“The boy’s friends were disappointed. The next day, they gathered all the money they had and gave it to the boy. He went back to the nymph’s house with the money. The boy offered her the full sum if she would tell him the difference between sirens and banshee. She said that she did not wish to discuss it.
“The boy and his friends were not deterred. One of the friends worked for a jeweler. He stole some gems of blue, knowing that sirens liked blue gems, and gave it to the boy. The boy brought these to the nymph’s house and asked her once more what the difference was between a banshee and a siren. She accepted the gem and said ‘I do not wish to speak of this, but I see that you will not stop asking until you have the answer. So if you meet me in three days at the pond, and bring a bouquet befitting a nymph, I will show you the difference between sirens and banshee. Bring all that are interested in knowing the difference, for I do not wish to discuss it after that.’
“The boys spent the next two days collecting flowers. They found these: red roses, white oleanders, yellow irises, purple amaranths, and black dahlias. Those are the flowers of nymphs. They did not tell others what they were doing. They were afraid adults may interfere and that other kids would share in the credit for their work. On the third day, they went to the pond and met the nymph. She asked ‘Is this everyone who wishes to know the difference?’ The boys assured her that it was. She said ‘Please move together. I want to make sure everyone hears so that I do not have to speak of this again. The boys gathered close. The nymph said ‘I see that you have made the bouquet, and that you included all of the correct flowers. Therefore, I will show you the difference. The nymph leaned in close to the boys, and …” Athian leaned in toward the center of the table, threw up his hands, and yelled at the top of his lungs.
Rapture started and gripped Visor’s arm.
Cespenar bumped his goblet, spilling some mead onto himself.
Ranie glared at Athian, unimpressed.
Other patrons in the tavern stared in surprise or annoyance, but as Athian broke into laughter, they went back to their own conversations.
Visor couldn’t help but laugh. “What the hell?”
Rapture asked, “What happened?”
Athian held out his hands. “We don’t know.”
Sorana said, “She killed them. She was a banshee.”
Visor gently patted Sorana’s thigh. “Could be. It could also mean that you shouldn’t annoy an adult that says she doesn’t want to be bothered. It is a parable, by the way.”
“No.” Ranie held her face with both hands. She’d had too much to drink. “It is nothing. It means exactly what it doesn’t say. It’s just a damned story. The whole point is that there is no difference between a banshee and a siren.”
A familiar voice came from behind Visor. “I thought the point was you should just keep your ho mouth shut!”
Ranie’s face lit up. “Hi, Ev.”
“Hey Meole!”
Chapter 43
Evan
Evan hugged Visor from behind. “Hey Donnie, what’s up?” She looked at Rapture. “Oh, it’s Rap! You still have the same siren? I thought you were supposed to switch them out every couple of years.”
Rapture giggled. “Hi, Evan.”
“It doesn’t really work like that. You don’t even …” Oh, never mind. “How’s Charles?”
“Still living with mom and dad—still the baby. He’s a foreman with Justin now.” Evan walked around the table, signaling to a waitress for more drinks. She shoved Cespenar aside to make room next to Ranie and plopped down. She swung her head back to get her shoulder length, dirty-blond hair out of her face. She was Sorana’s height, but had smoother features and a softer build. Her aqua eyes grew big. “Wow! You have a ninja? That’s awesome, Donnie!”
Rapture snickered. “Donnie.”
Visor said, “This is Sorana Singrin. She’s just dressed like this to keep a low profile tonight.”
“Oh.” Evan sounded disappointed. “Then what do you do?”
Sorana said, “I’m a ninja.”
“Hugh?”
“Ninja.”
“I know, but … wait—the kind that steals stuff or the kind that kills stuff?”
“Yes, and you are Ev?”
“Yeah, ‘Ev’ because ‘Evan’ is too long and Ranie’s too damn lazy to—holy shit!” Evan jumped to her feet and hopped back. “There’s a tiger under our table!”
Visor said, “Leopard.”
Ranie said, “Yeah I was going to say something, but … didn’t.”
