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Damn. Found out. Lucky I had several things on my mind I could call upon.
“I went to visit Aornis.”
“You did? Why?”
“It was about Felix8. I should have told you: He was hanging around the house yesterday. Millon spotted him, and Spike nabbed him—but he escaped. I thought Aornis might have an idea why he’s suddenly emerged after all these years.”
“Did Aornis…say anything about us?” asked Landen. “Friday, Me, Tuesday, Jenny?”
“She asked how everyone was, but only in an ironic way. I don’t think she was concerned in the least—quite the opposite.”
“Did she say anything else?”
I turned to look at him, and he was gazing at me with such concern that I rested a hand on his cheek.
“Sweetheart—what’s the matter? She can’t harm us any longer.”
“No,” said Landen with a sigh, “she can’t. I just wondered if she said anything—anything at all. Even if you remembered it later.”
I frowned. Landen knew about Aornis’s powers because I’d told him, but his specific interest seemed somehow unwarranted.
“Yeah. She said that she was going to bust out with the help of someone ‘on the outside.’”
He took my hands in his and stared into my eyes. “Thursday—sweetheart—promise me something?”
I laughed at his dramatic earnestness but stopped when I saw he was serious.
“Two minds with but a single thought,” I told him, “two hearts that beat as one.”
“That was good. Who said that?”
“Mycroft.”
“Ah! Well, here it is: Don’t let Aornis out.”
“Why should I want to do that?”
“Trust me, darling. Even if you forget your own name, remember this: Don’t let Aornis out.”
“Babes—”
But he rested his finger on my lips, and I was quiet. Aornis was the least of my worries. Without my TravelBook I was marooned in the Outland.
We had dinner late. Even Friday was vaguely impressed by the three bullet holes in
the table. They were so close they almost looked like one.
When he saw them, he said, “Nice grouping, Mum.”
“Firearms are no joking matter, young man.”
“That’s our Thursday,” said Landen with a smile. “When she shoots up our furniture, she does as little damage as possible.”
I looked at them all and laughed. It was an emotional release, and tears sprang to my eyes. I helped myself to more salad and regarded Friday. There was still the possibility of his replacement by the-Friday-that-could-have-been hanging over him. The thing was, I couldn’t do anything about it. There’s never anywhere to hide from the ChronoGuard. But the other Friday had told me I had forty-eight hours until they might attempt such a thing, and that wasn’t up until midmorning the day after tomorrow.
“Fri,” I said, “have you thought any more about the time industry?”
“Lots,” he said, “and the answer’s still no.”
