Temper Sanguine by Lou Harper

Author:Lou Harper [Harper, Lou]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-04-02T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

They didn’t have a whole lot of time to get ready for the trip, so they paid a visit to Syl on the very same night.

She greeted them with good cheer and generous hugs, as usual, and herded them into the living room. Her fondness for colors was eye-searingly evident in there—as if a unicorn had exploded in a Technicolor rainbow. At least the subdued lighting rendered the walls and furniture in softer hues. Gabe and Harvey carved out a sitting space for themselves on the couch among all the fluffy cushions. The patio doors stood open, giving a view of a moon-soaked garden and letting in the chirping of crickets.

Always a thoughtful hostess, Syl had prepared a spread of cheese and fruit for Gabe. She also offered him herbal tea. “Would you rather have beer instead?” she asked.

“No, tea’s fine,” Gabe replied.

“He’d rather give up drinking than let me drive,” Harvey griped.

Syl’s pursed lips didn’t fully hide her smile. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” She settled in an overstuffed armchair across the coffee table and folded her legs underneath herself. “So, Harvey, how are the trials going? Have the rats been useful?”

Harvey nodded enthusiastically. “Very much. I managed to remove the extraneous elements from the compound and stabilize it—I’m pretty much done, only fine-tuning left. I call the brew Grimhilde’s Calmative.” Seeing their vacant glares, he added, “You know, Snow White reference.” Seeing their continued incomprehension, he sighed. “In the Disney movie, Grimhilde is the name of the evil queen. The one who gives Snow White the poison apple, to make her fall into a coma. Hello?” Harvey stared at them with a miffed expression.

Gabe hid behind his cup, but Syl was braver and smoother. “That’s very smart, honey,” she said. “So is this um…Calmative working?”

Harvey deflated a little. “Well, yes and no. One single drop knocked Stinky out for twenty-six hours.”

“Stinky?”

“Yes, Stinky, the rat. He isn’t really, but it’s a good name for a rat, don’t you think? Anyway, no matter what I do, the tonic only works orally. Intravascular injections failed to cause any more than mild dopiness. And I have a suspicion this latest formula tastes even worse than the one I tried. I withheld food and water from all six rats for a day, at the end of which I offered them a bowl of Calmative. Not one of them would touch it. The control group at least sniffed at it, but the vamp rats didn’t even go close to the bowl. Seemed like they’d rather chew off their own tails than drink the damn stuff. I had to force-feed them using an eyedropper.”

“Hm.”

“I know, it’s a total dead end. At least I know the concoction is still harmless to regular people. Or at least regular rats. I forced a good dose down each one’s throat. They hated it, but they’re fine. Oh, hello, Celeste,” he added, and his face brightened. The white-and-brown goat clip-clopped her way from the patio door to Harvey, who scratched her between her short horns and fed her grapes from Gabe’s plate.

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