“Oh, sorry, he’s mine. He’s harmless. We call him Burke.” Rapture over-pronounced ‘Burke’.
Evan patted her chest. “Oh, my heart.”
Ranie said, “And it’s ‘Evan’ because everyone is too lazy for Evangeline Puttana Mourning.”
“Puttana Moore.” Evan sat back down.
Rapture asked, “What?”
Ranie said, “I don’t think so.”
Evan faced off with Ranie. “What! Just ‘cause you screwed him first doesn’t make him yours.”
Visor asked, “You’re married?”
Ranie said, “Ev, I just meant that because you never had the wedding, your name isn’t changed.”
Rapture smiled broadly. “You’re engaged?”
Evan waved off Ranie and spoke to Rapture. “Was. The dork is with Talon now.”
Visor said, “Really? Funny that we were just talking about Talon, and his difference siren.”
Ranie said, “I believe he’s being held against his will.”
“Talon’s got a lot of prisoners out at the watermill. Wish Sheriff Kyle would do something about it.” Evan air-quoted ‘sheriff’. “If I ever got that bastard alone …”
Ranie rolled her eyes. “You’d what?”
Evan said, “Hey! I took Essex’s self-defense class and passed it with a ‘C’!”
Ranie said, “Minus.”
Visor asked, “So that qualifies you to stab people in the back while they’re not looking?”
Ranie narrowed her eyes. “It’s a genetic gift.”
Evan swung her hands wildly. “Who knows what Quenton is doing out there? They probably have him locked up with that difference nymph.”
Cespenar ducked to doge Evan’s swinging gestures.
Rapture said, “Siren.”
Evan said, “What?”
A waitress delivered complimentary waters for Evan and Ranie. “Hello Evan.”
“Pinky!”
“Anything else?”
Visor asked, “What distillates do you have?”
Pinky said, “Um, I guess I—”
Evan said, “He wants a Myre Brandy or green grape brandy. That’s just what he calls it.”
Visor said, “It actually means whiskey and a lot of other spirits too, but—”
Evan ignored him. “The redhead needs a lighter mead. Just mix whatever your regular is with half fruit juice. A small rum for Meole. And she needs something to eat. Whatever bread you have is fine.” She pointed at Athian. “Beer.” She looked sideways at Sorana. “What do ninja’s drink?”
Sorana said, “Water is fine.”
“You don’t drink?”
“I can. It is wasted.”
“Hugh?”
Visor said, “She has a high metabolism. She’ll take a dry red. Put it on my tab.”
“And Pinky, I’ll take a Mackenzien Grotto. You know how I like it.” Evan patted Pinky on the rump. “What, Rap?”
“What?”
Evan said, “What do you mean ‘what’? You said something just a minute ago. Then Pinky took our order. And Sorlana said she doesn’t drink.”
Rapture said, “Oh. A difference ‘siren’, not a difference ‘nymph’.”
“Ah.” Evan nodded absently as she surveyed the tavern.
“I have to go pee.” Cespenar flew to the door.
Sorana said, “I do
drink.”
Athian asked, “How did you get the cat in?”
Rapture said, “Ranie knows the owner.”
Visor said, “Wait—you’re engaged?”
“Yeah, one of Ranie’s friends.” Evan air-quoted the word ‘friends’. “Ol' card shark here lost me in a poker game.”
Visor asked, “A game? To get married?”
“Oh, no, it was a week of maid services.” Evan air quoted ‘maid services’. “So miss ‘I never lose’ here blows the game, I go to his house for a week, and next thing you know, somehow I’m engaged.”
Ranie said, “I never lose a night of poker, or a match of Archon. That was a single hand of poker—and pure chance.”
Evan complained to Athian. “They didn’t even look at all the cards.”
Ranie said, “It was all blind, dumbass, open card. The turn sealed it.” She started smacking the table as if dealing. “Him: Queen of diamonds, nine of diamonds; me: five of spades, eight of clubs; Community: jack of diamonds; King of clubs; Queen of spades; three of spades; and the river, which didn’t matter!” Her coordination was notably impaired.
Athian said, “I guess it didn’t.”
