Dead and Dusted by Lily Webb (most recommended books .TXT) 📗

up next to me as I reached for one of four still-steaming teapots resting on the table. “Everything okay?”

“Is that a rhetorical question? I’m probably going to be on the front page of the Starfall Valley Gazette tomorrow morning holding Lox and Keez by their tails like some sort of backwoods hunter with their game.”

Unable to help himself, Thorn snorted. “You have to admit that was pretty funny.”

“Yeah, hilarious,” I said and set the teapot down on the nearest cart a bit too harshly. It clattered, and I cringed, praying I hadn’t broken it.

“So, how about these guests, huh? They just got here and there're already fireworks.”

“Yeah, and judging from the course of things so far, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of them yet.”

Thorn chuckled and shook his head while he loaded his own cart with tea, sugar, and mugs. “You know, I had a feeling this was going to be a blockbuster event, but not even I could’ve predicted this.”

“Do you have any idea what they’re here to talk about?”

Thorn shrugged. “Not definitively, but I have a few hunches.”

“Those hunches will have to wait,” Blair said as she drifted up to the table between us. “Though I have a feeling all the truth is about to come spilling out along with the tea,” she continued with a glance over her shoulder at the table of guests.

“Then we don’t want to miss out, right, Selena?” Thorn asked and, without waiting for an answer, wheeled his cart away toward the table.

“No time like the present,” I muttered and followed. Luckily for me, Thorn had saved me from the worst of things by heading for Leland. He had to have noticed I wasn’t feeling up to dealing with the most important person in the room, so I made a mental note to thank him for it later and started setting out mugs for everyone else.

“How nice of you, Selena, but I’m sure we could’ve done this ourselves,” Mayor Nash said, catching my eye as I maneuvered the teapot between him and Zadie to fill their mugs.

“Since when have you turned down being waited on hand and foot?” Zadie asked, and the mayor blushed.

“Some of us take to it easier than others, Zadie.”

“Indeed,” Zadie said and sipped her tea. I didn’t have a clue what the beef between them was, but I had to admit that I couldn’t wait to find out.

“Now, now, children. This is no time for bickering! We’re here to work together, so let’s not spoil the mood before we’ve even begun,” Leland taunted from across the table where he sat with his fingers steepled under his chin and a steaming mug beside him.

“Sure thing, dad,” Zadie said, staring contemptuously at Leland over the rim of her mug she gripped with both hands.

Leland chuckled. “Well, with a winning attitude like that, I’m sure we’re going to get a ton accomplished today, so why don’t we get started?”

Since I didn’t want to seem nosy but also didn’t want to miss out on any of the juicy gossip, I hurried my cart back to the table along the wall and hovered there while pretending to restock my supplies. Thorn joined me shortly after, but neither of us dared speak so we wouldn’t miss anything. Thankfully, Blair had left the room, probably to check on the food, so we didn’t have to worry about her barking orders at us either.

“I’m not sure how much there is to talk about,” Zadie said. “You and I both want the same plot of public land for very different reasons, but neither of us can have it without the mayor signing off, so we’re at a bit of an impasse.” She stared the mayor right in the eyes, and he shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes, which is exactly why we’re here to negotiate,” Leland said, also turning his gaze to Mayor Nash.

The mayor set down his tea and cleared his throat. “To be clear, I said I would come here with an open mind toward dialogue, not necessarily to haggle,” he said. “I don’t think either of you can blame me for being hesitant about selling off a protected, revered piece of land to private enterprise. What would my constituents have to say about that?”

“If Starforce Technologies uncovers even a fraction of what we think might be on that slab of otherwise desolate land, the people of this town will call you a hero — and reward you accordingly,” Leland said. “You have my word on that.”

“That’s a very large ‘if,’ Leland,” Zadie countered. “Here’s another for you: What if you find nothing? How badly will your little exploration damage the land for nothing?”

Leland sighed. “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, but I’ll repeat myself one last time: Starforce has engineered our exploration rockets specifically not to damage anything during launch,” he said, and I froze. Rockets? What in Lilith’s name did Leland want to do with those?

Zadie burst out laughing and slammed her mug on the table. “Leland, are you hearing yourself? There’s no such thing as a rocket that’s environmentally friendly. Why would we want to turn such prime real estate into a wasteland when it would be much better as a natural and proven source of energy?” she asked, then turned to Mayor Nash. “Which, I’ll remind you yet again, would create dozens of jobs for the community — something your constituents would actually thank you for, rather than yet another empty promise from Starfall’s most reviled tech titan.”

Leland let Zadie’s comments pass. “Mayor Nash, as compelling as that little sermonette was, let me remind you that if Starforce can harvest and harness the raw magic that lies beyond the Veil, we’ll never need energy again.”

Zadie scoffed. “That’s absurd! Even with magic, we’ll never not need energy, and we can harvest plenty of it from the sun and wind that are already all around us.”

Leland’s eyes bored into Zadies’. “I’ll die before I let this opportunity escape me. There’s no