Downworld

Chapter 37

The cease-fire apparently lasted only long enough for me to get dressed and sleepily make my way to breakfast the next morning. The breakfast table was oddly deserted by anyone other than Malik; usually there would be at least a half a dozen people from our combined households also partaking. I might have hesitated for a second in the doorway before I went in.

'Morning, sweetheart,' I said, rather hopefully helping myself to some toast and taking a seat. 'So I was thinking I might stop by and see Fiona this morning, then check on Isamu. I have some errands to run above this afternoon, but I'll be back before dinner.'

Malik left off pushing food around his plate to glare at me.

'Yes?' I asked.

'No, Jay, you're not going to run errands above,' he said in his best I-rule-here-and-you-will-obey-me voice. 'Have you seen the news? Your little stunt is everywhere, and I have just about every noble and royal demanding to know what I'm going to do about it.'

So much for breakfast. I abandoned my half eaten toast on a plate. 'Nothing you can do.'

'I don't really think you have a say in this.'

'Maybe not, but the humans had already decided that it's not a hoax; especially since I had the doctors release my medical information. It's already been three days, well four, the secret is out, there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it. If you want to punish me, fine, that might make them happy, but there's no going back from this.'

He was silent for awhile, and I took the opportunity to take a bite while he watched me with a suspicious expression. 'You planned this?'

'Of course not. I'm just a realist.'

'No, you're a liar. You planned this. With the library and the computers and sending the kids to college. You planned it.'

'What do you want me to say?'

'Just tell me the truth for once.'

My guardian announced it was throwing its support for Malik by coiling in my stomach. I really should have thought of that before the toast. Not that I was going to fight it at that moment, the look on Malik's face said lying would be a bad plan right now. 'All right. Yes, I planned it.'

'And you used me to do it.'

'As though I made you do anything you didn't want to do? You agreed with everything. You didn't even need to be convinced half the time.'

'That was before I knew what your endgame was.'

'How does this change anything?'

'It changes everything, Jay. The humans--'

'Are not going to hurt us unless we attack them first. What do you think I was doing while I was in hospital? Jacking off? I was trying to convince the feds and the doctors that we're not harmful, and even better that we're useful for medical science. And I've done a decent job so far, if I disappear all my progress will be lost, and they'll still know we exist.'

'So in other words you've put me in an impossible position.'

'No one can accuse you of not doing enough when there's nothing you can do.'

He rolled his eyes at me. 'Yes, they'll just accuse me of being in on it.'

'Malik, not even you believe that. Everyone with half a brain would know you wouldn't let someone expose our existence, even me, you're too much of a traditionalist for that.'

'Great. So they'll think I'm stupid and weak instead.'

I scrubbed a hand across my face. 'You're not. So okay, you might need to convince some people that you're not. But if any of our neighbors are stupid enough try fight us, we can fight them off. It'll only be a matter of time before they realize it's useless.'