Earthshaker

Chapter 30

Chapter 30My stomach was growling even before I'd finished my shower. The bathroom filled up fast with cooking smells, the aroma of frying pancakes and sausage mingling with the steam from the shower.

I was so hungry, I threw on a robe and made a beeline for the kitchen without drying my hair. I was actually looking forward to something for a change. All my worries and sadness set aside by the simple need for food.

But my mood fell instantly when I walked into the kitchen. All my internal alarms went off at once, shooting me into a state of high alert. Ready for battle, ready for anything. I had to be.

Laurel was up.

I came face to face with her in the doorway. The two of us almost walked into each other, then stopped with a jolt. Instinctively, I caught her by the shoulders. Our eyes locked.

I thought I saw a flicker of challenge in her gaze. For a split second, I wondered if we were going to fight. If she was going to go ballistic and pick up where she'd left off the night before. If my apartment was going to end up demolished like The Tipple.

But then she smiled. "Good morning, Gaia." Just like nothing had happened.

I dropped my hands from her shoulders. "'Morning." Not willing to completely relax yet. Not sure what to say to her, either. Sorry I had to totally kick your ass last night?

Laurel kept smiling. "You're just in time for breakfast." Then, she stepped back and stretched out an arm, gesturing for me to enter the kitchen. "Would you prefer maple or boysenberry syrup? Butter or whipped cream?"

I walked past her, still tense. Still half expecting her to go berserk again. "All of the above," I said.

"You were right, Duke!" She grinned and marched around the corner into the living room, the tatters of her filthy, bloody gown fluttering around her. "You said she'd ask for everything."

I realized I was going to have to give her some of my clothes, and the thought of it annoyed me. I had a flash of her in my favorite red sweater and blue jeans giving Briar a big, fat kiss.

"Ask and ye shall receive, Earth Angel." Duke planted a dollop of whipped butter on a stack of pancakes on a plate, then poured maple syrup on top of them. Followed up with boysenberry syrup and finished with a scoop of whipped cream. Just the way I liked my pancakes...which, of course, he'd known when he'd gone to the grocery store last night to pick everything out.

I took a deep breath of the cooking smells and smiled to myself. Felt a little guilty, like I shouldn't be enjoying anything in these terrible times, but couldn't help it. Brought back memories of years gone by—not crazy unidentifiable flashes, but crystal clear memories of many pleasant mornings when Duke had fixed me breakfast. Simpler times.

"Here you go, sweetheart." Duke handed me the plate. "Eat up. There's more where that came from."

"Thanks, Duke." I was on the grouchy side, but I still managed a smile. He deserved that, at least.

Duke winked, then waved at the doorway. "Now shoo. I need elbow room, capiche?" He scooped up a pitcher of batter and turned back to the skillet on the stove.

I carried my plate to the living room. There was a dining room table around the corner from the kitchen, and Laurel was already seated in front of a plate of food. I noticed she hadn't taken a bite.

Smiling, she got up from her chair and gestured at the place setting across the table from her. "Pull up a chair and dig in, Gaia." She still sounded gratingly perky. If I hadn't known better, I might've thought she hadn't been through hell the day before.

"Right." I put my plate in the middle of the place setting on the table and pulled out my chair. Sat down, put the napkin in my lap, and cut a hunk out of the stack of pancakes.

When the first bite hit my mouth, my taste buds lit up like the lights on a pinball machine after a big score. The mix of flavors was perfect, every layer rich and balanced and resonant—almost too powerful to bear. Connecting me (in a good way) to visions of the past. (Without the seizure-like side effects or the malevolent Presence looming over me.)

Involuntarily, I closed my eyes as I chewed. Let the good feelings spread through me like the scent of flowers through the air in springtime. Didn't think about my troubles even a little for precious moments.

Then, one of them spoke. "Great stuff, huh?" It was Laurel. "Duke sure can cook."

I opened my eyes and looked at her. Wondered if she, like Duke, didn't have to eat at all. If it was just an act to make her seem more human. Or feel more human.

"He's amazing, all right," I said. "I'm lucky to know him."

