Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Another doll, down the way, stomped through Edgar’s flowers with a machete. Yet another, deeper in the trees, held a large knife in one hand and tapped the end against its other hand.
“What’s going on with the dolls?” I asked, immediately feeling around for the others. For this reason, and this reason alone, I was grateful I could detect them through my connection to the house. Some were in their room, but most were wandering the grounds.
“Oh, that.” Mr. Tom headed into my closet. “It seems the garhette only spooked the gnomes. She didn’t entirely chase them away. They are currently in the woods, hidden from detection by Ivy House, and an elaborately violent game of hide-and-seek is underway.”
I grimaced and backed away from the window. “Who is playing this game? Just the dolls and the gnomes?”
“It’s hard to say. So far it seems anyone who ventures too far into the woods is playing the game. That is, if Edgar’s shouts and screams are any indication. The dolls are on the case, but the gnomes are proving wily. There is a war brewing, I think.”
“Why is Ivy House hiding the location of the gnomes?” Ulric asked, edging closer to the window and looking out.
“It is anyone’s guess,” Mr. Tom said, bringing out a pair of jeans and a black, flowy blouse. “It’s best to just ride these things out. Ulric, make your point and leave the miss to wake up. She has to deal with your mother all day. She needs to prepare.”
“She’s not that bad,” Ulric muttered. “I just wanted to say, Jessie, that if my mom gets to be too much, or she is a little too pushy, or if she won’t listen to you, just let me know. I’ll try to run interference. She might not shift, but she has a lot of the more…robust gargoyle characteristics.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means she is incredibly stubborn and hard to manage,” Mr. Tom said. “She thinks she knows everything and attempts to assume control of that which is none of her business.”
It was like he’d forgotten that he, too, was a gargoyle and shared a lot of those traits…
“Got it,” I said, finishing my first cup of coffee. “I think I can handle it. Mr. Tom, can you grab me another cup of coffee? I’m going to jump in the shower.”
A half-hour later, I was dressed, fed, and ready to wade through the connection requests. Part of me was excited to see what the cairns had sent! Most had sent their invitations with gifts, and I’d been assured I could keep everything without guilt because this was how things were done in the gargoyle world.
The other part of me knew what was on the line. This wasn’t fun and games. I’d need to choose whom to invite wisely and be quick about it. Time was ticking.
“Here we are.” Mr. Tom led me to the door of the largest sitting room, opened it up, and stepped aside with a flourish. “Good luck, miss. We’re all counting on you.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, stepping through.
My eyes widened at the sight that awaited me in the room.
Boxes. Boxes everywhere! Some with bows, some wrapped, some just a plain color, like white or pink. A few baskets sat among the boxes, and a couple of trunks. It was like the most elaborate Christmas morning setup I’d ever seen.
A sound like heh escaped my lips as I took one more step forward, scanning the bounty. Patty had definitely organized everything. There seemed to be sections, all the packages grouped together in clusters around the room. Within the sections, each package was given its own space so that nothing was crowded.
No wonder she’d set this up in the big room.
Sebastian and Nessa sat on one of the couches, each looking up with bright, excited eyes. They obviously wanted to see what was in all of the packages. Jasper and Nathanial stood at the back of the room, waiting patiently to be of some use. Niamh sat in a chair at the side, sipping out of a teacup. It was anyone’s guess if that cup contained tea or whiskey. Patty loitered on the outskirts of one of the smaller clusters, her manicured finger out, muttering to herself.
“What about the rest of our crew?” I asked, noticing the absence of Cyra, Hollace, and Edgar. Through the Ivy House link, I could feel them in the distance, what felt like a town away or more.
“They went on a seed-buying expedition with Edgar,” Mr. Tom said. “There is some sort of flower show on the horizon that he’s very excited for.”
It was then I felt the front door open and registered the footsteps that had entered Ivy House’s property.
Austin.
Butterflies fluttered through my belly, and I instantly stopped and turned toward the door.