Page 47 of Up in Smoke

“You didn’t seem surprised when we showed up,” Sandro stated, and I marveled he managed to keep his expression a cool neutral.

“Rumors spread in this sanctuary with the same strength of a storm,” Batbayar replied, gesturing for us to sit at the chairs in front of his desk. “I’d heard when she got taken to the East, and I also heard when you’d gone chasing after her. I do admit I harbored more than my fair share of curiosity over that. Your family is one of wealth and power. Hers is not. I had not expected such a pairing, but when I see you two together, I understand it better.” Sorting through a stack of papers, he took out a few sheets and handed them to Sandro. “Here is the class schedule for the next two weeks. Mr. Mansfield has asked I accelerate training of the older students, to give them purpose following the swarm that happened shortly after you both left to head to the East.”

“A lot of deaths?” I asked.

“The outskirts were mostly wiped out, but the last trains had already left, so the casualties were much lower than they might have been. Your injury saved many lives—that and the willingness of the Moretti family to send and arrange supplies from the East and bring in other prominent families and the government to assist the Alley.” Batbayar sat, and he leaned back in his chair. “I had questioned why the Moretti family had reached out to Tulsa, but it makes sense to me now.”

Sandro nodded. “It is Jade’s home, and I initially contacted my mother regarding medications, as what Jade needed in the hospital was not readily obtainable. My mother took steps, and once everyone out in the East understood there was a medical emergency in addition to poor supplies and a dying city, everyone pitched together to send trains and offer an out to refugees. Of course, at that stage, Jade was already headed out to the East via train.”

“Where you opted to claim her as your wife?”

As I had no idea what Batbayar thought about the courtesan system, I sat back and enjoyed the show between the two men. Only some of Sandro’s salsa would have improved my situation, although a glass of water appealed, too. Being older and living in Tulsa hadn’t slowed the Mongolian down, and I’d have bruises to show for the times I hadn’t gotten out of the way of his practice blade.

That I’d hit him at all pleased me.

“I am fortunate that Jade likes competent men who enjoy traveling,” Sandro replied, and he raised an eyebrow at me in challenge.

“No, you’re fortunate that my first real look at you involved you and a wet shirt. That bought you enough time to convince me you’re worth keeping around. It also helps I really like your family, so they’re worth the hassle of putting up with you,” I countered.

Both of Batbayar’s brows shot up. “I see I’ve missed more than the rumors claim.”

“Do you know how rare good men are, Batbayar?”

“I cannot say I’ve been paying any attention to that,” the older man confessed. “And I am the first to admit I’m not wise when it comes to the ways of women.”

The Voodoo queens would love Batbayar, and I needed to inform them the old man existed and was in need of some education about the ways of women. “When you find one, you claim him before someone else does. It just happens that his mother made it very easy for me to secure him. All I had to do was sit around and look pretty and wait for her to sign the paperwork. Then, because she knows he can be a pain in the ass who likes to roam more than he should, she paid me a fortune to keep him. My first job is to evaluate how much mandatory roaming he needs. It’s a poet thing. Their spirits demand they wander the world in search of inspiration. But we’ll be staying here for a while because I’m roamed out. I’ve mostly healed, but I’m still struggling to keep up with him, so a break would be good.”

There. No matter what sort of bugs Mansfield had installed in the dojo and in Batbayar’s office, our story would be easy to track and didn’t creep far from the truth.

“I always believed you to be clever. But that is the spirit of the fox. Foxes may not have much in the way of strength, but they more than make up for it in cunning and wit,” Batbayar praised. “And you enjoy his company?”

I pointed at Sandro’s necklace. “I may have cracked a joke about how I needed to put a collar around his neck showing I was one lucky vixen, but then he went and had a pretty necklace made. Then, just because he knows I’m a jealous vixen, he had some woman work magic on it so it wouldn’t fall off. Isn’t it pretty? Honestly, I want one, too.”

Sandro chuckled, adjusted his collar, and showed Batbayar the fox necklace. “My mother may have gone overboard on the idea, but it made Jade happy, and she likes how it sparkles.”

“Vixens do appreciate something that sparkles and shines. I am glad to see you two have a healthy relationship. I will admit I was worried. But, adversity is what makes people and their relationships stronger, should it survive.”

“He better survive,” I replied, and I sniffed to make it clear what I thought about the alternative.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Sandro said, and he reached over and flicked my hair out of my face. “Are there any classes in particular you’d like us to attend? I’ll need to make sure my schedule doesn’t conflict.”

Batbayar nodded, grabbed a sheet of paper, and wrote something down before handing it over to Sandro. “Those classes are the ideal ones. The students have much to learn and little time to learn it in, and Jade has always been good at helping students reach understanding. She shows them what they do not understand in a way they can comprehend. My teaching method teaches the body, but her demonstrations teach the mind to best make use of what the body has learned.”

Sandro folded the sheet and added it to the pile. “Thank you. We’ll be back tomorrow, though I’m not sure at what time. We’re still figuring out our schedule.”

“That is to be expected. Take care and walk lightly,” Batbayar said.

Even as we stood to leave, I wondered what he warned us about. Beneath his ceremonial tone was an undercurrent, and I wondered what had truly happened in Tulsa and Asylum in the days we’d been gone.