“Surely you don’t mean me?” Altair put a hand to his heart, dramatically. “M’lady, you wound me.”

            “I doubt it.”

            “Word on the street is that Ambrose showed an interest in you and you turned down his invitation.”

            “I’m getting awfully sick of the word on the street. It always seems to know things far sooner than it should.”

            “That’s how it goes.”

Alice looked down at her watch. “Crap…I’m late. I need to go.”

            “Just an hour for lunch?” Altair teased. “I thought you were the boss?”

            “I don’t expect I’ll be in trouble.” Alice stood up off her stool and collected the remains of her lunch, tossing it in the trash.

            “I’ll walk you to the shop.”

            “How gallant - I’m sure Azura will be thrilled to see you.”

            Altair walked ahead and held the door open for her. That was surprising. Alice waved to Isabella, who had been watching her and Altair with great interest, and they walked across the street together. Again Altair held the door open for her when they reached the shop. Alice nodded her thanks and paused in the doorway for a moment.

“You are chivalrous today, aren’t you?”

            He grinned down at her. “Always, darlin’.”

            “Stop calling me that.” As Alice turned and walked into the shop, she heard his hearty chuckle as he closed the door behind her. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he walked past the window and out of sight.

            “So he found you, did he?”  Azura sounded mildly disapproving, like a mother who didn’t favour her daughter’s date.

            “He did. He interrupted my lunch.”

            “What did he want?”

            She shrugged. “I’m not really sure. We talked - I think he wants me to forgive him.”

             “And have you?”

            “Not exactly...I’m still holding a grudge.”

            “Understandable.”

            “He irritates the crap out of me,” Alice mused, “And yet…” She trailed off, her face beginning to turn bright red.  Good thing Gabriel isn’t here.

            “And yet he doesn’t?” Azura smiled. “Does it have anything to do with the fact that he’s very good looking?”

            “No,” Alice said sharply.

            “She protests too loudly.”

            Alice glared at Shakra. “Oh hush.”

Shakra moved to sit beside the desk.  “Don’t let young Gabriel hear you talk about him.”

            “Gabriel can just keep it to himself. I already bit his head off for offering his opinion on the subject yesterday; I don’t think he’ll do it again.”

            Azura glanced knowingly at Shakra. “I doubt Gabriel is going to be discouraged by your sharp tongue, Alice. He likes you a lot.”

            Alice hesitated.  “Actually, I told him yesterday straight out that it was never going to happen.”

            “Oh.” Azura’s face grew serious. “That mustn’t have been a fun conversation.”

            Alice sighed. “I need tea. Anyone else want some?” She looked down at Shakra. “Er…I mean, Azura?”

            Shakra grumbled. “I do miss tea. Tastes all wrong in this form.”

            “I’ll have some of the mint , please.”

            Alice trailed into the back, grumbling. She hated this kind of awkwardness. She felt bad for snapping at Gabriel yesterday, and suspected he was still hurt about it.

She brought the small tea pot to the front, along with two mugs, pouring Azura’s cup and then her own.

            Shakra sighed gustily and settled down on the floor next to the desk. They sipped tea in silence, but Alice’s mind was busy rehearsing what she might say to Gabriel should the subject come up again. Thoughts of Altair kept popping up to distract her, and she shoved them aside in frustration. She preferred not to think about how he looked when he laughed, or his smile, or how blue his eyes were. It was better not to think about these things - they would be here in New York for a few more weeks at the most, and then they would move on.  Most likely she would never see Altair Roth again.

            Gabriel was reserved the next morning, and Alice wondered if he was still upset with her. The shop was busy, so she didn’t get a chance to talk to him but she wished she hadn’t snapped like that.  If he stayed mad at her what was she going to say?She couldn’t make it much clearer then she already had.

            Alice was dusting the shelves when she looked up and saw two women entering the shop. She recognized the blonde and the red-head who had followed her around Rapture, digging their names out of her memory. Lacy and Tricia.

            The red-headed Lacy waved cheerfully, showing a mouthful of teeth in what Alice decided to interpret as a smile.

            “Hi Alice!” Tricia greeted her enthusiastically. “I love your outfit!”

