Liam nodded. "I thought you might."
"At Amour Magique."
"Yes, yes."
"Living in the club. Probably working for it, too."
"I a.s.sumed as much." "Amour Magique is leaving tomorrow morning."Harrison "s statements had grown in their bafflement as each had been spoken. "I"m going with the club to theCalifornia coast. I have no idea how the place is going to move itself cross-country, but it is, and I"m hitching a ride."
"Go, with my blessings. Go."
OnceHarrison got going, it seemed the man couldn"t stop himself from spilling the rest of his discoveries in a jumbled torrent of words. "Martin"s a real Magician and so am I, and the club is alive and has a Heart, capital "H." The Heart talked to me at great length. Then, I found out that Martin and I are reincarnated lovers, and I"ve been dreaming memories about him almost every night. He remembers the me I was, a man named Hal, when he himself first signed on at Amour Magique."
Harrisonhuffed, apparently indignant at Liam"s lack of response. "I"ve lived a few lives since he and I parted. I was Harry-f.u.c.king-Houdinion the last turn of the Wheel."
"A delicious irony."
Harrisonsighed, evidently nonplussed. "You"re not in the least bit surprised by any of this, are you?"
"I cannot say I am, no." Liam tapped the screen fondly. "This is no more than I had hoped for, for you."
Harrisonfrowned with abrupt and wary suspicion. "Who are you?"
"Liam, of course."
"No, no, no. Let me rephrase.What are you? This sounds insane, but you don"t feel human. Even through this whatever it is."
"I am Liam, and that is all you need to know at the moment. Be on your way with Martin. Eat, drink, make love, and be happy. EnjoyCalifornia and all its delectable beach bunnies, not to mention the surf rats, who are far more appealing than their sobriquet."
"If you say so. Look, I have some things here. Personal effects. Will you ask Simon to put them in storage until I have a forwarding address? He can take care of subletting my house, too. Or selling it.
And he can do what he wants with the furniture."
"I will see that this is done," Liam replied amiably. "Anything else?"
Harrisonfingered his new collar. When he spoke, he sounded a bit like a lost child. "Liam?"
"Yes?"
"Will anyone miss me when I"m gone?"
Liam answered him gently. "Some, yes, but some, no. Such is the way of things. Know this, though.I will miss you. Though you have lost it, and no bad thing, your unbelievably stubborn disbelief endeared you to me as much as it drove me half mad."
"I hope I understand what you mean by that someday,"Harrison grumbled. "I think that"s it. Is it?"
Liam stroked the monitor, holding back a yawn. "It will do for now. Good-bye,Harrison . Martin, youold scoundrel, take care of him or I will thrash your hide."
"He"d enjoy it too much, and so would you."
"True."
Harrison and Martin waved good-bye, and the connection was severed. His screen went dark.
Coc.o.o.ned by the utter blackness of his control room, Liam sat quietly for a moment. He had done it. All eleven members of the Brotherhood had faced the impossible and come away with the stuff of true love in their hands. They had changed others and been changed in their turn.
And now it was over. He had finished his good work.
Liam yawned again. He let himself relax in the uncomfortable workstation chair he sat on, leaning back to rest his head.
He spoke softly to himself, then. Old words. Not as old as himself, but still a good vintage. ""If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended, that you have but slumber"d here, while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding but a dream. Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend. And, as I am an honest Puck, if we have unearned luck, now to "scape the serpent"s tongue, we will make amends ere long; else the Puck a liar call. So, good night unto you all.""
Liam yawned tremendously, smiling at his own flight of fancy as he quoted fromA Midsummer Night"s Dream . Oberon and t.i.tania themselves would find the tale of this night amusing, so they would.
""Give me your hands, if we be friends,"" he murmured, ""AndLiam shall restore amends." It is done."
Liam didn"t let himself fall asleep. Rather, sleep roared over him in a crashing tidal wave, so that between one breath and another he was dead to the world. Lolling in his chair, head slumped against a shoulder, he rested at last.
"Good. Take it easy while you can. Wish you could grab more than forty winks, kid, I really do. It was a d.a.m.ned good show, every minute of the play."
Lilith materialized from the corner where she had slipped in, all unseen; she had watched the entire conversation withHarrison and its aftermath with great interest.
"You"re not done yet, though," she said, walking to where her son slumbered. "Something you didn"t count on goes down any minute now. You"ve got one more tower to climb, child, and it"s gonna be the hardest of them all. Poor guy." She ruffled Liam"s hair with her long, pointed fingernails.
A sliver of light fell across Lilith"s face as the door to the control room opened. She squinted. "Oh, it"s you. C"mon in, but be quiet, huh?"
"He"s asleep?"
"Yeah." "Not dead?"
"Not yet."
"There"s a chance he will be?"
"There"s a chance anything can happen at any time." Lilith shrugged, but the corners of her mouth turned down in concern. "I"m trusting you with my boy,capiche ? I can"t help him too much more now. I won"t have a lot of power during what happens next."
"I"ll do my best."
"You"d better." Lilith bent to kiss her son"s cheek. "And don"t tell him I stopped by, would you? He doesn"t need to know."
"I don"t agree with you, but I won"t say anything."
"Can"t ask for much more. Well, I could ask for utter, total obedience and your very soul, but I"m not in the mood right now."
Lilith addressed Liam one last time. "You really are one of my favorites, kid. Here"s looking at you.
Here"s hoping you make it through the other side."
The man who had opened the control room door pushed it shut. "I"ll take care of him," he said firmly.
"Trust me."
Lilith examined him from head to toe. "Okay," she said at last. "Be seeing you soon either way."
The man watched her disappear, not in a cloud of smoke, but just simply fading away as if she had never been there. When she was gone, he went to Liam"s side and knelt by his lover, resting his head on Liam"s lean thigh.
Everything else could just go to h.e.l.l for the moment. The gathering forces -- the Night Mare, renegade Lilim, even that treacherous little weasel Silas -- they were waiting, but some of them had been standing in line for centuries. They could just keep simmering away on the back burner for all he cared until Liam and he were both d.a.m.ned good and ready to get up and fight their final battle.
So mote it be, as Magicians would say.
Until Liam woke,Jordan would stand guard.
To be continued inThe Brotherhood 13: Incubus Call...
Willa Okati
Although a relative newcomer to the field of e-publishing, Willa Okati has been writing since before she was old enough to pick up a pen. She thinks she knows where those dictated stories are hidden, but she"ll never tell.
Willa is also very interested in the paranormal: magery, Wicca, New Age philosophy, transgender studies, and of course, writing. You can drag her away from the computer if you really fight, but you"d better be prepared for a battle.
She is owned by far too many cats, all of which have serious att.i.tudes, and addicted to anything made out of chocolate or involving coffee. She is quiet, but has a very wicked sense of humor that springs out when you least expect it.
She loves to hear from readers, and always responds. You can contact her at [email protected], or visit her website to check out her work at www.willaokati.com.