I’d slept with my apartment window open. Along with fresh air, I woke to the sound of sirens and the bustle of the street below. The sirens didn’t alarm me. Their drone had been almost constant since I’d arrived in the city, and most of the time, I was able to block the sound out.
I could hear Sylvia bustling about in the next room, preparing for her journey. She had called Matt last night, and impatient to see his bride, he had insisted she didn’t wait so she could get home all the earlier. Sylvia agreed on the spot and booked her flight right away.
I glanced at the clock. Six thirty. Oh Gaia! My alarm wasn’t set to go off for another hour, and I turned over and hugged my refreshingly cold pillow. I’d just closed my eyes again when there was a gentle knock on my bedroom door.
“Ugh.” Whatever else came out of my mouth wasn’t English.
Another, slightly more urgent, knock. “Are you decent?”
“Sure.” I straightened my pajama top and pushed myself up on my elbow. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Sylvia slipped into my room. She was fully dressed and had a coat draped over her arm. “Sorry to wake you, but there’s a car waiting, and I need to get going. I’ve left you some money in an envelope on my desk for food and living expenses, and you have my number if you need anything else. Don’t hesitate to call me. No matter what it is. Oh my, I think that’s everything, but if there’s anything else, I’ll call and let you know. Do you have everything you need?”
“I think so.” I pushed myself out of bed and slipped some pants over my pajama bottoms in case she wanted me to help with her bags.
“No need to get up, dear. I’m all set, really. I just wanted to be sure you had what you needed. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Sure.” I peered out of my window and down to the street. A goblin-green Magic Cab had somehow managed to park in the ridiculously small space between two limousines. The driver in his green livery was standing on the pavement, leaning against his cab. He stared up in my direction and seemed impatient to be off. I gave him two thumbs-ups to confirm Sylvia was on her way down. He gave me a wry grin in return.
“Oh, and there’s a little something else on the desk as well. I hope you like it.”
“What is it?”
She winked at me. “You’ll see. Don’t mess with it until you speak to Henry. Well then, I best be off. The meter’s running. Oh, I almost forgot. Henry’s sister is coming into town today, so I’m leaving the shop closed. He said he’d pick you up later, around five for dinner. Try not to blow up my apartment before then! Oh, and don’t worry about the kittens. They can more than take care of themselves. Toodle-oo.” Sylvia kissed my cheeks in her signature way and then left in a hurry.
The moment the door to the apartment closed, I felt cast adrift. I was all alone, in a strange apartment in New York. It wasn’t a bad sensation, but a little unsettling. I stepped back to the window and looked down, curious to see how the driver would maneuver out of that tiny space. In a little more than a minute, Sylvia was on the street with him. The driver took her small case and opened the door for her, and once she was settled inside, he deposited the case in the trunk. A moment later, he was in the cab, which crunched up like an accordion, and they were off.
Curious to see what Sylvia had left for me, I strolled out of my bedroom and over to her desk, which was by the window in the living room. The envelope full of cash was sitting on a large book. A thrill of excitement rushed through me as I realized at once what this book must be. I thumbed through the notes, pleasantly surprised at how much money she had left me, but put that aside for now and picked up the book. It looked old and was heavily bound in a faded gray leather. There was an elder tree embossed on the front.
Almost reverently, I opened it. The book was titled The Magical Art of Necromancy. I strolled over to the couch and sat cross-legged, settling in and fascinated. Slowly, I thumbed through the pages. It was chock-full of rhymes and recipes and incantations, none of which made any sense to me, although at least I understood the actual words.
Be still dear heart,
Thy time hast past,
Eternal slumber calls to thee,
But if thy rest
Be not in peace,
Then rise again and Blessed Be.
The tome was filled with many similar chants and invocations, and I wondered which I would get to use and on what occasion. I was conscious of Sylvia’s warning and took care not to read anything out loud, and in any case, half the ingredients needed to invoke some of the spells were unknown to me, or at least inaccessible, like eye of newt or bat claws. I was sure I wouldn’t find too many of those in the kitchen, labeled or not. I suspected most could be purchased in Sylvia’s shop, but I wasn’t about to go looking for them, and even if I did, I’d have a hard time finding them without Sylvia’s help. I wondered if that was why she kept things unlabeled. Safer that way.
I was so absorbed I lost all track of time, so I was startled when the doorbell chimed. I wasn’t expecting anybody. It had to be Henry. I snapped the book shut and stowed it under a cushion. I still had my pajama top on but was decent enough for my mentor, although he had come much earlier than Sylvia had anticipated.
I flung the door to the apartment open but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my visitor wasn’t Henry at all, but a woman. A very beautiful woman, with curly blond hair and laughing blue eyes.
“Oh.”
“Oh, hello.” The woman looked around me, evidently expecting someone else. “Isn’t Sylvia home?”
I grabbed the door and pulled it in a little closer. My gaze fell to the bag at her feet.
