Sariel blinked slowly but then said, “You are implying that themostri ribelliare using faerie portals for their travel?”
“Yes! That!” Seymour grinned. “Would sure damn explain why we’ve been having so much trouble findin’ ’em. Can we hitch a ride over there to look? How big is Faerie?”
“Endless, much like our own universe.”
“Great.” Seymour cringed miserably. “Uh, you think Absolis and Vilanos might have any ideas about how to maybe narrowendlessdown a wee bit?”
“We can certainly ask.” Sariel put the bowl of eggs aside so he could pull out his phone. “I will attempt contacting them immediately.”
The silence was tense.
Sariel hung up and then dialed again.
More tense, awful silence.
“They are not answering.” Sariel frowned deeply. “Their voicemails are also full. I will try sending a text message.”
“Okay.” Seymour scrubbed his hands over his face. “Just in case they decide to be less than fuckin’ helpful and don’t reply, do we know anybody who knows a bunch about magical flowers?”
Sariel actually smiled.
“Yup. Okay. And now I see that was a very silly question.”
After wakingDay and having a quick breakfast, they headed to Uranian Flora.
Seymour wore the clothes Zolrya had given him, including the sunflower. Yes, there was still a chance it used to be a person,but he’d rather risk the squick of that than Zolrya’s wrath if he happened to see Seymour not wearing it.
After all, he had a pretty good feeling Zolrya wouldn’t be happy about that.
The front door of the flower shop opened on its own, and old Seymour would have been absolutely freaked out and probably screamed or run away or both. But new Seymour only tipped his head politely as he stepped inside with Day on his shoulder and Sariel by his side.
After all, he didn’t want to be rude to the magical flower shop.
Neil was stocking small potted flowers on a display shelf, and there was an older man behind the counter. He was a stout and graying version of Neil with a big beard, and he wore small round glasses. He seemed to be arguing with Izba via the menu hanging over his head.
“See? It’s like I said.” The man sighed. “That!Thatright there! You can’t just open doors for people!”
WHY NOT?
“Because people might start to wonder why doors are openin’ up on their own!”
IT IS NOT ON THEIR OWN
I AM DOING IT
I WISH TO BE FRIENDLY
The man groaned loudly, the sound of a frustrated man who had suffered many similar arguments and always been on the losing end.
“Oh hey!” Neil smiled when he saw them and waved a flower pot. “What’s up, guys?” He gave Day a sweet smile. “And Miss Day, of course.”
Day giggled, waving back. “Hello!”
“Howdy, y’all,” Seymour said. “Nice to see everybody is alive and kickin’. Or, uh, hauntin’. Haunted house. Eh, yeah. You. Uh. Whatever. You know what I mean.”
The floorboards rumbled.
I AM NOT HAUNTED
