When I realized she was holding two of the three amulets that had just gone to Earth, I shook my head. “Um, I think they really needed to take those with them.”
She blinked in surprise. Then straightened. “Well, I really needed them to stay here,” she countered, dropping the amulets down to her sides. Then she hitched her chin toward me. “You’re the scholarly prince, aren’t you?”
“I am,” I said. “And who are you?”
“I’ve gone by many names,” she answered, eyeing me up and down with a speculative glance. Then she nodded to herself as if she approved of what she saw and flashed me a friendly smile. “But you may call me Nalini.”
My mouth tightened. I’d definitely be searching Indigo’s book after this for any mention of a Nalini. “Why did you steal their amulets?”
“I wouldn’t say I stole them,” she started, frowning over the term. “I merely took back what was already mine. And besides, it turns out they were the couple I was seeking after all. So I couldn’t let them go to Earth permanently. A brief visit…” She shrugged. “I’ll allow. But I need them to return eventually.”
I released a breath. I couldn’t say I was all that upset to learn this. It was nice to know Indigo would be back. But…
“It won’t be safe for them to return here.”
Her lips lifted briefly in sad amusement. “It won’t be safe here for anyone if they don’t.”
Irritated because I had no idea what she meant with all her allusive comments, I stepped toward her. “I’m going to need those amulets back now.”
She merely slipped away with a grin and lifted them just out of my reach. “Ah, ah. I’m afraid I can’t do that, young man. I created these amulets. They belong to me.”
“Young man?” I repeated, snorting as I slowed to a stop and scowled at her. I had to be at least a decade older than her.
“Poor Olivander,” she murmured sympathetically as she looped the amulet necklaces over her head and around her neck. “You’ve felt like an old man since the moment your true love was born so much younger than you, haven’t you? But never fret, dear boy. You’re still far more youthful than you imagine.”
I frowned and set my hands on my hips. “How do you know so much about me?”
Tossing back her long, black hair, she laughed. “Because I’ve been watching you. Obviously. Being the only caretaker of the only library in all of the Outer Realms, you interest me. I’ve kept tabs on you for a while now, and I must say, I’m growing quite impatient for you to notice what is sometimes right before your eyes.” She pressed a dramatic hand to her chest. “For such a learned man, you can be quite obtuse, you know.”
Obtuse? Well, that wasn’t a very nice observation.
“What am I supposed to notice?” I glanced around, trying to take in everything, even though nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.
She tsked and shook her head before slowly backing away from me, becoming transparent and fading away as she went.
“Here’s what I’ll do for you, Olivander,” she cooed softly. “I’ll bequeath to you one act of service from me, anything you desire, as long as it hurts no one, and in return, I need you to help me break the Graykey curse.”
Break the Graykey curse?
So that was even possible? Excitement raced through my veins. But Nalini was almost completely invisible now.
“Wait.” I stepped toward her and reached out. “Of course, I’ll help. In any way I can. But how?”
“Why, by using your natural abilities, my child. But that is all I can say. Besides, the Replacement for Melaina is coming through. And you’ll need to deal with that now.”
Then she disappeared completely.
Before I could make sense of what had just happened, the portal reopened, much more violently this time. It heaved and sputtered as if it were vomiting up something unpleasant, and a form came flying out of the darkness at me, screaming as they were hurled into our world.
I dived out the way, just as a woman landed on the ground in an unceremonious heap and groaned. Dark waving locks were heaped up into a sloppy bun with plenty of tendrils hanging loose.
“What…?” she started as she pushed up and looked around in a daze. “What just happened?”
Here we went, I realized. Time to play emissary for another world.
Epilogue
Dori
EARTH 2020
“Leeva,” I called from the wrought-iron balcony as I pulled my unruly mop of hair up into a quick knot and watched a busker down on the street below set up shop at the corner. “I’m outtie.”
He was the first street performer I’d spotted on our block since the world had gone crazy. Seeing him now brought on a sense of energy and hope that expanded in my chest, making me realize I had missed my daily dose of happy vibes from the sidewalk crowds.
The twang of his saxophone warming up caused my lips to quirk and hips to shift with the melody as I grabbed my watering can from the tiny terrace table and gave my canisters full of planted vegetables and blooming flowers a quick bath. One of my tomatoes looked like it might be ripe for the picking soon.
Also uplifting news.
I set the watering can aside and reentered the apartment through the French door, where I grabbed my purse and mask hanging off the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen bar and swung the purse strap over my shoulder.
My roommate stumbled into the front room just as I reached the exit. “Where the hell are you going at this time of day?” she mumbled on a yawn as she scratched at the silk scarf she had wrapped around her head.
“Work,” I answered perkily, motioning to the white button-up blouse I wore with the black bow tie and black mini skirt over matching leggings. If that didn’t scream waitress loud enough, then the pristine white sneakers and gray half bistro apron certainly did. “Some of us still have to work for a living.”
“Damn essential employees,” Leeva teased on a yawn. “You know, if you found a sugar daddy even half as generous as mine, you wouldn’t have to do so much of that working nonsense.”
“Don’t I know it,” I answered back on a grin as I opened my arms to her. “Now give me some sweet lovings goodbye so I can go.”
As she grumbled over the contact but shuffled forward to hug me anyway, I folded her into my arms tight and sighed happily, still feeling strangely lifted from the sight of that one busker outside. Things were about to get better. I could just feel it.
“I’ll be back by early afternoon,” I reported, pulling away. “You got any plans for today?”
“Oh…” flinging herself up onto a chair at the bar, she reached for a beignet I’d gone out earlier to scrounge up for breakfast. “I’m not sure yet.” Closing her eyes, she moaned and chewed before brushing powdered sugar from her lips and saying with a full mouth, “I might hit up a protest I heard the others were going to start on Royal a little later.”
“Just be careful,” I told her, pointing a stern finger.
A few marches not so far from us had gotten a little violent recently. I didn’t want Leeva caught up in any kind of danger.