Page 58 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Lachlan’s blood runs cold. ‘What?’

‘I saw it in my dreams. You hurt him.’

‘I wouldn’t…’ Did he? Would he? ‘I wouldn’t hurt him.’

‘You hurt Jewel.’

‘Yes, I did.’

‘Change it.’

‘I can’t.’

‘Then we’re both mad.’

‘Yeah, I guess we are,’ he says slowly, the new feelings taking root inside. It’s horrible, and he hates it, but he suspects it’s the closest thing he can offer to a boundary, maybe even a necessary one. ‘I still love you.’

Mimi shrugs, so dramatic. It reminds him of Jules.

‘Love you too, but don’t like you right now.’ Lachlan raises a hand to his rig to call Danya and swap over, but she says, ‘Still have to stay.’

‘I’ll get Danny out here,’ he offers. ‘Silly and Jewel too.’

‘They busy talking, don’t want me, and Danny is with Bee.’ Mimi looks up at him. ‘You still have to be my Daddy.’

‘Yeah, baby, I am. I always will be.’

She relaxes a little. ‘Heard.’

They finish the snow sculptures together.

‘Which one’s your favourite?’ he asks, picking her up because her feet must be cold by now, despite the snow boots and layers.

‘Hmmm.’ Mimi considers, scanning the rows of people they constructed, some imaginary, some not. She points to the one with wings. ‘That one.’

‘What’s his name, baby girl?’

‘Daddy,’ she says, like he’s dumb. ‘That’s you.’

The snowman is a monster.

Red eyes, a tail, wings made out of skeletal branches.

It’s a hideous creature.

‘Fair enough,’ he sighs. ‘Let’s get you some hot chocolate.’

✴

Jules is glacially adept at ignoring Lachlan.

When Lachlan speaks, he neither answers nor looks at him. He’ll follow an instruction if it relates to security but offers no acknowledgement beyond carrying it out. He doesn’t turn his head, doesn’t let his gaze stray anywhere near Lachlan’s face. Sometimes Lachlan catches him going still at the sound of his voice, but even that vanishes quickly.

Part of him was anticipating a blow-up, in all honesty, but Julian’s behaviour doesn’t deteriorate anywhere near the way it might have years ago. No leaving the Estate, no rudeness, no disruption.

Lachlan counts his blessings.

Penhalyx’s people are still working on the sub-levels, so Maddox tends to come and go with zero notice. Lachlan can’t risk anything bad getting back to the old man.