Ranie leaned back in her chair to see Athian past Evan. “It was still a good bet, though—what Evan makes in six months against one week of work. It’s too bad, though. We could have used the cash.”
Evan scoffed. “Yeah, poor you—sat on your ass and my back stung for two weeks.”
“If that’s the worst thing …” Ranie mumbled the rest.
Rapture asked, “What was he like?”
Evan said, “Oh, he’s a guy. You know, just a guy.”
Athian said, “Oh, yeah.”
Evan smacked a deck of cards on the table. “Hey, Sorlana, I’ll take you on.”
Athian said, “I’m in!”
Rapture looked so sweet … her hair mostly tucked into her hood … her freckled cheeks framing a warm, subtle smile. Visor hugged her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
She turned and kissed him back.
He moved his other hand to hug her, but stopped at her chest.
Suddenly, everything was strange.
Rapture pulled back, a quizzical expression on her face. “Do you …”
Visor said, “Yeah, it’s like … we just did this.”
“I … can’t even … talk.”
“It’s just déjà-vu … our brains trying to predict … it’s biological variance … just sometimes things get out of sync.”
“Don, this … is weird.”
They clutched each other. “It can be—” Visor forced himself to ignore the feedback. “It can be scary but it is perfectly natural and doesn’t mean anything is wrong.”
Things partially fell back into sync.
Evan said, “Why not just kill yourself?”
Sorana said, “No one else has to.”
Visor said, “Hey, guys! What!”
Evan seemed a bit startled. “Well … she said she wanted to die”
Visor said, “I didn’t hear that.” Or had he heard it and not processed it yet?
Athian said, “She did. It’s not the first time, Visor.”
Visor said, “Well it’s the first time I heard.”
Rapture said, “Me too.”
Everything fell out of sync again.
“No, you have been there.” Athian studied him closely. “What’s wrong with you?”
Visor couldn’t form the words. He was with Sorana, but it wasn’t quite her—she wasn’t pretty, and she had blood smeared on her face. They were in snow.
Cespenar landed on the table and flashed strobe lights. “Who’s winning?”
The déjà-vu was suddenly gone. Everything fell back into sync.
Rapture relaxed her grip.
Pinky returned with the drinks.
Chapter 44
Ignas
Evan put a toothpick in the ante. “And she said that she’s probably just a ho-bag like that Ranie. And I said, ‘Lady, no one’s a ho-bag like Ranie.’”
Ranie said, “Some of us are multi-talented. And some of us have no discernable skills.”
“Yeah, and so then I said, ‘Lady, you’d might as well—’” Evan looked up at someone. “Oh, that’s the asshole that raped Ranie.” She said it loud enough that people at the next table probably heard.
Rapture turned around. There was a large group of men walking in.
Don said, “What! Really?”
Evan snarled. “Asshole.”
Ranie said, “Oh, I was drunk. And I guess he was drinking too.” She put her head down and said something too quietly for Rapture to hear.
“That’s bullshit! He raped you.” Evan’s lips formed a pursed frown as she tapped her cards on the table. She looked past Rapture. “The broner-spanker!” She stood up. “Yeah, you, Ignas. That’s right. The piano is on the stage. Are you going to play it?”
Athian asked, “What happened to ‘the elephant under the table’?”
Don said, “I guess the ‘tiger’ ate him.”
Rapture squinted to see the details of the stage. “Isn’t it an organ, anyway?”
Some man in Ignas’ group said, “Crazy cunt”. Some mumbling and laughing followed.
Cespenar covered his ears.
Don tensed up.
Ranie was hanging on to the edge of the table and slouching back in her chair. It looked as if she might pass out. She looked like Don had earlier, during the deja-vu.
Athian said, “It’s an idiom, Hun.”
Rapture said, “Not an idiom I want to hear.”
“What?”
The group of men sat at a round table across the aisle. There were maybe ten of them.
Evan said, “Hey Ignas, are all the sows busy tonight? I see you got the fancy boys.”
One of the men looked at Evan, waved her off and called Pinky over.
Evan yelled something else that referred to Ignas’ kid, but the table ignored her.
