Chapter #114The Night Before Christmas by: imaj   You shake your head weakly. “I hope not,” you manage to say.
“I hear you,” replies Joe. He smiles wickedly. “It can be fun tweaking his tail though. Did they work out your second ousiarch? No, wait, let me guess. Is it Malacandra… no… what about Kenandandra?”
You haul yourself up until you are sitting upright rather than slouching near horizontally. “They didn’t work it out yet. Just found another clue”
“Oh well dude,” says Joe with a half grin. “At least you’re getting somewhere. What was the mysterious clue,” he asks in a mock ominous voice.
“Knock it off,” you sigh, giving Joe a shove. “This is serious. Your dad wants to have Nash take a look at the Libra.”
Rosalie unwinds herself from Joe as he sits up straight. “Seriously,” he asks, the last traces of impishness vanishing from his face. “They think it has something to do with your ousiarchs,” he ask. You nod in reply. “Wow,” he continues. “That’s pretty heavy.”
“Nash is going to get the Libra from the archives,” you explain. “Your dad says he’ll be back with it in a couple of days.”
“The archives,” interrupts Rosalie. “What are they?”
“Actually, that’s a really good question,” you say. “Because your dad didn’t explain anymore than the Libra needs to be collected from them.”
Joe leans back in his seat. “Put it this way. You know that bit at the end of that Indianna Jones film, the first one?”
It’s an old film, but exactly the kind you’ve always liked, so you remember the ending pretty clearly: The recovered ark of the covenant being boxed up and stored away in a large warehouse, all but forgotten. “Yeah.”
“Just like that,” replies Joe. “Whenever we recover and artefact, it get’s taken to the archives and stored away carefully where it can’t do any harm.”
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to destroy them,” asks Rosalie.
Joe shrugs. “Sometimes that’s just as dangerous, if not more so. It’s not just artefacts though. Books, tomes, all kinds of knowledge, all stored away safely. Nash and John Reilly know more about it than I do.”
“So that’s where the Libra is stored,” says Rosalie quietly. “And Nash is bringing it here.”
“Just in time for Christmas,” you say.
“I hope they work out your ousiarch Will,” she says firmly. “I really do.”
*****
There isn’t much for you to do round the house till Nash returns with the book. Rosalie seems to be spending most of her time with Kali and Joe is still busy with Ed. That leaves you hanging and you spend most of the time watching old Christmas movies on the television. When Rick offers you the chance to come with him and pick up Miko from the bus station in Olympia on the morning of Christmas Eve, you jump at the chance.
The air is cold and there is an even spread of snow on the ground when you reach the town centre. You thrust your hands deep into your pockets as you leave Ricks car. The parking lot is just opposite the bus station and you hop along after Rick as he crosses the road.
“What time does her bus get here,” you ask, carefully avoiding an icy looking puddle.
Rick glances at the clock mounted atop a pillar at one end of the station. “Soon,” he grunts monosyllabically.
“She isn’t late or anything,” you ask, hopping from one foot to the other. It is cold. “She’d phone if she was wouldn’t she.”
“Do I look like I have a cell phone on me,” shrugs Rick. “She’ll get here when she get’s here.”
You aren’t the only ones waiting. A middle aged couple and an elderly man stand around nearby too, the man periodically checking his watch. Luckily, the bus arrives soon after. You were starting to freeze solid, you’re sure of it. A young man barely older than yourself gets off first. The middle aged couple spot him and he hugs them. A slightly older woman and her young daughter follow, the little girl throwing herself round the elderly man’s legs. People coming home for Christmas, you guess.
Miko is the last person off the bus, a long sports bag hanging from one hand and a rucksack over her shoulder. You shiver when you look at the sports bag, this time from nerves – her sword will be in there. Miko surveys the area before stepping off the bus. She crosses the tarmac to you and Rick.
“Rick,” she says frostily, greeting your companion. She looks at you with a mix of revulsion and dread. “You,” she mutters.
“Uh, hi,” you say with a fixed grin.
“I should be thankful you are looking like yourself again,” states Miko flatly.
“If it makes you feel better I worked out how to get rid of the imago I have and I’ve got rid of most of your memories,” you say cheerfully.
Miko steps in uncomfortably close. “Only most,” she says in a low hiss. “What about the rest?”
You stumble back a few steps. “I kept some stuff about how to fight,” you say, your mouth dry. You glance at the sports bag again. “You’re such a good fighter I thought it would help if I got in trouble.”
A ghost of a smile flickers at the edges of Miko’s mouth. Then she hides it, looking very stern and serious. “I worked very hard to gain that skill,” she says, a twinkle in her eye. “It is not right that you can gain it so freely and easily.” She does not, you note, tell you to remove those memories.
You really hope Charles doesn’t decide to apprentice you to her.
*****
Nash returns later on in the evening, some time after dinner. He stomps into the living room, his boots still shedding snow. You and Rosalie look up from the discussion you’d been having. Kali taught her a little about the ousiarchs earlier today and Rosalie was keen to put her new found knowledge to use in understanding the people staying in Olympia better.
There’s just the briefest sensation of the cold outside. “Sarry took so long Charles,” says Nash, his cigarette hanging loosely from the edge of his mouth. “Th’roads reel slow wit th’wethah’,” he explains a little incomprehensibly.
Charles smiles and nods. “There’s no rush Nash,” he explains. “Will shall be here for a few days yet. There’ll be plenty of time examine the book later.”
“I’ve already waited a couple of months sir,” you say carefully. “I can wait another couple of days.”
“Shuah, I’ll get th’dingus stowed ‘way safe like,” replies Nash. He lifts the heavy metal box he holds under one arm slightly. It’s only now that you realise it is just the right size to hold the Libra. “We ganna have a reel long tack soon. We’ll get yer all fix’d up.”
“Do you need help with that Mr Carnes,” says Rosalie bouncing up from her seat helpfully.
“I’ll manage gal,” says Nash. “T’anks fer th’off’r.”
“I could open the doors on the way for you if you want,” adds Rosalie.
Nash thinks about it for a second. He has the Libra stuffed under one arm and a second, heavy looking, bag held in his other hand. “Shuah, Shuah, why not?
*****
You curse yourself for the lack of foresight as you dig through the bags in your room. All the Christmas presents you bought were there, and you’d felt vaguely smug that you’d managed get them all bought ahead of time for a change. If only you’d remembered to buy gift wrap too. If only you had realised you’d forgotten about it a little earlier than a couple of hours before bedtime on Christmas Eve.
You managed to beg some off Charles and you’ve spent the last couple of hours haphazardly wrapping up presents. It’s not something that you are good at anyway, and rushing to do it means everything is a bit of a mess. It’s the thought that counts though, right? You check your watch and it actually is Christmas now, well, after midnight anyway. Better take the presents to the living room now rather than after you wake up.
You grab a couple of presents and head to the door to take them downstairs. In the corridor you notice some movement up ahead. It’s Rosalie. She looks about apprehensively, staring right through you. You realise you’ve thrown your cloak around her without thinking about it. You are about to pull it away from her when she opens one of the linen cupboards.
Not the one that leads downstairs to the rest of the house, but the one opposite, which you’ve never been through. Rosalie takes one last look around and darts through the door, quietly closing it behind her.
You haven’t given much thought to what happened in the hair salon for a couple of days, but now you see Rosalie sneaking about the house at night you start thinking about it again. Should you follow her and get to the bottom of what’s going on?  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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