\u201cWhat is so delicate about a sandwich place?\u201d Rayya asked me as we entered the deli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs this a riddle or the set-up for a joke?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNeither. The word delicatessen has delicates in it, and the \u2018sen\u2019 would indicate \u2018son of,\u2019 meaning there is some discernment in the subject. Perhaps they were places frequented by assassins or courtesans or spies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m betting it actually comes from \u2018delicacies,\u2019 or something of the sort. I know, I\u2019ve got the internet in my pocket and could look it up, but hey, there\u2019s my sister!\u201d I waved an arm in response to her waving hers from where she and Roberto sat, sharing a large pastrami sandwich. Okay, I would give him the pastrami appreciation point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rayya and Nen had both elected to join me. There was some kind of conversation I wasn\u2019t privy to prior to the decision, but apparently my protection detail was still a consideration. Spriggan Secret Service. If they got tired of the building of a library dimension (shades of Wizard Pratchett there) maybe they could source out as bodyguards. Diminutive Detail. Significant Sibling Security. Fey FBI. Fey-BI?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re thinking instead of walking again,\u201d Nen noted, passing me. He slid into the booth across from Eve and her squeeze. \u201cI\u2019d like a pastrami, on rye, toasted, swiss cheese, no lettuce, no tomato, mayonnaise and vinegar. Side of chips.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSounds delicious,\u201d I said, catching up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After we got our sandwiches piled with meat and fixings, and some of the delightful (another potential source of the term \u2018deli\u2019) bites had been chewed, swallowed, and well on their way to providing necessary sustenance, I looked around. For a busy place, we\u2019d come somewhere between lunch and early dinner. It was still fairly light out, although starting to turn that golden orange that suggested the cool blue shadow of the mountains would soon extinguish the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe plan is?\u201d Eve asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I finished my bite and shrugged. \u201cGo to where he was, try to find out where he went. Unless you have a better one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause finding one human in a city of 750,000 or so is so easy you could have done it at any time,\u201d she suggested, her sarcasm as thick as the steak fries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like I would know if I were around him. If I\u2019m wrong, we\u2019re no worse for it. In fact, we\u2019re better because we had a great meal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eve considered the crumbs Roberto was currently eyeing with an indulgent smile. \u201cI guess there\u2019s that. You took the bus?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStill haven\u2019t bought a new car,\u201d I admitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah. You and the kids can ride in back. Where are we going?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rayya frowned at being called one of \u201cthe kids,\u201d but didn\u2019t argue it. Nen just grinned. I guess if they were used to me, they were fine with my sister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFind somewhere around the mall to park, and we\u2019ll take the shuttle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t remember offhand where Janet had said she was besides \u201cthe mall.\u201d And Rivendell, which I would always think of Imladris first, and never Karningul. But despite Rohana having Rohan in her name, I never thought of horses with her. I never actually really thought of horses. I wasn\u2019t a horse girl, after all. Or a brony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I knew it as we got near, and not just because of the way Rayya and Nen reacted. It was like a cramp in my stomach. It was like smelling something incredibly foul that had been left in the sun, and then hearing someone pounding on piano keys randomly and while scraping the bench across a metal stage. I reeled, grabbing onto a railing while the bus came to a stop. \u201cHere,\u201d I managed to breathe. I caught a nod between Eve and Roberto that mirrored one between the Spriggan Sibs before I stumbled off the shuttle and over a trash can, holding on to the delicious delicacy of the delicatessen through manly gulps of air and a reminder that it was magic, not reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, when magic is your reality, well, it didn\u2019t matter. One\u2019s brain worked the details, with probably lots of input from visual and chemical cues. There was some amount of disagreement with my gut and my conscious, but I maintained the equilibrium. My party of adventurers spread out, looking for clues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see anything,\u201d Eve complained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis would not be something you see with your eyes, but with the heart. It is like you explaining how we used to find planets, with the flickering of shadow between the candle flame of a star. You are feeling the cold chill of lack of light, the absence of a loving God, and the presence of evil. It fills your breath with the miasma of abandonment, the disappointment of a child to an absent parent,\u201d Roberto spoke poetically and with a soft religious fervor. Or so I heard it, but I had to admit I felt the capital letter in the invocation of deity, so I might have considered it a little more zealous than he expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOr like a wind through an open door,\u201d Nen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I felt Rayya\u2019s hand on my back. \u201cCome, let us follow the wind, then, secret caller.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHuh. You haven\u2019t called me that in a while,\u201d I said, swallowing for a moment. The wind actually picked up for a moment, bringing a cool breeze that refreshed slightly. \u201cIt\u2019s ahead of us,\u201d I said. \u201cIf it\u2019s this strong when he\u2019s far away, how will I handle it when he\u2019s close?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t,\u201d Eve said. \u201cWe will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat sounds so final,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s my quest. I\u2019m not the kind of person who steps back and does all the strategy stuff. I generally play tanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eve rolled her eyes. \u201cDon\u2019t give yourself airs. You\u2019re a support. Roberto will tank. I\u2019ll do DPS, and your weird friends will do whatever your weird friends do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProtec,\u201d Nen said. \u201cAnd also Attac.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh goodness, that\u2019s an old meme,\u201d Eve chuckled. \u201cBut I guess it comes back around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roberto and I shared a Look that basically agreed that maybe ignorance would be bliss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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