Fall of Light (20 page)

“Yes sir.”

Phrixos's voice murmured something, and Bettina murmured something in response. A moment's silence.

“Last looks,” called someone, and Magenta, Craig, and Opal headed for the set.

Phrixos was kissing the back of Bettina's hand this time. She stared into his eyes.

The director grabbed Opal's arm as Opal passed her. “Is the monster schizo?” he whispered.

“Not exactly. More like multiple personality,” Opal whispered.

“Damn it. This upsets me. But it's working on film. Damn it! Nobody told me!”

“It's a recent development.”

Neil blew air out through his nostrils, a subvocal snort. “Rein him in.”

“How? Why does everybody think
I
can control him?” Opal's whisper came on a gush of breath.

“You're sleeping with him.”

“In a master-servant way,” Opal muttered.

“Oh? Damn. That's no help. Anyway, do what you can, will you?”

“I already am, and it's not a whole lot.”

Neil released Opal and pushed her toward the set.

Opal went to Phrixos. He leaned forward. “Trouble?” he muttered, and for a second she felt comforted by his concern, as though she had a coconspirator.

Then she remembered what everybody was complaining about. “You're creeping everybody out, and they want you to stop it.”

He smiled, and his eyes glowed brighter. “Don't worry,” he said, but not in a way that convinced her. “Things will fall into place.”

“And then what?”

“You'll see.”

10

He dropped a brief kiss on her cheek—no draw, only a touch—then turned her by her shoulders and aimed her off the set with a push on her rear. She stumbled two steps, then whirled and walked backward as she studied him. She hadn't touched him up again. If it were Corvus, that kiss on the cheek would have mandated some kind of makeup repair, and so might the swat on the butt, but Phrixos was fine.

In the next take, Bettina and Gemma gave fantastic performances, and Phrixos was superb.

“Cut and print,” Neil said. “Now we need some hand shots. Off the set, everybody! We need to reset the cameras.”

They wrapped early, around eight in the evening. They had shot every shot listed on that day's schedule, and, partly because of Phrixos's influence on the young actresses, they had shot fewer takes. Everything seemed aligned to give the best results. Neil had consulted with the production manager about whether they should try something that wasn't scheduled, but each scene took hours to set up. A production assistant came by with call sheets and script revisions for tomorrow as the actors headed toward the Makeup trailer or the Wardrobe trailer to escape the people they had been playing all day.

Opal hadn't found a minute to call her family. She only thought of doing it when a scene was shooting or when she was summoned to the set. She had spaced it during lunch, worn out by wondering what could go wrong next. Plus, Phrixos had drained her with another kiss, despite the new power collecting she had been doing. She needed to collect even more energy, but she hadn't found time and space to do the necessary meditations. Tonight, she promised herself.

Phrixos followed Opal into the Makeup trailer. She wondered if he would leave Corvus's body tonight, or if she had another fight on her hands. She didn't want to spend any more time with him than she had to.

He had taken the call sheet before she could look at it, and was studying it as she nudged him toward the chair. She had been fighting him all day and was tired of the constant energy it required. She'd look at the call sheet later.

Lauren waited in one of Rod's chairs, looking rumpled, unmade up, and worried. Bettina and Gemma came in and sat down, Bettina glaring at the older actress, but there were enough chairs for everybody. Rod and Magenta went to work taking off the girls' makeup.

Lauren didn't seem to notice Bettina's irritation. She didn't even pay attention to Phrixos; her look was all for Opal.

Opal settled Phrixos in his chair. “Go on,” he said. “Check with her.” He leaned back and closed his eyes, call sheet and script pages—pale blue this time—in a loose pile on his lap.

“Thanks.” She felt again the momentary and confusing sense of collaborating with the enemy. Why did she trust him even to this extent? She needed to, she guessed. She went to Lauren and took her hands. “What's wrong?” she murmured.

“Norman's here, and I can't get the brush to work. I forgot what you told me about it.”

“How'd he get on set?”

“He's not, really, but he's found a place to stay in town, and he's lurking outside every time I walk across to the B&B.”

“Has he approached you yet?”

“I've been shadowing Blaise, and she's shadowing Aldridge, so we're always surrounded by people. Traveling in a pack is more tiring than you'd think. Plus some of the pack keep breaking away and I can't figure out who to follow. So the answer is no, but now we're done for the day and I need to go home and rest, which makes me feel vulnerable. Also I'm starving. Did you try that pasta at lunch? Could anything taste more like glue and Styrofoam?”

“It was bad,” Opal said. “Okay, you relax here and I'll see what I can do with the big guy.”

“Thanks.” Lauren sighed and dug through a hobo-style purse, produced a battered paperback romance.

Opal returned to Phrixos. She tugged the papers out of his grasp and set them on the counter.

“Lauren is in danger?” he asked.

“Do you remember about that?” asked Opal. “You learn what Corvus knows, right? He heard about her stalker last night at dinner.”

The green glow in his eyes dimmed a fraction as he looked inward. Then he returned and stared up at her. “I remember now.” He gripped the arm of his chair as though to rise.

“What?” said Opal.

“The man is a gnat. I can dispose of him.”

