coincidence has always been a friend to me (part LII)

(Continued from part LI.)

Emilly stepped forward.

"So, uh, cautions. Be careful around the garden."



He stared at her.

"I think there's...more than one there."



"And they're...fairly unhappy. And...Darktow may no longer be safe."



"But hey! Upper floor of the house seems fine!" She smiled tremulously. "Save for the eggs."

There was a sound of breaking glass from downstairs. Justine cursed and ran out. Emilly rolled her eyes. "I'm going to take up knitting for times like these, I swear."

Rusty went to the window and looked out. "Oh...that's...a lot of things..."

"They're native to whatever's in the main rift, yes." She pulled out a comm unit, opening the screen wider. "STAN, where did you say Hiro was?" The moment she finished she realized she wasn't sure which one STAN would pick.

STAN: THE DUKE'S STUDY

she read. "Oh. Upstairs."

"Did he say where?" Rusty asked.

"Hiro's private study."

"The room upstairs is the Duke's study?" Rusty asked.

Emilly nodded. "Come on, I'll show you." She walked out of Justine's suite and up the stairs to the very top, walking through the open entryway, across the metal walkway. She walked into the Duke's private study and froze.



"Don't...come in," she whispered to Rusty. She inhaled slowly, looking at the glowing blue letters, speaking three short phrases in Latin. The barrier ward dissipated.

Only the box was left.

"So, we need to get this to Caledon, to erase the dissonance of two instances of Hiro in the same locality."

"Will that work?" he asked.

Emilly shrugged. "I hope so..."

(Continued in part LIII.)