Chapter Thirteen

Alexie Ambrose

            “Just a week or two longer, and then we should move.”  Alice set her tea cup down on the backroom desk. She and Azura were enchanting another case of Perfect Excuses potions, and keeping an ear open for the tinkle of the bell. The winter sun was streaming in bright through the windows, making Alice blink in sleepy irritation.  She yawned.

            “You don’t like New York?” Azura observed her yawning and stifled one of her own.

            “It’s not that I don’t like it. There’s too much going on. Everyone seems to know who I am, and Altair came back the other day and then there’s that Alexie Ambrose guy. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to meet him, and I’m thoroughly sick of hearing about him. After here and what happened in Egypt, I’d like somewhere peaceful.”

            Azura looked thoughtful.  “Altair is that man you ended up saving? He came back yesterday?”

            “He apologized.”

            Azura frowned. “Words can mean a lot. Or very little.”

            “Gabriel thinks he’s lying.”

            “And do you agree with him?”
            “I’m not sure. I don’t know why Altair came back. I wouldn’t have. I would be getting out of New York if I was him.”

            “Just be careful.”

            “I know. I don’t think he’ll come around again. He apologized, that’s all. I’m surprised he even bothered doing that.”

            Later, when the shop was slow, Azura showed her several new spells.  The first one taught her to move objects across the room, and she was soon efficient at lassoing the plastic cup they were using to practice with a length of thread.

“This is sort of rough. I mean, if there was water in this, I’d be spilling it everywhere. How do you make it steady?”

            “With practice and patience. It takes a long time.”

            “But I’m still using my hands. It doesn’t have the same effect. It looks way cooler to move something with your mind.”

            Azura laughed. “You may learn to manipulate the threads without your hands, but that won’t come for some time. It works for simple spells like shielding, but for something more intricate, where you have to create a pattern, you use your hands until you are very well trained.”

            “Oh,” Alice said, disappointed. “It seems so much more Witch-like to just make stuff happen when you walk by. That’s how they do it in the movies.”

            “If this was a movie it would have a better soundtrack.” Azura was referring to the pop song on the radio, which happened to be Alexie Ambrose, and Alice dissolved into giggles.

“No kidding.”

             After learning a few more spells - one of which delighted her with the ability to create and balance a small globe of light above her palm - Alice’s stomach embarrassed her with a loud, predatory rumble.  

“Oops, I think it’s time for food.”

            “Go ahead,” Azura said. “I’ll hold down the fort and go when you get back.”

            “Sounds good.  I’m going to go sit in Isabella’s for a while and read. Be back in an hour.”

            The coffee shop wasn’t busy. She found a window seat at the long coffee bar and settled in to her novel. Halfway through her sandwich she realized the person beside her was staring.  The slight young man sitting next to her had a large chocolate brownie in one hand and a huge grin on his face.

“Hiya.”

            Alice nodded cautiously. “Hello.”

            “You’re very pretty you know.”

            “Um…thanks.” Alice lowered her book, raised it again, blushed and tried to pretend she was reading. She forced herself not to check if he was still staring. Why do I always get the weirdos? But the young man hadn’t noticed her uncomfortable reaction.

“My name is Bryon. I’m an Ash Dryad.”

            “A what?” She knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it was out of her mouth. He lit up like a Christmas tree and began talking at astonishing speeds.

“I’m the spirit of a tree. Most people think Dryads are girls, but they’re not all girls. I’m not a girl.”

            “I see that…”

            He continued like she hadn’t said anything. “My tree is a tree in the park, and I probably shouldn’t have told you that, because they always tell you not to say where your tree is because maybe someday someone will hate you and they’ll go chop it down. But I think you look like nice person and you wouldn’t ever chop a tree down. Would you? That happened to my cousin once.”

            “Oh, I’m sorry…”

            “He was kind of a jerk, that’s why it happened. He probably ticked off the wrong person. I think it was a Wizard, or maybe a Woodcutter, I don’t know. It was a long time ago and the story is kind of foggy now. Dryads don’t remember things really well. We have short memories, or being a tree would get really boring. People think we’re really wise and stuff but most of us aren’t. Do you have a boyfriend?”

            Alice blinked. He had said it all in the same breath, and the last question caught her totally off guard.

“I...don’t…yes. Yes I do,” she lied.

            “That’s too bad.” Bryon the Ash Dryad looked at her critically. “Are you sure you have one, because he’s not here. What does he look like? Is he as good looking for a guy as you are for a girl? What’s his name? Is he old? I look young but I’m not. I don’t even know how old I am anymore. If you cut my tree you could count the rings but then that wouldn’t help me because I would disappear. That happens to us you know, if someone cuts our tree we disappear. Is your boyfriend very old?”

            Alice was staggered, she sputtered. “I…my age.”

            Bryon tilted his head on one side, looking for all the world like a cat about to pounce on a piece of string. “Are you sure you have a boyfriend? Sometimes girls invent boyfriends just so they don’t have to talk to me. That’s not very nice, is it?”

            Alice blushed bright red. The Dryad was smarter then she’d thought. “No, that’s not nice at all.”

            “Hey honey, you started lunch without me.”

            She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up in surprise. “Altair!”

            “Hello sweetie, who’s this guy?” Altair put his arm around her waist.  To Alice’s surprise he leaned down and kissed her. It was nothing more than a quick brush, but her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach lurched.  Her lips tingled, and she forced them into a smile.

