Page 43 of Geoffrey the Very Strange
A few moments more, and Geoffrey felt the spell snap, all of the undead things returning to their inert state.Geoffrey, it's done, someone was calling.You can let go now, my dear. It's done.
He loosed his hold on the clouds, sank back into his body, and couldn't stop the falling as he hit the ground.
12
Small Town Gossip
"Geoffrey? Sweetheart?" Aspic's voice cracked and wavered as he gathered Geoffrey close.
Grandma Tutti crouched beside them. "He'll need some time. It was an enormous working, which takes a lot out of a body."
Aspic sniffed and wiped at his eyes. "But he's so cold."Like death. "Like ice."
"He'll recover, Aspic. I promise." She patted his knee and rose with the help of her staff. "Ryu? May we borrow your handcart to get Geoffrey home?"
"Of course," Ryu said from his place on the fountain. He probably won the contest for most exhausted after Geoffrey. "I'll come get it in a day or two."
Grandma Tutti's expression darkened. "Dire, you'd best not expect Aspic in to work today."
Mr. Talondon raised both hands and shook his head. "I don't think anyone's fit to work today, Tutti. I'm not opening the shop. No one slept last night, and we're all soaked and smell like my mother's cleaning solutions. Clover, you help Grandma Tutti with the cart, since Aspic's a hard breath from falling on his face." He raised his voice to include everyone in the square. "Everyone go home. There's nothing we need to do that can't be done later."
"Geoffrey should clean up this mess, anyway." Marta had arrived at some point during the rainstorm. "It's his fault."
"Mind your business, granddaughter," Grandma Tutti scolded gently. "Geoffrey will have mountains of guilt and will do what he can. You know that." She turned to the fountain again. "Cecil, are you coming along?"
Looking perfectly comfortable between giant Ryu on one side and tiny Sundrop on the other, Cecil shook his head. "Nah. I'd better get back to the cave. Itismy job, after all."
"I suppose that's a fair point. But come to the cottage any time if you want to check on him."
Cecil gave her a jaunty salute and faded from sight, presumably to return to the lair through whatever shadows he could find in the morning light. Sundrop pecked at the spot where he'd been, then launched to regain her perch in Aspic's hair.
After the tumult of the night before, the walk to Grandma Tutti's was almost eerily quiet. Perhaps the birds had been frightened and weren't out in force for morning song. More likely, the leftover panic and exhaustion bumbling around in Aspic's brain just made it seem that way.
They reached the house more quickly than he'd anticipated. He knew he'd lost time somewhere, and he was grateful Clover carried Geoffrey upstairs. Aspic clearly wouldn't have managed.
The upper floor of Grandma Tutti's house had been built to house a family—that was still apparent. Four bedrooms quartered the upstairs: a larger one at the front of the house and three smaller ones at the back. Geoffrey's room, though small, was bright and cheerful, with the best view of the vegetable garden. A sturdy bed, a desk by the window, and a chest of drawers on which someone had painted brightly colored birds completed the picture of an extraordinarily un-necromantic bedroom.
Clover helped him divest Geoffrey of his robe and boots, and once he was tucked under heavy blankets, Clover turned to hug Aspic tight. "You were so brave last night. We're lucky we had you."
"I just did things that needed to be done," Aspic mumbled with his face mashed against Clover's enormous chest.
"Yes." Clover set him back. "But not everyone did them. You did."
Aspic craned his neck to look up into Clover's face. "You're a good friend, Clover. I… It's a new thing for me, so I hope I can be one, too."
"You're doing fine." Clover stepped back with a little wave. "I'll see you back at work. And you can tell us everything."
Geoffrey hadn't fluttered an eyelid or so much as stirred through all the jostling and clomping. Even though his face was drawn and too pale, Aspic found him adorable, all nestled under the covers. He yawned, shucked his own boots, and crawled into bed to help get Geoffrey warm. That was the thought, at least. Within a few breaths, he'd fallen fast asleep.
The light filtered gentlyin through the window of Geoffrey's room when he woke. It had to be evening, since crickets and frogs had begun to sing. But which evening?
He had to make the mental climb back from anxious, disjointed dreams before it registered that he wasn't alone in his own bed. Panic clawed up his throat for a moment until he turned his head and got bright-pink hair in his face.
Aspic.
The lovely half-demon had an arm thrown across Geoffrey's chest and had burrowed his face against Geoffrey's shoulder. His body sang having Aspic so close, and it was a shame to disturb him, but Geoffrey's bladder disagreed.
Somehow, though parts of him shook, he slid out from under Aspic without waking him and stumbled out to take his chamber pot into the spare room, since that sound was guaranteed to wake him. Bladder needs seen to, Geoffrey argued with himself about staying up and getting dressed. His legs trembled badly, but he hesitated to climb back in with Aspic with an embarrassingly persistent erection.
