The Wicked (Elder Races #5.5)(3)

Phaedra gave Grace a baffled, bored look. She said, “I have no interest in talking about little things.”

“Oh, I don’t know why I bother,” Grace said. She turned to Olivia. “It’s been so much fun to have you visit. I wish you could stay for longer than a week.”

“I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in years,” Olivia told her. “Thank you for having me. I’m so glad you invited me for a visit before this new job starts.”

“I’m just glad you could take the time,” Grace said. “I’m going to miss you when you leave.” She leaned forward. “Are you still excited? What am I saying, of course you’re still excited.”

“I can’t wait.” Olivia hesitated for a moment, then confessed, “I’m also really nervous.”

Phaedra glided to the breakfast table, pulled out a chair and sat. Every move she made looked lethal and inhuman. “Why are you nervous?”

Olivia studied Phaedra, wondering what had sparked the Djinn’s attention. Perhaps Phaedra was interested because she and Olivia were going on the same expedition.

Olivia explained. “I get to help pack and move one of the world’s most legendary magical libraries, owned by one of the world’s most legendary witches. This is a once in a lifetime experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if every symbologist in the world had applied to go on this expedition, but only three were picked and I was one of them. That’s exciting. It’s also a bit nerve-wracking.”

“Plus you get to hang out for a couple of weeks on a mysterious Other island,” said Grace, grinning. “Well, at least it will be a couple of weeks according to island time. Who knows how long you’ll be gone according to the rest of Earth. I wish cameras worked and you could take pictures.”

Time and space had buckled when the world formed, creating pockets of Other lands where magic was stronger, the sun shone with a different light and time ran differently than it did on Earth. Often technology did not work, or it was downright dangerous. Sometimes the time slippage between an Other land and Earth was minor, and sometimes it was significant.

Olivia said, “When Carling hired me, she promised that the slippage wouldn’t be any longer than a couple of months, if that.”

Between Carling’s assurance that the time slippage would be relatively minor and Olivia’s promise to write at least two journal articles on the experience, she had been able to persuade the Dean of the library to approve a year’s sabbatical so that she could make the trip and concentrate on writing about the experience afterward. Once she’d been hired and her trip had been approved, she’d been unable to sleep a full night since.

Khalil said, “Now, that is what I call a time out.”

“Eeee,” remarked Max. The baby sounded as if he agreed.

The remaining few hours of Olivia’s visit flew by. A tear-stained Chloe gave her a big hug before drooping off to kindergarten.

Olivia watched her leave with a pang of regret. She may have decided not to have children of her own, but her decision wasn’t based on health or financial reasons. She kept herself quite fit, and while she wasn’t very tall, just barely topping five feet four inches, she had a constitution as sturdy as an ox.

As far as finances went, her profession was quite specialized. She was a witch working as a reference librarian at the largest library of magical works in the United States. Only skilled symbologists—those who were proficient at reading, controlling and infusing words and images with Power—could work at Ex Libris, and she was highly paid for what she did.

Not only did she own her house outright, but she also had a healthy savings account, a good stock portfolio and a pension that would allow her to retire early and in comfort, if she so chose.

She had just never found a steady, long-term relationship within which to consider having children, and though she was a human woman in her mid-thirties and her biological clock was ticking, she wasn’t interested in having a child by herself.

After Chloe left for school, it was time for Max’s morning nap. Olivia was happy to get one last chance to tuck him in his crib, then she and Grace talked for a few hours.

Olivia had already packed her bags, so when the time came to leave she only needed to collect her luggage from the guest bedroom. She had packed as her temporary employer, Carling Severan, had instructed, bringing one full-sized suitcase that could be left behind at either a hotel in San Francisco or a yacht in the Bay, and one water resistant pack that would carry all her essentials and clothing for the length of her stay on the island.

Taking the instructions as her cue, she had packed sensible, sturdy clothing that would be suitable for field work—jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, a wind-resistant raincoat, hiking boots and sneakers—along with a leather-bound journal for taking notes.

Mindful of the limited space in her pack, she kept her toiletries focused on the essentials, shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste and sunscreen, and she didn’t bother to pack any makeup. That morning she wore jeans, a light blue, form-fitting T-shirt and sneakers.

Slinging the pack onto one shoulder, she wheeled the suitcase to the living room where Grace and Khalil stood with Max and Phaedra.

As Olivia appeared, Khalil was speaking to his daughter. “It is nonsensical to summon a taxi for Olivia when you are both traveling to the same place. You will transport Olivia and her luggage with you.”