The Stars Over Bittergate Bay

Chapter 31

31

J onas waited until Sidney was out of sight, down the hill in the truck, to walk to Elmmond House. He left a note for Asterion with Verne, who said he’d deliver it right away. If Asterion was awake before three in the afternoon, Jonas would eat a hat.

Sidney didn’t seem to have been marked. Or, if he had been, it was so inconsequential that it didn’t change his behavior toward Jonas in any noticeable way. Except, of course, one rather large way, which was that Sidney had said he loved Jonas.

Jonas wanted to dismiss it. He wanted to say it was a part of the mark and move on, and not let himself feel the elation that he did very much feel. He’d barely managed to admit to himself that his feelings for Sidney were running in that direction too, and he knew all of this should have been thrilling.

It was. But more than that, it was overwhelming. Until he came clean with Sidney, he couldn’t let it go any further. Jonas had fallen in love once with a man he didn’t know, who’d built their entire relationship on a lie. He couldn’t do that to Sidney. He wouldn’t.

After dropping off his message for Asterion, Jonas went back to the house. Because he truly didn’t have any other errands to run, he went into the garden. After an hour spent removing goldenrod, clouds began to crowd into the blue sky from the west, and Jonas caught himself wondering if they’d be gone by the time Sidney was back to stargaze.

Jonas turned on the radio in the kitchen while a new pot of coffee percolated, and glanced around for Delilah in several rooms before he realized she was likely up at the big house. Once guests started arriving, he usually didn’t see much of her, which was fine. He was glad she could visit with her old friends and have fun. But with Delilah gone and Sidney gone, Jonas found he was at a loss of what to do with himself.

Which was absurd because he had moved into the garden cottage precisely so that he could be alone with his work and his thoughts. Instead of either of those things, Jonas sat at the table with a plate and fork and a cup of coffee, indulging his sweet tooth and wondered what he was going to do with the rest of his day, and all the days after that.

Not that there was plenty of work to do. And he ought to call Karolina because she would know the best way to approach Sidney about the demon issue. Asterion had been the first person Jonas had thought of, and, upon reflection, likely wasn’t the best. Once Sidney got back, they would have to look at the tide charts and compare them to Sidney’s notes and Jonas’s notes. He ought to go get his notes, actually.

The echo of his own footsteps in the empty foyer made him shudder, and thankfully the sound of them was interrupted by a commotion at the big house. Car horns honking, voices shouting. Jonas stepped up to the narrow window beside the front door and peered out to see what looked like a traffic jam. Several florists carrying massive flower sprays, as well as two grocery delivery vans, had come up against a long black car full of revelers who were trying to execute an unnecessary three- point-turn in a circular drive. Jonas sighed and turned back toward the stairs.

Everything about the Ascension was tiresome. It would mean people for days after the party had been over, new creatures knocking on his door when they realized they’d been left behind and they’d have to survive with humans for a full year before they could get back. And this year he’d have less sympathy than usual. They’d be taking away his time with Sidney.

“Yeah, I’m not sure I can just give those out.” The harbormaster wasn’t in, and his clerk looked to be about twelve years old, in spite of (or perhaps because of) his pencil moustache and the wet nub of a cigarette clenched between his teeth.

“I’m a researcher from Holyworth College,” Sidney said. Then added a lie, to see where that would get him. “I spoke to someone about this on the phone.”

“Like I said,” the clerk shrugged. “The harbormaster’s not in, and the whole town is closing down for the Ascension. People are already turning up missing, the damn thing hasn’t even happened yet.” He flicked his cigarette into the trashcan and looked at Sidney with narrowed eyes. “That why you’re here?”

“I’m here to see the tide charts for the last six months.” The clerk folded his arms across his narrow chest.

“Come back on Monday.” Four days from now. Shit. Sidney sighed.

“Is there a requisition form I can fill out or something?” The clerk snorted.

“Sure. And you can file it for me too.” The man-child kicked the trashcan at the side of the desk with his toe, nudging it pointedly in Sidney’s direction. Sidney thought of a half dozen rude things to say, and swallowed all of them. Instead, he gave a thin smile and left.

The clerk didn’t seem to be lying about the town being shut down. Half the shops had ‘closed’ signs in the windows, and there were small clusters of people milling around on front porches and stoops, like they were waiting for a parade. Sidney wasn’t sure The Silver Platter would even be open, but when he pulled up, he could see people sitting inside at the front windows, and smoke rising from one of the vents near the back into the crisp fall air.

