Gargoyle: Kinswoman

Part 17

"What do you have in your bag?" He asked instead of blowing up to her face and she quickly obliged, removing the bag and presenting the inside.

He picked out the electronics Isilia had told her to get rid of when she had confirmation that she'd found Bishops and tossed them into nearest half-empty grain bag outside the nearby shop.

It was surprisingly hot and humid in their world and it reminded her of the summer she'd spent on Sri Lanka with Robert. The ground was sandy and dry while the humid surroundings had created a paradise full of blossoms and orange fruits mixing in the dark greenery and huge trees growing high into the sky between the skyscrapers.

"Are you part of our world?" He asked then, scanning her with his silver eyes. She shook her head. "Then how did you come through?"

"My..." well, that would be interesting to explain to a foreigner, how she was taking care of her ex's mother. They probably didn't even divorce in this world. "Woman I'm taking care of is, I think."

"You think?"

"We never spoke of it before Bascun landed in our lap. So to say, not literally." God, did they even knew what those terms meant? Probably not.

"So she just sent you over in good faith?"

"She's seventy eight, she can hardly walk! I think she sent me over, because she has no choice!"

"She's an elf then."

She shrugged, but the moment he turned away, she giggled like a little kid. She'd always liked the elf stories, to know she knew her throughout her grownup life was kinda sweet.

"I wouldn't know. She looked human." She coughed, when Thorwald turned around and hid her smile.

"They usually do." He said to her and then turned to Asot. "Go, fetch Tougo."

Her eyes widened – that meant they were going back to the nest! This might be a chance to see Selene!

"Hey, can I accompany you to your nest?"

Both gargoyles turned at her and stared with wide eyes as if she'd said something funny. She flinched back, maybe she had, maybe it was a taboo to ask, but what could she do? Sit here and wait? She didn't have time, she had to... Oh.

"You're saying my brother is in trouble and you want to accompany him to the nest?" Thorwald asked, confused.

"I only, uh..." She felt her cheeks burn up from the embarrassment and turned her eyes away. "Sorry, I wasn't..." She shut up, better not add anything.

"Tougo is not in the nest," Asot said calmly, but earned a scowl for his words as he continued, "he's at work." Instead, he took off in two steps and was gone from the sight before Thorwald turned back to her.

"How do you know about our nest?"

"Bascun."

"You told the counselor he was out."

"I might have lied." She drawled, instinctively stepping back. He observed her action in silence, but then his shoulders slumped the same way Bascun's had, when he read between the lines.

"How much of your words were a lie?" He toned down his voice as he faced her. His hands fell from his hips and his posture changed further until he gave off the image of a huge, nonthreatening beast.

"He did came through, because he was drugged and tossed there. I know he wasn't lying about it, because I saw his change. I took him to the elf's place, though I didn't know she was the elf until you told me right now, but I figured it would be a better place to stick around for couple of days until we figured out how to get him back home. The gate had been closed behind him, so we needed time to figure out where another would be."

"Which gate was it?"

"I don't know where it is relations to your world."

"On Earth."

"It was in dormitory Selene lived in."

"So they closed the safe house down."

What was he talking about? "The dorm is still working."

"It's not what I meant, don't worry about it."

"Ok." She managed and then continued. "I told him I was worried about Selene, so he told me about you and your family."

"She is no longer Selene, she adopted a new name when she decided to stay here."

"I sort of figured that." She tried to smile, but it fell flat. "I was hoping to see her, when I get here. If it's a bad time, then maybe on another time?"

She really didn't like how his brows furrowed.

"Selene didn't say she left behind someone important."

She tried to smile and ignore the stab, but wasn't that the story of her life?

"I became worried after I received a large sum of money with condolences card from her!"

"We haven't sent anything back through the gate."

"Somebody did, or I wouldn't be looking for her! I thought she was preparing for her exams, I didn't want to disturb her, but when that..." She felt her throat close up with the memory. "I contacted the police after I found out she had left her dorm and never came back. I tried her family, her friends – nothing! I went to police and they closed the case, because that note pretty much said she did it willingly and I -" She inhaled hard. "I just wish to see her, to make sure she's alright!"

"I don't think she sent it to you." His voice was calmer.

"I know, it wasn't her handwriting."

"Our law system states that if person is lost on the job, her closest kin will receive half the payment for her work. I think that's what was sent to you. But I still don't understand, why – we've talked a lot about her life there, but she never mentioned you being related to you. Only that she had a friend."

"She listed me as her contact, when she didn't want her family to find out she had been hospitalized."

He nodded once and then they fell silent for a while.

"I don't want you to see her." He said quietly after a while. "What I've heard, she hasn't had a good life there and I would prefer if you didn't remind her of it. She's only now starting to heal and getting used to our ways."

"Can I at least -"

"No contact. To assure that, I would like you to hand over your key to the gate after we have picked up Bascun."

She clutched at the hemline of her blouse, hiding the small trinket in her palm.

"Or what?" She asked shakily.