So someone had gotten to him.Or something, but even a Were moving at speed couldn’t have managed it that fast, not down that narrow fissure.Had someone come in the back way, then, through his escape hatch, and surprised him?
No, that way had still been covered by the ward he’d set himself.I remembered my counterpart blowing it out to allow the kids to escape.Otherwise, she could have gotten through it, but they would have been prevented.
Just like anyone trying to come through from the other side.
“We told Caleb about it when he was here the other day, and he said—” Sophie began, and then abruptly shut up.
“Caleb was here?”I asked.
“Uh, yeah.He came by a few times.Cyrus was… not happy to see him.”
No, probably not.Cyrus was more than done with Hargroves and the rest.He and Caleb usually got on well enough, but this wasn’t a great time to push it.
“Caleb is helping to train you,” I said to the girls.“With me sidelined, of course, he’d want to be here.You haven’t been learning anything—”
Sophie burst out laughing before biting it off.“Sorry.I just… we’re learning all sorts of things.”
“It’s not boring,” Kimmie agreed.
“Anyway, he dropped off some coats and jackets,” Sophie added.“He said you wanted them?”
It took me a minute.“Yeah, that was supposed to be our next lesson, before…” I waved a hand at the general crap fest of the past week.
“They look like they came from a thrift store,” Jen said.She was a fashionista, or would like to be, and it didn’t sound like she’d been impressed with Caleb’s selection.
“It doesn’t matter.They’re just learner coats,” I told them.
“For what?”
“Well, if you’re going to be hanging out in places like Tartarus, you’re going to need protection.And not the stuff some people will be happy to sell you at inflated prices on the street.You need to be able to trust your defense, and that means enchanting it yourselves.”
“Are… are you talking about war mage coats?”Sophie whispered, her eyes huge.
“You have something better to do today?”
“Hell, no!”
Chapter Thirty-Five
The coats were a hit and caused a stir as everyone sorted through the pile the girls had dragged out of a closet and displayed on the dirt, to figure out which one they wanted.That included the Weres, although they couldn’t enchant them and didn’t need them.But they wanted to be part of the club, and Caleb had bought out the store, so everyone had fun picking out something they liked.
“It’s like Harry Potter and the wand scene!”Kimmie said excitedly.“I feel like I’m at Ollivander’s!”
“If they’re waiting on the coats to choose one of ‘em, they’re gonna be waiting a while,” Caleb commented dryly, startling me.
I was in the pool, my arms crossed on the side, floating by the edge while watching the show, so I hadn’t noticed him walking up.Or skulking up, because he must have come from around the RV, and he kept shooting worried glances at the house.Cyrus was back in the kitchen, having finished his call, but had mostly stayed inside working on lunch.Feeding people calmed him down, and he’d looked like he could use some of that.
“Hey,” I said.“Long time no see.”
“Not my fault,” Caleb whispered.“And what the hell happened to your hair?”
“The girls got hold of it.Whaddya think?”
“I think you look like my niece, and she’s six.You just need some plastic barrettes.”
I patted my cornrows, which were cute if a bit tight.“You should have seen it before.”
“Yeah, well, that’s the big trick, isn’t it?I’ve been trying to talk to you for days, only your man is a little...surly.”
