Page 76 of Ruled By Fate

She turned to Cameron. “So… he seems nice.”

He looked at her with a mix of amusement and awe as she sat down on the couch and let out a long breath. She was aware her eyes were still preternaturally wide, but she couldn’t seem to do anything about it.

“Has anyone ever told you, you are very brave?” he asked softly.

She paused, startled. “No. Never.”

“Well, you are,” he said. “Unflappable.”

“It’s true. I can’t be flapped.” She flashed him a grin, then took a deep breath and stood up. “Let’s go find a little breakfast place by the water. I’ve been here for days and haven’t even seen the ocean yet. Plus, I’m starving. And it might not be too bad to do something normal to counterbalance the whole phenomenal-cosmic-power-display thing.”

He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

There was a good chance the drama was behind them, but as they walked out the door, she made the mistake of asking one final question. “Siri, what’s a nice place to have breakfast around here on the waterfront?”

“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe:

All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe.”

Brie sighed heavily. “This is gonna be a whole thing, isn’t it?”

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch—”

Cameron eased it from her hand, whispering directly into the speaker. “Siri… shut up.”

? ? ?

“Surely this is the elixir of Heaven itself. My good lady, might I have another?”

Fortunately, their waitress was too besotted with Cameron’s face to be thrown by his rather Shakespearean reaction to breakfast. No matter what he said, she just ogled him and giggled. “One more orange juice, coming up.”

“Many thanks, and God bless you.”

Brie grinned at him, thoroughly entertained. “Enjoying your juice, are you?”

“Brianna, this is like drinking sunshine. Do people know about this?”

She threw back her head and laughed. “Ridiculous.”

They were seated at a table for two on the outdoor patio of the Golden Albatross Café. He had allowed her to guide him through the brunch menu, and they looked out over the water, waiting for their food to arrive. It was a glorious day — nothing but fresh air and warm sun. It was bright enough to need sunglasses. The second she slipped hers on, he mysteriously pulled a pair from his pocket as well, mimicking the gesture.

“How do you do that?” she asked curiously, sure they hadn’t been there before.

“Do what?”

“You know. Produce things out of thin air like that. Manifest.”

“Oh.” He looked surprised. “I pray.”

“Excuse me?”

“I guess that’s what you’d call it. I never really considered it before. I think about what I need, ask for it earnestly in my mind, and it appears.” He shrugged as though this was in some way normal. “I always thought it was a gift from God, a power to help my people grant the last requests of humans before they pass on, or simply navigate your world if need be.”

She swirled her ice cubes around with her straw. “Prayers certainly don’t work like that here on Earth.”

He was thoughtful for a moment. “No, I suppose they don’t.”

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