Chapter 18 Furyon
Furyon
I follow Lemon silently down dark halls and through the main potion-making room. She doesn’t turn to me until we exit Glimmer out into the sunshine. Then she halts and turns her face toward the sun, sighing as the rays dance over her delicate features.
“Gods, I feel like I held my breath all morning.” She laughs and peeks over at me. “What a surprise to see you there. I’m sorry I didn’t answer earlier. She literally had me in her office like a naughty schoolgirl.”
I laugh. “Sounds hot.”
She slaps my chest. “Not like that.”
I glance down, smirking when I notice the turquoise boots on her feet. “New?”
She does a little spin, angling her foot this way and that to show off the boots. “I got them on the way in. I was tired of getting dirt between the toes of my sandals. Turns out sandals aren’t exactly practical, but I do believe you mentioned the practicality of my footwear the day we met.”
I wink and slide an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to me. No sooner have I done it than Merit and Bryony come around the corner with their arms linked together. Merit titters when she sees us.
Lemon clucks her tongue and rolls her eyes, shooting me an exasperated look even though she’s barely holding back a smile. “Hey, ladies,” she says when the elderly twins walk past, staring hard.
“Hello there, dearie,” Bryony says, bright eyes flashing at Lemon and then me. “Furyon. How goes it?”
“Just fine, Bryony.” I tip my cowboy hat to her. “See you two around.”
“Don’t make me your next headline!” Lemon calls out as the twins head up the street toward the residential section. When they disappear, she buries her face in my chest. “Gods, I can almost see The Gulch Gossip next Sunday. We’re going to be the main story yet again.”
I tuck her gorgeous hair behind her ear. Seeing her today, last night hits me all over again. She’s mine, my mate. The woman the fates built to fit me in every way, and I her.
“How are you feeling?” She rests a hand on my chest, just inside my shirt.
I press one of mine over hers, loving the feel of her warm fingers over my tattoos. “Dandy, city girl. Ribs are still a tad tender, but I guess gettin’ trampled’ll do that to ya.”
Her eyes narrow on my neck. “And the part where you got stomped?”
I chuckle. “That part feels fuckin’ great, if I’m honest.”
She lifts her chin. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
I take a step back, taking both of her hands in mine.
“Listen, Lemon, I was serious last night when I said I wanted to pursue you, but that we can take this slowly. Let’s just…
see how it goes, alright? Not to mention I owe you an apology for forcing you to figure out feeding the animals on your own… ”
Her smile nearly blinds me as she nods. “It’s alright, Furyon. You did mention something about lunch. That works for me.”
I spin her so we can walk hand in hand around the corner toward the main drag. Before we get very far, the Keeper’s mansion lets out a loud series of squeaks.
Lemon glances toward the house with a big smile. “I see you, pretty girl. You finally gonna think about letting someone in? I haven’t wanted to bug you, but I’m kiiiiinda getting the sense you’re telling me we should take the next step.”
I look in wonder between her and the house. Lemon’s silent for a moment, and so’s the structure.
Then a series of bubbly squeaks and rumbles echo from somewhere on the second story, reaching us through big holes in the worn siding.
“I see you,” Lemon says with a laugh. “We’re going for lunch, but next time you make sweet noises at me, I’m comin’ in, alright?”
Silence.
We wait for a moment, but the house seems done with their conversation.
“I’m gobsmacked, Lem,” I say as we turn away from the house and head toward Main again. “You’re gonna be the first monster through those gates in eighty years. You ain’t a Keeper, though. I assume you tested at HQ like we all do and didn’t pass the test?”
She shrugs. “Yeah, I went at eighteen like usual and I didn’t test positive for keeper traits. But for some reason that house is fallin’ for me.”
That makes two of us. But surely it’s too soon to say I love you?
Clearing my throat, I sling an arm around her waist as we round Main’s corner toward the straightaway. “We’re gonna go see Oz at the bar, and then tonight, I’m taking you on the train.”
Her eyes brighten. “As in Mabel the train, the one that sits in a time warp?”
“The very one.” I grab the front door of Whiskey Business and swing it open. She sails through, leaving behind a trail of that sweet perfume, sunshine and depthless blood.
Oz waves at us from behind the bar, setting two menus down as he points to a couple empty seats. Lemon slides gracefully onto a saddle stool, and I join her, resting an arm over the back of the western saddle.
