Whistling came from the work station. Zoltan had pulled down several thick tomes and opened them—biology tomes, judging by the illustrations visible—and had laid the new bone on a swath of fabric—or maybe that was an antimicrobial towel.
“He eventually told her,” Freysha said.
“After I showed up on her doorstep? I guess it was more of a platform than a doorstep.”
“Before then. He told me about you first though.” Freysha smiled again. “I was surprised to learn I had a sister! He hadn’t ever spoken to me about people, uhm, lovers he had before my mother.”
“I don’t think that’s a conversation most parents have with their kids. ‘Hey, kiddo, guess how many people I shagged before I met your mom?’”
“Shagged?”
“Never mind.”
“I am taking a sample from the new bone fragment,” Zoltan announced, switching his magnifying glass for what looked more like a hammer than a precision laboratory tool.
“Go for it. The owner doesn’t need it anymore.”
“Macabre.”
“He’s odd for a vampire, right?” I asked Freysha.
“He is my first vampire acquaintance. We don’t allow vampires on my home world.”
“Ghastly,” Zoltan said.
“The elven embargo on vampires or the bone?” I asked.
“The former. The bone is simply a bone.”
“It doesn’t ooze insidious magic?”
“It does not.” Zoltan grabbed a chisel and tapped off a shard. “I had to pulverize the other one you gave me. I hope you didn’t want it back.”
“Not really. Is that necessary to examine it fully?”
“No, but I have an interesting recipe that calls for wraith bones. I always assumed it was a joke, since apparitions can hardly have bones, but given the story you put down in your note… I’m curious if the formula will turn out.”
Turn out? I imagined him baking muffins that failed to rise.
Zoltan put his sample on a slide to examine under his microscope.
“Hey, Freysha, are you aware that some elf was sent to question my mother?”
“I was not. Do you know who?”
“Mom didn’t share his name, if he gave it to her. He told her he was investigating her as a precaution before Eireth comes for the wedding.” I watched Freysha’s face, concerned that she hadn’t known about this. Was it possible the elf had lied to my mother and had nothing to do with Eireth?
I shivered, thinking of the elven assassin, but he’d given Zav his word—and accepted all that magical jewelry—that he wouldn’t bug me again.
“That is possible,” Freysha said thoughtfully, studying the cracked cement floor. “When Father leaves his suite, he has more bodyguards now than typical. Even though he’s recovered from his illness, our people are concerned that someone will try again to harm him.”
“Zav came back and explained to you what happened, right?” I hadn’t been to the elven world since my showdown with the assassin, but Zav had gone and told my father about the wedding.
“Lord Zavryd did explain everything, including that the dragons Xilnethgarish and Quaresthee allowed themselves to be manipulated and used against their wills.”
“Hm.” That didn’t paint Xilneth in the most flattering light, but I supposed it was better than having the elves believe he’d masterminded the plot. I had never met Quaresthee and had no feelings toward him, but I liked to think of Xilneth as an affable oaf and didn’t want to see him in trouble or ostracized over that fiasco.
“Elves are wary,” Freysha said. “It will be some time before they relax their guard again. There are also some who… don’t trust you, because of your Earthen heritage. There’s been some speculation that this wedding might be a plot, designed to lure my father off Veleshna Var where he might be more easily assassinated.”
“I’m not the one who invited him.”
“Do not be too bitter. It is a small faction of elves who believe this. Others heard that you bested the infamous assassin Varlesh Sarrlevi in battle and are impressed. Still others, mostly of the female variety, are impressed that you got a dragon to claim you as his mate and find the idea of a wedding most romantic.”
I twisted my lips into what I hoped was a suitably disturbed expression. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I liked it better when your people didn’t know I existed.”
“But you are glad that your sister knows you exist, correct?” She touched her chest.
“Yeah, you’re okay.” I thumped her on the shoulder. “Hey, will you teach me how to make fireballs?”
Her mouth parted, but words didn’t come out. Maybe that hadn’t been the smoothest transition.
My phone buzzed. It was after eleven, but Thad was calling. That gave me something new to be concerned about.
“I’ll step outside to take this,” I said. “Freysha, make yourself comfortable if you’re staying. Your room is still the same.”
“I saw that you have been watering the plants. This is excellent.”
“I do the indoor ones, and Dimitri does the outdoor ones. We have a system of shared chores around the house.” I headed for the door, answering before the phone dropped to voice mail.
“What does Lord Zavryd do?”
“Topiaries.” I passed through the doors. “Hey, Thad. What’s up?”
“There’s a boy in my house,” he said in a tight voice.
“Like a burglar?” I glanced at the time again, making sure I’d read it right.
“A new friend. Amber said you knew about it.”
“Oh, the decoy boyfriend? He shouldn’t be anything to worry about.” I grinned, tickled that Amber had taken my advice.
“I’ve told her he has to leave three times now, but she keeps saying they have homework they have to finish. It’s Friday night, Val.”
“Is it?” I’d lost track of days of the week. “Can’t you be firm and put your foot down?”
“I never had to before. Amber is a good student, and she’s so busy with swim team that she never had a… a… social life before.”
Social life, I gathered, referred to boys.
“You can do it,” I said. “You were in the army. I have confidence that you can get firm with a couple of teenagers.”
“Do you?”
“Sure. Don’t you have any baseball bats or other large sports sticks that you can wave around menacingly?” I knew he didn’t keep weapons, but hadn’t he played softball one summer?
“I have a reproduction cannon, but it’s only eight inches long, and I’d be loath to take it off my Warhammer game board.”
“Leave it. Your painted miniatures aren’t going to scare teenage boys.” I rubbed my eyes. It had been a long day. “Do you want me to come up there and poke him with my sword?”
“No.” Thad sighed. Wistfully? “Sword-poking is a criminal offense.”
“And menacing someone with a reproduction cannon isn’t?”
“Not a small one, no. Never mind. I just wanted to rant.”
“That’s allowed.” I bit my lip, feeling guilty once again that I wasn’t around more. Should I offer to let him send Amber to my house for teenager vacations now and then? So he could have alone time with Nin and a break from sarcasm? The only problem was that he’d been at my house during one of the numerous attacks, and he didn’t even think it was safe enough for Amber to visit for sword lessons.