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“Even better, she’s getting chickens.”
I did a double-take. “Seriously?”
“Apparently so.” Pellini spread his hands. “She said that with everything in turmoil and prices going up and all these mouths to feed, it was high time we got as self-sustaining as possible.”
“Huh.” I gave a slow nod. “I haven’t had a spare second to think about any of that, but she’s right.”
His mouth twitched. “She did all sorts of research on how to take care of chickens, had
Suarez build a coop and enclosure behind the barracks, and made arrangements to purchase a passel of poultry.” He paused to sip his coffee. “Plus, she’s looking into the feasibility and cost-benefit of maintaining other livestock.”
“Hang on, you mean like cows and pigs and stuff?”
“Milk goats, cattle, pigs, and a couple of horses are all on her wish list.”
I shook my head. “Where does she expect to put them?” Sure, I had ten acres of property, but most of it was woods. Even if we cut down several acres of trees—a thought that sent a pang of grief through me—surely cows would need actual pasture with grass and stuff?
“Jill’s already considered all of that,” he said. “Turns out that the property behind yours is up for sale, dirt cheap. Forty acres. Sadly, no mule.”
“Tell me again why we don’t simply have her run the world?”
“She’d get everything straightened out, that’s for sure. Oh, almost forgot.” He set his cup down and reached into his backpack. “Those Jontari pricks got the gimkrah, but they didn’t get this.”
My breath caught as he placed a bundle of orange demon silk on the table. “Eilahn’s Halloween decorations!” Tears of relief stung my eyes. “I forgot that we traded backpacks before I went up the column.” I unwrapped the silk from the exquisite garlands. “I need to hang these up before things get too crazy.”
“I’ll give you a hand with that,” Pellini said. “Are those little figures all demons?”
“Since technically any resident of the demon realm counts as a demon, then probably so,” I said. “All of the commonly summoned types are here—except ilius, of course.” Even Eilahn would have a tough time carving a figurine of the barely corporeal demon. “But there are a half dozen or so that have me stumped. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that bird-snake one or the mushroom-head dude.”
“That slug-squid-octopus-tentacle thing looks . . . interesting.”
“Maybe Sammy wants a playmate.”
“Or Fuzzykins.”
“Ha! Fuzzykins would eat that thing for breakfast. She loves seafood.” I carefully gathered up the garlands. “Let’s get these hung up. I have places to go and demons to summon.”
“Ah, the never-ending refrain of the modern woman.”
Chapter 35
Though the air held a distinctly chilly bite, it was an absolutely gorgeous day, with bright blue skies and a scattering of happy puffy clouds. By the time Pellini and I had the garlands artistically draped around the front door, the net launcher had been properly sighted in, and Bryce’s mood was drastically improved. Now that I knew I wasn’t risking getting my head bitten off, I pulled Bryce aside to go over what to do with the various Kara’s Kompound residents and working personnel during the summoning.
Bryce scrutinized the duty roster on the whiteboard. “As far as my security people go, we absolutely need to have a reserve force off-premises in case the worst happens.” He frowned. “I sure as hell don’t want everyone standing in a cluster on the big X when the bomb drops. Not a single one of them will want to leave, but that’s too bad.”
“Maybe they can draw straws,” I said with a wry smile.
“That’s exactly what they’ll do,” he replied, utterly serious. “The losers will have to ship out.”
“At least they’ll have company. Not only do I want Janice, Michael, and Jill out of here, but I want the dog, cat, and kittens safe as well.”
Bryce laughed. “That’ll make the losers happier. Kittens make everything better. I’ll send everyone to Jill’s house in town, unless you have an objection.”
“That’s perfect. It’s already warded to the teeth with Zack’s protections.” I knew this was one decision Jill would be on board with, especially when she had a daughter out there who needed her alive and well.
“Good deal,” Bryce said. “I’ll get all of that rolling.”
With that settled, it was time to deal with the rest of my pre-summoning must-do list.
