Wood Sprites(151)
“Ming and his people have had thousands of years to breed armies of monsters. There may not be any real oni left on Onihida.” Jillian eyes went wide as her own statement dawned fully on her. “Oh my god, we could meet Queen Soulful Ember. That would be so cool. And Sword Strike!”
Hopefully no one had ever shown the queen the Lemon-Lime videos. Soulful Ember didn’t have a sense of humor—at least the way they always wrote her.
* * *
Louise was torn between joy and dismay to discover that because it was Shutdown, Ming did not eat breakfast with them as usual. She was happy that he wasn’t there, quietly radiating scientific interest toward her and Jillian. Nattie the cook had been persuaded to scramble the eggs and toast plain white bread and provide a small dish of Welch’s grape jelly. It meant, however, that Ming could be planning horrible things for Windwolf and Alexander.
“We’re going out,” Anna stated as the dishes were being cleared, signaling the end of breakfast.
“Where to?” They shrank away from her, earning a sad unhappy look.
“We need to buy new furniture for the bedrooms. I could just buy whatever I thought would suit you, but I thought you would like a say in the matter.”
Jillian pouted and leaned against Louise.
“We like Esme’s bedroom—our bedroom just the way it is,” Louise said for them both.
Anna pressed her lips together and took a deep breath, as if there were dozens of things she was leaving unsaid.
Louise could feel the unspoken words rise up, looming over them, threatening to do harm. If they balked too much, Anna would plow through their protests. Louise understood now why she felt that they were so much alike when she first saw Anna at the Gala; the twins apparently inherited the trait from her. “Can we—can we just do Lain’s bedroom—the other room—first?” Louise picked her way cautiously through the landmines of silent arguments. “We can stay in the one room while the work is done.”
Jillian shot her a look of dismay, but Anna sighed again and nodded.
“Come along.” Anna held out her hand.
Nikola bumped into Louise’s other side and looked pleadingly up at her. Despite the danger of bringing him to Ming’s notice, they had deemed it safer for the babies to come with them instead of being in the room while the maids cleaned. Louise hated the idea of leaving him in a house full of dangerous people as they traveled miles and miles away.
“Can Tesla come?” Louise patted Nikola on the head so Anna knew who she meant since they never introduced him to her before.
Anna gave a startled laugh. “Nikola Tesla?” The question made Louise flinch in fear. “Esme loved Tesla; he was her favorite scientist. She also had a toy dog named after him. She just loved it to pieces.”
“Oh!” Louise looked down to cover her alarm. Had Esme known about the babies? Was that who Esme had seen in her dreams? Or was it just a weird coincidence that Esme had named a dog the same name?
“He’s too big, Louise.” Anna continued. “He’ll take up too much room in the car.”
“He can sit on the floor!” Louise stepped forward to take Anna’s hand. It was an old woman’s hand, veins a vivid blue under the pale, tight dry skin. It was like their Grandma Mayer’s hands, but she had been all sweetness and forgetfulness and prone to sudden naps. She would hold their nut-brown hands in hers and try to guess which twin they were. Anna had always gotten their names right.
Tristan had said his mother was a fortuneteller. Did Anna see the future just like Esme? How did Esme keep her mother from knowing everything? Anna hadn’t known anything until Esme came to see her, and then she had the dreams of the cabbage patch. Had Esme avoided her mother because contact exposed each one’s secrets to the other?
Louise stared at her hand caught tight in Anna’s. If that was true, then every moment with her was dangerous. But jerking her hand free might seem as insulting as a slap to the face. She forced herself to squeeze Anna’s hand tighter. “Please?”
Anna sighed. “Oh, all right. You can bring your toy.”
* * *
They rode in the limo to a furniture store in Manhattan, two different male drivers than last time but both unmistakably elves. Where did Ming keep them all hidden? Was there a separate house stuffed to the rafters with them? Nikola had his nose pressed against the window, staring in fascination at the parts of the city he’d never seen before. Jillian hunched over her phone, answering his silent questions.
The salesman at the furniture store caught sight of the limo and was waiting at the door with badly hidden excitement. He didn’t glance at Jillian or Louise, staying locked onto Anna as if laser guided. “How can I help you, Madame?”