Conspiracies - Mercedes Lackey [111]
Then when Loch finished the song, Addie started one—about some poor bricklayer having a really, really bad day.
Then, when she was done, Muirin started croaking out dirty limericks. They were much, much worse than Loch’s song.
Burke was bright crimson. So was Addie, and even Muirin herself. Spirit had a pretty good idea that she was just as red—and she had no notion of what she could contribute, but after Muirin had recited about a dozen, suddenly the power came back up and the terror vanished again.
This time there was a knock on the door less than a minute after the lights came back on. It was Doc Mac and a couple of the Breakthrough people. They collected Sharon and Noreen and left without saying a word, leaving the five of them sitting on the floor with the candle still burning.
It was very quiet. “Do you think it’s over now?” Muirin asked, in a small voice.
“Usually these things happen in odd numbers,” Addie said, staring at the candle flame intently. “I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s going to be a third wave and Doctor Ambrosius will manage to repel it. I—just don’t know.” She frowned with concentration. “Who’s feeling brave enough to get up and get into one of my dresser drawers?”
Loch coughed. “I am,” he said, before anyone else could answer.
“Left hand side, third down, behind the thermal shirts,” Addie said. “There’s a big rectangular box, it fits all across the drawer. I took advantage of the new rules. Get it and bring it here.”
Loch did so, coming back with a box that looked expensive largely because, though it might have been cardboard, it was like no cardboard that Spirit had ever seen before. Glass-smooth, a deep, dark metallic brown, the word Lavendula was written in gold script across the top. Loch carried it as if it weighed ten pounds. He put it down next to the candle. Addie slid the top off. Inside were stacked squares wrapped in gold foil. Addie took one and unwrapped it.
“Chocolate?” Burke said doubtfully. “Did you body-swap with Muirin?”
“Ninety percent cacao dark chocolate infused with chamomile and lavender,” Addie replied, a little grimly. “Best way to calm down that I know of short of liquor, and I don’t have any booze. I found them in France and told the Trust that was what I always want for Christmas and birthdays. Usually my box is kept in the Admin office and I get a couple of pieces each Sunday, but…” Addie shrugged. “When everything started going crazy around here, I asked if I could have it, and they gave it to me. Help yourselves.”
Gingerly, they all did. The chocolate was startlingly intense, and tasted a little like flowers. Spirit wasn’t sure she really liked it, but one thing was sure: You knew you’d eaten chocolate when you’d finished a piece.
There was a knock on the door, and Doc Mac stuck his head in. His grim expression told them that this had been worse than the last time. “You kids stay here and stay together,” he told them. “We’re missing people. There’s your group, and a couple of other knots of kids that managed to keep it together and huddle, but we know people went running out the doors in all directions. We have search parties out, but there’s a lot of ‘out there’ out there. Don’t leave this room till someone comes to tell you it’s all right.”
“Yes sir,” Burke said. Doc Mac closed the door.
“Okay,” Muirin said into the silence. “I’ll say it. Spirit was right. The Gatekeepers are Lizzie’s Shadow Knights. And they’re horrible people. The only way this could have happened tonight was from the inside.…”
“We should run.” Addie’s hand was shaking as she reached for a square of chocolate.
“To where?” Loch retorted. “And how? Steal horses and ride off to Billings? Even if we could get past Rider’s goons, and ride horses for two days, what would we do when we got there? I pretty much doubt Muirin’s and my secret charge cards are secret from Rider at this point.”
Muirin