“No, she does not,” Maeve snapped as she walked to the spot with her black leather bag under her arm. “And neither do I because I am a…”
“Doctor,” I grunted. “We know.”
“Then let me do my thing.” Squatting down, Maeve set her bag on the ground beside her left foot and took out a clear, but thick-walled, plastic bag and a small, silver knife.
Scraping the blade across the crimson stain, she dumped some flecks into the tiny Ziploc bag. Dropping the knife back into the leather bag, she pulled out a bottle of aqua liquid, took off the cap, and added three drops to the specks of dried blood.
Closing it tight, she shook the bag for exactly ten seconds. Holding it up, using the light from a broken window, she nodded. “Yep, it’s Fairy blood.”
“WHAT?!” I roared. I could feel the fireballs coming. There was nothing I could do to stop them. All my worst fears rushed through my mind. What was I going to do without…
“You’re gonna stop that shit right now,” Aideen demanded with a mental slap of Magic that made my ears ring. “Now, shut up and listen to Maeve. She’s explaining something you need to hear.”
Biting my tongue and accepting the calming Enchantment that the Dragon Queen, with whom I shared my soul, was pushing my way, I focused on my sister. Thank the Goddess I had good people in my life.
“Are you done screaming?” Maeve griped. “If not, I’m gonna need some more ibuprofen.”
“I’m done.”
“Good.” Pointing toward the bag still clutched between her thumb and forefinger, she explained, “This is just a tiny bit of blood. No more than a person loses when they remove a splinter.”
“But you said it was Fairy.”
“Did I say it was Royal Fairy?”
“No.”
“Okay, so, it could be any Fairy, right? Like one of Kai’s Frolick, one of the other firefighters?”
“Umm, well…” I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it could be.”
“Good.” Maeve nodded. Can we agree that there will be no more jumping to conclusions?”
“Can we agree that you’re an asshole?”
“Only if we can agree that being an asshole is a family trait.”
“Alright, Girls!” Zelda yelled before putting her thumb and forefinger between her lips and whistling so loud that small pieces of broken glass fell from the cracked window frames. “That’s enough,” she added. “No more fighting, or I’ll put you both in a time-out you can’t escape.”
“Yes, ma’am,” my sister and I sniffed. Turning away, I added, “I’m going over here anyway.”
Conducting my own investigation with three Wolfhounds and a Shih Tzu, I went to the farthest corner of the decimated ballroom. Eyes on the ground, I inched along the wall, conducting my own grid search, looking for more of Kai’s blood.
Walking past the largest oil painting I’d ever seen, the little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Stopping, I put it in reserve and took three steps backward.
Staring up at the massive piece of artwork and the ornate, golden frame it was in, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was sure, as sure as my name was Martha Dellencourt, that one of the people moved.
Moving so close that the tip of my nose almost touched the canvas, I looked up at the gorgeous Dragon flying over the town. Looking down from its lofty heights, it was obvious to see how very much the Winged Warrior adored not only the village but the people in it.
Dismissing all thoughts of people moving in very old paintings, I was just about to get back to my grid search when I saw more movement. Back at attention and even closer to the painting, I held out my fingers and slowly pushed it forward.
The instant the tip of my finger hit the canvas, a supernatural shock shot up my arm, and I shrieked, “Zelda!”
Right beside me, in the blink of an eye, my amazing bestie was out of breath and frowning. “What’s this?” She motioned towards the painting before I could explain. “You know there’s something behind it, right?”
“No! I mean, yes. I mean…”
“What do you mean, Martha, my dear?”
