At Leander’s confused look, I clarified. “She’s talking about a hamster.” When that only seemed to confound Leander further, I said, “Peaches is Aurelia’s current…master.” Gaia, how I hated that term. “He believes having a pet to care for is beneficial to Aurelia.”
“That…” Leander’s voice trailed off. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing.”
I grunted. “It’s either brilliant or a tragedy in the making. I haven’t figured out which.”
Leander nodded before his lips twisted and he asked, “What’s a scuttlebutt?”
Aurelia answered before I could. “A magnificent creature. They are fiercely loyal, and their teeth are sharp enough to rip through the strongest troll or ogre skin. Their tails are long and strong and can choke the life out of their victims. They are an animal worthy of a djinn.”
“Fucking hell,” Leander wheezed. “That sounds like a nightmare.”
“Indeed.” Aurelia appeared pleased by the assessment. “This necromancer is much more coherent than the last one.” Aurelia turned her attention to Leander and explained, “I left my first pet, Little Fang, in the other necromancer’s care. Navarre is surprisingly attentive to her considering he is not in his right mind.”
Leander’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he managed a brief “yeah? Okay.” Leander’s gaze strayed my direction, but having nothing to add, I could only shrug.
Aurelia’s attention remained fixated on Maggie. Head slightly cocked to the side; her eyes narrowed as she studied the medium-sized dog. “It is foolishly loyal.” Tipping her head the opposite direction, she contemplatively added, “Perhaps it does not truly perceive the threat before it. If so, I wonder if she would abandon her caretaker.” It was an interesting choice of words, and I was relieved Aurelia hadn’t accused Leander of being Maggie’smaster.
Leander stiffened, and I placed what I hoped was a placating hand on his shoulder. Clearing my throat, I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “Dogs are very loyal creatures. There are countless stories of them sacrificing their lives for their human…companions.”
Aurelia hummed. “An interesting, if foolish trait, especially given how fleeting their lives are.”
“Now wait just a damn minute!” Leander pulled away from me, his chest pushed out and shoulders thrown back. “Is that a threat? Are you threatening my dog?” Leander’s anger pushed away any and all fear. It looked like dogs weren’t the onlyfoolishlyloyal creatures standing on Leander’s porch.
“It is not a threat. It is a fact,” Aurelia calmly answered.
“She’s not a danger to them.”Gaia, please let that be true.I stepped forward, placing myself between Leander and Aurelia. “You have to understand that Aurelia has lived centuries.” I don’t think any of us knew for certain when Aurelia was created. The civilizations she’d alluded to made me dizzy just thinking about it. “All life is fleeting in her eyes. Yours, mine—hell, I bet fairies even seem short-lived to her.” Aurelia didn’t verbally agree or disagree.
Evidently bored with the current interaction, Aurelia said, “Did you know there is someone called theMaster of Beasts?”
“I… What?” My scrunched eyes and pursed lips indicated my confusion.
Aurelia ignored my mental grappling. “Wendall’s mate spoke of him. That is where he procured Wendall’s scuttlebutt.”
Dear Gaia, Aurelia was fixated on scuttlebutts.“No. I’ve never heard of such a…person?”
“Fairy,” Aurelia corrected. “The Master of Beasts is of Fairy.”
I supposed that made sense given that scuttlebutts were of fairy.
“Who the fuck is Wendall?” Leander asked, his voice indicating he’d moved closer to me at some point.
I waved him off. “It’s a long story, but the short of it is that he has a fairy mate and—”
“Bonded,” Aurelia corrected me. “Fairies term it bonding. I still am uncertain why it is done. The activity does not appear to be something anyone can explain to my satisfaction.”
My mouth slipped open, closing before any sound, let alone word, could form. Quiet descended as Aurelia continued staring at Maggie, her gaze flicking to another dog now and again. Finally, I managed a short “I don’t think I have anything to add.”
“Ditto,” Leander said.
Aurelia didn’t respond. She continued her odd staring competition with Maggie. At some point, Aurelia must have been satisfied. With a smirk, she stated, “You are a far more interesting creature,” before she vanished.
“Never a proper goodbye,” I said on a sigh. I wasn’t always relieved when Aurelia flitted off to parts unknown, but today I was.
“Fucking shit. That was… I don’t have the words.” Leander leaned against the outer cabin wall.
“Aurelia can be a little frustrating.” I wasn’t certain that was the correct word, but it fit well enough for now.
“That’s what you’ve got?Frustrating?What a load of shit.” Leander gave a full-body shudder. “I might just be a pathetic necromancer, but even I can feel the juice she’s packing.” Leander shook his head before his trembling fingers pulled at his beard. “It’s weird, like a shaken can of soda just waiting for someone to pop the tab.”
