Chapter Thirty-Two #2
Austin turned the page, continuing to read.
???
Tammy arrived at lunch with her sharp haircut and large brown briefcase. She paused long enough to make coffee and then set up on the kitchen table and got to work.
“Liam, can you get my printer from the car?”
Liam left his post next to the stove—he’d got through a third of the files and had emptied the ashes out several times already—and fetched it for her.
“Anything particular you want in the story?” Tammy asked Austin.
“I want him cleared of everything,” Austin answered without looking up from his book.
The sirens in this treatise all had an insatiable need to be either loved or admired.
If they are denied both, there are reports of a siren’s song causing madness in the listeners.
I believe this phenomenon occurred in Yusop’s life after the death of his lover, Prince Torik.
Yusop’s mourning song caused the entire funeral procession to begin tearing out their hair, and several people attempted to take their own lives.
Yusop was difficult to track after this incident, but it seems his song after Torik’s death was as likely to harm as to enchant.
Austin turned the page. “I’m sick of him wearing those caps around everywhere.”
Liam looked up from the printer he was plugging in.
“We’re keeping it simple then: Cessair was blackmailing him. Austin, I’ll put together your sworn testimony about it. I’ll forge an iron paper trail, and you’ll be the key eyewitness.”
“Print my script. I’ll memorise it.”
“What’s all this?” Liam eyed the work spread across the kitchen table.
“You heard Austin. He’s sick of you wearing those caps, so we’re clearing your name.”
Austin pretended not to notice Liam’s gaze. “I should have done this two years ago,” he said. “But I was mad at you for running off, so I didn’t. There’s space for another file in the stove.”
Liam distractedly fed in the next file.
Austin couldn’t keep ignoring him. He shut his book. “Am I supposed to go around worrying about you getting recognised and arrested every day? Or have you driving the next town over every time you need something because it’s too dangerous in the village just down the road?”
A knock at the door spared Liam from answering.
Austin stared at it. Tammy looked from the door to Austin and Liam. Liam stepped up, his shoulders a rigid line. Blocking whoever it was from looking in, he opened the door.
“Look at you all clean,” a familiar voice teased. “Did Austin use his siren song to finally get you into a bath?”
The tension dropped from Liam with a world-weary sigh.
He didn’t step aside, but Eli just kind of pushed up against him and shoved his way into the house.
He spotted Austin and smiled. He was soaked in ocean water, wearing his usual shirt and shorts, but his sandals had been replaced by a pair of thick boots like the ones Tristan’s Troop wore.
Austin pointedly turned his face away from Eli as he slipped out of the boots and proceeded barefoot into the house.
“Hello,” Eli greeted Tammy with a smile. “I’m Austin’s attendant, Eli.”
Tammy stared at Eli with a confounded look.
Before she could say a word, Eli was bent over, peering at the spitting coffee machine.
“What’s this? Smells nice.” His fingers found the wire, and he unplugged the machine, studying the prongs.
“Hm. Oh, I’ve stopped it. Oops. Does this go here?
” He plugged it back in and peered curiously at the little screen that lit up when he did.
Liam leaned against the wall, watching Eli with a faint scowl. Tammy returned her attention to her laptop, fingers flying over the keys. Austin put his book down with a thump and stood.
“You’re dripping all over my floor. Come here.” He went to the bathroom, where Eli followed and proceeded to get very distracted by the light switch for a solid minute before Austin let out an impatient growl.
“Sorry, there’s a lot of interesting things in here.” Eli dragged his attention from the switch. He cast a quick look over Austin’s face, then leaned in, peering at Austin’s throat.
“It’s completely healed,” Austin said stiffly.
“Your voice isn’t, though,” Eli pointed out. “It’s a bit scratchy. I’m not as sensitive as Kas, but my hearing is pretty good.”
Austin ignored that remark. “This is a shower.”
“I know what a shower is. But, these are some interesting-looking dials.” Eli started messing with them. By chance, he pressed the start button, and a spray of water jetted out.
Austin put down the toilet lid and perched on it. “Shower. I’ll lend you dry clothes. Did Tristan bring you over?”
“He did, and he’ll be back in the evening to see you. Though, given the time difference…I’m not sure if he meant evening in this world or ours.” Eli raised his voice to be heard over the hum of the electric shower. “This is lovely. I can’t read what’s on the bottles. Which one should I use?”
Austin peered in, politely not looking at Eli’s naked body as he shrugged out of his waterlogged clothes. “The white bottle is shampoo, the grey one is conditioner. Purple is for your body.”
“Tristan wanted me to tell you he’s not sure what this six-month thing is, and that he doesn’t like the sound of it,” Eli reported as he washed his hair.
“And he was very annoyed. I’ve actually never seen him so irritated.
Nicias dropped by for lunch earlier, took one look at Tristan’s face, and made an excuse to hightail it out of there.
I don’t blame him.” Eli climbed out of the shower, and Austin offered him a towel from the press.
“He was storming around the estate half the night. Eventually, he just went into the sea and started tearing into the rocks.”
Austin tensed. “He’s angry?”
“No,” Eli said quickly. Draping the towel over his shoulders, he stepped up to Austin.
“No, he’s not angry. I mean, he was definitely annoyed yesterday, but I’m pretty sure that was to do with your absence and not with something you’d done.
He also wasn’t happy not being able to come ashore when he dropped me off. He sent me up with oil to massage you.”
Austin relaxed. “Oh. My legs are sore.”
Eli plucked a glass vial from the trouser pocket of the clothes lying on the shower floor.
Austin led him to the bedroom and searched for clothes that would fit him. Eli hung over his shoulder, peering curiously at every item. The shirt and shorts that Austin eventually pulled from his cupboard ran large on him, but were snug on Eli.