Fiction River: Hex in the City (33 page)
It was, but I didn’t tell her that. Spot fires occurred that night in the famed American Bar and elsewhere in the famous property, all explained away by the typical problems the chefs had when serving cherries jubilee or bartenders had when making flaming drinks.
“Aunt Eustacia’s going to be mad that we lost the cauldron,” Rosalind said.
“Aunt Eustacia’s going to be mad that she missed the death ritual,” Viola said. We had all agreed that the events at the Lancaster were the proper death ritual, since that’s where Mother’s spirit had been trapped.
“Aunt Eustacia is just going to be mad,” I said.
I would have too, stuck in some backwater Russian airport while they tried to find a plane that would carry my magical aunt out of the country.
I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about anything—except a shower, and a long winter’s nap.
“We do work better together,” Viola said.
“Bite me,” I said.
She was right, of course; we did work better together. But that didn’t change my decision.
I was done with this profession.
Until the next time, anyway.
Acknowledgements
This project wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without the Kickstarter support from these wonderful people:
Gerard M. Ackerman
JC Andrijeski
Donald J. Bingle
Kirsten Brodbeck-Kenney
AnneMarie Buhl
T. Thorn Coyle
Gary Dockter
Eric Edstrom
Lynda Foley
Karen Fonville
Robbyn Foster
Mark-Wayne Harris
Malachi Kenney
Pierre L'Allier
Rich Laux
Stephen Lebans
Christel Adina Loar
John Lorentz
Michael Lucas
Big Ed Magusson
Lisa M. May
Robert J. McCarter
Sean Monaghan
Carole Nelson Douglas
Alexei Pawlowski
Jeanette Sanders
Risa Scranton
Janna Silverstein
Bob Sojka
Margaret St. John
Robert E. Stutts
Raphael Sutton
Scott Tefoe
Edd Vick
Terry Weyna
Stephanie Writt
Thank you!
About the Editor
Kerrie L. Hughes is a full-time writer, editor and researcher, currently located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She has done ten anthologies for Tor and DAW, published nine short stories, two articles, and been a major contributor and editor for two compendiums on Mercedes Lackey and Lois McMaster Bujold. She is currently working on several book and anthology projects.
FICTION RIVER
Year One
Unnatural Worlds
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch
How to Save the World
Edited by John Helfers
Time Streams
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
Christmas Ghosts
Edited by Kristine Grayson
Hex in the City
Edited by Kerrie L. Hughes
Moonscapes
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith
Crime
(Special Edition)
Edited by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
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