Mornings

Marc heard the sound of the motorbike heading towards the garage and put away the Robert Silverberg novel he had been reading. It was almost 9 o'clock in the morning and he was on his third book. There had been nothing of interest on tv all night and the books were barely keeping him awake. He got up from his favorite chair, went to the kitchen, started the coffee and waited for Lise. The others were still sleeping, but they would be up soon.

She came in through the back door and took off her helmet. She looked like shit but Marc was happy to see her safe and sound.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"Not bad. I would have been here sooner but I wanted to make damn sure I wasn't being followed. The items are done, and you better tell Alice that there are four of them. I don't want those bastards running around with them," she answered and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Don't worry, I'll let her know. So, what did you learn?" he asked.

"The guy who was doing the enchanting was good. As far as I can tell, it went well. I added the proper mental shield to the items and he added the 'find demons and anything supernatural' spell. His High Speech was impeccable and he's probably the fastest caster I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure he was the Master in the relationship. He's got two servants that I know of but I don't know if he's looking for more. This could be a trick to turn us all into soul-suckers. If it is, it's one really polite trick."

Marc nodded and noted the black cirlces around her eyes.

"You look tired. Why don't you go get some sleep upstairs? The bed's been made and everything. I'll make sure you're not disturbed and I'll have some food brought up later if you wish..."

Lise just shook her head.

"Sorry Marc, I can't stay here. I'll be back before Sunday night and I'll have a more detailed report ready. Right now, I just need to go home and get some sleep."

Marc nodded, disappointed. When would she trust us? he thought.

Lise put on her helmet and left through the back door. By the time he heard her Shadow humming down the driveway, he had poured himself a cup of coffee and was waiting for the others to wake up. It was going to be a long day.

He admitted to himself that he would never understand the tortured existence of his Mastigos.