Page 40 of Queens Will Play

“It has to be the Elf blood,” Delilah said, turning to Chamiya, who was already asleep in her bed on the opposite side of the room. Delilah leaned down and kissed her daughter’s forehead, but Chamiya didn’t even blink. “When she sleeps, she sleeps.” She turned back to Astrid. “Bedtime, love. Get under your covers.”

Astrid’s chin quivered, but she did as she was told. “I’m not tired,” she said, yawning.

Menolly sat down beside her. “Want to play a game?”

Astrid nodded. “What kind?”

“I want you to show me how fast you can go to sleep. If you be good and fall asleep without crying, I’ll make sure the Sleep Fairy leaves you a dollar under your pillow.”

Eyes wide, Astrid nodded. Delilah had told us she was going through a phase where she wanted new toys and Delilah was teaching her to save her money from little chores she gave her. “I’m not letting my children grow up thinking the world owes them a living because of who they are,” she had said.

“Two dollars?” Astrid asked.

Menolly laughed. “Two dollars. Now be a good girl?”

Astrid reached up to hug her. “You’re cold,” she said, touching Menolly’s face. “That’s cuz you’re a vampire, right?”

“Right, and you’re nice and warm because you’re one of the living,” Menolly answered.

I moved in for my hug, after which Delilah tucked Astrid in and turned on the night light. We left the room, partially shutting the door. As we headed toward the stairs, Delilah whirled, turning around. I glanced over my shoulder.

There, at the end of the hallway, stood Chase. He had an odd cast to him, and the hairs on my arms began to stand up. “That’s not the same Chase I saw the other day,” I said.

Menolly squinted. “I can’t see anything, but I’ve never been good at seeing spirits.”

“You’re right. I told you he seems different.” Delilah headed down the hall, with me on her heels. “Who the hell are you?”

The spirit stiffened, turned tail and vanished when he saw us bearing down on him.

“That’s not Chase,” Delilah said. “The closer I got to him, the more differences I saw. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the real Chase ever since I first saw—well—whoever this is.”

“The house needs a thorough warding,” I said. I closed my eyes and examined the energy grid that domed over the house. After a moment, I found what I thought I’d find—there were several fractures in the grid, and a couple of areas where anything that wanted to could slip through. “The grid’s broken. I can fix it—my magic is strong enough now that I can do it without backfiring—but it would be better if I sent a witch who specializes in protection out to do it. I know several in my Barrow.”

“Thanks, but before you do that, I want to know what’s going on, and who this spirit is, and why he’s taken on Chase’s appearance.” She peeked into the bedroom and, assured the girls were okay, followed Menolly and me downstairs.

“I’ll see what I can find out. The new moon is coming up tomorrow. If not then, I can try later next week. You still have that crystal bowl I used for scrying, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s in the cupboard. I was going to ask if you want it, since we never use fancy china or dishes,” Delilah said.

“I’ll take it home with me after I check out what’s going on. By the way, we’re going over to Marion’s near midnight. The shandigo has become more active. I actually talked Wilbur into helping us. He’s a necromancer, and he’s dealt with these creatures before, so he knows what to do. And he can use them—he’ll catch them and take them home.”

Menolly and Delilah stopped, staring at me.

“Wilbur?” Delilah asked.

“Yeah, Wilbur. It makes sense,” I said. “We went over and talked to him today, and took him over to Marion’s house. I think he’s lonely,” I said. “Ever since he let Martin go, he’s been alone in that house.”

“I suppose we should check on him once in a while,” Menolly said. “I can see him losing it and trying to take himself out at some point.”

“Yeah, and honestly, even though he’s annoying, he’s done a lot for us, and we really do owe him. I wish he could find someone—either a companion or a girlfriend or even if he got himself a dog.”

“The neighborhood’s been quiet since Speedo went over the Rainbow Bridge,” Delilah said. “Do you think Wilbur would take care of a dog?”

“I think any dog that Wilbur took in would have a long and happy life. He’s a softie, beneath that gruff exterior,” I said. “At least for the vulnerable.”

“Maybe we can engineer something,” Menolly said. “I’ll drop over there some evening next week and have a chat.”

We entered the living room to find that Hanna had called dinner ready and everybody was waiting for us at the massive kitchen table. In the kitchen, we washed up and took our places. Menolly gave Roz a hug before sitting between Roman and Nerissa. She and Roman had bottles in front of them instead of plates. The rest of the table was laden with food—two massive tureens of spaghetti and meatballs, loaves of French bread, garden salad and fruit salad. On the counter were several pies—apple, blackberry, and pumpkin.