Awakening (Book One of the Eklektos Series)

Chapter Thirty Seven

It was mid-morning when Kali and Hades appeared in a narrow alleyway, somewhere in London. She had never been all that interested in the different districts and areas, so she hadn't asked where they were going. All she knew, and all she cared about, was that there were lines and lines of shops to choose from.

Kali suppressed a shiver; a cold, biting wind swept through the alley and she huddled into Hades' chest. "I think my first stop will be to get a coat."

The bundle that Hephaestus had given her had included a pair of leather trousers, and a bodice of sorts. Both were apparently armoured and highly resistant to heat, but a note from Aphrodite had explained the design of the items. Apparently, she couldn't bear seeing any of her students wearing something so unfashionable. That meant that the top was more like a corset, with a matching sleeveless bolero jacket.

Her arms were bare, but for the armguard and archery glove that had remained untouched by the goddess. They were similarly resistant to heat and fire, and they were the most comfortable of their kind that Kali had ever worn. She particularly liked the scaly pattern carved into the leather. But they offered little protection from the cold.

Peeking her head out from their hiding place, Kali saw that frost was clinging to the railings of the gates nearby. And freshly fallen snow lay untouched on several paths. Definitely getting a coat first.

"I wish I could stay." Hades murmured into her hair.

"Me too." She admitted, quietly. Shaking herself, she insisted "I'll be fine. I promise. Besides, you can't keep skipping these meetings. If they have to send someone to get you again, Zeus might have an aneurism."

"Are you trying to convince me to go, or to wait?" He chuckled, and Kali laughed with him; he had a point there. But he did need to leave.

Kali forced her niggling worries from her mind and promised, "I'll call you if I need anything, okay?"

"Have fun, my love." With that whisper, the shadows drew around him and he faded from her sight.

She slung the duffle bag over her shoulder, still disconcerted by how light it felt. Even though she knew that she had her staff, knives, and bow in there...it could have been empty. Smaller items had been stored in the side pockets but no matter how much she put in, there was still room to spare. Even her staff, which should have been too big end to end to fit in the first place, sat comfortably in the bottom of the bag. It was an amazing item, and Hades had refused to explain how it worked. All that he would say was that she had no excuse not to get everything she needed.

As snow crunched beneath her feet, Kali hoped that the boots Hermes had given her were waterproof. She shuffled her feet to admire them again. More delicate than the combat boots she had been trudging around in, but not so dainty that they couldn't take some punishment. Kali especially liked the wing design that moulded the leather into a cuff around the top of the boots. She hated to admit it, but Hermes did have good taste.

Looking around her, her eyes were immediately drawn to all the Christmas lights and decorations that she could see. Her ears picked up the faint hum of carols in the street, and jolly, jingling tunes blaring out of the shops she walked past. She hadn't really thought about Christmas in Camelot. There was the festival for the new year, but it hadn't even occurred to her that December meant Christmas.

Kali wandered into a few generic clothing shops before deciding that the current fashions were of no interest to her. A-line tops and "petite" baggy jumpers would never sit right over her frame. And the colours were all greys and pastels, and mustard. After only a couple of minutes, she stepped right back out onto the street. Not even the threat of hypothermia would make her buy one of those puffy coats.