Page 32 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

It worked better than the elixir. She'd have to tell Merlin.

Across the table, Yaaf was watching her with an amused look on his incredibly handsome face.

"What's funny?" she asked.

"Nothing." He didn't look away. "I like you like this."

"Like what?"

"Loose and happy."

The music stopped, and Fenella climbed onto something behind the bar and clapped her hands over her head.

"Right, you lot. Time for the entertainment." Her voice carried without effort. "Who's my first victim tonight?"

A cheer went up. Hands shot up. Mattie's hand shot up highest, pointing at Sullha.

"She's new," Mattie called. "Do her."

"Mattie," Sullha hissed.

"Give me the phone."

Sullha handed over the phone because the whole room was watching now, and she didn't want to make a scene.

Mattie ran it up to the bar and handed it to Fenella.

Fenella held the phone up so the room could see it, then turned it over, pressed it to her forehead, and closed her eyes.

"Ohhh," she said. "This one's got secrets."

Sullha put both hands over her face and looked at Fenella through the gaps between her fingers.

"This phone is very new," Fenella said. "It has hardly been anywhere. But it's been listening." She opened one eye. "It says its owner talks to a computer for hours every day. Just the two of them." She pressed the phone harder to her head. "They whisper sweet words to each other, the woman and the computer, in two languages and the language of love. They plan to elope and have a quiet ceremony in Cyber City and to swear their undying love on Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics."

Anita snorted and nearly fell off her chair. Sullha laughed, even though she had no idea who Asimov was or what his three laws of robotics were.

Yaaf's hand settled on her back.

"There's more," Fenella said. "Hush. This phone also says the woman has more than one love." She paused, savoring it. "She loves a very handsome man, and every time he calls, the phone gets very warm." She lowered it and looked straight at their table, straight at Yaaf. "I'm sure I don't know who he might be."

Petrov laughed, and it sounded like he was choking.

Anita clapped him on the back.

Fenella looked at the phone again and shook her head. "Who knew a shy little thing like this would have a computer and a man fall in love with her? Who's next?"

Mattie went to get the phone and brought it back to Sullha.

"I told you," Mattie said. "Fun nonsense."

"It was," Sullha agreed.

She'd been talking to the stupid computer for two days, but no words of love had passed between them. Only frustration.

Still, it had been a pretty good guess.

She looked around the room and found Bardov and Asira. They were watching Fenella's act and looked amused.