Chapter 14

South Beach

Marina Harbor

"My mother wouldn't do that," Fiona said, glaring at the man who called himself Drake Alcaide, if he actually was a 'man' in a human sense.  At least his eyes looked normal.  Jay shrugged it off as completely irrelevant right now.

"That's stupid," Fiona continued. "Were the dragons supposed to explain why they were there?"

As if on cue, the present dragon clumped around the side of the building and disappeared like Alisana and the woman.  Maybe it left to avoid proving it could talk.  "Yes, they were," the man replied.  "They went with a message for Jaegar. Perhaps someone else was nearby.  They would not have spoken if they would have been seen by anyone other than him."

So they could talk and good old Chris had spoiled the plan. He'd been walking down the hill, head down, plodding along, every step a challenge.  Something flying around would have seen him but he probably never looked up.  He thought of the woman by the lake with the blind eyes, gave up asking about the dragons and said, "Is Dr. Dirac here?  Can I talk to her?"

He looked from one of them to the other, seeming to pause to make up his mind about what to say or maybe to say anything at all.  "No, she isn't here.  I can attempt to take you where she might be."

Fiona turned on him.  "Yes, that would be nice of you.  She didn't send dragons to talk to me, maybe because I'm just a Lombardo package delivery person, but if you're going somewhere with Jay, I'm going too."  She glared at Jay as if he intended to argue the point.

He shrugged.  "That's not my decision."

Drake Alcaide made a soft exasperated sound. "Kenley Dirac sent the message because we need help that you can give us.  It was all she had to use, and she used it.  This doorway is closing. There's no more time."  

Taking a step toward him, Fiona demanded, "Who is opening these doors for Alisana?  Are they living or dead?"

He didn't turn around.  "We don't know.  We won't press her, there are reasons why, and we can't see the dead." 

"I can."  

He did finally turn around once more and smiled slightly.  "I know that, Fiona. We need both of you."

And that appeared to be that.  Fiona followed him without another word to either of them.

At the top of the stairs she looked back though and said to Jay, "Come on, and get the clothes from the car."   

Jay was left alone in the dark, the lights of the marina shops and restaurants on his right, the lights of his own home across the narrow channel, his car parked behind him.  

It was obvious what he had to do.  He had to go get the clothes.

He was not going to refuse to go through that doorway arch thing.  It was a choice he had no difficulty making anyway.  What was he going to do instead?  Drive home and listen to Camilla talk about Gabe?

No he was not.  He went back to the car, shoved the clothes ahead of him through the arch, and walked on through.