Death and Relaxation (Ordinary Magic #1)(36)

“Murder? You think this is murder?”

He regarded me with gravestone-black eyes.

“I need you to be very, very clear with me, Thanatos. Do you think Heimdall was murdered?”

“Yes.”

I waited for more. But trying to wait out Death was sort of a dumb tactic. “Would you care to tell me who did it?”

“As I said, Reed Daughter, I am not a prognosticator of murder, nor do my ambitions include dime-store divination. I believe I have signed a binding contract which states I will only be allowed to remain in Ordinary if, upon entry, I immediately relinquish my power onto a resting state.

“I have been within these borders for twenty-eight minutes. If I remain much longer, I shall be in breach of contract. You would find the results of breaking a contract with Death most regrettable.”

“I liked you better when you were vague.”

That got another not-smile out of him.

“I shall strive to acquiesce to your wishes, Reed Daughter.”

“Good. Start by calling me Delaney. Let’s stow that power.” I got out of the Jeep, and Than followed suit.

Crow’s shop used to be a Mexican restaurant. He’d hired Ryder to redesign it. Between the two of them, they’d turned it into something that looked more like a piece of art than a restaurant.

Dark brick was scattered by marble stones of red, white, and deep turquoise. Set on top of, under, over, and between the bricks were the glasswork that Crow was so good at creating. The side of the building facing the main road was decorated by an ocean of sea creatures from starfish to gray whales, and of course the famous float orbs, all hand blown out of glass.

On the side facing north, the glass pieces became whimsical. Some sea life, yes. But intertwined with that were fantastical birds, reptiles, and little fey creatures that didn’t exist in nature (except maybe in Ordinary) and a truly stunning waterfall and river that looked like real water when traffic headlights or the afternoon sun caught it just right.

The nature-scape of glass was strategically placed so that darker brick around it created the very clear impression of dark wings and a raven’s head above it, the black door its center.

Clever, that. His building looked like a raven with the world in its wings.

We walked through the raven’s heart and into the shop.

It was a lot warmer inside, and the display shelves that lined the room were filled with glass that glittered and beckoned.

Crow hunched on a stool behind the counter, sketching on a pad of paper. “Welcome to the Crow’s Nest,” he said without looking up.

“Hey, Crow.”

He glanced up, his eyes widening just a moment when he saw Than.

“Hello, Delaney.” Crow set the sketchpad aside. “What trouble have you gotten yourself into?”

“Nothing much. Do you have any customers today?”

He shook his head. “It’s early. Most show up after noon.”

“Good. We need to make a deposit.”

Crow stuck his fingers in his front pocket and studied Thanatos. “Been a while, old bones.”

Thanatos raised one eyebrow. “I intend to vacation here, Trickster. I have signed the contracts necessary.”

“You understand that your power remains with me, locked up until you leave town? You understand you will have no access to it during that time?”

“I do so understand.”

“Have you positioned the power so that it will rest?”

“Yes.”

Crow studied him. Thanatos looked immensely unconcerned. If there was one god in the known universe who didn’t scare easily, I supposed it would be Death.

“He telling the truth, Delaney?” Crow asked.

Thanatos didn’t scowl, but his countenance darkened. He did not like his word being called into doubt.

“He’s agreed, signed, and followed through. All you have to do is take us back to the storage area so we can settle the power, and he can start his vacation.”

“Huh.” Crow clapped his hands together once and rubbed them. “All right. Let’s do this, then. C’mon back.”

We followed him to the furnace where he did a lot of his glassblowing for the tourists, and where he taught his classes. Then we moved back to the furnace set in the farthest corner of the building.

A worktable filled with all his glassblowing tools was situated in close proximity to the oven, and other, older-looking tools were hung on the wall beside it.

The tourist furnace was hot, and so was this furnace. But I could tell that the older one had more than just heat in it. I could hear the god powers singing.

“That’s where you’re keeping them?” I asked. “Really, Crow? I thought you had them in a safe or something secure.”

“Do you see any deities accessing their power?” he asked. “Do you see power escaping and running loose in town? No, you do not. Do you see any trouble with the powers held here?” He opened the oven door so I could look inside at the hot coals.

To my eyes, those coals burned with more than fire. The flames were filled with wild, indescribable colors, scents, and music. God powers curled and flexed in that crucible. Each power contained in its own space, quiet and passive, and unlike the noisy, angry power inside of me, these powers seemed happy.

Yes, that sounded silly. But I could sense the calm radiating off them. Pretty amazing, considering the mix of powers in there.