A Thousand and One by Daria Doshrelli

Author:Daria Doshrelli [Doshrelli, Daria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Claire was working furiously at whatever concoction she had stirred up in a vial on the table next to the ledger. The inspection of her project had her leaning forward, which sent her hair tumbling down over her eyes, and she brushed it away with the back of her hand.

“I really wish you wouldn’t do that in here,” Tad called out behind her.

She continued to hum under her breath and kept her eyes on her task as if she had not heard.

He probably needed to talk about something unrelated to the case to get her attention. “The pigeons are acting very strange lately. Nan has disappeared. Sev is being serious. Only Pip is still himself.”

Claire put a plain cork stopper in the concoction she had apparently just created. It looked a lot like raspberry jam but his scientific helper had never been known to dabble in anything sensible. “Or maybe you never knew them at all,” she answered without bothering to turn and face him.

Tad didn’t want to have this conversation again. He had recently learned the pigeons were only magical black birds on the surface but were actually some other being underneath. Something secret. But they were still pests. “What’s this you’ve made?” he asked.

“Raspberry jam.”

“In the library?”

“Where else?” She lifted the glass vial and turned it round as she inspected the contents. “Imogene has taken over the kitchen with something vile…smelled up the whole place.”

“I remember her saying she doesn’t cook.”

“I don’t think what she’s making is for eating. But if you’re here to pester me I take it you haven’t solved the case?” Claire’s voice was so even it was as if she didn’t care to argue with him at all. “It may appear to you that I’m dillydallying but when I am particularly stumped about an important fact, cooking helps me think…so if I were you I’d get back to work if you’re still trying to win our bet.”

Tad tried to get a look at her face to discern her mood but she kept her attention on her vial of red stuff. “I brought you a gift.”

“Won’t your true love be jealous?” Her tone was stone bored.

“Don’t you want to see what it is?”

“You want to show me and I have no objection to seeing it.” She set the vial on the table and whirled around on her stool.

Tad held out the spinning wheel. “I thought you might use it to make clothes or blankets for your little roc pets...Where are they, anyway?” He hadn’t seen them for a while.

“Interesting you should ask. Well, the thing is, as adults their wingspans will reach a magnificent twenty meters in length, and that’s without adjusting for extra growth due to the nutritional surpluses in captivity relative to their native environment, thanks to my meticulous research into their particular needs and my negotiations with the local merchants to obtain such fare as they require. Furthermore, Georgie has developed a tendency to eat Porgie’s food. Now, Imogene says it’s a natural result of Georgie being the dominant member of the brood, but I think…”

Never mind.

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