Page 30 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

Muriel scoffed. “That’s puttin’ things a bit mildly, but the essence is correct.” Twisting so she could see me better, Muriel appeared caught between sad and irritated. “Having been born into the time of fairy law, you’re pretty new to our world, Wendall. It’s fair to say that, in general, there’s not a lot of love lost between witches and warlocks. It’s better now than it used to be, but that’s only come after about five or six centuries. Time passes, and sometimes, it can water down the tang of animosity. These days, most witches and warlocks are at least tolerant of each other. Some are even friendly. A few hundred years ago, a witch and warlock sitting down and sharing a drink would have been unheard of.”

My fingers dug into Trinket’s fur, and her coos soothed the tightness in my chest. “Why?” Given the topic and the reaction to my question, I had to assume it had something to do with djinns.

Mr. Moony picked up the woven tale. “Witches and warlocks use magic to create, but warlocks often do so by breaking something in order to manipulate the magic.” Waving a disinterested hand in front of his chest, Mr. Moony said, “It is not something I truly understand, nor do I wish to. The important piece of the puzzle is that djinns were perceptive enough to understand that breaking their magical contract with their witch creator was just as good as manipulating them into dying.”

“And there were enough unscrupulous warlocks out there that took advantage.” Johnny’s fisted hands landed on his hips.

“That would depend on your point of view,” Mr. Moony argued.

“How so?” Johnny asked curiously.

Mr. Moony spread his hands out to the side. “From the enslaved djinn’s point of view, those warlocks were heroes. They righted a terrible wrong. For the witch…” Mr. Moony shrugged as if a witch’s passing was nothing. To a vampire, it probably wasn’t.

“So, you see”—Muriel scooted a little closer—“warlocks do know something about djinns, or at least they used to. There might still be some out there that do, but I’d wager not many, and certainly not the younger ones.”

“Like Vander?” I asked.

“Exactly like Vander,” Muriel agreed. “From what I understand, he’s a gifted warlock, especially for his fairly young age. Rumor has it he was trained by a brownie.”

“I can confirm that rumor,” Mr. Moony helpfully supplied. “Her name was Georgiana. Georgiana’s daughter, Byx, is currently his ward.”

“Well, I’ll be.” Muriel’s lips parted with surprise. “That’s a coup if I’ve ever heard one.”

Mr. Moony agreed. “It is a unique circumstance. Regardless of whether or not Warlock Kines could assist, he is currently out of state and thus unavailable.”

With his head tilted, Johnny rubbed his worry-wrinkled forehead. “That might be true, but I’ve seen him be friendly with a witch. I think it’s that same one you got the sprites from.”

“Matilda?” I couldn’t exactly tell if Mr. Moony asked a question or made a statement.

“That’s it, only I think most call her Mattie.” Johnny snapped his fingers with excitement. “I don’t want to stir the pot, but it might not be a bad idea to get her take on things.”

“I will contact her this evening.” Mr. Moony brought out his phone and typed something into it. Vampires weren’t unique in their reluctance to advance with modern times, a trap my boss had so far managed to escape. All the long-lived species had issues, or at least some of them did. Others thrived on the latest technology and swore it kept them engaged and more entertained than in previous centuries. Sometimes, I wondered if that’s why fairies allowed us humans to continue as we were without more interference. In a lot of ways, humans were good for other species. We were like that party guest no one really liked but always brought the best alcohol. So far, our benefits outweigh our negatives. Humans should take more care. That scale was far too even to find comfort in.

Trinket wiggled, slipping from my shoulder and crawling up my face, finally squatting on my head. Her tail wrapped around my neck. It wasn’t enough pressure to harm me, but it gave the others pause.

“What?” I asked, truly wondering what I looked like with a scuttlebutt as an impromptu hat.

Johnny rubbed his neck while looking decidedly pale. “No offense, Wendall. You know I like the little gal and all, but that just looks fuckin’ wrong.”

Reaching up, I stroked Trinket’s fur. “Weird or not, it’s fine. Not like I need to breathe anyway.”

“It is an odd comfort. No longer needing to draw breath.” The corner of Mr. Moony’s lip twisted just shy of a smirk. It wasn’t enough to show fang, but it was the most expression I’d seen out of him.

“Aaaand, with that, I’m out.” Johnny hooked a thumb over his shoulder and toward the bar. “This conversation just turned down a road I’d like to avoid. Wendall, I think it might be best for our customers if Trinket stays on your shoulder, or at least if she doesn’t wrap her tail around your neck like that.”

I wasn’t exactly certain how to convey that to Trinket, but I nodded and agreed all the same. “We’ll work on it.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you later tonight.” With a wave, Johnny left our little group and headed back to where he was most at home—behind Dusk’s bar.

“I should get going too,” Muriel said. “I still need to take the horde out on a couple of jobs tonight. The masses are getting hungry,” Muriel tacked on with a grin.

She started to leave, and I reached out, tugging her sleeve. “What about the djinn?” I asked. A lot had been discussed, but beyond contacting Mattie, I hadn’t heard a lot about an actual plan of action.

Gripping my forearm, Muriel gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Wendall,” she said, an apology written across her face. “When it comes to djinns, I’m not much use. Truth be told, none of us are.”

“The priestess is correct.” Mr. Moony kept his distance, phone still in hand. “I am afraid that if this djinn is truly interested in you, or perhaps more accurately, if her master is the interested party, there may be nothing that can be done.”

On that parting thought, Mr. Moony walked away. Muriel offered me a sad smile before squeezing my arm again and heading for the door, leaving me alone with no one but Trinket and the words,well, shit,rolling through my head.

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