Page 104 of The Last Slayer
A small sharp knock on wood.
Another one.
I opened my eyes. Thick curtains blocked most of the light into the room, and I had no idea what time it was. Despite my fervent wish last night, I wasn’t back in my old condo. And I still remembered Ramiel’s revelation.
The knock came again, somehow managing to sound both tentative and insistent.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened about an inch and Toshi zipped in. “Good morning, milady.”
“Good morning.” I sat up. “What time is it?”
“Ten o’clock, milady.” He seemed unconscionably perky, tongue snapping in and out of his mouth like a party favor. “Dorian is here to see you.”
“Who?”
“Besade’s blacksmith and armorer.”
I still didn’t know what Toshi really meant by armor. The supernatural have their own way of looking at things. It could have been anything from chain mail to a web of pure magic.
“Is it going to be heavy?” I didn’t want anything hampering my movement.
“Oh heavens no. Dorian’s no common blacksmith. Would you like breakfast?”
“Um, just some coffee would be nice.”
Toshi conjured me a cup. I took a long sip and sighed as a hint of vanilla lingered in my mouth. Mmmm. It was the best I’d ever had. Toshi could make a killing if he opened a coffee shop in DC.
“Do I get a shield?” I asked, warming a little to the idea.
“If you’d like one,” he said as he zipped back and forth straightening the pillows on the bed.
I rested my chin in my hand and watched him work. “How come you’re not using your magic?”
Toshi swiveled toward me in midair, a corner of a sheet in his claws. “It’s a sign of respect that I perform physical labor for you.”
My mouth formed a small O. “Thank you.”
“I exist to serve, milady.”
That sounded a tad too medieval for me to be entirely comfortable with it. “Where are Ramiel and Alexandros?”
“His Majesty returned to his court last night, declaring that he would not help anyone who can’t benefit him.” Toshi lost a little altitude. “Perhaps he felt that way because the meal wasn’t to his liking. I noticed nobody stayed for the dessert.”
“Uhh…”
He sniffled. “Lord Ramiel is raising his army. And contacting the Dragonlords of Higashiro.”
“The Dragonlords of Higashiro?” I said, latching on to the new topic before Toshi could burst into tears. A dragonhold could have only one master. Or so I’d been taught. On the other hand, mortals hadn’t had much contact with dragonlords since the Twilight of Slayers, so things might have changed in the last four hundred years or so.
“They’re twins, so they’re really one and the same. They’re one of the Triumvirate of Lapslora.” Toshi paused, then frowned. “Or was it two? But that makes no sense.” He began to count on his claws. “It’s Eastvale, Higashiro and Besade.” Satisfied, he looked up at me. “So they’re one.”
“Shouldn’t the older one be the Lord of Higashiro?”
“Yes, of course. But we don’t know which one was born first.”
That was weird. Supernaturals are sticklers for such things. “Why not?”
