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She moved a half-step closer to him, a test to see what he would do. He stood firm, not backing away, his gaze holding hers. Her lips parted to reply, to tell Killian that she would make time for him no matter what, even if the world was burning. But before she could speak, her words were cut off by another’s.
“Shut the gate!” Zubir hollered back, and Elyse nearly jumped out of her boots. For a second it had felt as though it was only her and Killian.
“Sorry!” Killian called back. He ushered Elyse through the gate before shutting it behind both of them.
As they strode toward the house, Killian gave her one last look, but Elyse couldn’t read his expression. Was that longing? Encouragement? Something else altogether?
She shook her head, forcing all thoughts of Killian to flee her mind. There was no time to decipher his looks or his cryptic words. They had work to do.
Chapter 42
- Killian -
Just as Elyse had said, Zubir was odd. Definitely odd.
He zoomed around his small house, preparing tea and setting out dried fruits, all while trying to tidy up. Emphasis on trying. The cramped cottage was so full of haphazard trinkets and junk, it made the Emporium look like a high-end boutique. There wasn’t much the small man could do in terms of decluttering.
Killian watched Zubir with faint amusement. He was short with tan skin and pale gray eyes, and his thick black hair was pulled back into three buns—one on top of his head, one at the back of his head, and one at the nape of his neck. He wore what appeared to be a woman’s housecoat in faded lavender.
But Zubir’s appearance and chaotic house weren’t even the strangest things about him. He talked with lightning speed, jabbering on and switching topics so quickly, Killian thought he would suffer verbal whiplash. Manny and Sera both smiled at Zubir, nodding their heads enthusiastically at the words spewing from his mouth. The only one who didn’t seem entertained by Zubir was Jaime, who simply looked put out. He stood with his arms crossed, a bored expression on his pale face.
“Elyse dear, how is your mother?” Zubir asked as he tittered about. “I haven’t seen her in so long, I hope she’s doing well. Will you tell her I said hello? How is Sevhella? Still as crowded as ever? I don’t miss that place one bit. Although, I do miss the snow. And the tea—there was this one place, oh what was it called? Peterman’s Tea House? Plymouth House of Tea? Oh, I don’t remember, but they had the best tea in all of Rhodan. Nay! In all of the kingdoms. You know, I once saw King Cyril there.”
Zubir let out a gasp, stumbling backward and nearly toppling over a stack of books.
“Are you all right?” Manny asked as he reached a hand to help steady Zubir.
“Yes,” the hermit continued quickly. “But you heard about King Cyril, right? Dreadful, dreadful death.”
Killian’s eyes shot to Elyse, and he watched her throat bob.
“It was the vampires, of course,” Zubir declared with absolute certainty. “You best be prepared. The vampires will take over Sevhella, and then all of Rhodan. The Guard must stop them—or else you’ll all be sucking each other’s blood by year’s end!”
It was beginning to make more sense why Zubir lived all the way out here on a secluded island guarded by an absurd amount of wards.
“Zubir,” Elyse said. She strode toward him and took his hands, which were busy stacking and restacking piles of books. “We don’t have much time, but we need your help.”
“Anything—you only have to ask.”
To Killian’s surprise, Zubir actually stopped talking long enough to listen.
“We need angel’s blood,” Elyse sighed. “We can—”
But Zubir had already taken off across the room, hurdling furniture and boxes of knickknacks. He made for a shelf in the corner of the room. Standing on the tips of his toes, he hefted down a small chest from the top shelf.
“Don’t you even think about offering to pay, Elyse, not after everything you did for me,” he babbled as he carried the chest over to the table. Everyone circled around as Zubir flung piles of paper off the table and plunked the chest down with a thud.
He lifted the lid of the chest, and Killian and Manny immediately exchanged a look.
The small chest was filled with vials of various-colored liquids. Most of them were dark red, but some were deep shades of blue, purple, and black. Glass clinked together as Zubir riffled through his bizarre collection, pulling out vials one after another.
Finally, he selected a vial of shimmering gold liquid and squealed with delight. “Ah! Here it is!”
Killian breathed a sigh of relief as the grip on his chest loosened. They were one step closer. Sera shot Manny a gleeful smile, and even Jaime’s shoulders seemed to relax as he took a step closer to peer at the vial.
“Thank you, Zubir,” Elyse murmured. “Honestly, we don’t mind paying—”
Zubir held up a hand. “I will not accept any payment from you.” He pointed to the vial in Elyse’s hand. “Will that be enough? I have more. This here was from the angel Ramielle. Once every hundred years, her blood flows through the springs of Apolita. There are many fakes out there, but not this one, no! In fact, a month ago I proved to a gentleman that this was, in fact, true angel’s blood.”
