Page 78 of For the Strange and Surprising

“Should I kneel now?” I tease, pointing to the floor.

Ada wrinkles her nose. “Later. I don’t want to celebrate too early. This is a test run to make sure the seams can hold up to everyday wear and tear.”

I grin, shaking my head. “You ready to go now?”

But there’s a knock at the door, causing Ada to whisper, “That’s getting really fucking old.”

It’s followed by bellowing from the other side. “Ada. Let me in. This basket is heavy.”

We glance at each other before she rushes to greet Rinya, who strides in with a basket full of… Well, I don’t know what. The contents are spilling over the edges, though.

“What’s that?” I question, then chuckle at the sight. “And when did you two become friends?”

“Not food,” Rin snarks at me. “And since she called me out for underestimating her. That showed me she’d be rude enough to deal with my guy friends trying to paw all over her.”

I hold my hands up and scamper into the bedroom, because I am one of those guy friends. “I’ll grab your shoes, Ada.”

“Thank you,” she calls before I hear her murmuring to Rin. “What is that?”

“Mom says you can take these without it counteracting your Earth implant. But she spoke with Raf, and they think you should have it removed soon.”

“Raf is the other doctor in the clinic, right? How do they know about this?”

“He came from Earth too, Ada. He was brought to the Shades like twelve years ago, but he fled from their queen. That’s his story to tell, not mine. I don’t know all the details.”

That’s also news to me. If he’s been on Spiran for that long, then someone else was brought to the Mongrels. But who? And how did we miss that?

“What are you two talking about?” I inquire as I come into the sitting room.

“Girl stuff,” Ada replies as Rin deadpans, “Birth control.”

“Jesus, Neptune, and Osiris.” Ada gives her a sharp look before smiling at me. “We can go now.”

“Sure. Where are we going?”

I scowl at Rin then smirk as I get an idea. “To see Will. Do you want to visit with your dad on your day off?”

Her top lip curls in response. “No. Have fun. He should be in the cellar today.”

We head for the door, but Rin stops Ada.

“He gets preoccupied when he’s working. Don’t ask him questions that you don’t want straightforward answers to. He’ll tell you like he does me, and he doesn’t sugarcoat the truth.”

* * *

True to Rin’s word, we locate Will in the cellar where he stores all his alcohol. I grab the last two crates at the top of the stairs as I lead Ada down. It’s cool and damp, scented with fruit and dirt, but his artificial lighting is improving.

“Will?” I shout into the underground building.

“This is not what I was expecting when Rin said cellar,” Ada mutters, following me through the corridor.

“Ah! Connak, just the Mongrel I wanted to see. Did you bring the Earthling? I’m dying to joke about aliens with Ms. Storm.”

I hang my head, chuckling to myself because I still don’t get the reference.

“I come in peace,” Ada cheerfully remarks. “Unless there’s probing in my future, in which case, a warning would be appreciated, Mr. Battlerain.”

He stands from his crouched position, bottles in hand, with a disgusted expression. “Consider this a warning, Earthling.”