“Thanks.” Alice looked down at herself. She’d been a bit daring today, choosing the black silk hat with lace and a pair of long black gloves as accents.

            Gabriel looked up with interest as the two girl entered. “Lacy and Tricia, welcome to Threads.” Alice watched as he stepped from behind the counter, giving them both a dazzling smile. “Glad you came.”

            “Glad we came too.” Tricia winked. “I just had to come back to hear your juicy English accent, love it.”

            Gabriel grinned at her. “It’s just the shutting up part I’m not good at.”

            Tricia giggled. “You are too cute.”

            “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Alice watched the exchange in disbelief. How nauseating! He was laying it on thick. He darted a glance back at her and she frowned.

            Lacy was saying, “Alice, we heard you got an offer from Ambrose and turned it down.” The Harpy sounded like it was the single most astonishing thing she’d ever heard. Alice leaned against the front desk. Gabriel and Tricia had fallen silent

“I didn’t appreciate being summoned. If he wants to meet me, he can come down from his high and mighty palace and visit Threads.” She gestured around her at the shop. “He can buy an enchanted bouncy ball or something.”
            Tricia giggled. “Wow, you aren’t even impressed by him? He’s a rock star, not to mention a god.”

            “More of a pop star actually,” Alice said critically. “And the Greek god thing is debatable.”

            “You think he’s lying?” Lacy asked. She seemed less awed by the idea of Alexie Ambrose, and more interested in Alice’s reaction.

            “I don’t know. Frankly, I don’t want to meet him.”

            “You’re not worried about making him mad?” Lacy was astonished.

            “Not particularly. It’s not like I threw his offer in his face - I was polite about it.”

            “I’m sure he’s shocked.” Gabriel smirked. “Probably isn’t used to being denied anything.”

            The door crashed open suddenly, startling them. The bell jangled wildly.

“Alice!”

Germaine had been stern and tidy the first time Alice had met her, but now the Witch’s silver hair was falling out of her bun, her expression panicked. Germaine’s robes hung limply off her bony frame. She had lost weight since they’d met.

            “Are you alright?” Alice started forward, but Germaine was across the room in two strides. Alice squeaked as she seized her by the arms.

“For nights I have been plagued by visions of danger!  It was not till this morning, while I was using my scrying stone, that I saw what the spirits are trying to tell me.  Alice, you are in danger - true and imminent danger.” Germaine didn’t seem to notice Lacy and Tricia, who were standing there gawking.

“I don’t know what it’s from…that’s the worst part.” She dropped her hands from Alice’s arms and wrung them together. “I shouldn’t have even told you.” Alice stared in utter astonishment as the Witch continued. “It has something to do with a single person. I see their face, but for only a minute, blurred so I cannot make out who it is. I don’t know what it could mean…but it always ends in death.”

            Alice frowned. How was she supposed to take that? 

She turned to Shakra. “Can you go get Azura please? I think I had better let her listen to what Germaine is saying.”

            Lacy and Tricia backed away as the white Tiger stood up. Shakra left the room and Tricia said, “Wow, you have a Tiger.”

            Alice glanced at her in annoyance, preoccupied with what Germaine was saying.

“What sort of danger?” she asked the old Witch.

            “I don’t know…” Germaine continued to pace back and forth across the floor. “I see blood, fire and death. I see you on the brink of a dark abyss - your life is in danger.”

            “You speak in riddles,” Gabriel said in frustration. “If Alice is in real danger speak clearly!”

            “The danger is real.” Germaine sounded every bit as frustrated as the Elf. “If I speak in riddles it is because I see riddles.  I’m simply telling you what I saw.”

            “What am I supposed to do then?” Alice crossed her arms over her chest, mostly to keep her hands from shaking.

            “What’s all this?” Azura flew into the room, her hair tousled, looking angry. She had on a cotton t-shirt and sweatpants and she still wore fuzzy grey slippers on her feet. “Germaine, what the hell are you doing?”

            The grey Witch turned to Azura, holding her palms forth in supplication. “I’m telling her what I saw. Azura, Alice is in danger!”

            “How dare you come down here and speak to Alice like this. Your prophesies are vague, often not accurate,” Azura said, angrily. “Just because you were a friend of Ruby’s, do not presume you can come here and scare Alice with your dark magic. Is this because she turned down your offer of apprenticeship?”

