“A lot has changed.”
“Sadly, no change for me.” Mulligan opened his door wider so she could see inside.
His room was painted black, with a plush black rug on the floor, black blankets and pillows on the bed, and all shades drawn closed—the only light was from lit candles on the mantel and bedside table, as well as the glow of a fire in the fireplace. In front of the fireplace was the gargoyle that Calisa had seen Jack lug into the house when she’d first arrived.
Mulligan heaved a mighty sigh. “It was an accident.”
She raised both her eyebrows.
“In my hubris, I attempted a feat beyond my skill. My beloved Zef paid the price.”
“You, um, turned him into stone?” she ventured. She knew she should be horrified, but wow. This revelation chased all other questions out of her head, at least temporarily. “And you came here to…” She trailed off, hoping he’d fill in the blank. She’d secretly half decided he was a vampire, based on his pale skin and only coming out at night, but now? Could still be a vampire. Could be an evil wizard. Could be an incompetent wizard. Or a chocolate-fueled incompetent evil vampire wizard…
She wished she knew more about magic, beyond:Surprise! It exists!A nice YouTube video titled “Everything You Knew About the World Was a Lie But It Will Be Okay” would have been very helpful. Bonus points if it had animation.
“I required peace and quiet for my studies,” Mulligan explained. “I have been devoting myself to seeking a remedy. To my despair, all attempts have failed.”
“Your attempts included hot chocolate?”
“My theory is emotion will break the spell. If Zef can understand and accept that I never meant to harm him, that I love him more than words, then he should be able to free himself. And so, I have been striving to create a potion that will convey that. Hot chocolate, I hoped, was the perfect solution—it’s rich and decadent, yet with a taste of sweet innocence—but to my overwhelming sadness, it had no effect.” Another mightysigh.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Doubtful, but it’s kind of you to offer. Perhaps Zef and I are doomed to be the subject of ballads, to live on immortal in the tales of those who sing of sorrow and loss.” He sank into the velvet chair beside the fireplace and laid one pale hand on Zef’s stone wings. The other held the slice of cake, the fork neatly between his long fingers. “You are welcome to keep me company, if you wish, while I ease my sorrow with this confection.”
Calisa pulled the desk chair closer to the fireplace and sat. She stared at Zef, wondering if he was aware he was stone, if he could hear or see. She hoped not. She hoped it was like being asleep and that someday he’d wake.
Mulligan tasted the cake and sighed happily. “Delightful.”
“Thank you. I…” She trailed off. In the fireplace, the flames danced across the logs. Out of the corner of her eye, it looked like a bird—flames for feathers, darker flames for legs, a wisp of a beak…
Frowning, she gazed directly at the fire, and all she saw was a chaotic mix of flames, splitting and joining and twisting andblazing. Calisa looked at Zef again, and again out of the corner of her eye, the firebird danced from log to log, its wings wide.
“So,” Calisa said, “there’s a bird in the fire, isn’t there.”
“Yes, they like to visit.”
She thought of the times she’d seen a random fire in one of the inn’s fireplaces. She hadn’t noticed it looking like a bird before, but then again, she hadn’t been expecting impossibilities everywhere she looked before.
“I am told that the firebird is a permanent resident,” Mulligan said, after swallowing another bite. “They were seeking a new home, after the loss of theirs, and Auntie Zee offered the inn, in exchange for helping to heat the rooms in winter. An equitable exchange.”
“Firebird? You mean a phoenix?” Mentally, she patted herself on the back for keeping her voice so level and quiet. She thought she was doing a really good job of staying calm in the face of all of this: conversations with worms, floating teapots, and living fires.
“Not precisely, as I understand it,” Mulligan said. “A phoenix is a bird that regenerates after spontaneously igniting and turning to ash. Our friend here is a bird made of fire.”
“Ahh.” That answer implied that phoenixes also existed, which was awesome. She wondered what else existed and what else she’d discover, if she were allowed to stay. And if the inn were able to stay open.
Mulligan, the sugar-loving possible vampire wizard, savored another bite of cake. “Spectacularly delicious, my dear. You have a gift. I wonder…have you mastered other kinds of cakes? Chocolate, perhaps?”
Calisa grinned. “I can look for a recipe.” She added hopefully, “If it’s not too much to ask…since you like the cake…could you maybe put in a good word for me with Auntie Zee?”
“I’d be delighted.”
The firebird danced on the logs, as if in agreement.
Chapter Fourteen
Maybe Mulligandidput in a good word for her, or maybe it was a combination of the lizard and the cake, because that evening, Auntie Zee didn’t send her home. She didn’t even mention the possibility. but she didn’t say anything about the Inn’s magic either.
