been on a human, smoked and boiled. “My apologies. I was entertaining a guest.”
“I’m sorry I blew down your door. I thought you were in trouble.” The gelatin shimmied off the bed and oozed to the floor, making slurping, glurping noises as it coalesced into a humanoid form. “Hi?”
In my mind, it said, “Greetings,” then moved, snail-like, out the door.
“So.” Vasili clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “What brings you to my humble abode?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s up with the nicey nice?”
“I cannot be happy to see you?”
“No. It’s weird.”
He flicked his fingers at the door and it slapped itself back into place. Then, still grinning, he held out his hands to me. “Let’s create the protection circle together.”
I slowly put my hands in his, not sure what the hell was going on, but figuring something wasn’t right for him to be acting this way. As soon as our hands joined, a circle went up around the house. “I’ll create it if you fuel it.”
“Of course,” I said and sent power through our contact. In seconds, he was satisfied and dropped my hands.
“They are watching me.” He went to the bed, and set the whole thing on fire. It went up in a whoosh of sound and heat, and in seconds nothing remained but ash. “Sending me visitors.”
“Who?”
“Amara and those loyal to her. She’s pissed you’ve stolen her spawn.”
I scoffed. “Only you.”
“More than me. They are getting ideas. Wanting to pledge their fealty to you. She doesn’t like it. None of them like it. And I’m getting the brunt.” He sat down hard on a chair and buried his fingers in the tentacles on his head.
“What can I do to help out?”
He tipped his head. “See? Right there. You’re too nice.”
“Okay? So you want me to beat you and enslave you?”
A noise of frustration and anger came from under the tentacles. “No. I rather like having my own agency.”
“Then what, Vasili?”
“I don’t know!”
Figuring he needed some time to think, I studied his collection of oddities. There was a cloud in a bottle on one shelf and what looked like a still on a tabletop in the corner. The glass tubes were filled with thick, purple liquid that oozed out one end and plopped, sizzling, into a beaker. When I couldn’t stand the silence any longer, I asked, “Why don’t you get the spawn into a group? You know, form a union or something.”
“A what?”
“It’s a human thing. Basically you work together to create better conditions for yourselves.” I reached out a finger to a fluffy red puff of fur only to yank it back at Vasili’s sharp warning.
“Don’t! It will make your finger explode. Nasty little creature.”
I glared at the puff ball. “Then why have it?”
“For research.”
Why was it I still wanted to poke the damn thing? I moved away before I was tempted. “Speaking of research, I have something else I need you to look into. Have you heard of something called a Rider?” I watched him but he didn’t sit up and gasp in horror, which I took as a good sign.
“A what?”
“It’s a parasite. Takes a ride inside a host. It can drop potential into other hosts through Dreams and if it’s not killed, then that potential turns into the seed for a new parasite.”
“Doesn’t sound Skriven.”
“Well no, it’s not.”
He did turn this time. “Then how do you expect me to know anything about it?”
I gestured to the books all around. “Hello?”
“These are Skriven tomes on Skriven matters. What care we about the troubles of mere mortals?” He bent over to scoop up a black bound book, a silver clasp gleaming on its cover. “The Keeping of Souls.”
“Oh. Have you found anything yet?” I’d asked him to find out what happened when Skriven united with their souls, hoping some enterprising Originator some time down the line had done some experimenting and found the answer.
“Unless this book holds the answers, I got nothing. You’ll have to
“I’m sorry I blew down your door. I thought you were in trouble.” The gelatin shimmied off the bed and oozed to the floor, making slurping, glurping noises as it coalesced into a humanoid form. “Hi?”
In my mind, it said, “Greetings,” then moved, snail-like, out the door.
“So.” Vasili clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “What brings you to my humble abode?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What’s up with the nicey nice?”
“I cannot be happy to see you?”
“No. It’s weird.”
He flicked his fingers at the door and it slapped itself back into place. Then, still grinning, he held out his hands to me. “Let’s create the protection circle together.”
I slowly put my hands in his, not sure what the hell was going on, but figuring something wasn’t right for him to be acting this way. As soon as our hands joined, a circle went up around the house. “I’ll create it if you fuel it.”
“Of course,” I said and sent power through our contact. In seconds, he was satisfied and dropped my hands.
“They are watching me.” He went to the bed, and set the whole thing on fire. It went up in a whoosh of sound and heat, and in seconds nothing remained but ash. “Sending me visitors.”
“Who?”
“Amara and those loyal to her. She’s pissed you’ve stolen her spawn.”
I scoffed. “Only you.”
“More than me. They are getting ideas. Wanting to pledge their fealty to you. She doesn’t like it. None of them like it. And I’m getting the brunt.” He sat down hard on a chair and buried his fingers in the tentacles on his head.
“What can I do to help out?”
He tipped his head. “See? Right there. You’re too nice.”
“Okay? So you want me to beat you and enslave you?”
A noise of frustration and anger came from under the tentacles. “No. I rather like having my own agency.”
“Then what, Vasili?”
“I don’t know!”
Figuring he needed some time to think, I studied his collection of oddities. There was a cloud in a bottle on one shelf and what looked like a still on a tabletop in the corner. The glass tubes were filled with thick, purple liquid that oozed out one end and plopped, sizzling, into a beaker. When I couldn’t stand the silence any longer, I asked, “Why don’t you get the spawn into a group? You know, form a union or something.”
“A what?”
“It’s a human thing. Basically you work together to create better conditions for yourselves.” I reached out a finger to a fluffy red puff of fur only to yank it back at Vasili’s sharp warning.
“Don’t! It will make your finger explode. Nasty little creature.”
I glared at the puff ball. “Then why have it?”
“For research.”
Why was it I still wanted to poke the damn thing? I moved away before I was tempted. “Speaking of research, I have something else I need you to look into. Have you heard of something called a Rider?” I watched him but he didn’t sit up and gasp in horror, which I took as a good sign.
“A what?”
“It’s a parasite. Takes a ride inside a host. It can drop potential into other hosts through Dreams and if it’s not killed, then that potential turns into the seed for a new parasite.”
“Doesn’t sound Skriven.”
“Well no, it’s not.”
He did turn this time. “Then how do you expect me to know anything about it?”
I gestured to the books all around. “Hello?”
“These are Skriven tomes on Skriven matters. What care we about the troubles of mere mortals?” He bent over to scoop up a black bound book, a silver clasp gleaming on its cover. “The Keeping of Souls.”
“Oh. Have you found anything yet?” I’d asked him to find out what happened when Skriven united with their souls, hoping some enterprising Originator some time down the line had done some experimenting and found the answer.
“Unless this book holds the answers, I got nothing. You’ll have to