Clockwork Blue (65 page)

"
Just leave me be,
"
Glissando
said with a moan.

"
Glissando
, I have a strange feeling that you
'
ve broken another law. Did you use all of your elixir on the Duke of Clarence
'
s
mistress?"

Leaning against the stem of the oak leaf,
Glissando
turned away.
"
It
'
s none of
you
r business.
"

By the Maestro
'
s pinky, Allegro wouldn
'
t allow the recalcitrant pixie to fob him off.
"
It is, too, my business! We
'
re partners, remember? How could you d
o something so radical?"

"
I
'
ll not stand for any more of
you
r lectures, Allegro. I didn
'
t—
"

"
Think of yourself,
"
Allegro finished for him.

Glissando
stilled.
"
What did
you
say?
"

"
You didn
'
t think of yourself—only of the mission. How could you have done something
so
drastic?"

Glissando
said nothing. A grimace twisted his features. Allegro watched his part
ner clutch his throat
. With worry, he rubbed his chin.
"
Is it painful to lose
the slip note
?"

A fierce frown brought
Glissando
'
s green brows together.
"
Of course
it
'
s painful!
"

Allegro winced at the monotone sound of the other pixie's voice.
"
Glissando
, I
'
m impressed. Who would have ever thought to give up their own life sustenance for a mission? It
'
s the most selfless act that I have ever witnessed.
"

"
Huh? Why
... thank
you
,
"
Glissando
replied. Brief pleasure relaxed the lines that marred his face. Then his features twisted as another
spasm twitched his throat
.
"
Tell Maestro that and maybe he
'
ll give me a medal. Now, will
you
leave me to my misery?"
With a martyred expression, he closed his
eyes
.

Allegro contemplated him.
"
You know, using the elixir to influence a
human
was rather ingenious—
although
it was stupid to use it on Lady Charlotte.
"

Glissando
scowled.
"
Could
you
try not to be so flattering?
You
'
ll make my head swell, and believe me, that would look downright bizarre on this withering
neck
.
"
He clutched his
throat
.
"
Aaargh!
"

Allegro decided to take pity on him.
"
Do you want some of my elixir?
"

Glissando
stopped mid-howl, then slowly brought his gaze to Allegro, cautious but filled with hope.
"
You
'
re offering me your elixir?
"

"
Not all of it, but some.
"
Allegro unhooked his flask from his belt and extended the container.

"
Why, that
'
s mighty decent of
you
, old chap.
"

The manner in which
Glissando
suddenly sat up made Allegro wonder if he
'
d been faki
ng his discomfort. But he
noted the lavender circles under the other pixie
'
s
eyes
. No,
Glissando
might have been hamming it up a little, but he suffered. H
e handed the
pixie the container and watched
Glissando
greedily drink.

"
Do
you
have any more?" Gl
issando
handed back
the gourd, and wiped his mouth with the
heel
of his
hand. Contentedly, he stroked his neck
.

"
Yes
, two hundred measures hidden in a special place.
"

"
Zooterkins!
"
Glissando
sat up straighter on his oak leaf. That
'
s enough to fill up five vaults at D.C.
al finel
How did
you
get so much?
"

"
We S
opranos are known for our thriftiness. I
'
ll give you what I have with me. But you
'
re going to have to use it sparingly. We
'
ll need every dust particle I can get my hands on for the plan I have in mind.
"

Glissando
cocked his head, clearly intrigued.
"
What plan?
"

"
I want to do what you did, but I have to ask your opinion.
"

"
You
do?
"
The fat pixie was clearly stunned.
"
What is it?
"

"
I
'
ve been thinking about
Nicola
. You know she
'
s awfully upset because
Malcolm
told her he killed his brother. She
'
s beginning to doubt her intuitions about him, and I fear she
'
ll give up.
"

"
I know,
"
Glissando
replied sadly.
"
But what about the elixir?
"

Allegro fluttered his wings, nervous.
"
Do you think I could induce a dream for
Nicola
, a dream showing
Malcolm
and William together when they were younger?
"

Glissando
threw him a doubtful frown.
"
Why do that?
"

"
To remind
Nicola
how much
Malcolm
cared for his older brother.
"

"
That might work,
"
Glissando
replied slowly.
"
And perhaps we could show her some of the accident.
"

"
Only the part that makes
Malcolm
look good. They did fight, as you recall, and
Malcolm
was pretty angry.
"

"
If
you
want to do all that, it will take a lot of elixir.
"

Allegro grimaced.
"
I thought it might. How much?
"

Glissando
paced
.
"
Nicola
is more slender than Clarence
'
s mistress, though a little taller and much more strong- minded.
"
He stopped his pacing.
"
I would say about ten kilosectors, give or take a milliform.
"

"
My word! You
'
re very good at scientific notation, are you not?
"

"
It was one of my best subjects at Coda.
"
Glissando
gave a modest shrug, though his chest swelled with pride.

Too bad he was so stubbornly independent. Allegro complained,
"
I sure wish you had consulted me before giving all your elixir to Lady Charlotte. Did it ever occur to you to work
with
your partner? We did a good job together as those old ladies.
"