Page 175 of Disillusioned
“Riou?He could be your father. Older, even.” A pastry flew through the air. Lilac’s hand shot out, catching and smooshing it in her fist.
“So could Garin. A few generations back.”
Fighting the urge to make a very obscene gesture, Lilac bit into the pastry, savoring the dark red jam oozing out. From her bosom, she retrieved the bag, untied it with her teeth, and added the rest of the berries to what she was already eating.
“All that bravery and standing up to men must have you starving,” Piper retorted. “And Riou just smells familiar, is all.”
“That’s weird.” Lilac licked her fingers and tossed the bag onto the table. “Who does he?—”
There was a pop and violentwooshof smoke in the far corner, across from the door. Then a thud, causing the nearest bookshelf to teeter.
Two figures emerged from the dissipating vortex—Myrddin first, smoothing down his dark robes. Bastion was behind him, straightening the bookshelf he nearly knocked over. Lilac could only tell who it was by the mess of sandstone hair; colorful patchwork shawl of some sort graced his shoulders. He tossed his hair out of his hazel-green eyes and pulled the large shawl over his head, skittering back out of the strip of sunlight pouring in through the floor length window behind Lilac.
She darted forward, wanting to help him, but when she reached the end of the table realized he wasn’t burning. Not his face, furiously and incredulously peeking out of the hood the shawl formed, nor his exposed hands—one of which clutched what looked to be a dull red pendant encased in silver hanging from a cord around his neck.
“See?” Myrddin panted, punching the air. “I told you it would work!”
“That isnotwhat you said.” Bastion looked utterly terrified. “You said you were 99% sure.”
“You never know with anything purchased from theGuài. Especially if it is stolen.”
Lilac swiveled her head toward the warlock. “Wait,that’swhat you stole from them? That amulet is what Garin repaid them for?”
Still catching his breath, Myrddin held up a finger. He placed both hands on the table and closed his eyes, letting the sunlight illuminate his profile. “The Veiled Garnet,” the warlock breathed, “is an amulet that casts a cloaking spell of night upon its wearer. Allows vampires to daywalk artificially—or for anyone else magic or mortal to reap the benefits of dusk, at any time. They said they’d sell it to me for very cheap. In hindsight, considering what it does, a bag of coin was a good deal indeed.” He chuckled under his breath, finally opening his eyes. They were filled with pensive amusement. “It didn’t seem so back then, so I bought it from them with anotherGuàipurchase I’d made a few centuries back. The Coins of Conjuring.” Myrddin rubbed his hands together and opened them to reveal a small, lumpy burlap pouch. “You pay with them, then spell them back into your pocket.”
“You protected me,” Bastion shouted from the shadows of his shawl, huddling against the wall. “With a bargain item?”
“It was a good sale! Even twenty years ago.” The pouch vanished with a puff of smoke and a shake of Myrddin’s fist. The warlock sauntered over to Bastion and snatched the end of the shawl. “It was crafted by a gifted bloodsmith and there can only existoneamulet at a time. It still works. See?”
As Bastion shouted in protest, Myrddin yanked it off—exposing him. Bastion’s face twisted murderously, but nothing happened when his body was bathed in the wall of morning sun.
He opened his mouth, but there was a flash of red and emerald across the room. Bastion was knocked off his feet, his head cracking against the wall.
Piper was on him, swinging, her green gown strewn about. She landed a third punch before Lilac got to them. With his back to the floor like an overturned turtle, Bastion refused to fight back—or perhaps couldn’t—and was focused on blocking his head instead.
“Get your mongreloffme!”
“Stop it, Piper.” Lilac scooped her arms around Piper’s waist and moved to lift her off of him, but Piper’s fist only cracked a fourth time on Bastion’s jaw and swung back, landing hard on Lilac’s shoulder. Enraged, she yanked with all her might, finally prying Piper from him. “Not… here!” She stumbled back and dropped Piper.
Bastion’s ears and lips were bloodied when he sat up. Lilac jabbed a finger at the head seat closest to the window, then Piper. “There. Now.” She then placed her hand on the chair back nearest her and jutted her chin at Bastion. “You, here.”
Bastion stood, dusted himself off, and sneered at Myrddin the whole way to the chair. He plopped into it, cursing under his breath.
“You’ve had that amulet all these years,” panted Lilac, her muscles burning as she looked up at Myrddin, “and you could’ve given it to Garin.”
“So that he could’vewhat, Your Majesty?” Myrddin’s blond brow shot up. “Gone on a daytime stroll? Tended the garden out front? Left to seek you sooner? There is a method to every form of madness that befalls me.” Beneath his levity, there was something else brewing—a lingering darkness in the way he leered at her. “I cannothelpit.”
“Can’t help what?” scoffed Bastion.
“The method, nor the madness.” Myrddin exhaled and spoke slowly, his expression filled with regret. “Being pursued by theYao Guàiand having my tenure stripped at the Sanctum, I decided to do something I’d never tried before and took on a drastic new appearance.”
Lilac almost felt sorry for him. “How long did you live in your glamor?”
“It was not a glamor, Your Majesty. It wasn’t quite an illusion. Iagedmyself.”
They all stared blankly at him.
“But you’re immortal, are you not?” asked Bastion.
