Caroled by Kim Fielding

Author:Kim Fielding [Fielding, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kim Fielding

I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In

By the end of the next week, Charles and Tenrael knew San Francisco well. The hills had become familiar, along with the smells of fish near the piers and coffee and baking bread in North Beach. Twice they’d driven over the Golden Gate Bridge, which spanned the entrance to the Bay with all the brash optimism that California could muster, and they’d explored Marin County without finding anything amiss.

They’d also visited the shipyards at Hunters Point, Mare Island, and Richmond, where Blacks and Mexican Americans and women of all colors were turning out nearly a ship a day. A few of those workers weren’t exactly human, but the wartime industries were too greedy for labor to care very much, as long as whoever they hired was willing to work. As far as Charles could tell, there was no harm in that. Homo sapiens weren’t the only ones who needed to make rent and put food on the table.

A little poking around in bars and, on occasion, at military bases revealed that more soldiers and sailors had gone missing—but not enough to make the brass uneasy. Although there were some rumblings about enacting leave limitations, it probably wouldn’t be practical, given the size of the forces and the numbers of men shipping out.

Charles sampled foods all over the city. In Chinatown he tried dragon’s beard candy, sweet rice dumplings, and egg tarts. He ate cannolis and almond pastries in North Beach, pan dulce in the Mission, and Swedish pancakes with lingonberries a block away from the hotel. But he had a special fondness for Bianchi’s pies, and Bertha doted on him, slipping him extra-big slices.

Although he missed his little bungalow in Santa Monica, Charles had to admit that this assignment was hardly a burden. Tenrael was enjoying himself too. One day they’d even taken a ferry across the Bay and back, just so Ten could ride on a boat for the first time. He stood at the bow and said it was a little like flying.

Sometimes they stopped for a visit with Abe and Thomas, who seemed to enjoy their company and a little distraction from Thomas’s injuries. The four of them traded tales about their various exploits while Abe drank and Thomas smoked. It was surprisingly pleasant for Charles to relax among colleagues with similar experiences, to be open about his relationship with Tenrael, to know that Abe and Thomas were aware of Tenrael’s nature and didn’t care.

“They are kind to me,” Tenrael said as they walked back to the St. Francis one night. He sounded bewildered.

“They like you.”

“Even though they know I am a demon.”

“You haven’t exsanguinated anyone, and you don’t possess people, and I’m fairly certain you haven’t been trying to orchestrate a cataclysmic earthquake. You don’t drink Abe’s liquor. You tell good stories and listen to theirs. What’s not to like?” Although Charles said these things lightly, he was serious.

“I never thought I would have… friends. They are friends, are they not?”

“Yes, they are.

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