Gilded Latten Bones

55

My heart jumped into my throat. There was only one person this could be. Despite all my thought, I wasn't ready.

So while I headed into panic mode, the Windwalker contributed by coming down to see what was going on.

The amusement exuded by the Dead Man was overwhelming.

Singe opened the door. Kolda came in. "Hey, Garrett, I think I found remedies for both your friends."

"Good on you, Brother Kolda. Tell me about it." My relief was so huge I was about to pee my pants.

More amusement.

Kolda produced a half dozen small bottles. "These brown ones are for your poisoned friend. The one with the green stopper will help his memory. The one with the red stopper will work on the poison. The one with the clear stopper will make him piss. A lot. He'll want a lot of water. Let him drink as much as he wants. It'll flush his body out. The blue bottles are for your sick friend. I wrote the instructions out so you don't have to remember them."

Kolda was pleased with himself. I would have to give him some strokes. He had done good.

Singe was still standing by the door. I said, "You want to take these instructions? I'll lose them just going down the hall."

"Put the paper on my desk. I'm busy." She began sliding bolts back.

I panicked all over again. And with no more need. When I shambled back from putting the medicines and instructions on Singe's desk, with the latter carefully weighted down by the former, I found Kolda pressed back against the far wall of the hall, completely rattled. DeeDee, Crush, and Miss Tea filled the hall with bounce, beauty, and chatter. DeeDee was in a blood sport mood. She had Kolda picked for the weakest game on the plain and thought he needed tormenting.

I blurted, "What are you three doing here?" Ever the boy with the golden tongue. "I'm glad I made a good impression, but. ."

Miss Tea moved into my personal space. I cringed back into Singe's office. She chucked me under the chin. "We have the evening off. We couldn't stay away."

Crush came in close, too, but she was just looking past me.

Strafa Algarda descended the stair again, drawn by the hubbub. She began to glower. Likewise, Singe, from the doorway end of the hallway. I said, "Morley is in the room on the left, right there."

"Thank you."

Crush asked, "This is where you live? You must do pretty good."

"I was lucky on a couple of jobs. And I work with people who are the best at what they do."

Singe kept scowling. She was seriously irked about something.

Crush looked at her, Kolda now getting his breath and color back, and the Windwalker. She saw something I didn't. She said, "I see books. Can I look?"

Singe gave a grudging nod. She may have gotten advice from the Dead Man.

"Sure. Come on. They aren't mine, though, so don't touch."

Some kind of joyful reunion commenced in the other room. Morley Dotes and Miss Tea were old friends after all.

Crush asked, "Are they the witch's books?"

"The witch?"

"The woman at the end of the hall. It's obvious."

"She might resent being called a witch. She's a lot more. Height of the Hill. A Windwalker. No. The books are Singe's. The one who let you in."

"Really?" Amazed.

"Truly. She is the smartest person I know, human or rat. I couldn't survive without her." No need to mention the Dead Man.

He had to be in heaven, slithering through the secrets buried in all these fresh minds. He'd never use what he found, likely, but he would feel good knowing.

He had to be in heaven, complete with this whole mess. He was learning a lot of the secrets of this dark old city. Or so it must seem after a long dry spell.

Be careful, Garrett. That crumpet will fall in love with you for Singe's books. More amusement.

I asked Crush, "Didn't you want to see Morley?"

"Not so much. DeeDee is enough competition for Mike."

I didn't follow. I heard the front door open and close. Now what? I went to look. Crush crowded up to peek past me.

Penny Dreadful had arrived. She was loaded with artist's stuff. She froze when she saw me looking. I couldn't resist. I winked. Her gaze shifted to Crush, who wasn't much older than she. She scowled. Crush glared. Penny headed for the door to the Dead Man's room. Kolda opened it. I asked Crush, "Do you know Penny?"

"Only by type."

"Kid has lived a rough life." I sketched it.

Crush was not impressed. She had some background of her own.

"Singe, how did Penny know we needed her help?"

"I have skills, partner. I sent a message." She gave Crush a look that should have caused bone bruises.

She was not feeling charitable toward any female today.

The Dead Man finally clued me to something he should have mentioned as soon as I came into range. It is her estrus time and today is its peak. She has taken drugs to suppress the effects. Those are not entirely efficacious where the psychological indications are concerned. I do enjoy these newcomers. I had quite forgotten how colorful some of your acquaintances can be.

Crush said, "She was jealous when she saw me."

"What?" The Windwalker? Singe? Penny?

That roused the logic beast and got it shambling. It fed on things that had been happening the past few days.

Singe no longer consciously entertained the adolescent fantasies she had suffered when first we teamed up but I was top rat around here. She might have formed a deep down attachment that got the salt in the raw wound treatment when she was in heat.

Time to be careful.

She was taking some potent drugs. The rat thugs who were in and out never responded to her. Dollar Dan had been nursing a yearning for Singe since John Stretch took over as number-one rat gangster. Dan would be watching for an opportunity.

All right. Singe didn't like anyone female right now because they were competition for the boss rat's attention. Tinnie must be way up on her transitory list. But Tinnie wasn't here. Strafa Algarda was. And Crush, who was just a kid.

Crush slipped past, stepped down the hall, glanced back, gave me an unwarranted "gotcha!" look that I would have expected from DeeDee first.

That had to be for her own benefit. She thought she had proven that I could be manipulated even when I was trying to be a good guy.

Singe smoldered.

How long would this last? Would this be her worst day? I hoped.

I then realized that she had not left the door.

Oh, God and all His Saints defend me! All I needed was for the redhead to walk into this menagerie. The only female in the place Tinnie would trust might be Penny. And that would change the instant she got a look at how Penny had grown.

Someone knocked. Singe started undoing bolts.