            Alice watched Tricia’s and Lacy’s eyes grow wide, and she knew that the entire magical community would know about this within hours.  How bad would her mentor sound if she turned down this woman and then dismissed her warnings with scorn? Especially if there ended up being something to them.

“Azura,” she said softly. “Don’t be so harsh with her.” Azura looked surprised, but she didn’t argue.

            “Germaine, thank you for the warning,” Alice continued. “We’ll be extra diligent, but there isn’t a lot we can do without more information. There’s no point flying into a panic, right?”

            Germaine stopped her pacing. “Very well, child. I’ll let you know if anything becomes clearer to me.”

            “Thanks.” Alice walked the old Witch to the door and murmured a soft goodbye.  Azura sat down at the desk with a huff.

            Gabriel looked shell shocked. “Do you think she’s right though?”

            “She is a Witch,” Lacy added. “I wouldn’t dismiss it altogether.”

            “Thank you.” Alice eyed the red-headed harpy, wishing her and her friend would go home. She adjusted the lace on her hat, which had fallen sharply over her eyes, and sighed, her stomach in knots.

“I don’t know what you’re supposed to do over such a vague indication of danger.” Alice looked at Azura. “Do you think I need to be worried?”

            “No,” Azura muttered.

            “Too late.” Alice rubbed one gloved hand on her arm, trying to get rid of goose bumps. “I can’t help but feel worried.”

            “Prophecies are unstable. They may come true, they may not. They may only half come true. It depends on every little thing going a certain way. What Germaine sees as you getting your hand cut off, could end with you receiving a paper cut. You can never tell the outcome.”

            “Oh…I guess that’s good to know.”

            Azura huffed again. Obviously she wanted to say more, but was holding herself back in the presence of two strangers.

            “This is Lacy and Tricia by the way.” Alice indicated the girls. “Girls, meet Azura.”

            “Hi.” They nodded in unison.

            Before Azura could say anything, the bell over the door rang again and Alice turned quickly, thinking it was Germaine coming back to tell her how she was going to die or something.  Gabriel made an awful face as Altair walked in.

            “Maybe that’s the danger the Witch was talking about,” the Elf growled, and Alice gave him a sharp look.  Lacy and Tricia looked scandalized and fascinated, nudging one another and whispering.

            “Ah, yes...” Altair spotted them. “The two ladies from the club.” He hitched the knapsack he was wearing higher on his back and gave them a mocking bow. “Forgive my intrusion upon your shopping trip. I merely came to apologize again at yon lady’s feet, begging her forgiveness once more, hoping against hope that perhaps she will find it in her heart to forgive this wretch.”

            The girls’ eyes widened and Tricia put one manicured hand in front of her mouth and giggled. Alice rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

“Altair,” she exclaimed in annoyance as he grabbed her hand, going down on one knee, “Stop that!”

            Lacy and Tricia giggled louder and Gabriel fumed. Everyone jumped slightly when the door opened again, the bell jingling wildly.

            “Altair Roth, imagine seeing you begging at a woman’s feet.” Altair jumped to his feet.

            The man that entered was very tall, with tight black curls and dark brows. He had an athlete’s strong, lean physic.  He was all in black with a sharp purple collar and a cloak over one shoulder. She was reminded of the pirates you saw in old movies, almost expecting him to have a sword stashed in his belt.  He was followed by several beautiful women, each one of them as tall and shapely as the next. Altair looked suddenly wary, like a cat upon finding itself in the room with a large dog.

“Alexie,” he said levelly.

            So this was the great Alexie Ambrose. Alice studied him with interest, and he stared back at her. His eyes were very large and very dark.

            “So,” he said, “You must be a firecracker if you can get this scoundrel to beg at your feet.”

            ‘You must be Alexie Ambrose,” Alice said, flustered. She tried to keep a straight face, but it was hard. He was every bit as handsome as the gossip said.

            He looked over his shoulder in amusement at his comrades, and Alice caught a glimpse of the Siren that had come to deliver the rock star’s invitation. What was her name? Allira.

