Blaze, p.25
Blaze, page 25
“I’m fine,” she said, then added with more emphasis. “Really.”
Despite everything that had happened, she actually was. Once she’d finally Emerged, a sense of calm had come over her. It didn’t last forever, and she’d nearly collapsed from fatigue, but she knew that feeling was there and would be there again when she needed it.
“How’s David?” she asked, hoping a change of subject might stop her father from looking at her with so much concern.
“Recovering. He had a nasty concussion, but he should recover fully. No ill effects according to Doctor Chumbly. And …” He looked toward her bedside and Artemis followed his gaze. A huge arrangement of lilies, roses and pincushion flowers filled a crystal vase. “The Cliftons sent that over. They’re very grateful to you for saving David’s life.”
“You did that.” Artemis admired the flowers; they were beautiful. But then a troubling thought occurred to her. “Do they know what happened? Do they know about me?”
“No, thankfully,” he said. “All they seem to know is that you were injured in the melee, and I helped David to hospital.”
That’s a relief, she thought.
Then she noticed a very small bouquet of flowers resting on the table next to the large one. She picked up the little bundle of daisies with a sprig of rosemary tucked in between and looked at him.
“From the Doyles,” he explained. “Tommy, actually, I think.”
She grinned. How incredibly sweet of him.
Her father looked at her a little expectantly, but she merely gave the flowers a lingering sniff before putting them aside.
“I have to admit that I underestimated the boy,” he confessed. “He was quite helpful … after.”
She looked at him questioningly.
“Once I was sure you were going to be all right, Tommy and I returned to the hall. One of the shades was razed.” Then, seeing her confusion, he added, “Much like the shade that attacked you in your room.”
She could hardly believe that had only been just over a week ago. It felt like years.
“There was only a scorch mark. I believe the Hellsword infected the demon inside him, eventually incinerating the host body.”
That was a disturbing image.
“And the other?”
He frowned. “I’m afraid he got away, but I’m not sure he’ll be much trouble.”
She wasn’t so sure.
“He left his leg behind,” he added.
She gaped at the news. “His whole leg?”
“From the knee down.”
Artemis couldn’t repress her shudder.
“Shed no tears for either of them.”
He was right, of course, but it was still disturbing.
“Don’t worry, I won’t. What about Grey?” This was the one she needed to know about the most.
“Quite dead,” he said. “Permanently so this time. With Tommy’s help, I disposed of his body. And the leg.”
She grimaced again. “Where?”
A wry smile came to his lips. “I just happened to know of an empty grave in Highgate. Seemed a fitting end.”
Artemis had to agree. As long as it really was the end. She didn’t want to meet someone like Edwin Grey ever again.
“And Rosalind?” she asked, shifting her focus to the living.
He tilted his head to the side. “All right, as near as I can tell. The Deightons are being rather reclusive at the moment. Thankfully, she doesn’t recall much of what happened.”
“That’s good.” After what she’d been through, forgetting was definitely for the best.
He nodded in agreement. “The brain has a marvelous capacity for self-preservation.”
“What does David remember?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure. He was still unconscious when I left him.”
After he’d seen David safely to hospital, he’d waited for Artemis. She could only imagine what it must have been like for him until she and Tommy, with a groggy Rosalind in tow, had finally returned.
As far as they could tell, Grey hadn’t done anything to Rosalind except put her under this thrall. That was enough, Artemis thought with a shiver.
“As to the rest,” her father said, “the paper is calling it the ‘Brawl at the Ball’.”
She winced. Her little idea of using the suffragettes as a distraction had worked all too well. She waited for the worst of it.
“They’re blaming the entire episode on spiked punch,” he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Spiked punch?” she said, not able to keep the amusement out of her voice. It was beyond ridiculous. “The brain really does have a marvelous capacity for self-preservation.”
He shrugged. “Any alternative explanations were hardly acceptable. It would have ruined half of the finest families in London.”
She couldn’t help but smile at that. “No one was hurt badly?”
“Just a few bumps and bruises, more wounded egos than flesh.”
She couldn’t believe it had all escalated so quickly, but she was grateful it had. If it hadn’t, she wasn’t sure David or Rosalind would be alive today.
“Is it always going to be this way?” she asked, feeling unsure.
“As in?”
“The ball. The fight. Being the Blaze.”
“I don’t know,” he said, smiling as he took her hand again. “But whatever is yet to come, I have no doubt you will meet the challenge with poise and courage. I’m very proud of you, Artemis.”
For the first time in a long time, she felt worthy of it.
“And then Abigail Dewhurst hit Lord Stinwell with a chair,” Phoebe said with a giggle, rolling onto her back on her bed. “I didn’t think the old girl had it in her.”
