I found pajamas on the bed. Not the long, white nightgown one would expect a woman in a castle to wear, but soft, cotton, men's style PJs. No objection on my part. I didn't spend too much time wondering where they came from. Hawwa was half my size, and they certainly weren't Brian's. The Adamos estate seemed like a place where one did not want to ask too many questions.
The bed stood so tall someone had placed a carpeted step beside it. I climbed up, pulled the heavy covers over myself, and lay staring at the gauzy canopy stretched overhead. Concrete thoughts refused to form. I guess at some point I dozed off because one moment I was thinking about pretty little girls with horrible fangs and the next, bright sun streamed through the crack between the velvet drapes.
I sat up and examined my surroundings. Any given item—from the gold-framed mirror showing my tousled-hair reflection to the ornate candlesticks on the nightstands, to the chairs that looked like they belonged in a museum—was probably worth more than everything I owned. How many rooms were in a house that qualified as an estate? There had to be a staff for a place that big. Did Nick have his own room? Was I sleeping in it? I ran a hand over the wide bed and wished Nick was there, naked and watching me with one eyebrow arched.
Oh, good grief. Get a dang grip on yourself.
My clothing had been washed and folded and placed on top of a dresser.
I shuddered to think someone had entered the room while I was sleeping and unaware. Was it Abtin? Hawwa? Thing from The Addams Family? Eesh.
A knock came at the door after I'd scrambled to wash up and get dressed and, just as I finished tying the laces on my boot.
Surely, it was pure coincidence that they knew the very moment I was ready. Eesh again.
Hawwa greeted me with a warm smile. "We should get you to the airport. If you leave now, you can be back in Michigan before sunset."
"What happens at sunset?" I asked.
Her beautiful smile dawned brilliantly across her face. "All the best things." She handed me another pomegranate, though the last one still sat untouched on the bedside table. "For the road. There will be a proper meal served on the flight."
All the questions that had plagued me through the night raced toward my mouth and got jammed together at the back of my throat, so I ended up following her wordlessly through the enormous house and out the front door while each query fought for dominance.
Abtin opened the back door of the Mercedes as we approached, but Hawwa put a gentle hand on my arm and stopped me from moving forward.
"Nicolai's biological mother died giving birth to him, as often happens when a child such as he is conceived," she said. "It's a testament to her strength that she was even able to carry him to a viable age."
I blinked at her, my questions falling from my mind like broken shards of glass.
"For all practical purposes, Adom and I replaced her. This was at the request of his father, whom he has long had a complicated relationship with." She sighed, and I wanted to lay my head on her shoulder and let her hold me. "Many years ago, Nick left us to pursue a path that some frown upon."
At last, I found my voice. "Do you frown upon his choice?"
"No." She didn't hesitate. "The Organization is far from perfect, but they help us all maintain a delicate balance that ensures a degree of civility. The job Nicolai does for them is difficult, but important, and he is well-suited to it. I am grateful for his work and for yours, but it is dangerous, and any mother would fear for her child."
"He told me once not much can kill him," I said.
"That's not the same as nothing, and death is not the only bad thing that can happen to a person. In my experience, it's not the worst, either. And now he is chasing one who is chasing Death itself. Any mother would worry." She twined her fingers through mine. "Take care of him, Olivia Nowicki."
"You know I'm just a human, right?" An ignorant one at that, but I left that unsaid, assuming she knew.
She smiled up at me. "Therein lies your extraordinary power." Her hand tightened around mine. "He will push you away and tell you it's for your own good. He'll speak of feelings and control, magic and consent, ethics and boundaries."
My face must have given me away, because she chuckled and shook her head.
"He already has, I see. Do not leave him all alone. What is attraction? What is love itself, but chemistry? Chemistry is not so far away from magic. Stay by his side, even if he tells you not to."
"I just work for him. That's all." I managed to squeak out the words. "There's nothing... Other people work for him, too." Benji's flawless image floated in my memory. "Other women, too, if that's—"
"When he thought you were in danger, he literally wept for your safety. Does he weep for the others? Do the others carry the aroma of his essence?"
Well, that sounded downright dirty and, besides, how was I supposed to know? I'd known him for all of four days.
"I haven't spoken to my son in a time so long it would seem nearly inconceivable to you. For you, he called me. /For you, he shed tears for the first time in many, many years. Do not take that lightly. Your humanity is more powerful than you can imagine. Take care of my precious boy, please."
At a complete loss, I promised I would try my best.
"Madam, we should go," Abtin said.
She gave my hand one final squeeze and let go.
The drive to the airfield was less than ten minutes. Abtin didn't speak again until we arrived and he shifted into park. Then he turned and removed his sunglasses. Rather than the pink eyes I expected, he gazed at me through two buzzing balls of electricity. "She carries the wisdom of God. It is a fine thing to have my brother be part of our family once more. You did that good thing. He needs you."
What does a person say to something like that? I gave a weird half smile and nodded, and then he led me across the tarmac to a set of stairs.
The jet seemed small by commercial standards, but bigger than I'd ever imagined a private aircraft would be. I jogged upward and a beautiful blonde greeted me and welcomed me to take any seat I liked.
The inside of the plane resembled a posh living room as much as anything.
"Is anyone else coming?" I asked.
She informed me I'd be traveling alone, so I chose a squashy armchair that faced the big screen TV.
"We'll be taking off in a moment. Can I get you a beverage? Do you require anything at all?"
I wished for one of Mandrake's ciders, but I asked for a Coke and a notepad and pen. She brought all three items and disappeared behind a door near the back of the craft. A disembodied voice announced we were prepared for takeoff, and then we were on our way.
I uncapped the pen and titled my page: What I Know For Sure.
There is a baby at the Holy Woman's house.
Sathanas is lingering in that neighborhood.
Death is distracted.
The angels and demons are teaming up to get Death back on track. Sathanas is their leader.
Probably some people would think that getting rid of Death would be a good thing, but, in my opinion, that was a short-sighted view. I'd read Tuck Everlasting and understood the implications. What condition would the earth be in if everyone who ever lived was still alive? What about people who were terribly ill or wounded? For some, death came as a relief. What of those who were sick in other ways? What if Hitler could carry on with his plans into infinity? How grandiose would his monstrosity become? What horrors could he inflict on a humanity that could not die?
No, Death needed to stay on task, even if that meant I was a hypocrite for having sneaked out of his grasp.
I read over the short list I'd created.
It made sense that Sathanas was hanging around close to his baby, but if he was leading a holy war against Death, wouldn't he want to draw the Big Bad away from his family?
You've got it all wrong, the holy woman had said.
The really dangerous ones are the ones who have nothing to lose. No family. No love, Jaja had said.
Sathanas wasn't after the baby. He was after Valynais, and circling ever closer to Valynais was bringing him closer and closer to the holy woman's house. It's Valynais, not Sathanas, who is hanging out in that neighborhood. It's a warded space, so supernatural creatures might find it difficult to see into it.
The pen fell out of my hand and thumped onto the soft carpet near my feet as all the pieces snapped into place.
Holy mackerel. Death had a baby with the witch.