“She was a riot.” One of the security men was still laughing, tears rolling down his cheeks. “The tavern should be awesome with her running it.”
“Hey look!” The other security man pointed to the tavern sign. “She changed the name a little. What do you think that means?”
We all looked up and read the new sign. There had always been a mermaid with a sword in one hand and a tankard of ale in the other. But now the name Lady of the Lake had been changed to Lady in the Lake. It was a subtle difference, but there was nothing subtle about the change in the image.
Now there was an image of a woman in Renaissance garb who was flailing in the water with the pirate ship, Queen’s Revenge, behind her. She looked as though she was about to drown.
“Wow. That’s some sign,” I said. “Does anyone else think the woman in the lake looks like me?”
“I don’t think she looks like you.” Chase looked away.
“What kind of ID did she have?” I’d been looking as she presented it to him. Now that it was over, I couldn’t say if it was a driver’s license or what.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It was valid anyway, and had her name on it. That’s all that matters.”
He sent the two security guards home for the night. We started back toward the Dungeon.
“I know I was laughing at what Tilly said.” I began trying to piece it together in my mind. “But I don’t really remember what was so funny.”
“Neither do I. We’re both just tired. It’s been a long day.”
But it was about to get longer.
The twins, Rene and Renee, stopped us close to their shop, Our Lady’s Gemstones.
I didn’t know what it was about them that bothered me, but I felt a little queasy and uncomfortable when they were around. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and my skin prickled.
“Good evening, Lady Jessie, Sir Bailiff.” Rene made a deep and elegant bow. His long white hair draped down in front of his face like a veil. “We don’t wish to bother you, but we were wondering if you could tell us who has moved into the tavern.”
“Her name is Tilly Morgenstern,” Chase told him. “I hope everyone can make her, and her assistant, Leo, feel at home. It’s the best way to heal what happened in the Village two weeks ago.”
Rene’s sister, Renee, stared into her brother’s strange blue eyes for a moment longer. They seemed to share an unspoken conversation.
Was it me, or did they both look unhappy about Tilly moving into the Village?
“Of course, Sir Bailiff. We would be happy to welcome the newcomers.” Renee smiled and lowered her head like a cat.
It was difficult to tell Rene from Renee. They were close to the same height and weight. They both had thin, white faces and long white hair. Their eyes were the same shade of blue.
The only way I’d found to tell them apart was that Rene was a little taller, and had a slightly deeper voice. They were as close in looks as two fraternal twins could be, much closer than me and my brother, Tony.
“We are nearly finished crafting your wedding bands,” Rene said with a thin-lipped smile. “It would be wonderful if you could come and try them on in a few days. Just to get a feel for them, and make sure that they are exactly what you want.”
“Sure,” Chase said with a broad smile. “That would be great.”
Renee nodded. “Your wedding bands will bind you together forever.”
Chase and I both said that we were looking forward to seeing the rings. All of us bowed to each other, and the twins went back to their dark shop.
Another weird thing about them—they never had their lights on.
“You know, the way she said it, I’m not so crazy about marrying you now.”
He laughed, and put his arm around me. “It’s too late. You’re stuck with me.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. The way she made it sound, it was more a curse than a blessing.”
“What is it with you and the two of them?” he asked. “They do awesome work. I never have any trouble from them. I don’t understand why they bother you so much.”
I shivered, thinking about the twins. “I don’t know. They scare me. They have since the first day I met them. It doesn’t make sense, but there you have it. I guess I don’t always make sense.”
We were on the cobblestones by then, headed past the Honey and Herb Shoppe, when I noticed a light in the Arts and Crafts Museum. It wasn’t a normal lamp, or overhead light. This was more like a flashlight, moving past the windows.
“What’s that?” I asked Chase. “No one should be in there.”