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“Spark, what’s up? You called?”
“Oh, right. Van trouble. We’re home now, though.”
“Trouble, huh? I’m on my way.”
“Ash, you’ve got work,” I protested.
“Nonsense. I cleared all my cases up for a bit. I was on vacation after today for a couple of weeks, anyway.”
“Weren’t you going to spend that time with your fiancé?”
“She had a family thing come up. I was going to join her, but I’m allowed to also have a family thing come up. No arguments. I’ll be there in a couple of hours. You can fill me in, I’ll help for a few days, and then future-wifey and I will go hang out on a beach.”
“That sounds amazing,” I said, thinking of the beach.
“Glad you like my plan. See you in a few. Love you, Spark.” Ash hung up before I could correct her.
“Maybe you can talk her into performing with you at the fundraiser,” Mom said. “The two of you haven’t been in a lyra together in a long time. I’m sure the audience would love that.”
“That’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”
Mom grinned. “Plenty of time to practice.”
I laughed. “Sure it is.”
The thing was, Ash and I could pull out a lyra performance with little preparation. We’d done it for years. So maybe Mom was right.
“In fact, you two should go in cold if Ash agrees. I know how to spin it to the crowd.”
“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed. She was totally going to turn it into a comedy show. She’d done it to us before. It wasn’t my favorite, but we’d have fun, regardless.
Geraint
“Knight.” Ash punched me in the shoulder, not knowing that my arm was covered in bruises from a fight with a possessed mummy. At least she hadn’t hit the open wounds on my other arm. Fortunately, I healed quickly or the performances tonight and, in a few days, would have been impossible.
“Hi, Ash.” I tried to hide the wince.
She frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Just a little beat up from the museum.”
She chuckled. “Not a sentence I ever expected to hear anyone utter, and I’ve heard some doozies in my career.”
“I imagine you have.” I watched as Robby taught Nic how to set up the school’s portable aerial rig. Ember’s dad supervised, occasionally lending a hand or explaining some aspect of the apparatus to the Nightmare prince.
“The three of you working out?” Her voice softened.
“Honestly, better than I had expected.”
“I still can’t believe you kept the whole Dream thing from us.” She mock glared at me.
I cast my gaze at the floor and shrugged. “I would have told you if I could have.”
“I know.” Her voice sounded light and unconcerned. “So, how beat up are you?”
“If I didn’t heal fast, I wouldn’t be performing for a few weeks,” I admitted. If I were honest with myself, today wasn’t the best idea, but I’d wrap the cuts in case we broke them open—okay, when they broke open—so I wouldn’t bleed everywhere, and I was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt. We’d adjusted a few of the moves, giving Ember most of the “base” positions. She could hold my weight long enough to work our way through our time on stage. Nic had promised to keep a close eye on us in case my grip gave out. I don’t think I would have agreed to perform if he hadn’t been there to back us up. Ember had also agreed to the risk. If we made it through today without me dropping her or myself, we’d have to practice with Nic. I didn’t want Ember to ever be afraid to be in the silks again.
She nodded. “I’ll refrain from punching you for at least a few days then.”
