Chapter 32
Monday morning dawned bright and early, and Alex was very glad they'd slept in their own bed finally. There was a part of him that never quite relaxed until he was home in his own wards, with Julian in his arms. The extra security of their two Guardian friends on site just deepened the feeling.
They got ready for their day in much dressed-down fashion, Alex in his usual tie-less suit and Julian in a collared shirt under another of his warm sweaters with matching slacks.
They arrived downstairs to find breakfast all laid out on the table under the skylight along with another surprise guest — Cody had arrived at some point this morning and was going to join them for the meal and a debrief.
"I hear you had some troubles," said Cody as they came and sat, Alex checking the pot to see if the tea was brewed yet.
"It's not," said Alys, and the lid snapped itself shut.
"Sorry," said Alex, yawning. "There was a poisoner, it was stupid."
"He's not wrong," said Julian. "She was all mad about these tiny social slights and worked herself up about it enough for murder."
"Well," said James, coming down the stairs ahead of Jacques, "I always did say nobles are all barmy."
"She was an extra special barmy," said Julian, wrinkling his nose. "Do we have to tell the story all over again?"
"No, no," said Cody, waving them off. "I want to hear about Alex's belladonna premonition, though."
"I'm not sure how much of a premonition it was," said Alex, but he told Cody all the details he could remember, trusting their fellow Guardian to help him figure out if there was any meaning he needed to tease loose.
"So in the end," he said, yawning again as the tea poured itself, "I'm choosing to believe that this weird dependence on the Source to replenish us will even out in a few years and let us travel more than an hour away."
"That does seem where the portents lie," said Cody. "Nothing in our divinations suggested you two would become house-bound, either."
"Until then, patience and short trips," said Jacques. "We're off today to visit the Agency, but just for a day trip."
"I promised Lapointe a debrief today if she let us go early yesterday," explained Alex.
"No wonder you didn't want to tell the full tale," said Cody with a laugh. "Well, eventually it will become a fun dinner story, when it's less of a tedium to tell it."
"Give us a month or two, sure," agreed Julian.
The food, as if to remind them it was there, began serving itself.
Rashers of bacon and toast with eggs kept perfectly runny, orange juice and fried tomatoes and mushrooms, a hearty meal for men going off away once again.
They'd need the energy if their magic was going to be as exhausting as it had been at Chudleigh's.
Although they'd be closer to the Queen's Way in the city, it was far better warded than the Source and tended not to leak enough to borrow from unless one was up close.
Alex dug in like he was still starving, sighing happily at the tastes of salty bacon and rich egg yolk, buttery toast and earthy mushrooms. The orange juice was fresh-squeezed and tasted a little bit like sunshine, somehow, which made something inside Alex stretch happily to be fed so well.
He concentrated entirely on the meal until several cups of tea and at least two plates full were distant memories and sat back with a second glass of juice to watch as Julian ate no less intently but a bit more mannered than Alex had been.
"All right, what else has brought you out?" asked Alex, looking over to where Cody was eating just as hungrily.
"I was bored," said Cody with a pout. "I wanted to do a lesson, but I can tell you're going out today."
"It's true, we can't today, but we're doing one tomorrow if you can time it. Should we send Horace through for you?" asked Alex. Lessons were always more fun, or at least less rote, when Cody came along to show them new things.
"Oh, I could manage that," said Cody, perking up again. "Training you two is almost always considered a good excuse."
"Learning about Alex's weird vision probably counts, too," said Julian.
"Maybe we'll work on that magic-and-knife combo we talked about," said James, which did not fill Alex with happy thoughts.
Cody beamed. "Yes, most definitely. I'll be here with knives on as soon as you send word."
"Horace is doing really well, he doesn't seem to have the same power problems we do, lucky boy," said Julian, stroking his fingers over the bird.
"I seem to recall being very tied to the Source at first," said Cody, "though it was so long ago, it's hard to remember."
Alex chuckled. "Any excuse for us to be homebodies is a good excuse," he teased. "Think of all the weird inventions I can do in my mad wizard lab."
"Hah!" said Julian. "I told you it was a mad wizard lab."
"I'm simply bowing to your superior wisdom," said Alex, kissing his hair and setting his juice glass down.
Everyone else took that as a signal to hurry up eating, though Alex was really just trading the glass for another cup of tea. He'd get coffee when they got to the Agency, of course, but that was an entire forever away, or so it felt.
Emptied platters began to drift away from the table, to be replaced by a small number of treat tins. "One for Jones, one for Murielle and Thomas, and one for that nice Ellen at Saveur," said Alys.
"And one for us?" asked Julian, making puppy eyes.
"Aye, th'big one's t'keep you all fed up," she said grumpily. "I wouldn't neglect ye that way."
"That's because you're the best," said Alex with a grin.
Jones knocked at that moment, though it wasn't a surprise as Alex had felt him crossing deeper and deeper into the wards.
It swung open without anyone's intervention and Jones wiped his feet on the mat before coming inside, buttoned up in his formal coat and looking far too cheerful for early morning.
"Cody! Are you coming into the city with us?" asked Jones, spotting their bonus guest.
"No, no, just visiting to hear about their recent adventures," said Cody. "It sounds all very tedious, having to check everything one eats and drinks."
"It was," said Alex, with great feeling.
Everyone chuckled, and a to-go cup of tea floated out for Jones to enjoy while the rest of them got themselves put together and ready to go.
"One of these boxes is for you, too, as usual," said Julian, waving at the stack on the table.
Jones made a 'th' face before he caught himself and said, "Alys is a wonder," instead.
Boots and coats and boxes were all soon sorted, and Cody traipsed out into the snow wearing an absurd creation of furs that made him look primeval, then belied the need for it by walking atop the snowbanks rather than through them, leaving the landscape pristine even after his passage.
"Showoff," said Alex, getting into the car and finding it already warmed up thanks to Jones' professional skills, which were also a kind of magic as far as he was concerned.
"So," said Jones, "will you tell me what actually happened up there?"
They groaned, but Alex and Julian told the tale one more time, skipping over some of the boring bits but hitting all the poisonous highlights. It passed the time as they drove into the city, anyway, and soon enough they were parked and headed to the diner to pick up coffees for everyone.