"Nothing like getting the day off to a good start." Laurel smiled and pushed a bite of pancake and sausage into her mouth.

"You got it." Was this how it was going to be? On the one hand, I was glad she wasn't pounding the crap out of me. On the other hand, an apology would've been nice. Were we just going to pretend the fight never happened? Dance around the issue for as long as we were together?

Laurel rolled her eyes as she chewed. Washed down the mouthful of food with steaming hot coffee. "So." She hacked another hunk out of the stack of pancakes on her plate. "West Virginia, here we come, huh?"

I swallowed coffee and nodded. "That's the plan. Rough Run, Grant County."

"Do we know what exact spot in Rough Run we're looking for?" Laurel forked the latest hunk of pancake into her mouth.

"We think we've narrowed it down," I said. "There's a game preserve and hunting camp in the mountains, right at the point where several sub-ranges come together. It changed hands not long ago. The new owners have been keeping things pretty hush hush. But..."

"But what?" said Laurel.

"But they claim they're researching some kind of energy source." I jabbed my fork in the air for emphasis. "A geologic energy source."

"Not geothermal?" said Laurel.

"Geologic."

"Sounds like geomantic energy to me," said Laurel. "The stuff that powers ley lines. And Landkind."

Just then, Duke walked in from the kitchen with a plate of fresh pancakes. "Our thoughts exactly, dear. The map of the killer's escape route points to Rough Run, and there's a mysterious compound researching geologic energy in the very same place. It can't be a coincidence."

"So we know we're headed in the right direction." Laurel nodded. "That's good news."

"But we still don't know exactly what we'll find," I said. "We're still going in blind."

"We'll have to do some reconnaissance when we get there." Duke dropped two more pancakes on top of my half-finished stack without asking if I wanted them. "We need to play it smart and not roar in with geo-powers blazing."

"Good thing we have him on our side." Laurel pointed at the TV set in the corner across the room. "Law enforcement can come in handy in situations like this."

The news was playing with the sound down, and guess who was on the screen? The one and only Sheriff Briar, being interviewed at the scene of the freak earthquake at The Tipple.

"Briar's not coming with us." I felt a rush of irritation. If not for Laurel, Briar wouldn't have been pissed at me in the first place. "He has to clean up our mess from last night."

Laurel frowned as she stared at the TV. c****d her head to one side but didn't comment.

Duke broke her trance by slapping two more pancakes on her plate. "He'll catch up to us." He banged the metal spatula on the edge of her plate. "Now finish your breakfast."

Laurel cut into the new pancakes. "Does Briar know where we're going?"

"That's why God made cell phones." I left out the part about my cell phone being smashed. "I'll call him en route."

Duke sat down at the table and turned to me. "I wonder if we should wait a day." Then, he turned to Laurel. "Do you need some time, dear? After all that's happened?"

Laurel shook her head as she chewed her latest mouthful of pancake. Then swallowed. "I'm fine, Duke. Thank you for asking."

Duke narrowed his eyes, focused his compassionate gaze on her with great intensity. "I was thinking about a memorial service. For Owen. Until we can give him a proper burial. Is that something you'd like?"

"How thoughtful." Laurel smiled serenely and touched his arm. "But not necessary. I've already had a memorial for Owen."

Duke frowned. "You have?"

"Last night at the bar." Laurel looked at me with a perfectly deadpan expression. "It was more of a wake, actually."

I put down my fork. "That was your idea of a memorial for your friend?"

"Landkind is a violent race," said Laurel. "What did you expect, with all the tectonics and volcanism?" She shrugged. "Though I guess it did get a little out of control even by our standards."

"A little?" I stared at her, dumbfounded, as she continued eating like what she'd said was perfectly normal. I wondered how much more there was to her than met the eye...and for the first time, I wondered if she was behind it all. If she was behind the Presence and the murders and Divinities and Groundswell, all of it. If she was only pretending to work with us so she could manipulate us.

Or maybe she was just dangerously crazy. As I stared at her features, so serene after being so berserk the night before, I thought anything was possible.