Page 35 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
The sisters' bickering surely wasn't helping Geoffrey. Aspic turned to suggest a trip outside so Geoffrey could think, but he knocked his lemonade over with his elbow.
"Here, sweetie." Aunt Frida handed him a cloth to clean up and waved to the little goddess statue. "Make sure you get the drops off Alphito. Acid isn't good for her."
"I'm so sorry."Nothing like making sure the family's first impression is of a complete klutz. Aspic cleaned the goddess off thoroughly before he mopped up the mess on the table. At least she didn't seem to have taken any harm.
Geoffrey was blinking at him owlishly when he finished as if he might be working on a thought, but then he shook his head and tugged on Aspic's sleeve. "We have to get back to Ryu."
"Right. Goodness. We can't make him guard that box all night." Aspic turned to the witches. "Thank you, ladies, for your help and the hospitality. If you make any sense of the letters, let us know."
They left Grandma Tutti with the family, since she had been nodding off during the reading of the letters. This relieved Aspic greatly, since he didn't think a woman her age should be running around at all hours of the night with the dew starting to settle.
"Do you think it's at all useful?" Aspic asked softly as they walked back toward the stonemason's.
"I think I was cheated out of my glasses," Geoffrey muttered darkly, waving a hand toward the now-nonexistent space between the seamstress and the jewelers.
"Geoffrey… I'm sorry."
Geoffrey took Aspic's hand and gave it a squeeze. "You didn't do it. The ledgers might still mean something."
Letters. "I hope so." Aspic rubbed at the base of his right horn where his head ached. "I've never been good with puzzles."
Geoffrey glanced over with the start of a smile. "You have other—"
He broke off as an odd set of sounds reached them, coming closer by the second.
tiptiptiptip
clompclompclompclomp
aaaaaaaaaaaaa
"What in all hells is that?" All the hair on the backs of Aspic's arms prickled as he tugged Geoffrey closer.
TipTipTipTip
ClompClompClompClomp
Aaaaaaaaaaaaa
"I can't imagine." Geoffrey stopped, wand raised.
TIPTIPTIPTIP
CLOMPCLOMPCLOMPCLOMP
AAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The shadowy late-night street made it difficult to make out, butsomethingwas coming toward them. They waited, tense and on alert, Aspic with his claws ready, Geoffrey pulling his magic into his hands.
The first thing to pass them was a clam bouncing along the cobbled street,tiptiptip. The second thing was Ryu, hammer raised, sprinting after the clam—clompclompclomp—screaming a war cry at the top of his lungs. Several clams followed and an assortment of shells that werenotclams or mussels.
Aspic met Geoffrey's horrified gaze. Nearly at the same moment, they whispered, "Mari."
In silent agreement, they broke into an all-out dash for Ryu's place. Aspic knew part of what they would find—the shells and stones had broken out of the iron box—but he refused to think about the rest. Mari had to be unharmed.
When they reached it, the brickyard was in shambles. The box lay on its side with the hinges torn off. Bricks that had been neatly stacked earlier in the evening were strewn about as if a whirlwind had roared through. Many were smashed. The shell crates had been demolished, wood splinters everywhere, and the shells housed within were gone.
"Fuck," Geoffrey spat out with uncharacteristic fire. He kicked at a piece of wood slat. "Fuck!"
