Page 46 of Elemental Hope
“Easy to see where the fur ball’s loyalties lie,” Damon called.
“No comment.” Dominic stomped outside to find herbs.
In the garden he automatically checked around. He hated feeling so vulnerable even behind the cottage wards. There was no sign of anyone beyond the garden boundary from what he could see and things felt…normal. The birds were singing. A light breeze rustled the trees. He relaxed a little but didn’t waste any time gathering the herbs he needed. He was returning to the cottage when he heard voices and laughter coming down the path. He recognized Gregory’s smooth tones and Coryn’s chuckle. He waited next to the door for them all to arrive.
“That’s an interesting outfit, Dominic,” Gregory said. “And why are you outside?”
Dominic waved his bunch of herbs in response.
“Where’s Damon?” Nathaniel seemed on edge.
“Damon’s safe inside helping with dinner. Evrain is upstairs getting changed. Even Shadow’s back safe and sound.”
“Then why don’t we all go inside?” That was Felix, bringing up the rear, a broad grin on his face.
Dominic led the way, feeling more than a bit self-conscious in his overalls. He put the herbs on the table but couldn’t give Damon any more instruction because he had flung himselfinto Nathaniel’s arms. Coryn put his arm around Dominic’s shoulders.
“Well done.”
“We were lucky. Damon helped a lot.”
“We’ll save all our stories for later when we’re all here, otherwise we’ll be repeating ourselves. There’s a lot to discuss.”
Evrain appeared at the bottom of the stairs. His hair appeared even darker than usual because it was still damp. His skin was pale, making the bruises on his skin stand out. Gregory went to him, grasped his shoulders then pulled him into a hug.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
“I brought it on myself,” Evrain murmured.
“No. You were careless, but things would have come to a head eventually. Don’t beat yourself up.”
Coryn patted Dominic’s back. “Why don’t you go and freshen up? Damon and I can finish off here, then the food should be ready by the time you’re done.”
“That would be great, thanks, Coryn.” Dominic crossed the room. His fingers brushed Evrain’s as he passed. Fire flashed in Evrain’s eyes, holding a promise for later. Dominic was grateful to escape to the bathroom for a few minutes of solitude.
After a rapid clean-up and fresh clothes, Dominic felt a whole lot better. He was tired but eager to hear what had happened to the others. He did take the time to dry his hair before re-joining his friends around the kitchen table. To his surprise, Shadow was ensconced on Damon’s lap, purring with significant decibels. Damon was stroking her and giggling.
“Just a few minutes for the dumplings to cook, then we can eat,” Coryn relayed from his position next to the stove. “There’s a mug of coffee for you on the table, Dominic.”
Dominic took the free seat next to Evrain. “So, can we expect Imelda to come knocking any time soon?”
“Not likely,” Nathaniel said. “Seems there was a small earthquake in Portland today. There’s a significant crevice in the road outside her building. She won’t be going anywhere for a while. I would imagine the foundations will have to be checked too. Her sad little potions won’t be able to deal with that.” He gave Gregory a conspiratorial wink.
“It got rather squally too.” Gregory grinned. “High winds took out all the communications equipment on the roof of that building and quite a few others.”
“You two had some fun then?” Dominic chuckled.
“We did. Felix did good work identifying the locations of all Octis-owned buildings,” Gregory said. “Then we used our strengths to best effect.”
“Won’t the authorities be wondering about all these weird natural phenomena occurring at the same time?” Dominic asked.
“I’m sure they will. It’s always a pleasure to give the scientific community something to puzzle over for a while. In the meantime, Imelda Krenick will be far too busy to chase after us for a while.”
“What about Symeon?” Evrain asked. “I left him alive. Well, sort of. He was a blubbering mess by the time we left.”
“Who knows?” Gregory shrugged. “None of us saw him so we can only assume Imelda got him. If he did manage to get away from her, it will take him some time to recover, especially if he’s cut off from Octis’ potion.”
Dominic wasn’t happy with the idea that Symeon might still be on the loose but he was too tired to care that much.
