Page 16 of Killian
“It smells like a garden,” said Moira quietly.
“It’s getting warmer, too,” he said, unzipping his jacket.
“Is that a potted fern?” Moira walked toward the wall, and Killian saw that she was right. The pot was nearly as tall as Moira, and the fern was even more towering, but all the same, it was a potted plant.
“I… don’t know what to do with that,” said Killian. “Somehow, giant geckos are less weird than potted plants.”
Moira giggled.
“I’m serious! So we’ve got some giant mutant geckos and silverfish. It’s disturbing, but I don’t know. Maybe we’re under Chornobyl or something. But a potted plant? That means someone has to water the damn thing, and I’m not sure I want to meet the person who wanders around here watering plants.”
Moira laughed harder.
“I’m just saying I’m fine with mutant animals, but not mutant gardeners.”
“And I think they could be Quasimodo for all I care as long as they turn on the lights,” said Moira.
“OK,” said Killian. “Not an unreasonable position, but I’m sure our relationship deal includes you dealing with gardeners.”
“You get the bugs, and I get the gardeners? OK, I can roll with that,” said Moira, nodding.
“I was joking,” he said.
“No, it’s cool. If I can make up random relationship clauses, Idon’t see why you can’t.”
Killian chuckled. “I like that you’ll admit to making them up.”
“Honesty is the cornerstone of a healthy relationship,” she said. “Oprah said that.”
“Did you just make that up too?”
“Absolutely.”
Killian laughed, took another step, and fell down some stairs. “Ow! Fuck, shit! Ow!” His own yelps echoed back at him as he came to a bone-crunching halt on a flat spot. Moira hurried down to him, her eyes wide.
“Holy shit, are you OK?”
He tried to assess. “Uh.” He rotated his shoulder and thought he felt it pop back into place, then it stopped hurting and moved easily again. “Yes. That was weird for a second, but now, yes. What the fuck just happened?”
“There were stairs that we didn’t see in the dark,” said Moira.
Killian looked around. He’d let go of his glowstick in the fall, and now it rested a few feet away, illuminating a wide veranda of stone. At the platform’s edge, he caught the dim outline of plants and more pillars.
“No, I meant my shoulder did something weird.”
And then something bright out in the dark moved. Bright and twinkling like a firefly before going out again.
“Did you see that?” asked Killian, climbing to his feet.
“No, what?” Moira peered into the dark. The smell of plant life was all around them, rich and thick.
“There!” said Killian, pointing. The light zipped again, zig-zagging erratically through the undergrowth, shining a tiny light on fronds and leaves.
“Is it another bug?” demanded Moira, sounding like she was hoping the answer was no.
Killian picked up his glowstick and went to the edge of the platform. There were more stairs, and they all led downward to abroad, bricked path. The pattern of the stones reminded Killian of something.
Killian stood on the ancient paving stones and looked toward the temple. The weathered columns still showed their fluted sides and ionic tops. The sun was barely peeking above the horizon, and the wind was damp and cold. He and Pellos had walked through the night, following the trail.