“No disposing, all right? Not that I know exactly what you mean by that. If you could send him off to mind his own business, that would be good. No murdering, all right?”

“You prefer he leaves here alive?” said Phrixos.

“I insist on it,” she said. A chill shivered in her shoulders. She had been frightened of Phrixos before, but hadn't let herself think about whether he was truly dangerous.

He smiled at her, the leaves shifting on the planes of his face until he looked truly demonic.

“Stop that,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows, but he still looked scary. She grabbed the Polaroid and took some continuity pictures, dated and time-stamped them with a Sharpie. In the process, Phrixos's face relaxed back into the role of supernatural monster, losing its disturbingly human cunning.

Good. Phrixos responded to routine.

Opal got out the solvents that would loosen the adhesive on his face.

“I could approach him as I am now,” he said before she started removing the top layer of appliances.

“You think he's going to be scared of a costume? He's a professional. Relax. Nothing's going to happen right away, except I'm going to take off your mask, okay? Then we're going to dinner.”

“Whom do you want to escort you?” he asked.

Was this an opening? Could she just ask for Corvus and get him back? How useful would Corvus be in dealing with Norman? Corvus had physical presence; he worked out. Opal had never heard of him getting into fights with anyone.

On the other hand, maybe Phrixos really could solve their problem in a nonlethal way. He had certainly hypnotized people into doing his bidding on the set today and yesterday. Possibly he could give Norman a mental twist that would keep him away from Lauren forever.

“You,” Opal said. She tried not to be disturbed by the smile he kept all through his unmasking and subsequent cleansing and moisturizing.

By the time she restored him to Corvus-normal, everyone had left the trailer except for her, Phrixos, and Lauren. As Phrixos buttoned himself into Corvus's shirt, Opal packed her messenger bag, stuffing call sheet and script pages in, in addition to everything else she imagined she might need. Their call for tomorrow was five A.M. The weather was supposed to clear so that they could film in the forest. This was an early scene, the coven in the forest summoning the Dark God, and involved Gemma and some actors Opal hadn't met yet, including Ariadne Orullian, the woman who played Caitlyn and Serena's mother; this was her bloody death scene.

Five A.M.. They had left the set on time and a half, since the shoot plus makeup application and removal had taken eleven hours. First three hours of tomorrow would be time and a half until they reached turnaround. Well, a person had to take advantage of the weather when the opportunity arose. They'd been waiting to shoot on the forest set for too long already. It was possible they would shoot a piece of the scene with Dark God and Lauren on the altar rock if the light held out, her “come to the dark side” scene.

Lauren was curled up in the chair, the book in her lap, her eyes shut and her mouth slightly open, soft snores coming out. Opal shook her shoulder gently and she gasped and sat up. “Huh?”

“Let's go to supper,” said Opal.

Lauren looked up at Phrixos, narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?”

“Phrixos.”

“Have you been that before?”

“That's his Scary Dark God name. It's not his real name,” Opal said, “but it comes in handy.”

“Oh. Okay. So anyway, not Corvus. How come you're not Corvus?”

“Opal asked me to stay,” he said, and smiled his demon grin. “I understand you have a problem with someone. I can help you deal with it in ways he can't.”

“Why would you?”

“I protect my own.”

“I'm not yours,” she said.

“Do you wish to test that assertion?”

“Stop arguing,” said Opal, “and let's go take care of this guy.”

“Wait a sec,” said Lauren. “How do we plan to do that? Norman creeps me out, but I'm not ready for full-scale violence.”

“It would solve your problem,” said Phrixos.

“Not going to work for me,” Lauren said.

“Opal says the same thing. It's a timid generation you are. Very well. I will settle for a less permanent solution, and merely persuade him away.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“First I want a kiss.”

“What?” She shrank back. “No.”

“Payment in advance. What's wrong with that?”

“You gonna knock me out the way you did Kelsi?”

“I won't,” he said.

“I'll be able to walk and talk and think afterward?”

Phrixos sighed. “Very well.”

“I don't like you,” she said. He smiled gently, cupped the back of her head in his hand, and leaned forward to press his lips to hers, gently, gently, working slowly up to more pressure. Lauren stood passive at first, her eyes closed. Her hands crept up to grip his shirt. Their mouths engaged more fully, and Lauren's posture softened.

Opal struck Phrixos on the back of the head with the flat of her hand. “Stop that!”

He pulled away from Lauren, licked his lips, grinned sideways at Opal. “Jealous?”

“Oh, please,” said Opal.

Lauren moaned, opened her eyes. She looked dazed. She blinked, shook her head. “You are so—” she said, her voice rising with each word.

“Tasty? Helpful? Pleasurable?”

“Infuriating.”

Phrixos laughed. “You, on the other hand, are another source of pure pleasure. Let's go.” He threaded her arm through his and went to the door, helped Lauren down the steps. They left the trailer-laden parking lot with its saggy insta-fence and a guard sheltering under an overhang on one of the Star Waggons from the constant misty drizzle. As they crossed the street toward where Hitch had parked the car, a form detached itself from one of the droopy-branched evergreens in the town square and came toward them.