She turns to me. “Have you checked on the mustangs today?”
I nod. “Echo and I went out there this morning. Normal once more. They seemed restless though.” I frown. “I think they’re getting worse, but, so far, it seems to only come on at night. I wish we knew how it progressed with the moose and cattle.”
Oz leans over the bar and looks at us. “Lots of illnesses get worse at night when you’re tired from a long day. That or whatever’s causing it is more present at night, maybe.”
I nod. “It’s an angle I’ve considered, but this is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in my career. It’s an upheaval of the natural order of things.”
Oz slides drinks across the bar to us. “You got any leads, Furyon?”
I shake my head. “Echo and I have tested the black liquid for every known potion and ailment. I’ve called Keepers in other havens. Nobody’s ever heard of anything like this. It’s something nobody’s ever seen, far as I can tell.”
“Letitia mentioned that the potion I made today is something she wants to try to heal the horses with.” Lemon takes a sip of her soda.
I nod. “Yeah, it’s an ancient family recipe of hers, something she swears her parents used whenever they encountered an illness that couldn’t be identified.
According to her, that’s not uncommon with youngling monsters.
We don’t know if it’ll work on horses, but she felt it was worth a try, and I agree. ”
We fall silent. Lemon peruses the menu, but it's clear she’s lost in thought.
After a moment, she looks up. “I wonder if it’s something activated by moonlight.
You mentioned night, but that doesn’t feel right to me.
” She clasps her hands in her lap. “Many potions are activated by sunlight or moonlight, especially earlier on in the creation process. Sometimes they’re even strongest like that. ”
I mull that over, then smile at her. “It’s something to consider.
I’ll get Echo to test that theory with our samples.
” I wrap a long strand of her hair around my fingers.
“We don’t have to talk about work though.
” I tap the menu. “Let me suggest the pimento cheeseburger. It’s a special recipe brought in from the human world by my neighbor. ”
Lemon snorts. “The half-clothed one?”
I chuckle. “That very one. She’s from the southern states. Been here for a little while but she taught us about pimento cheese, and now it’s a staple. The cheddar Whiskey Business uses is handcrafted on a local farm. Echo’s father’s farm, actually.”
“Sold.” Lemon grins at Oz.
“Same for me,” I confirm.
He turns from us and punches our order into the point of sale, then disappears down the bar toward another couple.
Lemon looks over at me. “Thank you for coming to get me. I got good work done this morning, but it’s still nice to be outside of the potion house. My boss isn’t exactly welcoming most days.”
“You’ll win her over,” I reassure. “I think you could make anybody in the entire world fall in love with you, Lemon Knox.”
She beams at me, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You think so, country boy?”
That might be my new favorite nickname.
Country boy.
City girl.
If that ain’t a match made in the heavens, I don’t know what is.
“So, how does this work, exactly?”
Later that evening, Lemon and I stand in the middle of Main Street, staring at a long strip of railroad tracks that runs up the center of the thoroughfare. I can’t believe she hasn’t seen the train come through yet, especially considering Mabel rolls by every quarter hour.
Some of the buildings rumble unhappily, siding slapping before I get a chance to answer Lemon.
Her eyes widen, and she glances around. “Uh oh, the Gulch didn’t like that question. Hope I’m not about to get on her bad side.”
A warning rumble echoes from the Welcome Inn, situated behind us.
“She’s just got a mind of her own, city girl, it’ll be fine.
” I point toward the tracks. “Anyhow, Mabel’s a PG staple.
She’s designed to give riders an experience.
Folks ride Mabel for dinner, to see the sights, to visit the library car…
She’s practically a city on wheels and she runs twenty-four hours a day. ”
Lemon claps her hands together. “I’m so excited! Mabel’s actually the first PG attraction I read about. My friend Amadala wrote up a whole page on her in a little packet she made me. Confused me a little when I arrived, but now that I’ve heard you talk about it, I can’t wait.”
On cue, a train whistle blares through the night, announcing Mabel’s impending arrival.
I guide Lemon back a few feet as Mabel roars into view, sliding to a slow, hissing stop.
She’s all shiny black paint with red and gold accents, her name painted in italics on one side.
The coach car doors open wide, and monsters pour out into the street.
Lemon and I wait until everyone’s exited, then I hold her hand as she steps elegantly up into the first car.