Borderline (The Arcadia Project, #1)(66)

“Of course,” said Caryl. “When shall we report back on our progress?”

“Dawn and dusk, until the commoner is returned,” said the duke. “Advised are you to more seriously adhere on this matter than has done the commoner agent.”

Caryl escorted the duke back to the Gate, and everyone avoided looking at the Gaping Maw of Nothingness as he stepped through. Even so, there was a strange shudder in the air, and my stomach turned a flip. I was pleased to see that even Tjuan looked a bit queasy, and Gloria sat down on the floor and put her head in her hands.

Fascinated, I approached the Gate, averting my eyes from the void in the middle and focusing on the dark glassy arch that surrounded it. “Is it safe to touch?”

“It will do you no lasting harm,” said Caryl, “but it will make you feel very uncomfortable.”

“Can I try it?”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m just curious. I tend to try anything once if it can’t kill me.”

Teo snorted. “What can?”

I ignored him and reached out to the edge of the Gate, slowly, not quite finding the courage to make contact.

“So how should we go about finding this commoner?” said Gloria, still sitting on the living room carpet at Tjuan’s feet.

“He has a name,” growled Tjuan.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” said Gloria, and patted his shin. How he managed not to kick her across the living room, I can’t imagine.

“I’ll try calling Clay again when I—AUGH!” I didn’t mean to scream when I touched it. But try not screaming when someone cuts your elevator cable. That’s what it felt like: a horrible rickety noisy rushing and falling that left no room in my brain for anything but aaaaaaaaugh.

Even Tjuan laughed this time. I guess it was pretty funny, in the way it’s funny when a cat gets a luggage tag stuck to its tail and runs around the house like the devil is chasing it. In other words, funny to everyone but the cat.

I staggered back from the Gate and wondered why my ribs suddenly hurt. Oh, because Teo had slung his arm around them to keep me from toppling to the floor. Everything sounded muffled, and people looked like those old-fashioned sepia-toned photos with the edges darkened out. It passed quickly, and when my head cleared I was seated semi-comfortably on the floor. People were still laughing, except for Caryl, of course.

“Poor thing,” said Gloria. “Someone really shoulda warned her not to do that.”

“Nah,” said Tjuan, wiping his eyes. He looked like he had really needed that laugh. “That’s how it’s done. You do it when we’re all just messing around, so you know not to do it when you’re trying to push some wriggly-ass goblin through.”

There must have been a story to go with that, because Teo made a taunting oooooh sound, and Gloria reddened. Another point for Tjuan, because Gloria was quiet after that.

I dialed Brian Clay, listened to ringing, and hung up. “Surprise surprise,” I said to everyone. “He’s not answering.”

“So what kind of a thing is this Claybriar?” said Teo. “Green Lantern forgot to mention that, so we don’t know if he has any weird powers.”

“He did mention it,” said Caryl. “You just don’t know what hircine means.”

Teo shrugged. “Got me there.”

“Hairy?” I guessed.

“That’s hirsute,” Caryl corrected me. “Hircine means goatlike or pertaining to goats. So, a faun.”

“Ah,” I said. Then in another tone entirely, “Aaaaaah!” I looked at Teo, but he just stared blankly back at me.

“Caryl,” I said, “how common are fauns?”

“Claybriar is the only one I have ever seen.”

“In that case, I need to talk to Baroness Foxfeather again.”

? ? ?

Baroness Foxfeather, Seelie noble and bartender, was renting a posh little one-bedroom apartment during what was apparently an extended stay in our world to search for her Echo. Since Caryl felt that five people was a bit much for an interrogation, she managed to talk Gloria and Tjuan into staying home with her to look through files.

When Teo and I arrived at the painstakingly restored Hollywood apartment building, Foxfeather buzzed us in and answered the door naked.

“It’s Ironbones!” she said in delighted surprise, as though I had not identified myself at the buzzer. “What a terrifying honor! Would you like to come in for sex and oranges?”

I’ll confess I missed a beat. “I’m honored by the invitation,” I said solemnly, “but we’re just here to chat.”

“Okay,” she said, letting us in. She gestured to a closed door off to our left. “Three of my friends are sexing in there, but I told them to be quiet since the Authorities were coming. How can I help the Authorities?”

I tried not to stare at the closed door. “You carved a faun into the bar in West Hollywood.”

“Mmm,” she said. “Now everyone has started carving things. I’m wonderful that way.” She turned and padded off to the right toward the small kitchenette, separated from the living room only by a long stretch of countertop. Her long braid was a strawberry-blond arrow pointing right at her magnificent ass.

“Should I ask her to put some clothes on?” I said to Teo quietly.