A series of hard knocks on the front door brought Andraeon out of his doze in front of the TV and startled him into sitting upright so quickly his back cracked. Rubbing at his eyes with one hand, he pushed himself out of the armchair and went to answer the door, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that had settled in his belly.
“Hey Drae,” Shasta said when he opened the door. “Long time no see. Is Gr—um, is Jones in?”
“He’s out. Working.” Reluctantly Andraeon stood aside and waved for Shasta to come in. “Want a drink?”
“Sure. Got any coffee?”
“Somewhere.” Andraeon led the way into the kitchen and turned the coffee pot on, setting out a mug for Shasta and pouring himself a glass of orange juice. “How’s Shiki?”
“Very Shiki. He’s got a new student, a little girl. She reminds me a bit of Emily, only, you know, not so... screamy.”
“She’s gotten a lot better in the past few months,” Andraeon said, not sure why he felt so defensive over a girl who still just barely tolerated him around her father.
“Well, I wouldn’t know, would I?” Shasta accepted the mug of steaming coffee from him and set it on the table to cool slightly. “Since you guys practically dropped off the face of the world six months ago.”
“Sorry, we’ve been busy.” Andraeon took the other seat at the kitchen table and sipped his juice, thinking back over the months since they’d left Kaede’s house. It hadn’t seemed that long but they had spent a lot of time finding somewhere to live—Jones’s old apartment was too small for two adults and two children, especially when one of the children was Emily—and Jones had been picking up any job he could find to support them. Even now he was out acting as someone’s bodyguard, though it was nearly midnight.
“Uh-huh. When’s he supposed to be home?”
“In the next couple of hours. I can tell him to call you.”
Shasta raised an eyebrow. “But will you? I’m pretty sure you’d be perfectly happy to have him completely forget I exist.” He shrugged. “Well, now’s not the time for this... discussion. I really need to talk to Jones, and you too. It’s about Elle.”
“Is she back?”
“I think so. My friend Khaldros says he saw her at The Market, where he sometimes goes to sell things with his sister and Kalani. She had a child with her.”
Andraeon turned it over in his mind for a few minutes, steadily drinking his orange juice, then set the glass down and got to his feet. “I’ll give Jones a call.” He grabbed the phone and called Jones’s cell phone, crossing his fingers that Jones would actually pick up.
He was just about to give up when Jones finally answered, his voice sounding distant and crackly over the line. Andraeon told him what Shasta had said and nodded when Jones said he’d be home soon, relaying the message to Shasta when he hung up.
“Great. Now we can sit here in awkward silence until he shows. Or we could get really awkward and you could tell me why you don’t like me.”
“You tried to kill Jones and kidnap me, and also, you’re obnoxious.”
“Awkward silence it is then.” Shasta put his chin in his hands, glancing around the kitchen.
Andraeon let him sit, putting his empty glass in the sink and excusing himself to go check on the kids, who had gone to bed a few hours earlier. He heard the door open as he was heading back down and picked up his pace so he could greet Jones in the hallway, giving him a tight hug. Jones hugged him back with one arm but Andraeon could tell his mind was already on Shasta and the information Shasta was bringing them. With a sigh Andraeon let him go and followed him into the kitchen, fighting off a strong surge of jealousy when Shasta hugged Jones as well and Jones allowed it without complaint.
When they’d all sat down again Shasta repeated what he’d told Andraeon, and added, “Khaldros wanted to talk to you about it. He’s trying to find out what she was there for, and if she bought anything or told anyone where she was going.”
“You’ve already decided to chase after her, huh?” Jones shook his head slightly. “Is it worth it?”
“You want another Drae running around, this one under Elle’s control? I want to find out what she’s up to, if nothing else. I thought you’d like to know, but I can just as easily go alone.”
Andraeon saw Jones glance at him and shrugged in response. “He has a point. Elle’s always up to something and... I don’t really think she’s done with us yet.”
Jones nodded. “I’ll talk to Kaede tomorrow morning and see if she’ll look after the kids for a few days. I’m beat, it’s been a long day. Staying over, Shasta?”
“Yeah, I’ll crash on your couch.” Shasta got up and stretched. “Just toss me a blanket or two.”
“I’ll see you upstairs, Drae.” Jones led Shasta into the living room and Andraeon heard the low murmur of their voices as they set up the couch for Shasta to sleep on.
Feeling out of sorts, Andraeon made his way upstairs and changed into his pyjamas before climbing into his side of the bed. He settled on his back with his arms under his head and waited for Jones, trying not to doze off before Jones came upstairs. He was still nearly asleep when Jones finally joined him, sliding under the blankets beside him. Andraeon rolled over and wrapped both arms around him, snuggling in, and only then let himself fall fully into sleep.
In his dreams he found himself standing at the entrance to a broad expanse of shops and stalls, surrounded by bright fields of thick grass. It was dark here and quiet, though there were some lights on and he saw a few people drifting through the paths. After a moment’s hesitation he walked through the entrance—which read The Market in ornate script across the top of the gate—and started looking around. The stalls were closed up but he caught a few glimpses of the things they contained; a riot of colours and objects, clothes, toys, weapons, and other things he couldn’t quite identify.
He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up the straight line of the path he was standing on. A child stood at the other end, small and slight; he couldn’t tell if it was a little girl or a little boy. The child was wearing an oversized hoodie with sleeves so long their hands were covered and baggy jeans, but bare feet. Dark hair fell into the child’s eyes, which were a brilliant green.
“You’re Drae,” the child said.
“That’s me.” He took a cautious step closer. “What’s your name?”
“I wanted to see you in person,” the child continued, ignoring his question. “You’re... younger than I expected.”
Andraeon laughed a bit. “You’re just a kid.”
The child gave him a long, cool look. “I’m stronger than you. I’ll be waiting when you come.” The child nodded to him, like they were equals, and turned off the path, soon vanishing into the shadows around the stalls. Feeling disquieted, Andraeon willed himself back to his sleeping body and opened his eyes, checking to make sure Jones still slept beside him. He only settled back again when he’d listened to Jones’s steady breathing for a few moments and rested a hand on his bare chest to feel the warmth of his skin. When he fell asleep this time he didn’t dream.
He meant to tell Jones about the dreamwalk in the morning, but in the bustle of getting the kids up and ready to go to Kaede’s, he didn’t get a chance. He was the last to go through the gate Shasta opened in the living room, and he hesitated a moment before stepping through, glancing back into the apartment and trying to shake the feeling that he would never see it again. Then, shaking his head, he stepped through the gate.
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