Read Online Hounacier (Valducan Book 2) by Seth Skorkowsky - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Seth Skorkowsky
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Tasha strode up and gave Malcolm a hug. "I'm sorry, Mal."
He squeezed her, catching the scent of citrus. He missed the spiciness of her old perfume. "Thank you."
She met his eyes. "You look like hell."
He snorted. "Been busy."
She half-heartedly smiled, her cupid's bow lips parting as if about to say more but deciding against it.
"So where you been?" Mister Alpuente stepped around the counter and offered a hand. "Ulises said you were off in Europe."
Malcolm shook the old man's boney hand. "I was. Been state-side a couple months now." He glanced at the oxygen hose leading to a black pouch at the old man's waist, bulging like an enormous fanny pack. "How are you doing?"
"Can't complain." He gave a little cough then added, "I was really sorry to hear about Ulises. Terrible."
Malcolm nodded. "Yeah."
"Just a matter of time though. People he saw. I warned him."
"What people?" Malcolm asked.
Alpuente frowned. "Dregs. People tryin' to cheat. Buyin' curses and amulets. 'Don't let those people in your house,' I said." He shook his head. "Terrible."
Malcolm's lip twitched. Alpuente's opinion was harsh, but he had to agree. Even Malcolm had expressed his concern about Ulises' continued work as a bokor.
Tasha touched Malcolm's shoulder. "Come on. Daddy's upstairs."
Malcolm nodded to the old man and followed Tasha through the back of the shop.
"Forgive him," she said, starting up a tight staircase. "You know how he gets."
"It's fine." The steps creaked loudly as he followed her up. A decade before, he'd mastered sneaking up and down them in the dark not to rouse her family. "Tasha, I noticed a stone mask down there. Do you know anything about it?"
"That? That's Daddy's. It wards off evil."
Yeah, the same way Vlad Tepes warded off Ottoman invaders by impaling thousands of their predecessors outside his capital. "Do you know where he got it?"
"You can ask him," Tasha said without turning. She led Malcolm down a short hall and knocked on a door at the end. She opened it without waiting for a reply.
A broad black man sitting at a cherry wood desk turned from his computer monitor. A spark of recognition flashed in his curious eyes. "Malcolm!"
"Hi, Jim."
"It's good to see you." Jim stood, towering at six and a half feet. He offered a giant hand, which Malcolm shook. "Please, have a seat."
Setting Hounacier's case down, Malcolm took one of the leather-backed chairs, noticing the candle shrine in the office corner. "Thank you."
"Daddy, can I get you anything?" Tasha asked, still standing beside the door.
Jim looked at Malcolm, who only shook his head. "No, Boo, we're good."
"All right," She motioned her head back. "I'll go keep an eye on Pawpaw. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks."
She looked at Malcolm, almost an afterthought. "We need to catch up."
Malcolm smiled. "We do."
She shut the door, and Jim gave him a look of a father trying to hold his tongue.
"How have you been?" Malcolm asked, breaking the momentary tension.
The huge priest grunted. "I've been good. The store has been doing well. My father-in-law has been killing me." He rolled his eyes then chuckled. "We keep trying to tell him to enjoy retirement, but every morning, he's down the stairs and unlocking the door like clockwork."
"How's he doing?" Malcolm asked, thinking of the oxygen tank.
"He'll outlive us all. So how about you, Malcolm? Last I heard, you were off in Europe."
"Yeah, I spent a few years there. Mostly France. Couple months in South America. Got back to the states in March."
"And you're only now coming home?"
Malcolm swallowed. Whatever paternal deficiency his own deadbeat father had left, Ulises and Jim both made up beaucoup. "Got busy."
The priest nodded, his expression deafening. You should have made time to visit before he died. "With your…Order?"
"Yes, sir. I'm one of the senior knights now. We had an incident last year. Left us pretty shorthanded."
"I heard."
"You did?" Malcolm hadn't told Ulises much about Tiamat.
He squeezed her, catching the scent of citrus. He missed the spiciness of her old perfume. "Thank you."
She met his eyes. "You look like hell."
He snorted. "Been busy."
She half-heartedly smiled, her cupid's bow lips parting as if about to say more but deciding against it.
"So where you been?" Mister Alpuente stepped around the counter and offered a hand. "Ulises said you were off in Europe."
Malcolm shook the old man's boney hand. "I was. Been state-side a couple months now." He glanced at the oxygen hose leading to a black pouch at the old man's waist, bulging like an enormous fanny pack. "How are you doing?"
"Can't complain." He gave a little cough then added, "I was really sorry to hear about Ulises. Terrible."
Malcolm nodded. "Yeah."
"Just a matter of time though. People he saw. I warned him."
"What people?" Malcolm asked.
Alpuente frowned. "Dregs. People tryin' to cheat. Buyin' curses and amulets. 'Don't let those people in your house,' I said." He shook his head. "Terrible."
Malcolm's lip twitched. Alpuente's opinion was harsh, but he had to agree. Even Malcolm had expressed his concern about Ulises' continued work as a bokor.
Tasha touched Malcolm's shoulder. "Come on. Daddy's upstairs."
Malcolm nodded to the old man and followed Tasha through the back of the shop.
"Forgive him," she said, starting up a tight staircase. "You know how he gets."
"It's fine." The steps creaked loudly as he followed her up. A decade before, he'd mastered sneaking up and down them in the dark not to rouse her family. "Tasha, I noticed a stone mask down there. Do you know anything about it?"
"That? That's Daddy's. It wards off evil."
Yeah, the same way Vlad Tepes warded off Ottoman invaders by impaling thousands of their predecessors outside his capital. "Do you know where he got it?"
"You can ask him," Tasha said without turning. She led Malcolm down a short hall and knocked on a door at the end. She opened it without waiting for a reply.
A broad black man sitting at a cherry wood desk turned from his computer monitor. A spark of recognition flashed in his curious eyes. "Malcolm!"
"Hi, Jim."
"It's good to see you." Jim stood, towering at six and a half feet. He offered a giant hand, which Malcolm shook. "Please, have a seat."
Setting Hounacier's case down, Malcolm took one of the leather-backed chairs, noticing the candle shrine in the office corner. "Thank you."
"Daddy, can I get you anything?" Tasha asked, still standing beside the door.
Jim looked at Malcolm, who only shook his head. "No, Boo, we're good."
"All right," She motioned her head back. "I'll go keep an eye on Pawpaw. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks."
She looked at Malcolm, almost an afterthought. "We need to catch up."
Malcolm smiled. "We do."
She shut the door, and Jim gave him a look of a father trying to hold his tongue.
"How have you been?" Malcolm asked, breaking the momentary tension.
The huge priest grunted. "I've been good. The store has been doing well. My father-in-law has been killing me." He rolled his eyes then chuckled. "We keep trying to tell him to enjoy retirement, but every morning, he's down the stairs and unlocking the door like clockwork."
"How's he doing?" Malcolm asked, thinking of the oxygen tank.
"He'll outlive us all. So how about you, Malcolm? Last I heard, you were off in Europe."
"Yeah, I spent a few years there. Mostly France. Couple months in South America. Got back to the states in March."
"And you're only now coming home?"
Malcolm swallowed. Whatever paternal deficiency his own deadbeat father had left, Ulises and Jim both made up beaucoup. "Got busy."
The priest nodded, his expression deafening. You should have made time to visit before he died. "With your…Order?"
"Yes, sir. I'm one of the senior knights now. We had an incident last year. Left us pretty shorthanded."
"I heard."
"You did?" Malcolm hadn't told Ulises much about Tiamat.
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