Page 70 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“When will you know?”

“I’ll make the inquiries today.” A slight quiver ran through Matilda’s voice. “Will you contact Vander today?”

“I will do so as soon as I leave. Time is of the essence. I do not know how long Stover will remain inactive. Currently, he seems content to wait and gather information. However, Aurelia is concerned about the state of his mental health. His paranoia grows. I believe the spell he had placed on the amphora supports this. It would be in our best interest to resolve the issue quickly.”

Matilda grimaced but nodded. “Understood. I don’t care to drag it out either. I can’t imagine stewing on this is going to make my actions any more palatable.”

“No, it won’t.” I simply agreed.

Slapping her thighs, Matilda pushed off her chair. Her feet held even though small tremors still assaulted her body. “I’ll contact you as soon as I know more. I would expect that to be no later than this evening.”

“I will await your call.” With nothing further to say, I walked out of the pleasantly mild greenhouse and into the bitter chill of winter. The cold didn’t affect me as much as others, but I did have a preference for the other seasons.

Walking to my car, I pulled out my phone and dialed Vander’s number. He answered on the fourth ring.

“What can I do for you, Ray?” Vander’s tone was steady with only a hint of trepidation.

“You are needed in Rutherford Haven. How soon can you get here?”

There was a minuscule pause while Vander softly spoke with someone in the background. I could only assume it was Parsnip.

“Parsnip says we can leave anytime. He’s online now looking up flights.”

“When you have something confirmed, send me a text with the information. If I require your presence sooner, I may come and retrieve you myself.” Fairies didn’t often drag others through the beyond, but unlike brownies, we could transport another.

“As long as Parsnip’s part of those travel plans, I’m good.”

I answered with a clipped “of course” before ending the call.

Climbing into my car, I considered my next actions. I needed to speak with Lucroy and Peaches. I also needed to bring Wendall, Muriel, and Johnny in on the burgeoning plan. However, first on that list was finding a way to contact Aurelia. Matilda required assurances, and I would do my best to supply them. Perhaps I shouldn’t have spoken for the djinn, but I did not think I was wrong regarding her feelings.

Leaning my head back, I sank into the softness of the driver’s seat. Hamish was right. I looked and felt like hell. If I kept pushing myself, soon, I would be no good to anyone. I needed rest, and although I hated prioritizing it, it was necessary. Speaking with the others could wait. Contacting Aurelia couldn’t.

Decision made, I turned on my car and made my way out of Matilda’s parking lot. I did not envy the phone call she was no doubt currently making. I didn’t envy any of the tasks laid out before us.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Wendall

I stared at my hand. I’d woken up this morning missing more skin. I figured I’d lost about a third of my surface area. I looked diseased.

“Stop picking at it,” Muriel scolded. “That certainly isn’t helping things.” She slapped my hand away, but it was difficult to heed her advice. It kind of reminded me of a peeling sunburn, and I’d never been able to leave those alone either.

Muriel sighed and took my hands in hers. She didn’t seem to mind my decaying flesh. “Listen here, sugar. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.”

I wasn’t completely certain which particular situation Muriel was going on about. Was she talking about my continued deterioration and eventual second death or releasing Aurelia from Professor Stover’s enslavement? The chance of solving one of those issues was very close to zero, let alone both. I hadn’t said as much, but I’d already resigned myself to my eventual fate. Right now, I had to keep fighting for everyone else. Ray was right. Stover was far more dangerous than I’d thought. He’d do anything to keep Aurelia and evidently had even greater aspirations than any of us could fathom.

Why did it always work that way with the bad guys? Why did they never have enough? It was like they had an endless pit at their core that could never be filled. No amount of money, power, sex, drugs, orthingscould ever fill it. It was an incurable disease.

Muriel patted my hands before letting them go. She’d picked me up at Dusk earlier and driven me out to Peaches’s orchard. It was late afternoon. Since bonding with his beloved, Mr. Moony could be up at any time. He still preferred the night and was a little more sluggish in the day, but it wasn’t too much of a hardship, and from what I understood, he didn’t have to worry about bursting into ash. We could have met at Dusk, but I think Ray was trying to be considerate. At least as considerate as fairies generally were.

Muriel offered to bring Johnny, but he stayed behind at the bar. Dusk wouldn’t open for another four or five hours, but Johnny often worked during the day too, and he said there was too much to do, and we could fill him in later. Ray must have been okay with that.

Muriel stopped the car outside Peaches’s boundary. I couldn’t feel anything, but she could and knew exactly where to park. She said it seemed rude to just barge in. We were a little early and decided to wait until Ray showed up.

An SUV lumbered up the long drive, coming to rest beside Muriel’s smaller vehicle. I thought it might be Ray, but it wasn’t him at the wheel. It was Parsnip.

“Wendall.” Parsnip rolled his window down and leaned his head out. “It’s good to see you again.” Pixies were gorgeous creatures, and Parsnip was no different. His multihued gray tones were shot through with rivers of aqua. I was quite certain Parsnip’s colors were one of a kind. He’d been afraid his viewers wouldn’t want to see a faded pixie. He’d probably lost a few fans, but he’d gained far more than their loss.

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