Allira was glaring at Alice, eyes glinting with malice.

            “Yes, I am he.” Ambrose smiled, his red lips curling back to reveal perfect teeth. “And you are Alice Cunningham.”

            “I am.” Alice tensed as the man strode forward and grasped her hand, making a formal bow over it. He didn’t release her hand, even as he straightened up.

            “You must forgive me,” he murmured. “I simply had to meet you.” His eyes, so dark brown, were flecked with gold. She wondered idly if that was some sort of trademark Greek god thing, if he even was one. One thing was for sure, he wasn’t a regular human being. He moved with the fluidity of a snake, deadly and silent and  his fierce gaze gave her chills. If he’s the snake, that makes me the mouse.

            Alice jerked her gaze away from his, smoothly pulling her hand from his grasp. “Very pleased to meet you,” she murmured. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

            “Of course you have.” Ambrose smiled.  She looked sideways at Altair, expecting him to be making a face, or mocking the man, but he was standing very still, staring at Ambrose intently.

            “My dear, you simply must join me at my party one week from now,” Ambrose purred. “It’s a masquerade. It’s going to be endless fun. I want you to be my guest of honour.  You’re new in this place; you need someone to show you how it’s done in New York.”

            Alice nodded politely, feeling butterflies. Why would he want her to be the guest of honour? What did a rock star want with her?

            “Do come.” He gestured at the others. “Bring your friends.” Lacy and Tricia, who were barely containing their glee at seeing the pop star, burst into excited chatter.

            “Oh, yes!”
            “Come on Alice, you can’t say no.”

            “…a personal invitation…”

            “Hush,” Alice demanded, and both girls stopped talking.  Ambrose raised his dark brows at her.

            “Why?” She forced her voice into steadiness.

            “Why what?” He was pretending to look puzzled.

            “Why are you interested in having me there as a guest of honour? Why have you come to meet me? I imagine you’re a busy man.”

            Ambrose smirked. “You’re fascinating, Alice. You only arrive and in days the town is buzzing about you. You have a scoundrel like Roth following you around like a puppy…” Altair glared at him indignantly. Ambrose lowered his voice in a caressing whisper, “Alice, you have so much untapped potential.  Just wait, I can show you so much.”

            She stared at him. What did that mean? Was Ambrose interested in her? It didn’t seem right that this powerful, handsome man would be. It didn’t make sense.

            “Think on it,” he said abruptly, “But I dare say you’ll be there.” He smiled again and turned around, making shooing motions at his followers. “Go go…out the door, take me back to the palace.” He shot Alice one last calculating look, and then he and his posse were gone, the bell tingling ever so softly, as if a light breeze had brushed by it.

Gabriel broke the silence.

             “No,” he said. “Absolutely not.”

            Alice turned, furious that he would try to tell her what to do. “I thought you were all for it a few days ago. Apparently he has all the best parties.”

            “That was before I met the guy. Alice, he looked like he wanted to eat you.”

            “True.” Altair was rubbing his chin, working the stubble that was growing there.

            “Thank you!” Gabriel gestured at him. “See, even he agrees with me. And he should know trouble when he sees it. You can’t go. It’s too dangerous.”

            “You must go.”

            “What?” Alice said indignantly. Everyone turned to stare at Altair.

            “That wasn’t an invitation, it was a demand. To not go would be far more dangerous. That man gets what he wants.”

            “How do you know him?” Alice said curiously.

            “I had several…encounters with him when I lived on the streets.” Altair said grimly. “He may look  foppish and silly, but he’s not to be trifled with. Before he was a star, he was climbing the ranks of the drug trade, and he would step on anyone in his way. He will resort to anything to get what he wants, and now he has a lot more resources at his fingertips. Whether you believe he’s a Greek god or not, here in New York he’s created unlimited power for himself.”

            “You can’t always get what you want.” Alice crossed her arms stubbornly. Part of her wanted to defy the invitation, but the rest of her…well, the rest of her thought the rock star was very good looking.

            “He’s a dangerous enemy to have,” Altair said.

Azura looked thoughtful. “Perhaps you should go.”

            “What?” Alice stared at her mentor in astonishment. “I would have thought you of all people would say no to this!”