“Hi…honey. This is…”

            The Dryad sighed noisily. “You do have a boyfriend. Okay I’ll go back to my tree.  It was nice meeting you.”

            Alice waved, relieved. There was only so much awkwardness a person could handle. She turned to Altair once the Dryad was gone. “You really do have some nerve.”

            His blue eyes widened mockingly. “What? Not even a thank you for rescuing you from motor mouth?”

            “I was doing fine.”

            “Really? Shall I call him back and tell him we broke up?” Altair turned to head for the door, and Alice grabbed his arm and pulled him back in alarm.

“Don’t you dare. Sit down.”

            “Thanks.” Altair sat at the stool the Dryad had vacated. “You looked incredibly awkward. Dryads are annoying as all hell, so I figured I’d step in.”

            “And help yourself to a kiss.” Alice scowled.

            “I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy stepping in.”

            “Don’t think you could get away with that in any other situation.”

            Altair leaned in, his smile daring. “I’d love to try again.”

            She leaned away, unwilling to be so near, to smell the scent of campfire and leather again. She remembered how it felt against his chest, the scratch of his unshaven jaw.  The terror she had felt….

“Back off,” she growled.

            Altair sat up straight, holding his palms out. “Whoa. Temper, darlin’.”

            Alice glowered. “You haven’t earned the right to be so casual with me. I still don’t trust you.”

            His expression grew sober. “Fair enough.”

            She frowned. It should be satisfying that he was backing off, but a part of her wanted him to try.  She shouldn’t feel that way, she should hate him.

“How did you know I was here?”

            “What’s to say I wasn’t just in getting a coffee?” Altair smirked.

            “Right across from my shop?”
            “Okay fine, I admit it. I went into Threads and you weren’t there. The other woman said you were here. I practically had to beg for the information. I don’t think she’s my number one fan.”

            “She likes you almost as much as Gabriel does.”

            Altair laughed. “The Elf? He’s hilarious. Obviously jealous.”

            Alice shrugged, uncomfortably.

            “You’re clearly in denial.”

            “Why are you here anyways? Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

             “You don’t like me following you around?”

            “You cause problems, and you didn’t answer my question.”

            He grinned cheekily. “I’ve always been attracted to powerful women.”  Alice tried to keep her expression neutral, but her stomach did an enthusiastic back flip. “The last girl I dated was a lawyer. But that didn’t work out.”
            “She sue you for cheating?” Alice asked, sourly.

            “No, I never cheated. She got sick of me disappearing for weeks at a time and tried to rip my throat out with her teeth.” Altair laughed. “Did I forget to mention she was also a Harpy?”

            “That’s a heck of a combination.”

            “You have no idea.”

            “Your throat seems intact.”

            “Yeah, I’m lucky Harpies have no magic. I just ran fast. You on the other hand…” He winked at her. “You could drop me in a heartbeat. You’re far more dangerous.”

            “Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “So what’s a ‘Regular’ doing dating a Harpy? And how do you even know about all of this?” She gestured around her, as if to encompass the entire magical community.

            “I’m not a Reg. I’m not totally devoid of magic, thanks.” Altair sounded insulted.

            “Oh, you have magic?”

            “I can do basic spells.  It doesn’t have many perks except for the long life span.”

            Alice nodded thoughtfully.  “So you can do some magic.”

            Altair grimaced. “Father was so disappointed. Such a high and mighty Wizard getting a dud for a son. Can’t tell you how many times he tried to beat the magic into me. That’s why I took to the streets.”

            “I’m sorry.” It was obvious that Altair didn’t enjoy the subject of his childhood.

            “What’s your story?” He changed the subject. “Born into it, or had it sprung on you?”

            “The latter. I really thought I was going crazy at first.” She paused thoughtfully. “Seems like forever ago but it’s really only been a few months.”

            Altair’s eyes grew bigger.  “You’d never done magic until recently?”
            “I didn’t even believe in it.”

            “It’s astonishing you’re at the level you’re at, and a little scary. You can’t have had much time for training.”

            “Azura’s training me,” Alice said, defensively. “She’s a good teacher.”

            “I never said she wasn’t. She just hasn’t had much time with you, that’s all. You seem to be able to fling around an awful lot of magic. It’s a bit frightening.”

            “I’m not flinging around anything,” Alice said crossly.

            “Except that one time in this very coffee shop when you flung me.” Altair grinned.

            “That was because you scared the crap out of me, coming at me like that.”

            “So you admit you find me scary.” He leaned in again, this time the tip of his nose was nearly touching hers.  Alice scowled, refusing to lean away.

“You’re not in the least bit scary.”

            “Not even a tiny bit?”

            “No.”

            “How disappointing.” Altair leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me, Alice. Are you going to hate me forever? Or will I be forgiven someday in the distant future?”

            “You plan on sticking around into the distant future?” Alice made her voice sound grumpy, but she had butterflies in her stomach. Maybe Gabriel was right. He was flirting with her. Did that mean he liked her?

            “I’ll still be bothering you, yes.”

            “Then maybe I should move the shop somewhere far away, Cuba or the Dominican would be nice right now.” Alice pretended to rub her arms through her thick sweater. “It’s cold here.”

            Altair frowned. “I forgot about that. You’re not planning on moving it anytime soon, are you?”

            Alice shrugged, keeping an eye on his expression. “Maybe. New York tires me, too many things going on.”

            “Tired of hearing about the over-glorified pop star?” Altair guessed.

            “Among other things.” She looked at him pointedly.

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