When this is over, I have something we need to talk about."

"Okay." He felt his stomach sink a little. He hoped she wasn't thinking of moving out. Truth be told, it was kind of nice having another human around. "Where are the fairies?"

Tink put her fingers to her lips and whistled. Seconds later, the fairies arrived, hovering overhead.

"Who is coming with me?"

"I am." Carmina hovered forward.

"And you two are clear on your roles?"

"Rat patrol."

"No rats in the house." For the first time ever, they appeared to be serious. They each pulled a spear out from behind their backs.

"Where did you get those?"

"Tink made them."

"Good for stabbing."

"And throwing. We've been practicing." With a wink, they immediately flew off, separating at the stairwell. Mike let out the breath he had been holding.

"Wait." Beth grabbed his shoulder before he could go into the room. "You should reset the sundial."

"Oh." He had done it this morning, but the wisdom of doing so again was sound. If he got caught up in the walls of the house, he would have more time to get back. "Be right back."

He jogged down the hall and then down the stairs. Upon opening the door, he slowed. The last thing he needed was to let anyone watching know he was in a hurry. Casually stepping off the porch, he walked across the yard to where the sundial sat. It was waist high and over a foot across. He placed his hands on it, the arcane energy crackling beneath his fingertips.

"Bit early for that, isn't it?" A man in white stood just outside the opening to his home, right between the stone lions. It was Sebastien, a man gifted in the creation of sand golems. In fact, this was a golem of Sebastien himself, a fact discovered early on when Mike had tried calling the cops about a suspicious figure in front of his house. He had watched from the window as Sebastien had collapsed into a sandpile in the gutter just as the police arrived. It wasn't uncommon for Abella to drop heavy things on him either, and he had asked her to stop because the large pile of rocks out front was starting to attract the attention of the neighbors. Anything that happened inside the protective field of the house was essentially invisible to the outside world, yet another perk of the geas around the house.