            “If you don’t go, you have a powerful adversary; if you do go, you take all of us with you and he does…what? He shows you around, people will see you there, and your reputation grows. It will bring in more business. We’ll simply have to be cautious.”

            “He wants something though - I just don’t know what.”

            “Perhaps just to associate with you, to rub shoulders with another business owner. How do you think he makes his contacts?” Altair said. “I think we should go.”

            “We should? There’s no we, Altair.” There were too many people telling her what to do. She could think of an easy solution, one that solved everything.

“This is stupid. Let me show you what we’re going to do. Lacy, Tricia, unless you’d like to take a trip somewhere warm, get out of the shop. You too, Altair.” She marched to the back, her jaw set. Of all the stupid things to worry about, Ambrose and his lackeys could hate her all they wanted. What threat is an enemy if they’re thousands of miles away? New York was too fast paced and frantic for her taste anyways so it wasn’t as if she was running away. Not exactly.

            Alice unlocked the cupboard. The thick rope of threads pulsed, multi-coloured in the dark interior of the cabinet. She wrapped her hands around them and said loudly, “Hawaii, USA.” She closed her eyes and braced herself.

            Nothing happened. Alice opened her eyes. The threads were still glowing, but they no longer pulsed or shone as brightly.

            “Please?”

            Still nothing.

            “What are you doing?” Talking to the shop sounded crazy, but apparently it did have an opinion about moving, it didn’t want to.

“Haawii,” she commanded firmly.

            The threads continued to glow faintly in stubborn refusal. She reached out her subconscious and felt a jolt of temperamental rebellion, like a little boy who sits in the middle of the grocery store isle and won’t move until his mother buys him frosty flakes. Alice backed up and slammed the cupboard shut, marching into the shop.  Lacy and Tricia were standing outside, arms crossed, and feet tapping.  Gabriel and Azura looked at her expectantly. Altair was still there; he’d distributed his knapsack behind the desk and he was sitting on the desk top, feet bumping a lazy rhythm as he swung them.

“You didn’t leave?” Alice asked him.

            “Nope.”

            “What happened?” Azura quirked one silver eyebrow.

            “It won’t go,” Alice said darkly. “It’s being stubborn.”

            “Stubborn,” Altair repeated, doubtfully.

            “Yes,” Alice snapped, turning to Azura. “Why is it doing this?”

            The older Witch shrugged. “Unfinished business?”

            “Crap.” Alice walked around the desk and heaved herself into the chair. “I don’t want to deal with this.”

Azura smiled. “Maybe the shop knows that.”

            “It’s stupid.” Alice raised her hands in frustration. “We’re not going to be here much longer anyways.”

            “The shop begs to differ,” Gabriel muttered.

Outside, Lacy and Tricia had obviously come to the conclusion that Threads wasn’t actually about to vanish, because they peeked through the window and then came back in.

            “What happened?” Lacy showed her razor-like teeth in a smile. “You’re not leaving?”       “We’re staying,” Alice said grumpily.

The girls cheered.

“We’re going, right?” Lacy asked.

Alice studied the two of them thoughtfully. Maybe it would be a good idea to come with her own “followers”. Perhaps people would think she was more powerful that way. She glanced over at Azura, who only shrugged unhelpfully. Clearly this was her decision.

“Alright, but you two can only come on one condition.   When you go, you go with me. You can’t run off with the first handsome Wizard or Elf that looks your way.”

            “You can count on us,” Tricia said eagerly.

            “Good. He said it’s a masquerade party, so I guess we’ll have to dress up.”

            “Here.” Altair handed her a blue invitation with silver script on the front. “He gave me this before he left.”

            “Thanks. Okay, it says nine, so maybe be here by eight and we’ll get ready to go.”

            “What time should I be here?” Altair asked.

Alice glanced at him in exasperation. “You’re inviting yourself?”

            “You can use me,” he stated. “I’m the only one that’s dealt with Ambrose before.”

            “True,” Azura agreed. “It would be wise to have someone along who knows him better than we do.”

            Gabriel glared at Altair. “Really? So now I have to worry about Greek gods, Sirens and him?”

            Altair said ominously, “It’s not me you have to worry about at all.”