“You will be pleased to know that someone attempted to cast a remote spell on the studio and failed.”She was too tired to care. “Great. Fine. Good job.”Elise started to march upstairs. Thom hopped off the sign.“Quite a greeting for the person safeguarding your aspis. You appear displeased.”“It’s four-thirty,” she snapped. “The sun’s coming up soon and I haven’t slept. David Nicholas said he’s going to pay me ‘later’ and I have nothing in my bank account in the meantime. Sorry if I’m not chipper enough for you.”Thom tilted his head to study her. “You saw the gate.”“Yeah. That too.”“Then you know the whole story. What will you do about it?”She spread her hands wide. “What am I supposed to do? I’m branded by the overlord. My options are limited.”“Hmm.”“Save your pragmatic bullshit,” Elise said. “Get out of here. Take a break. I’ll keep an eye on my friends for a couple of hours.”“If you wish.” He vanished, immediately and silently.She stumbled upstairs, went to her old room, closed the curtains on the sunrise, and didn’t sleep.The air mattress she had dragged into the room for her and Anthony to use must have been leaking.
