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Sai flinched, looking as though someone had punched him. “You’re leaving?” His voice was much higher than it usually was. “Without anything truly being resolved?”
I was impressed with how calm and genuine Magnus continued to be—or at least appear to be—in the face of Sai’s shock. “I am afraid it is unavoidable. As it turns out, there are matters of great importance in Good Port that demand our attention immediately.”
I peeked sideways at Magnus, wondering how much of Lefric’s and Olympus’s business he was going to reveal, or if he would reveal the connection Lefric believed Gregorius’s death had to the Old Realm and its spies.
“Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay a while longer?” Sai asked, his expression pleading.
“Alas, if only there were,” Magnus said, spreading his hands in a peaceful gesture. “But you will be glad to know that Jorgen and Hati, Olympus, and myself all agree to the idea of holding a faire as soon as possible. Perhaps you would like to determine the date of this faire, as we have chosen the location?”
Sai seemed slightly placated. He shifted his stance and rubbed his chin. “It shouldn’t be any more than two weeks from now,” he said. He paused, then raised his eyes hopefully to Magnus, then glanced to me. “Could I perhaps come into your house so that we could discuss an appropriate time with the others as well?”
Magnus managed to keep a perfectly straight face as he glanced to me. “What do you say, Sebald, since this is your home?”
The heat of panic raced up my neck and flooded my face. We hadn’t given Jace, Jorgen, and Hati nearly enough time to dispose of Barthold’s body. Chances were they had barely had time to find shovels to dig a grave with. Then again, Sai had to deal with hiding a body today as well. And we still needed to discuss what rumors to circulate about the disappearances of two men.
“We could sit in the parlor,” I said, glancing to Magnus and hoping he would hear my statement as the question it was.
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Magnus said with a smile.
We turned and crossed the front path to the door. I held my breath as I opened it, hoping nothing terrible was visible out the window.
“I think I know what this is really about,” Sai said as we entered the cottage.
I noted that Magnus led Sai straight to the sofa that faced away from the back windows and the garden, sitting with him and keeping his attention focused forward, even though Sai knew about Barthold. I guess the fewer reminders Sai had of the bad things that had happened that day the better.
Avenel and Gennadi stepped in from the garden at almost the same time, their arms laden with things that would keep better in the cold cupboard in our kitchen until we were ready to eat them that evening. They stopped short at the sight of Sai, both looking panicked.
I gestured for them to move on, and when they did, after a brief glance and nod from Sai, I smiled at Avenel. As he crossed the room close to me, I stepped into his path so I could kiss his bruised cheek and whisper in his ear, “Sai knows about Bee, but let’s not remind him.”
Avenel smiled and blushed in return, as if the kiss was all that mattered, then nodded as he and Gennadi walked on.
Sai witnessed the entire exchange, but was stuck on his own line of thought. “My mother told me about the unpleasantness that happened earlier,” he said. “And after she finished upbraiding me for bringing savage wolves into our city, my sisters told me the true story of how she behaved toward my brother.” He sighed and rubbed his head as if it were aching. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do about these prejudices. I feel as though I’ve done everything I can do, but people refuse to see the light.”
“Minds are not changed the way clothes are,” Magnus said in a sympathetic voice. “It will take time and concerted effort for city-dwellers to develop new thoughts about the wolves. Perhaps some sort of display can be arranged at the faire to speed the process along.”
“I desperately hope so,” Sai said.
“Sebald, why don’t you see if Jorgen and Hati are available for a short chat with King Sai,” Magnus said to me. “I believe Olympus and Lefric are already indisposed.”
Sai glanced at Magnus with a confused look, then seemed to understand what that could mean and blushed.
I nodded to Magnus, then walked out through the garden door, anxious over what I might find.
The scene in the garden was more or less what I had expected. Somehow, Jace and Jorgen had found two shovels, and they were already hard at work digging a hole in the overgrown garden of the cottage two doors down from mine. I couldn’t decide if it was horrifically indignant for Bee’s final resting place to be in an abandoned garden or if it was actually quite peaceful. All I knew was that if anyone ever moved into that house, I would have to come up with an excuse of why they shouldn’t dig in that spot for several years to come.
“Sai is here,” I told them in a low voice as I approached their work. “He wants to talk to Jorgen and Hati about setting a date for the faire, but I’m certain he’ll want to say goodbye to you as well, Jace.”
I spoke to the three men, but my eyes were trained on the hole. They’d done an amazing job for barely having started, though it made me a little sick to think that it wasn’t long enough for Bee to be laid out on his back, in the traditional manner. I didn’t want to think about what they’d have to do to fit his body into a hole that narrow.
Jace, Jorgen, and Hati exchanged looks before Jace said, “He’s here right now?”
“I’m afraid so,” I said, sighing.
“I guess we go talk to him,” Jace said, shrugging, then leaning his shovel up against the wall.
“We might as well get it over with,” Jorgen said, doing the same.
“It shouldn’t be a difficult or lingering conversation, I said, taking the first few steps with them, then stopping. “He just wants to set a date for the faire. I think he knows he’s beaten.”