“Um, no, not at this moment. Can I help you?”
“I certainly hope so. I’m Isabella. She should be expecting me. You must be Catherine.”
“Oh,” I said, taken aback. I scratched my ear. “I didn’t think you were supposed to be here until next week?”
“Oh, well, that’s most unfortunate because I’m here now. Are you sure she thought it was next week? I’m pretty sure her email said today. Is she going to be long? I’ve come quite a way.”
“Possibly.” Remembering my manners, I opened the door a little wider. “Um, come on in. I’m sure this can be easily straightened out. I’ll call Sylvia now and let her know you got here early.” A week early.
Isabella picked up her bag and stepped inside. She began looking around, her smile not leaving her face, so I guessed she was pleased with what she saw, just as I had been when I first got here. After all, it was a nice room, with bright furnishings and a great view of the village. She waited patiently over by the window while I dashed in my bedroom in search of my cell phone.
Sylvia picked up on the second ring.
“Um. Hi, sorry to bother you,” I said.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yup, yup, everything’s fine. Only Isabella just showed up, and I’m not quite sure what you want me to do with her. I thought you said she wouldn’t be coming until next week?”
I wandered to my bedroom door and looked into the shared living area. Isabella had just sat down on the sofa and pulled my tome out from under the cushion. I opened my mouth to say something, but she showed no interest in it and put it on the table by the sofa. She saw me watching her and smiled sweetly.
“Oh, really, I was sure it wasn’t until next week,” Sylvia said. “Never mind. Put her in my room for now, and I’ll call her later. I’m sort of in the middle of something, but I’m sure it’s okay. I guess I’d better call Henry and let him know we have his other lady.”
“Or I can tell him,” I said, trying to be helpful.
“Yes, that’s very kind of you. Have him call me later, will you? My, my, it never rains but it pours. He’ll think I’m going out of my mind. Look, I must go. Talk soon.”
The call ended, and I dropped my phone on the bed. I strolled back into the living room, and Isabella looked up at me expectantly.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I just wanted to let Sylvia know you were here. She says she’ll call you later. She’s in the middle of something now.”
“Of course.”
“Sylvia said to put you in her room for now. I think you’ll be sharing with me when she gets back.”
Isabella bent down and picked up her bag, and then waited for me to show her the way. I opened the door to Sylvia’s room and swept up some laundry draped on the bed. “We share a bathroom.” I pointed to a door between the two rooms. “The rest is what you see.”
Isabella untied her belt and removed her coat. As she did so, her two midsize silvery wings stretched out, as if delighted to be free.
“You’re fae?” As soon as I blurted the words, I feared she might think I was being rude, but her easy smile never left her face.
I had never seen anything so beautiful before. I wanted to reach out and touch a wing, but didn’t want to scare her and appear like some freak.
“I am. And you’re a necromancer. I must say you’re not a bit like what I expected. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand for me to shake, and I took it, thankfully.
“What did you expect?” I laughed.
“Someone wrinkly and spooky.”
We both laughed. “Well then.”
She looked at me expectantly, and for a second, I wondered what she was thinking, and then the penny dropped. “Oh, right. I’ll leave you to settle in.”
“Thank you.”
Isabella closed her bedroom door, and I sauntered over to the sofa to recover my magic book and the envelope of cash. I took them both to my room and stashed them inside my bedside table. For a few blissful minutes, the apartment had been all mine, but now I would have to get used to sharing it again, this time with a total stranger. I had never met a fae before, so I had no idea what to expect nor knew what she was here to learn. Perhaps she had an unusual gift too?
I dropped onto the unmade bed and stared up at the ceiling. Isabella was certainly pretty. I wondered what Henry would make of her and whether he would like her more than me. She was easy on the eyes with the kind of fun-time look men often preferred. Not that I thought myself unattractive, far from it, but still the self-doubt demons came and messed with me.
After a few minutes of tormenting myself, there was a light knock on my door. I’d left it ajar, and Isabella peered around the corner. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, but do you have any plans for today? It’s my first time in New York, and I thought it might be fun if we went out. What do you think? I’ll buy you a coffee. And a donut?”
“I need to shower first, but if you can wait fifteen minutes, sure.”
“Great. Let me know when you’re ready, then.”
As soon as she was gone, I kicked up off the bed again and made a beeline for the shower. If I were honest with myself, I was quite excited by the idea of spending a little time in New York with another girl.
When I was scrubbed, brushed, and decked out in jeans and a thick sweater, I joined her in the main living area.
Isabella was back in her coat and sat patiently on the sofa. She smiled as I approached. “All ready, then?”
“Yes. All set.”
Isabella nodded and grabbed her bag. “Awesome. Let’s go have some fun.”
I led her out into the hall, and with a flick of my wrist, the apartment was secured. I wondered what fae typically did for fun. I had a feeling I was about to find out.