For the last half hour Phoebe had been regaling Artemis with every possible detail of the ball’s untidy aftermath, delighting in each story, stories that Artemis was sure would grow grander with each telling.
“Then,” Phoebe said, turning onto her stomach, “I was nearly struck right in the face with a tray of amuse-bouche. Not amusing at all, I might add. But I was saved at the last moment by the most gallant young gentleman I’ve ever seen.” She pushed herself onto her knees and dramatically recreated the moment. “He grabbed me by the waist, his hands were quite strong, and lifted me as though I were no more than a feather, not that I’m heavy mind you, but still ….” Her eyes glazed over in a dreamy daze. “And he ever so gently put me aside in safety and took the salmon mousse meant for me.”
Artemis tried to hide her smile. “Very noble.”
Phoebe sighed and collapsed back onto her bed. “Isn’t it? Someday I’ll tell our grandchildren about it.”
“Binky and Bunky?”
Phoebe’s eyes went wide. “Don’t be silly. Those were Billy Boyd’s grandchildren. These would be ….”
“Who’s?” she asked, curious despite herself.
“I don’t know his name,” she said with a sigh and Artemis rolled her eyes, “but they’ll have raven hair and blue eyes, no, violet! And dote on me until it’s quite embarrassing. But my dear husband, I think I’ll call him Devon. Dear Dev—No, that’s no good. Dex. Dexter? That’s awful. Rex. Yes. Kingly! Suits him. You see, even after all of these years, dear Rex is still madly in love with me. We summer in the south of France, a small castle, nothing showy ….”
Artemis left Phoebe to her dreams as the future Mrs. Rex Something and walked over to the window. She was more herself today than she had been in weeks. A sense of calm dominated now, but her fears still lingered. They were simply tucked neatly away in a corner, waiting. Worry over her demon blood, her father, and what that whispering darkness inside meant would always endure. But for today, she would look out and not in, think of all she had and ignore the fear of losing it.
In an unusual showing of solidarity, the sun had come out and shone brightly down onto the Cliftons’ grounds. Artemis could just see David sitting in a chair in the garden, a blanket across his lap, convalescing. He was still weak, but her father assured her he would be himself again soon. She’d asked Phoebe what he remembered, and it had, thank goodness, been blessedly little. Phoebe had filled in a few gaps for him, withholding the truth, of course. That was just as well. Both he and Rosalind deserved a life where the likes of Edwin Grey didn’t even exist.
She was shocked to realize that she really and truly hoped they’d find happiness together. A pang of sadness came with the thought, but it was more for the loss of the crush than the young man. It was a bit of her childhood that she’d finally outgrown. Of course, over the past few weeks she’d grown out of a lot of things. So much had changed. She had changed.
It seemed frightfully optimistic, but even though she wasn’t sure what the future held, she had a feeling it was all going to be all right.
Down in the garden, someone approached David and handed him a steaming cup of tea. It was Liam. Her stomach did a little flip at the sight of him. He must have felt her eyes on him because he immediately looked up and found her in the window. He smiled and gave her a small wave.
Yes, she thought, the future is going to be more than all right.
More Books & About the Author
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THE BLAZE SERIES
(YA Historical Fantasy)
Blaze (Book #1)
Mirror (Book #2) - coming October 26, 2018
Legacy (Book #3) - coming November 28. 2018
OUT OF TIME SERIES
(Time Travel Adventure Romance/Mystery)
Out of Time: A Time Travel Mystery (Book #1)
When the Wall Fell (Book #2)
Fragments (Book #3)
The Devil’s Due (Book #4)
Thursday’s Child (Book #5)
Sands of Time (Book #6)
A Rip in Time (Book #7)
A Time of Shadows (Book #8)
Voyage in Time (Book #9)
Revolution in Time (Book #10)
A Time for Christmas: An Out of Time Christmas Novella
Christmas in New York: An Out of Time Christmas Novella
SAVING TIME SERIES
(Time Travel Adventure/Out of Time Spin-off)
Jacks Are Wild (Book #1)
Aloha, Jack (Book #2)
Nairobi Jack (Book #3)
HOLLYWOOD HEROES SERIES
(Romantic-Comedy)
The Frame (Book #1)
The Curse (Book #2) - coming soon
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Have an idea for a monster you’d like to see Artemis fight or a time and/or location you'd like to see Jack or Simon & Elizabeth visit? Drop me a line or come on by Facebook and let me know. I have quite a few ideas for future adventures, but would love to hear from you!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monique was born in Houston, Texas, but her family soon moved to Southern California. She grew up on both coasts, living in Connecticut and California. She currently resides in Southern California with her naughty Siamese cat, Monkey.
She's currently working on an adaptation of one of her screenplays, several short stories and novels, and the next books in The Blaze, Out of Time, Saving Time, and Hollywood Heroes series.
Monique Martin, Blaze
