“I’m quite sane except when it comes to uncouth boys slamming the knocker at odd hours of the night.”
Footsteps accompanied the voice. I gingerly leaned over and noticed a set of winding stairs that followed the curved stone wall to our left. A man older than fifty strolled down them, one hand pressed against the stone. His graying hair was so short as to be almost completely shaved off, and he wore a tweed-looking suit with worn, pointed shoes. The light from the torches reflected off his large, round glasses, blocking my ability to see his eyes.
A crooked smile lay on his lips as he stopped halfway down the stairs and looked up. His eyebrows shot up, and he took a hurried step to the edge of the stairs. “You’re not children!”
Ramaro snorted. “That might be closer to the truth than you think if you’re talking about the captain.”
Marc gave the man a lazy salute. “And a good morning to you, Eldric. I see you’re well.”
Eldric readjusted his glasses and sniffed the air with his large nose. “And you’re still a fool. What are you doing up there?”
Marc stretched his arms out on either side of him and swept his eyes over our cage. “Just admiring your latest trap. Simple, but effective.”
“If you’re a simpleton. . .” Ramaro muttered.
Our host’s gaze settled on me. He removed his glasses and blinked at me. “Is that a woman?”
Marc chuckled. “In the soft flesh. Allow me to introduce Miss Rose Larkin.”
Eldric bowed his head. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Larkin.”
I shifted and winced when the cage bars bit into my butt. “Nice to meet you, too, but could we do this on the ground?”
Eldric sighed and replaced his glasses before he proceeded down the stairs. “Wait a moment while I get you down.”
He reached the bottom and slammed the bottom of his fisted hand against the wall. One of the stones sank inward, and the sound of grinding gears came from behind the barrier. The cage groaned and began a slow descent to the ground.
“Still using those old machines?” Marc mused as we neared the floor.
Eldric clasped his hands behind his back and strolled over to us. “Magic can’t be outdone by a perfectly good pair of cogs.” The cage settled on the floor, and he used a key to unlock the door. He opened the bars and offered me a hand. “My apologies for the rough welcome, miss.”
I accepted his hand, and he helped me out. “Please, call me Rose.”
Eldric dropped his gaze to my stomach, and his eyes lit up. “And my apologies to the child. When is it due?”
Ramaro popped his head out. “Right now!”
Eldric’s face drooped, and he turned his nose up. “So you’ve come, as well.”
“And I’m starting to wish I hadn’t,” Ramaro mused as he jumped out of the pouch and onto the rough floor. He flicked his tongue at our surroundings. “You’ve cleaned up the place.”
Our host scoffed. “Not I. That’s Gisele’s doing.”
“Who’s that?” I asked him.
“My maid,” he revealed as he clasped his hands behind his back. “She’s new and eager, and I just can’t keep her out of anything.”
“Even your lab?” Marc wondered as he climbed out of the cage to stand beside me.
Eldric’s face drooped. “There are limits to what I can tolerate, Marc. On that topic, what were you doing on my front step at this hour banging on my door?”
“Can’t I see an old friend?”
“Not at five in the morning.” He paused and leaned toward Marc. “What’s happened to your eye patch? It’s crooked?”
Marc covered his left eye with one hand. “And about ready to fall off. Jaeger used his hand to dispel your work.”
Eldric wrinkled his nose. “That fiend would destroy a work of art. I suppose you’ve come to have it patched up.”
