Char nodded. “An academic wanted to find a rare kind supposedly hidden in a deep trench in the north. Apparently, if one were to grind these seashells into a fine dust and eat them, the ageing process would stop.”
Austin’s hand froze midway to his mouth. Tristan’s eyes cut toward him, catching the hitch in his movement. Feeling like a robot, Austin forced himself to take the fruit slice into his mouth. He chewed mechanically, tasting nothing.
“Did he go?”
“No,” Tristan answered.
Austin’s voice sounded oddly hollow to his own ears. “Where is this academic now?”
“Likely returned to the northern academy,” Tristan said. “Do you want to meet them?”
Austin stared at Tristan. “If they ever return to the city, I’d like you to break their neck.”
Of all the things that had surprised Tristan over the past day, an unreasonable, erratic request for murder was apparently not among them. Tristan nodded. “Very well.”
Austin leaned back in his chair, not touching his food as Inx and Char gave the rest of their reports. Char finally paused to take a bite. He reminded Austin of Tammy: shuffling papers, eating and working all at once, no rest taken for anything.
Char handed a stack of papers to Inx that needed to be read and signed. Inx didn’t notice the offered sheaf and stood, announcing that he had to dispense troops into the city. Urgently. Char muttered under his breath, chair legs scraping against the floor as he stood and flew after the captain in hot pursuit.
Tristan and Austin sat in silence and, surprising himself, Austin pulled himself back together enough to continue eating. “Could you get Liam?” Austin asked. “If he’s gone, that’s fine, but if he’s still hanging around waiting for me, I need to talk to him. But…” Austin recalled his last trip across the ocean with a grimace. “I’d rather do that here.”
Tristan nodded his assent. “I can do that.”
Austin would tell Liam to go home to America, for good this time. Tell him he was staying here. Maybe knowing that he wouldn’t be able to get updates from Tammy any longer would be enough to set the man free. A low ache suffused his chest at the thought of losing him, but Austin remembered the determination he’d gathered when he first sent Liam away. It had come much easier the second time. Surely the third time would be nothing to Austin. He just needed to see Liam was safe and unharmed first.
“I’ll accept Hal’s dinner invitation,” Austin said. He would be nice to the man this time.
“I’ll let him know.”
“Is everyone busy getting ready for the storm?”
“Reba is assigned to you. If Char catches up to Inx, then he’ll remain at the estate, and you can put him to whatever use you like. Do you require more people?”
Austin twitched his fingers. “Those two will do.”
Tristan left, and Austin, filled with energy and the sense that he needed to be doing something, went in search of his guard. Captain Inx was by the road, sullenly seeing off a handful of men to the city, and Reba sat on the trunk of a newly downed tree, eating a sandwich. He was staring intently into a nearby field at Austin’s ugly horses. His wings flapped every few seconds. The ugly horses didn’t seem to care.
Austin watched for a moment before approaching. “They aren’t afraid of you?”
Reba leapt to his feet. “Sir.”
Austin waited.
Reba glanced back at the grazing horses. “They don’t seem to be. I wondered if I could ride one. Ah, I mean, they’re yours, I wouldn’t presume to—I just…” He trailed off, eyes flashing from Austin’s face to the calmly grazing, hideous horses. Reba let out the same sort of shaky breath as he had when planting himself in a furious Adonis’s path. “May I have permission to ride one of them?”
“Sure,” Austin said.
Reba’s gaze leapt up from between his feet.
“When you’re done here, meet me on the beach.”
Reba gave a quick nod. “Ready to go.”
“Finish eating. I’m making you work; you’ll need the energy. Bring Inx, too.”
Austin went to his half-buried nest. The black rocks didn’t look nearly as shiny as they had last night. He ran his fingers over the nearest one, displeased to find a layer of dried slime covering the entire surface. He quickly went to his porch, where Eli was setting out drinks. “Can you get sponges? And some of the soap that’s used for cleaning the pathways. And a bucket of hot water.”
Eli nodded and scuttled off to obey.
