Read Online Stiltskin (Andrew Buckley) by Andrew Buckley - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrew Buckley
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now,” said the Rabbit.
The blond man, Jack, busied himself in the kitchenette.
Robert took a seat on the couch next to Lily while the White Rabbit settled into the recliner. He pulled his paw away from his shoulder to reveal a deep knife wound that was still trickling blood.
“Are you going to be okay?” asked Lily.
“I should be fine,” said the Rabbit, “in a matter of hours this will be nothing more than a scratch and a painful recollection. One of the advantages of being imbued with magical significance, you know.”
Jack brought over a tray of cups and handed everyone their tea, then sat down in front of the fire. Robert noted that Jack must have played rugby in his younger days; he looked strong, well built but a little worn around the edges. His blond hair was tied back; his eyes looked stern but tired. Robert would have placed him in his mid-forties.
“Robert, this is Jack,” said Lily. “He’s an Agent, like me.”
“I’m sorry about before,” said Jack, “you can imagine how it looked, you standing there with the knife and the dead rabbits everywhere.”
“Uh, yeah, I can see how that would be a bad first impression.” Robert could tell that Jack was hiding something. There had been some sort of recollection in his eyes in that moment when he had entered the Exchange and seen Robert holding the knife. Robert’s thoughts were interrupted by the White Rabbit.
“Clearly the events that have transpired here today and the tragedy that has occurred within these walls have not happened without reason. I assume that you, Lily, and you, Jack, have come to explain just what is going on. What I don’t understand was why the Dwarf attacked me and killed my staff and why there is an Othasider sitting here in my living room. An event that I can assure you has not happened in a very long time. So, let’s start at the beginning shall we?”
million thoughts buzzed around in Robert’s head and not one of them made sense. “Look, I know that something serious is going on and I’m all for going with the flow but I would like to know what’s going on here. I have so many questions and it seems that things just continue to get more and more confusing. I’d honestly be happy understanding maybe a quarter of what’s happened today.”
Lily, Jack, and the White Rabbit stared at Robert as if they’d momentarily forgotten he’d been in the room. Ten minutes of chatting had taken Robert from slightly confused to very confused. He had so readily accepted the fact that there was a completely new world hiding behind the reality that everyone else knew but now he was feeling more and more like a tourist being dragged around by people he didn’t know. And to what end? In a way, he was honoured to be here in the living room of a giant White Rabbit, but why had he been dragged along in the first place? The Dwarf that had randomly appeared in his bathtub had obviously known who he was.
“My dear boy,” began the Rabbit, “I would have thought that you had been brought here armed with at least some information.”
“No, not in the slightest, I just followed her here,” said Robert tilting his head toward Lily, who had a slightly bemused smile on her face. “I mean, you’re… well, you’re fairy tale characters, aren’t you?”
The temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Two humans and a three-hundred-pound rabbit stared at Robert. Jack’s hands tightened around his teacup until his knuckles turned white. No one breathed.
“Do I look like a fairy tale character to you?” growled Jack.
“Jack…” began Lily.
“Look, I’m sorry,” said Robert, “But―”
The Rabbit coughed the kind of cough meant to gain the attention of everyone in the room. “Obviously, I assumed incorrectly that you at least had some idea what was going on around you rather than just following our pretty Lily here wherever she led you. It’s a widely shared opinion that the term fairy tales when
The blond man, Jack, busied himself in the kitchenette.
Robert took a seat on the couch next to Lily while the White Rabbit settled into the recliner. He pulled his paw away from his shoulder to reveal a deep knife wound that was still trickling blood.
“Are you going to be okay?” asked Lily.
“I should be fine,” said the Rabbit, “in a matter of hours this will be nothing more than a scratch and a painful recollection. One of the advantages of being imbued with magical significance, you know.”
Jack brought over a tray of cups and handed everyone their tea, then sat down in front of the fire. Robert noted that Jack must have played rugby in his younger days; he looked strong, well built but a little worn around the edges. His blond hair was tied back; his eyes looked stern but tired. Robert would have placed him in his mid-forties.
“Robert, this is Jack,” said Lily. “He’s an Agent, like me.”
“I’m sorry about before,” said Jack, “you can imagine how it looked, you standing there with the knife and the dead rabbits everywhere.”
“Uh, yeah, I can see how that would be a bad first impression.” Robert could tell that Jack was hiding something. There had been some sort of recollection in his eyes in that moment when he had entered the Exchange and seen Robert holding the knife. Robert’s thoughts were interrupted by the White Rabbit.
“Clearly the events that have transpired here today and the tragedy that has occurred within these walls have not happened without reason. I assume that you, Lily, and you, Jack, have come to explain just what is going on. What I don’t understand was why the Dwarf attacked me and killed my staff and why there is an Othasider sitting here in my living room. An event that I can assure you has not happened in a very long time. So, let’s start at the beginning shall we?”
million thoughts buzzed around in Robert’s head and not one of them made sense. “Look, I know that something serious is going on and I’m all for going with the flow but I would like to know what’s going on here. I have so many questions and it seems that things just continue to get more and more confusing. I’d honestly be happy understanding maybe a quarter of what’s happened today.”
Lily, Jack, and the White Rabbit stared at Robert as if they’d momentarily forgotten he’d been in the room. Ten minutes of chatting had taken Robert from slightly confused to very confused. He had so readily accepted the fact that there was a completely new world hiding behind the reality that everyone else knew but now he was feeling more and more like a tourist being dragged around by people he didn’t know. And to what end? In a way, he was honoured to be here in the living room of a giant White Rabbit, but why had he been dragged along in the first place? The Dwarf that had randomly appeared in his bathtub had obviously known who he was.
“My dear boy,” began the Rabbit, “I would have thought that you had been brought here armed with at least some information.”
“No, not in the slightest, I just followed her here,” said Robert tilting his head toward Lily, who had a slightly bemused smile on her face. “I mean, you’re… well, you’re fairy tale characters, aren’t you?”
The temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Two humans and a three-hundred-pound rabbit stared at Robert. Jack’s hands tightened around his teacup until his knuckles turned white. No one breathed.
“Do I look like a fairy tale character to you?” growled Jack.
“Jack…” began Lily.
“Look, I’m sorry,” said Robert, “But―”
The Rabbit coughed the kind of cough meant to gain the attention of everyone in the room. “Obviously, I assumed incorrectly that you at least had some idea what was going on around you rather than just following our pretty Lily here wherever she led you. It’s a widely shared opinion that the term fairy tales when
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