Elfhome

Barley carefully wiped down his knife and slid it into the butcher-block holder. “Sama—my first sama—said never use a knife when you’re upset.”

“I’m sorry.”

Barley attacked the bread dough. “We have the advantage of being the only Stone Clan enclave. The incoming clan members would come to us first and only go to the others if we have no room. If we become Wind Clan, we’re the smallest and most crudely furnished enclave. We don’t even have beds; we have cots. Our bathing room is still unfinished and our courtyard is paved and being used as a laundry.”

“Yes, we have rough edges. We’ll smooth those out. I think, though, that much of our business will come from humans. They’ll come for the music.”

Barley scoffed, punching the dough. “You can not make money from music.”

“We’ll charge—” There wasn’t an Elvish word for it, so he used the English. “A cover.”

“A cover. What is a cover?”

Oilcan explained the idea. He’d already talked to Tommy Chang about using the gym as a nightclub. It was going to be their first joint effort.

“They’ll pay for not sleeping the night?” Clearly the concept mystified Barley. He pondered it as he shaped loafs and covered them to rise again. “We would not have to wash so many sheets if they do not spend the night.”

Currently, their laundry was very makeshift with one industrial washer that amazed the kids and a maze of clotheslines in the backyard. It was taking up lots of time from everyone’s life to help keep up with the sheets.

“It frightens me, Sama. I walked away from my enclave and got so lost. I’m afraid to walk away from my clan.”

“Even if something happens to me, Tinker and Wolf Who Rules will take care of you.”

“I know.” He whispered. His bottom lip started to tremble and he went to scrub at his tear-filled eyes with flour-covered hands.

“Hey.” Oilcan caught Barley’s hands before he could rub flour into his eyes. “It will be okay.”

“I hate being so weak.”

“You’ll get stronger.” Oilcan pulled him into a hug and let him cry. It was only fair since he was the one rocking the children’s world.

#

Cattail Reeds was attempting to achieve maximum effect of the paint and fabric on the extremely sparsely furnished second floor bedrooms. “This is so beautiful.” She held out rich Waverly floral print of reds and greens and blues. “But we have so little of it, I’ll have to be careful with it. Can we not get more?”

“I bought all that they had.” He cleared whole sections of the little fabric store knowing that what didn’t become curtains would become clothes. “Perhaps we can arrange for fabric to be brought from Easternlands.”

“Not like this.” She laid it aside to pick up the white broadcloth he’d found cheap and plentiful. “This, though, this is boring. I will have to see if I can dye it. If I can match the green, then the print can be an accent to it. If I can’t, maybe the walls will have to be green instead.”

Cautiously, Oilcan explained his decision.

“Cousin will take us if something happens to you?” Cattail asked.

That was one thing he was sure of even though he hadn’t talked to Tinker yet. “Yes.”

“Fine.” She took hold of a hunk of fabric and ripped it.

That didn’t sound like fine.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I was dismayed when I learned that Earth Son was dead. I had been at Court with a chance — slim as it may be — to catch the eye of the Queen with my designs.” She grabbed another section of fabric and ripped it. “It had been my choice, though, to leave court and come to Pittsburgh because I was chasing a dream that had nothing to do with the Queen’s favor.”

“I had been alarmed when no one could honor his offer.” She ripped another section. “But — but — but—” She clenched the fabric tight. “These new domana: Darkness, Sunder and Cana Lily. They come straight from Diamond, the bitch who not only gave birth to that sniveling rat Earth Son but was also sent him to Pittsburgh.”

Clearly in Cattail’s mind, Diamond was still in full command of the Stone Clan. After all that Oilcan and Tinker had learned in the last few days, it was possible, though, that Diamond was just an unknowing puppet for the Skin Clan.

“Not a single fucking one of these newly arrived Stone Clan domana carries an explanation — an offer of compensation — or even so much as an apology from Diamond. We — the children that her son lured out into the wilderness and gave to the oni to torture, rape, kill and eat — are beneath her notice. Another clan has to rescue the living, give the dead up to the sky, and see to all our needs? Well, fuck the Stone Clan. I’m more than fine to be Wind Clan. I’m happy.”

She was right. No matter who had been behind the children’s betrayal — the Stone Clan had continued to fail them.

He reached out to hug her but she flinched away angrily and tore another length of the broadcloth. “You’ll have your dream.” He promised. “With the extra money of sponsorship, we’ll turn the library into a boutique where you can sell clothes.”