In the center of the room, in the large Jacuzzi tub, sat Arland. The wounds on his face had closed. The scent of mint floated to us, mixing with the aroma of the flowers.
Maud sat on a root next to the tub, her eyes closed, her face serene, her sword on her lap. Helen stood next to her, holding a stick with bells on it.
Arland reached over and flicked a few drops of water in Maud’s direction. Helen shook her stick at him, the bells tinkling.
“Lord Marshal,” Maud said, her eyes still closed. “I’m trying to accelerate your healing. Do take this seriously.”
Marais turned to me and noticed Sean leaning against the wall, like a dark shadow. Next to him, on a windowsill, Wing was whittling something out of a piece of wood. Marais shifted his stance. Sean’s tattoos expanded, spiraling up his neck as his subcutaneous armor moved to shield him against a perceived threat.
“Hey,” Marais said.
Sean nodded. Wing continued his whittling.
I pulled a chair out at the table. “Please sit down.”
Marais sat. Orro appeared from the depths of the pantry and advanced on Marais. Marais put his hand on his Taser. Orro swept by the table with a dramatic flourish. A covered plate landed in front of Marais. Orro reached with his long claws, plucked the white cover off and sped away.
A single golden doughnut, flecked with chocolate flakes and translucent sparkles of sugar, sat in the middle of the plate. I had to talk to Orro about his literal interpretation of our TV programming.
Marais looked at me. “Is it po-”
“No!” Sean and I hissed at the same time.
Sean leaned over Marais and said with quiet menace, “Don’t say the ʽp’ word. Eat the doughnut. It’s the best you’ll ever try.”
Marais picked up the doughnut and took a speculative bite. His eyes widened. He took another bite. “So,” he said, chewing. “Aliens?”
“Aliens.”
“Why?”
“We’re a way station on the path to somewhere else,” I explained. “A safe, comfortable place to stop for the night and catch your breath, before you reach your destination.”
“A galactic bed and breakfast?” Marais took another bite.
“An inn,” Sean said.
“And you’re…”
“An innkeeper,” I told him. “I keep my guests safe and their existence secret at all costs.”
“Who else knows?” he asked.
“Other innkeepers like me.”
“Does the President know?”
“I have no idea,” I told him honestly. “Probably not.”
Marais pondered the doughnut. He was taking all of this rather calmly. But then he’d had a lot of clues along the way.
“Why?” Marais asked.
“It’s a bargain we made hundreds of years ago. Have you gassed up your car yet?”
“Not yet. Waiting until it gets below a quarter of a tank.”
“We made the bargain, so civilizations like his-” I pointed at Arland, whose engineer had modified the car, “-don’t conquer us. They have numbers and superior technology. Without the treaty that designated Earth as safe neutral ground, we’d be purged, eaten, or enslaved. The galaxy is a big and vicious place.”
“So what happens when people find out?” Marais asked. “Because they will find out.”
“It’s been well over a thousand years and they haven’t found out yet,” I said. “If we break the treaty and expose the existence of our guests or fail to prevent that exposure, the consequences will be severe.”
“What will happen?” Marais asked.
“Innkeepers will either kill you or leave you in some hellhole,” Sean said. “You’ll never get home.”
I could tell by his face that Marais didn’t like it.
“It wouldn’t be good for people to find out,” I said. “We’re a young civilization. People would panic. They would lose their faith. They would want to go to war with the universe. You have police codes, because you don’t want bystanders showing up to every crime scene. You restrict public access. So do we.”
Marais mulled it over. “What about the pale-haired punk? What’s his deal?”
It took about ten minutes to explain the Hiru and the Draziri. I had to go into detail on innkeeper’s powers and inn’s grounds.
“So they are in violation of the treaty and nothing happened so far. This doesn’t fill me with confidence as to the effectiveness of your internal law enforcement.”
“I’ve reported it,” I explained. “It takes time.”
“Is there any way I can look at this treaty?” Marais asked.
In for a penny, in for a pound. “Yes.”
I opened a screen in the wall and brought the treaty up on it. Marais took out a notepad and a pen and began taking notes. We waited. Fifteen minutes later, he stood up.
“So?” I asked. “What now?”
“Now I’ll have to think about it. No more acts of violence outside of the inn,” he said. “At least try to keep it to a minimum. I’ll let you know what I decide. I can tell you that so far you are in the clear. I sat in the cruiser after the fight and nobody came out to check with me and no emergency calls had been made. It’s the morning after a holiday. Most people slept in.”
He turned to leave. Orro blocked his way and thrust a paper box into his hands. “For your captain. I hope it will lessen the screaming and keep you from giving up your badge.”
Marais glanced at me.
“He’s been binge-watching Lethal Weapon movies,” I explained.
“Thank you,” Marais said and walked out.
“You think he’ll keep quiet?” Maud asked.
“He’s had a magic space car for several weeks now and, so far, hasn’t said anything,” I said.
“If not, I know where he lives,” Sean said.
I turned to him. “How?”
“I followed him home one night when we were hunting the dahaka.”
“That’s creepy.”
He shrugged.
“Sean, you’re not killing Officer Marais.”
Sean smiled a long wolf smile, reached out, and patted my hand.
“I’ll help you kill him,” Arland said.
“Sean Evans!” I put my hands on my hips.
“I’m trying to meditate,” Maud ground out. “Can you take your lover’s spat somewhere else?”
“Relax,” Sean told me. “I’m pulling your leg. Marais is a good guy. I’ll see him out. I’ve got an errand to run anyway.”
He went outside. I dropped the void field, felt him and Marais pass over the boundary, and pulled it up again.
Well, one of my guests was almost murdered and the inn was pretty much exposed. This wasn’t a good day so far.
Arland’s crest, which he’d put on the corner of the tub, came alive with red light. Arland reached over to check it. His eyes went wide. He swore, scrambled up, and fell all the way into the tub, splashing.
Oh no.
Arland surfaced, his long blond hair stuck to his head.
“What is it?” I asked.
“What?” Maud jumped to her feet.
“Is it war?” Helen’s eyes shone, catching the light.
“It’s worse.” Arland groaned. “My uncle is coming. Someone get me a robe. I have to get out of this tub.”
It was late afternoon and a delectable scent floated through the kitchen. Orro was in the throes of preparing dinner. Her Grace sat at the table, delicately sipping a Mello Yello. A large straw hat lay next to her. After Arland escaped the tub, she put on her hat and announced that she would be gardening. I kept an eye on her, and her gardening mostly consisted of snipping some small branches with garden shears and talking. I couldn’t see who she was talking to, but considering our situation, she was probably having discussions with the Draziri. She didn’t share anything she learned, and knowing her, asking about it would do no good.