Ghost Light

Chapter 32

I was halfway up Joysen Hill when I realized I’d forgotten to ask Kaye about the name Inari. I scrubbed a gloved hand over my face and sighed. It looked like I had another question for Torn. I hoped the cat sidhe was holding court in the alley beside Club Nexus. I wasn’t in the mood for a scavenger hunt.

I spied a window display showing off a huge jar of honey at a local tea shop and pulled up short. I hadn’t yet thanked Marvin for saving my hide back at the cemetery and I owed the kid a bridgewarming gift.

I ducked inside the shop and haggled over the honey. The shop clerk had been surprised when I pointed to the massive jar on display, but when I flashed a handful of money I’d made on the recent missing persons case, she was happy to oblige. She even gift wrapped it for me.

The honey was heavy, but I found a renewed bounce in my step as I headed down the side street to Marvin’s new digs. This was one errand I didn’t dread. In fact, I couldn’t wait to see the kid’s face when he unwrapped the one-hundred and sixty ounce container.

I grinned and started my descent down the scree covered embankment in pursuit of my troll friend. I didn’t have far to search. Marvin stood beside his new home, washing clothes downstream from the bridge. I made plenty of noise as I scrambled down that last yard of loose stones. Marvin turned to me and smiled wide.

“Poison Ivy,” he said. Marvin hung the wet clothing over a rope he’d tied to the bridge and wiped his hands down the front of his pants. “You feeling better?”

“Yes, good as new,” I said. “I’m alive, thanks to you. I don’t know when you started following us, but your idea to throw an entire pixie nest at The Piper really saved the day. I owe you one.”

After leaving Marvin’s that night, I’d felt like someone had been watching us. I’d assumed it was a cat sidhe, or maybe one of the vamps, curious about why I smelled like the inside of a ghoul. Instead, our tail had been a teenaged troll with a killer throwing arm. He’d chucked the pixie grenade that downed The Piper long enough for me to disrupt the Dance Macabre and free the children.

“Aw, was nothing,” he said.

The kid blushed and crossed one leg behind the other. I wanted to reach out and give him a hug, but settled for pulling the gift out of the shopping bag.

“Here,” I said. “I promised you a proper housewarming gift the next time I stopped by.”

Marvin’s face lit up and he forgot all about his embarrassment. I watched him tear away wrapping paper with large hands. His smile grew when he saw what was inside.

“Thank you, Ivy,” he said.

I beamed back at Marvin, glad he liked the gift. As an orphaned bridge troll, I didn’t think the kid got many presents. I’d have to stop by again soon with some of his favorite candy.

“Just don’t eat it all in one sitting,” I said.

Marvin opened the jar and started scooping honey into his mouth with bare hands. Now that he didn’t have to worry about offending Hob’s sense of decorum and fanatic need for cleanliness, the kid could eat his honey in unrestrained sticky glee.

I missed seeing Marvin around the Emporium, but I was happy for him. He’d garnered the courage to leave the safe confines of Kaye’s shop and found a place to call his own. I swallowed against the growing lump in my throat and flashed Marvin a smile. The kid was growing up.

I said my goodbyes, telling Marvin I had an important visit with the cat sidhe Sir Torn, and promised to return soon. I would have liked to have spent the day hanging out with the kid, but I had to chat with my new allies.

As I climbed up the embankment, a scraggly cat sat watching from the street.

“Hear that?” I asked. “You can tell Sir Torn I’m on my way.”

Instead of scampering off to inform Sir Torn of my arrival, the cat blinked at me. He dropped down, spreading his hind legs in an L position with one leg up in the air, and started licking his balls.

“Ew, really?” I asked. “You think this is a good time for that? This is exactly why I will never have a cat. My unicorn would never do something so vile.”

The cat stopped and glared at me, then returned to its grooming. I looked directly at the creature with my second sight to see if it was a cat sidhe in disguise, but the cat was mundane. I shook my head and ambled on toward Club Nexus. I had a date with the Lord of Cats.

As I walked, I considered the upcoming meeting. I hoped I didn’t stumble on Sir Torn in flagrante. I didn’t think I could keep the smirk off my face if I caught the cat sidhe licking his furry bits.

I chuckled and sauntered up Joysen Hill.