A Third Kind of Madness by Christiane Knight

Author:Christiane Knight [Knight, Christiane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Three Ravens Press
Published: 2024-04-27T19:55:26+00:00

Chapter 17

Tempers – Strange Harvest

In the end, we don’t make any decisions at all. Karsten is kind enough to point out to Sousa and Vali that Peri’s exhausted, and nothing with the paintings is likely to change suddenly if it hadn’t before our visit. Why not regroup and think a bit before we make any bold moves?

I’m paraphrasing, of course. Karsten speaks much more elegantly than that.

Everyone reluctantly agrees, and Karsten helps me get Peri to bed in my room. She’s wiped out, but I’m no such thing, so I trail Karsten down to the library, where we discover Merrick on one of the couches next to Sousa, a mug of coffee in his hands. The mug’s another one from the mismatched collection that lives next to the coffee maker, and it’s emblazoned with “GO JUICE” in blurred, jittery red letters on a white background. Other than that, it looks like it could have come from some run-down diner.

“I was just filling Merrick in on everything that’s gone down tonight,” Sousa tells me, and Merrick raises his mug in my direction in lieu of a hello.

“Let me get some of that before we go any further.” I wander over to the coffee station and pick the first mug I put my hands on. It’s incredibly plain except for this thin filigree design that runs along the bottom edge of the mug. Upon closer inspection, I realize that the design is a repeating motif of extremely stylized hands all flipping the bird.

Okay then, House. Your sense of humor is something else.

“Oh, you got the one Aisling calls ‘elegantly aggressive.’ That’s her favorite,” Merrick says with a laugh.

“The mug selection here is hilariously random.” As I take possession of the armchair across from them, I note that Karsten’s joined Vali on the other side of the room, deep in an animated conversation that I can’t hear from where I’m sitting. “What’s going on with them?”

“Vali wanted to toss some ideas at Karsten without us annoying them.” Sousa rolls his eyes, and Merrick makes a derpy face. “Evidently, we’re bad at not interrupting.” I can’t help but laugh.

“Doesn’t matter anyway; I came over to talk to you.” Merrick grins, but I’m immediately on guard. What did I do now?

“Uh, what about?”

“Nothing bad!” He looks genuinely surprised that I’m worried. “Sousa thought that you might relate to someone else who got sucked into this whole world of Fae-ness unawares. I know that for me it was really confusing.”

“He had a tough time assimilating at first. In his case, because he was being hardheaded about the whole thing.” Sousa rolls his eyes again.

“Yeah, yeah. Despite getting a gorgeous and incredibly kind girlfriend in the process and having a bunch of magic powers piled on me, I had some trouble accepting my fate.” He says the first part in a mocking tone, but he’s earnest when he continues. “I think I know how you’re feeling, at least to some extent. You can ask me anything. Whatever I can do to help you feel like you belong here; because you do.

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