He glared up at her, eyes flashing red. “I am. I go by another name too.”
Miss Marblemaw chuckled. “I’m well aware. Curious that the scion of the Devil can be so … small. Why, you barely reach my waist! If you could, child, same as the others: age, one thing you like, and one thing you dislike.”
Lucy rocked back on his heels, smile growing once more. “My body is seven years old, but the demon inhabiting my soul is much older than that, so let’s say I’m thirty-six. And you know what’s weird? I like pollen too! And I dislike when there isn’t just piles of it lying around for us to roll in.”
Miss Marblemaw bent over until her face was in front of Lucy’s. She didn’t speak, nor did she blink. For his part, Lucy took a small step back, but didn’t look away. Then, Miss Marblemaw snapped upright, made a note on her clipboard, and said, “I won’t be intimidated by you. I have God on my side.”
Lucy groaned. “Oh, you’re one of those. Ugh.”
Miss Marblemaw ignored him. “Things are going to be different going forward. I will expect you all to be on your best behavior. If, for any reason, you are incapable of doing that, please let me know so that I may cut my visit short and make my recommendations now. Trust me when I say you will not like the results. Are there any questions?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued. “Good. How wonderful it is that we all understand one another explicitly.”
Linus recovered first. “Children, I think it’s time for your afternoon snack. Why don’t we head to the kitchen while Mr. Parnassus shows Miss Marblemaw to the guesthouse.”
“That will be just fine,” Miss Marblemaw said. “I do hope the accommodations are in better condition than what I’ve seen so far.”
“The bed has been freshly made,” Arthur said as he pushed open the door to the guesthouse. Slightly dazed from Miss Marblemaw’s introduction, he tried to clear his head and focus on the task at hand. “You will find extra bedding in the hall closet, next to extra towels, should you need them. If you should require turndown service, Chauncey would be more than willing to assist. He likes the practice.”
“I highly doubt that will be necessary,” she replied as she stepped inside the house. “He seems … sticky, and I would prefer not to have the bedding feel the same.”
“He’s surprisingly not sticky,” Arthur said, closing the door behind him. “Unless he wants to be.”
Miss Marblemaw stiffened as she reached the entryway to the small sitting room. Arthur saw why when he came up behind her.
Zoe Chapelwhite stood in the sitting room, wings fluttering behind her. She glanced at Arthur over Miss Marblemaw’s shoulder before giving the inspector her undivided attention. “Welcome to the island. My name is Zoe Chapelwhite. If there’s anything you require during your stay, do let—”
“Zoe Chapelwhite?” Miss Marblemaw repeated. “According to our records, you are an unregistered magical being, which violates—”
Zoe held up her hand and Miss Marblemaw fell silent. After a moment, Zoe dropped her hand and said, “All I want to do is introduce myself. There’s no need for immediate hostilities. We have time to answer any questions you might have during your stay.” She glanced at Arthur, forcing a smile. “How did the children take the first meeting?”
“As well as can be expected, given the tremendous circumstances you find yourselves in,” Miss Marblemaw said.
“It went fine,” Arthur said. “And wouldn’t you know, my old friend David decided to stay to help out. You remember David, don’t you? The man I knew in my youth?”
“Of course,” Zoe said easily. “Wonderful he decided to give us a hand. Haven’t seen him in a dog’s age.”
“Oh, bollocks,” Miss Marblemaw snapped. “You can’t expect me to believe—”
“Of course we do,” Zoe said. “Because otherwise, you’re calling us liars, and to island sprites, that’s one of the greatest insults a human can utter.”
Miss Marblemaw blanched but pushed on. “An unregistered magical being interacting with magical children is a recipe for disaster. But since we, the government, care so much, we are willing to let the past stay in the past in exchange for your immediate registration with the Department in Charge of Magical Adults.”
Zoe smiled, nose wrinkling. “You are here for two weeks, yes?”
Miss Marblemaw blinked. “Yes.”
“Then, as I said, we have time. Let’s get you settled in before we start planning the next—”
“You cannot disappear,” Miss Marblemaw said. “I know you probably have dozens of hiding places all over this little rock, but if you make me go searching for you, it won’t look good in the end.”
Zoe laughed, a sound like bells. “Little rock? Appearances can be deceiving. You have no idea about the land upon which you stand with my permission, or its history. Greater humans than you have tried to take it from the island sprites, and as the last guardian of this little rock, I will defend her with everything I have.” The sunlight returned as Zoe’s eyes changed back to their normal color. “Welcome to Marsyas! Please enjoy your stay.”
With that, she pushed by the inspector, kissed Arthur on the cheek, and swept from the room.
“That went well,” Arthur said mildly.
Miss Marblemaw did not agree.
That night, as Miss Marblemaw settled into the guesthouse, Arthur left Linus in the kitchen, putting away the remaining dishes from their supper. The house was quiet, too quiet; seven children and not a single sound?
On any other day, it might not have concerned him right away. But with Miss Marblemaw’s arrival, Arthur wasn’t taking any chances.
It didn’t take him long to find them. Up in the attic, Theodore’s room. He heard their voices coming from the open hatch in the ceiling, ladder extended.
Arthur was about to make himself known when he heard Phee’s voice.
“… and how the hell can she not be afraid of anything? How is that fair?”
“Maybe she just hasn’t met the right person yet,” Chauncey said. “Someone who can love her and also scare the crap out of her.”
“At least she looks scary,” David said, and though Arthur wished Marblemaw had never darkened their doorway, he took heart in knowing David felt safe enough to go with the others.
“What do we do?” Talia asked. “If she’s not scared of us, how do we stop her?” She sniffled, and Arthur had to swallow past the lump in his throat. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. “What if she takes us away?”
Theodore chirped and clicked pointedly. Arthur closed his eyes.
“Theodore’s right,” Sal said. “If we get taken away, we’ll find each other again, no matter what. I promise. But we’re not going to let it get that far.”
“Hell yes,” Lucy said. “Don’t be sad, Talia. We’ve got this. Miss Marblemaw says she doesn’t have any fear? Then we won’t either. See how she likes it.”
