Page 42 of Harmonic Pleasure (Mysterious Arts #6)

LATER THAT MORNING AT ASTRALIS

V ega stepped through the portal, onto familiar land, taking a breath and moving to the side.

She needed a word with Farran before the family descended.

There hadn’t been time at the Bedford Square portal.

It had been tricky enough to set the portal location here, or rather to slip a coin to the portal attendant so he wouldn’t do it himself.

She immediately turned to offer a brief formal greeting to Aeterna. It was important to do that first.

Farran came out just beside her, blinking a little.

Vastly less smoke and soot in the air, for one thing.

The light made it clear exactly how covered in dust both of them were.

They’d need to deal with that first. Vega cleared her throat.

“In approximately a minute, there’ll be someone here to see who came through.

Do you mind if I arrange clean clothes for you?

Someone will escort you to a guest room and bath, but not let you leave or wander on your own.

” She swallowed hard. “We’ll have to talk about, about that.

But maybe with my family.” Her voice wavered.

“I would very much like clean clothes, actually. And you’re right about the talking.” Farran sucked in a breath. “I wish to be polite. Please tell me how to be polite?”

Vega turned to face him, to find him looking unsettled.

He had every reason to, given the day they’d had already, never mind being about to face her family.

“You have excellent manners. Use those, you’ll be fine.

It is safe to accept any gift offered without obligation.

I am functionally the one offering them.

And I am telling you that you are under no obligation by accepting.

” That was also important to state outright.

She added the formal phrase in the family language for good measure, and felt the magic of the estate respond to it.

She went on. “But also, the senior aunts and uncles know you’re helping.

This is continuing to help. You got me— and the torc— here safely.

That will count for a great deal. You’ll be waiting an hour probably, but there will be someone who can bring you food or drink or the regular sorts of potions or a book.

You should feel free to ask for any of those, or any other ordinary household thing of that sort. ”

His smile came back a little. “So, hospitable, then.”

“We take our hospitality, our xenia, most seriously. You know xenia, you’ll be fine. Here they come.” Two of her cousins were coming out, Zenobia and Halicarnassus. Two of the better duellists from their generation, and that was almost certainly not an accident.

Vega’s chin came up. She planted her feet, and as the two recognised her, she made a couple of gestures, indicating that she had things to say.

“Halicarnassus, could you escort my guest, Farran, to one of the guest rooms, get a bath going, and ask someone to find him some clothes to change into? Zenobia, could you let Aunt Mera and whoever else she suggests know that we’ve some significant news?

We’d like to present it together to whoever she thinks should hear it initially once we’ve changed. ”

Zenobia wrinkled her nose. “Rather.” She shrugged. “As you wish. Do you need me to send anything up?”

Vega shook her head. “I’ve got things in my room.

” She certainly wasn’t letting anyone take the bag with the torc in it.

“Farran, I’ll see you in a little, all right?

” Then she continued, in the family’s private dialect.

That was a jumble of Greek, Latin, Old English, and a good few dozen pointedly chosen references, and she expected Farran wouldn’t get most of it.

She told Halicarnassus firmly that if he weren’t kind to Farran, she’d do something about it.

He snorted, but half-bowed at her, acknowledging her point.

Vega let them go off first, before veering off to the shortest route to her room.

That involved turning into one of the side wings as soon as they got closer to the house.

An hour later, Vega was standing outside the observatory when Halicarnassus brought Farran to join her.

Vega felt vastly better. She’d gone through three changes of bathwater before all the dust and grime was out of her hair.

Now, though, she had a clean dress on, in a clear sky blue, and comfortable shoes.

Someone had gone to some effort to find Farran clothing that fit well, or maybe they’d taken a charm to it.

It was country clothing, of course, trousers and a tweed jacket.

But the shirt was clean, the tie was the tawny brown of Owl House rather than grey, and made his eyes gleam a little more blue, perhaps.

“You look grand.” She turned to him, holding out a hand. The other had her bag at her side.

“You look decidedly better.” He’d recovered a bit, good, because he was smiling far more naturally. “Your family is very thorough. I’m not surprised, really, given how you go about things. Where are we?”