The bell above the door rang merrily. The bitter smell of coffee mixed with the saccharine tinge of syrup or cherries jubilee. All the stools along the counter were empty, and before Sidney could decide where he ought to sit for a to-go order, Dom came out of the swinging door of the kitchen. A chambray shirt strained across his biceps as he tossed a dish towel over his shoulder. He smiled at Sidney as he pushed gold rimmed glasses up his nose.

“Sit anywhere,” he said.

“It’s just a to-go order,” Sidney said. Dom nodded.

“I guessed as much. Still staying up at the cottage then?” Sidney nodded and took the nearest counter stool, and Dom returned with a menu. “I guess Jonas wants his usual. What can I get for you?”

“It smells like cherries in here,” Sidney said. Dom smirked.

“I’ve got cherry tarts in the oven, but they’ll be a few minutes.”

“I’ve got time,” Sidney said, settling in.

“Coffee while you wait?” Dom asked. Sidney nodded, and Dom moved to the massive metal coffee maker on the back counter. Jonas had said Dom owned the place. Maybe he’d know more about why everything closed for the Ascension. Or why the harbormaster’s clerk had been so unhelpful.

“I’m a little surprised you’re still open. Everything else seems like it’s shuttered for the weekend.” Dom nodded, as he slid Sidney a full mug of coffee.

“That’s the Ascension for you.” He brought a sugar shaker within Sidney’s reach, but Sidney could see that Dom was stiff, the soft curve of his mouth crumpled into a grimace.

“Why? It’s not a holiday, is it?”

“No,” Dom said, glancing at Sidney for a long moment. “Not for us, anyway.” Sidney met his gaze with one that he hoped read total innocence. “It shuts business down in town because people tend to leave.”

“Leave town? Why?”

“Some of them leave town.” Dom drummed his fingers on the counter and then glanced up at Sidney. “Some of them disappear.”

“Disappear?” In everything he’d learned about the Ascension, this was perhaps the strangest bit of information he’d gleaned so far. Dom didn’t seem pleased that Sidney didn’t know what he was talking about. He leaned forward and lowered his voice.

“Jonas hasn’t spoken to you about it at all? He didn’t warn you?”

“Warn me? No. He doesn’t… well, he said he doesn’t go to the Ascension party.” Dom scoffed.

“Of course he doesn’t. He’d have vanished by now. Look, I don’t know much about it. It’s a big, well,” he hesitated, glancing around once again before continuing. “It’s a sort of big orgy. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. And all these strange people come into town for it. And I don’t mean— I don’t mind strange. But these folks are different. Faeries, I mean. Creatures. Things that shouldn’t exist.” Dom’s eyes were so wide and earnest that Sidney could see flecks of silver in the circles of his dark brown irises. Probably this was the part where people called Dom crazy, and he seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for it. Sidney knew better, of course. When Sidney nodded that he understood, Dom looked relieved. “You’re better off avoiding the whole thing. People who go don’t often come back.”

The pieces of this Ascension were finally connecting in Sidney’s mind. Marking made it so humans could travel through portals. People who wanted to travel into the other celestial realms would need to be marked, so the debauchery that Father Michaels had alluded to, and that Dom was calling an orgy, as well as the disappearances, made sense. People left through the portals. Creatures too. Comings and goings.

“People from the town attend, though?” Sidney asked.

“They get enchanted, some people say. Or trapped. And I’ve heard you can make bargains for things. Magically, you know? So maybe some people do know what they’re getting into, but…” Dom faltered, trailing off.

“I believe you,” Sidney said. Dom’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Sidney, as though Sidney might have been lying.

“You haven’t heard anything else about it?” he asked. Sidney shook his head.

“Only little things, here and there.”

“I’m surprised Jonas hasn’t said anything.” There was judgment in his tone that made Sidney bristle.

“Like I said, he doesn’t go.” And that was more defensive than he needed to be, but Sidney couldn’t help it. Maybe it was a little odd that Jonas hadn’t mentioned anything. Especially if the Ascension really was dangerous, but Jonas had told Sidney that he didn’t go to the party anymore, and Sidney had no reason to believe that wasn’t true. Ellery Van Ahlberg and Delilah had both confirmed it.

Maybe Jonas didn’t know how sinister the whole thing had become, or maybe there was something else. Sidney pursed his lips. He could guess all day, but the easiest thing to do would be to go ask Jonas.

“Did you want anything else?” Dom asked.

“No,” Sidney shook his head, mind reeling slightly. “Just the tart.”

“Alright. It’ll be up in a minute,” he said brusquely, before going back into the kitchen, leaving Sidney to try not to theorize without all the data.