Don hushed her, and Evan resumed playing cards.
Athian said, “Oh, the ‘piano on the stage’ is an idiom—an expression—not that c-word.”
Rapture said, “Oh, okay.”
Don gave Sorana pointers on how to play her hand.
Rapture absently petted Burke.
Mackenzie's was getting livelier now. A couple danced on the stage, near the unkept and apparently rarely used organ.
Ranie sat up, more alert now. She took a slow drink, wiped her mouth, and said something to Evan.
Evan smacked the table and breathed heavily. Her face turned red. She stood and began taunts anew, drawing the attention of the surrounding tables.
Rapture said, “Evan!”
Don said, “Evan! Now isn’t the time!”
Evan was now yelling to Ignas. “And your cave-whore is sucking off the pigs while you’re out packing donkey shit.”
Ignas slammed a mug on his table and stood up.
Don hopped up and pushed in front of Rapture.
Sorana was soon crouched beside him.
Half of Ignas’s friends stood up. Some maneuvered forward, holding wine mugs or other objects menacingly.
Burke growled under the table, prompting Ignas and some of his friends to draw small weapons.
Athian held up his hands. “Whoa, now. Let’s all just take a second and calm down.”
Sorana said, “Forty-two” and traced figures on the back of Don’s leg. She pulled out a throwing star. “One hundred if they flee.”
All of those men were about to die. Nature took over. Rapture emitted high pitched wail—at the upper end of the pitch range most human men could hear. It was effective in drawing attention. Rapture stepped in front of Sorana, pulled back her hood, and released the draw string of her cloak, allowing it to fall the ground. She straightened so that the symphonic armor would show off her figure. She waved her arms to spread out her scen
t more quickly.
Ignas met her gaze. The fight left his eyes.
Mackenzie's fell silent.
Rapture stepped into the isle. All eyes followed her.
Ignas relaxed and carefully laid his dagger on the table. He sat and dropped his head in shame. He stared into his mug, and the rest of his round table followed suit.
Athian was on one knee.
Don pressed his chest and gasped for air.
Rapture grabbed her cloak and returned to her seat.
Sound slowly resumed in Mackenzie’s.
Evan gawked at her with a slack jaw. “Damn, girl! Beautiful much?”
Rapture said, “Sorry. Maybe I overdid it.”
Athian said, “Rap, that was amazing. I still feel it.”
Evan said, “That outfit makes your boobs huge.”
Don said, “It’s not the outfit.”
Ranie said, “Hey Ev, remember that time when your aunt Osanne’s baby wouldn’t nurse.”
Evan said, “Oh yeah. And her boobs ballooned up like … balloons?”
Ranie pointedly looked at Don. “It’s called engorged, Ev. When the baby doesn’t suckle properly, a nursing woman’s breasts become engorged with milk. Your aunt had to put a warm cloth on her areola and to massage to express it. Otherwise, they remain swollen and painful.”
Don stood. “I’ll be right back. Beer is passing through.”
Ranie smirked.
A woman stopped at the table and put two half-coppers in front of Rapture. “If it pleases the Engel.” She curtsied—poorly. Her dress was ragged and her hair matted.
Rapture said, “Danke shön.”
The woman’s face lit up, weathered and dirty as it was. “Bitte shön.” She left.
Evan inspected the coins. “What’s the point? Just keep it for a bath.”
Athian said, “That was probably all she had.”
Evan said, “Yeah, that’s what I mean.” Her expression became smug as her eyes followed movement down the aisle.
Ignas was leaving.
Rapture said, “She assumed I am associated with the Sanctuary.”
Evan started to organize a new card game but was interrupted as someone dressed in a kitchen service outfit laid a bouquet of roses in front of Rapture. “Compliments of Mackenzie's”.
Chapter 45
Engelfire
Donations to the Sanctuary piled up on the table. The other tables observed them, some more overtly than others.
Visor talked Rapture into switching chairs so that he shielded her from the isle. It was getting crowded, and there was a lot of chaotic movement near their table. A flautist played at a table that he couldn’t see. “We should leave.”