Page 31 of Wonder
They did not respond.
Sighing, I put them back in the rucksack. I was about to get out of the car, but I hesitated. I’d been sleeping rough for several days now, and I looked it. I hadn’t bothered shaving, and my shirt was dirty and stained. But theluchd-òl folaI’d killed two weeks ago had been carrying fat wallets. Might as well get a room and take a bath. Maybe the hotel offered laundry service.
I stuffed as many of my clothes as I could into a carryall, then I strode into the lobby, booked a room, and arranged for my things to be laundered as if I did it all the time. The clerk evenpointed me at a barber shop across the street. I tipped him well, so hopefully I merely came across as eccentric.
Three more Wonders were sitting in the lobby, and we exchanged nods as I walked to the lift. Most Wonders and magic carriers assumed I was a type of Wonder they’d never encountered before. Which, once I thought about it, was true. Those of us non-Elves who worked around the palace tended to think of ourselves as separate from the Wonders, but we really weren’t. I wasn’t an Elf, and I wasn’t a magic carrier. I was a Wonder.
They were my people now.
Putting on my cleanest clothes, I left the rest stacked on the bed as instructed, ready to be laundered. I took my rucksack with me to the barber, and thedèideag dìondidn’t make any movements. Hair trimmed and beard shaved off, I felt more like someone who could talk a stranger into taking an Elven-created being across the ocean with them.
The bar wasn’t too crowded, so I took a seat on a stool where I could see the entire place at a glance. No fox shifters were here yet, but it was still early.
I nursed two Sidecars before the bartender, who’d been impressed with my mastery of the Greek language, encouraged me to order some food. Thekleftikowas delicious, and I was scraping the last of the sauce off the plate when someone appeared at my elbow.
“Man, you can get food here? Seems like you enjoyed it. What was it?”
I looked up, feeling an odd combination of certainty, dread, and anticipation when I locked eyes with a fox shifter. He appearedto be around thirty years old, but he was probably a lot older. He had tousled reddish hair and a roguish grin.
I smiled politely. “I had thekleftiko. Lamb marinated in garlic and lemon with potatoes.” I tilted my head toward the bartender. “He can set you up.”
The bartender, used to tourists, spoke enough English to take the man’s food and drink order, so I didn’t need to translate. I’d put my rucksack on the floor between my feet, and I nudged it to see if thedèideag dìonwas moving, but I didn’t feel anything.
The fox shifter leaned on the bar and eyed me up and down. He glanced at the bartender, who was helping a customer several stools away, before turning back to me. “I’m Jimmy.”
“Simon.”
“Nice to meet you, Simon. Sorry for staring, but your magic looks familiar, though I can’t place it.”
I twisted to face him more fully. Could he have seen some of theluchd-òl fola? Might as well find out what the truth got me. “Vampire.”
He froze, his drink halfway to his mouth. Then he narrowed his eyes. “I thought all of you went... away when the portal closed.” This last was said in a whisper.
I blinked. “Most people don’t know about us. Only the Earth myths.”
He grinned. “I’m a pilot. I flew some Elves back and forth across the Atlantic during the war.”
“Interesting. You weren’t conscripted to the U.S. Air Force?”
After another quick look around, he held out his hand and began a partial shift. His fingers fused together, but he was able to stop the transformation there. “Sadly I was born with a congenital issue that didn’t allow me to serve.”
I raised my glass. “Smart.”
He sipped his own. “I’m not a joiner, but I did do my part. Which is how the Elves found me. I was transporting some Jewish kids out of France, and they were trying to do the same thing. I met a couple of vampires on one of my flights. They were talking about going home. Didn’t you want to go back too?”
Time to try some honesty again. “Right before the portal closed we discovered some Wonders were being kidnapped. I stayed behind to track down the people responsible.”
His eyes went wide. “Did you find them?”
The bartender put the guy’s dinner down on the bar, so I waited until he left to reply. “Some of them. I’m still chasing the rest. Have you heard of any Wonders going missing recently?”
He frowned down at his food, then he pointed his fork at me. “I was about to say no, but I was just in Patras, and a banshee was complaining that her no-good son had run off.” He shrugged. “Might be something, might be nothing.”
I nodded. “I don’t have any other leads right now, so it’s worth checking out. Thanks.” I sipped my Sidecar and gave him a few minutes to eat in peace. When he slowed down and started picking at his food, I began the conversation I’d come here for. “What are you doing now that the war’s over?”
He lifted one shoulder. “Moved on to transporting packages, products for companies and such. All on the up and up of course.” He winked.
I smirked. “Of course. Are you in Athens long?”
