Threads

Chapter Nine: Part One

Chapter Nine

Witches and Rock Stars

            Alice stared into the fire. Gabriel brought her some peppermint tea, which she took gratefully and then promptly forgot. They sat there for several minutes, discussing the best way to get Azura back.

            “If we could contact someone in Cairo…” Gabriel was saying.

            Alice jumped as something vibrated against her hip. She realized it was her cell phone. Miraculously it had stayed in her sweater pocket through her entire traumatic experience.

            “My phone!” Alice seized it eagerly. “Hello?”

            “Alice! Is everything all right?”

            “Azura! Oh my gosh, are you okay?”

            “I’m fine. I’m at an old friend’s place. What happened?”

            Alice nearly sobbed in relief. “I…the shop…a guy came in with a knife and made me move the shop.”

            “Is everyone okay?”

            “We’re okay. I was freaking out because we left you. I’m so sorry - how are you going to get back?”

            Azura’s voice was reassuring, “Oh honey, don’t worry about me. Just keep the shop where it is. I’ll join you tomorrow.”

            “Are you sure? We’re in Manhattan!”

            “Absolutely.”

            Alice relaxed a little, and once Shakra and Gabriel were sure she wasn’t going to run downstairs and send them all back to Cairo, the three of them retreated to their rooms for the night. But she wasn’t surprised when she had trouble falling asleep. She kept feeling the man’s grip around her throat and the cold tip of the knife on her neck.  Alice shivered. It made her feel a little better when she remembered the brand she had put on him just before he fled.  Every magical person in miles would see that.  He would certainly have difficulty finding anyone to rip off now.

Eventually she drifted into fitful dreams.

            New York customers were a different crowd of people.  They seemed to do everything with gusto, or aggression, as Gabriel put it; they dressed tough, talked tough and shopped tough.  They seemed to come in groups, and Alice and Gabriel had just finished serving a bunch of Werewolves with thick Bronx accents when Azura came through the door.

            “Good morning!” she sang. “I return from Egypt bearing gifts!”

            Alice flung herself at the older woman, catching her in a bear hug. “You’re okay!”

            “Are you okay? You sound like you had quite the scare.”

            “I’m fine now. When I realized we’d left you behind in Cairo…”

            “I was with a friend,” Azura said soothingly. “I was perfectly fine. Oh, that reminds me, my friend said he met you and….”  Alice stared in astonishment as Azura pulled a small bronze Hookah from the bag on her shoulder. It had green and gold markings, similar to the lamp she’d bought in the market. “He says they’re a set - he would like you to have this.” Azura laughed at the look on Alice’s face. “Apparently you made quite an impression on him.”