“The observatory. Not because we need the telescope right now, but because it’s one of the larger spaces with room for chairs. Also, it’s nicely imposing. Woodwork and leaded glass on the ground level and beautifully made shutters and so on.” Then someone opened the doors and gestured them inside.

Vega walked forward, and Farran matched her.

She was certain he must have wanted to stare, but he didn’t.

The main telescope, massive as it was, rose from the centre of the room.

On this side of it, there were a dozen of the family elders: Aunt Mera and Aunt Helia at the centre of the semi-circle, Aunt Ancha and Uncle Thuban right next to Aunt Mera, and the others ranged out beside them.

“Aunts, Uncles, Cousins.” Vega made a fully formal curtsey, the sort she almost never used.

She bent down low enough her back knee was a bare inch from the floor.

It was perfect, of course. Her profession made her aware of her body and what it was doing, and she used that to her advantage.

As she straightened, she saw Farran had bowed politely, keeping his eyes lowered, as he might over an older woman’s hand.

“I am pleased to present Farran Michaels to you, as he has been a great help with the task I was asked to undertake. Farran, these are my aunts, uncles, and cousins. At the centre are Aunt Mera and Aunt Helia.”

She then worked her way through in order of seniority, keeping to the current argument about whether Aunt Melitta was senior to Aunt Iphigenia.

It was a complicated matter, having to do with births some distance away from each other, the matter of time zones, and the imperfections of clocks in both locations.

At the moment, however, Aunt Melitta was acknowledged as senior.

There was a silence, and then Farran spoke, his voice clear.

She was certain he must be nervous. She could see hints of it.

But only hints. “Kyries kai kyrioi, I am honoured to be a guest in your hall, and to have been able to lend my skills to Magistra Vega’s search.

” It was polite, not only polite, but with exquisite attention to detail.

He’d addressed the aunts first. He’d used the Greek.

That avoided a number of tricky circumlocutions expected in English.

And he’d leaned on the proper aspect of being someone she considered a guest-friend.

Well, rather more than a guest-friend, but that was for later in the conversation or visit, or perhaps a future visit.

Aunt Mera inclined her head once, accepting that as her proper due, then focused on Vega. “Explain, please.”

Vega reached into her bag and pulled out the torc, still wrapped in the handkerchief.

She came forward, using the same sort of step she’d have used in one of the processionals, a ritual walk, slow and stately.

Her head was up, her movements so even she could have balanced a book on top of her skull without a hint of a wobble.

Vega came within two feet of Aunt Mera and Aunt Helia, then placed the torc on one hand while the other unfolded the silk.

Presenting it with both hands, she bowed and waited.

Aunt Helia reached out a hand, her fingers hovering over it, but decidedly not touching it. “Where?”

“Underground, in an area that showed some signs of recent rubble. Perhaps from building or tunnelling nearby. About— how far down were we?”

“Quite deep, kyria.” Farran’s voice came from behind her, but then Aunt Helia crooked a finger at him and he came closer, a hair behind Vega’s right shoulder.

“We began about seventy-five feet below the surface and climbed ten feet in inclination from there. Perhaps as much as fifteen.” He hesitated for just a second.

“I don’t believe we could return easily.

The space sealed itself as we left. It looked as if it might have been some devotional space, perhaps a temple, though we did not get a good look at the whole. ”

“And you brought it here in some hurry.” Aunt Mera did not make it a question.

“We ran into Mister Vandermeer, after.” Vega flushed.

“There was a problem there. It seemed best to come here as quickly as possible and ensure the piece was somewhere with substantial protection. We’ve not handled the piece directly beyond when I picked it up.

” More than anything she wanted this thing out of her hands and into better keeping.

She nodded at it, and Aunt Helia’s hands came up under Vega’s.

Her aunt eased the torc into her own hands, then onto her lap, like a delicately held infant.

Vega added, “I set the portal location myself, and Farran kindly blocked any line of sight.”

“Indeed.” Aunt Mera considered. “Vandermeer?”