“Thats right.” She said it quietly as she looked back toward the house. “It must be lonely. Painfully lonely. All that power doesnt make them one of us. Living in that great house doesnt make it their home. Its weird, isnt it? Feeling sorry for gods.”
“No. Its intuitive. And just the kind of thing thats going to help you find the key. The more you know and understand them, the closer you come to figuring out your part of the puzzle.”
“Maybe.” Suddenly the iron gates swung open. “I guess thats our invitation.”
She drove, in the twilight, toward the great stone house. The old man shed come to think of as the caretaker hurried up to the car to open her door. “Welcome. Ill see to the car for you, miss.”
“Thanks.” She studied him, trying to get a gauge on his age. Seventy? Eighty? Three thousand and two? “I never got your name,” she said to him.
“Oh, Id beCaddock , miss.”
“Caddock. Is that Scots, Irish?”
“Welsh. Id be from Wales, in the original way of things, miss.”
Like Rowena, she thought. “Have you worked forPitte and Rowena long?”
“Yes, indeed.” His eyes seemed to twinkle at her. “Ive been in their service a number of years now.” He looked past her, nodded his head. “Theres a fine sight, isnt it, then?”
Dana turned, and stared at the huge buck that stood on the verge between lawn and forest. His rump seemed to glimmer white in the soft haze of twilight, and his rack shone silver.
“Traditional symbolism,” Jordan said, though he was no less struck by the bucks magnificence. “The seeker sees a white deer or hare at the start of a quest.”
“Malory saw it,” Dana murmured over the lump in her throat. “The first night we came here. But I didnt,Zoe didnt.” She walked to stand beside Jordan. “Does that mean it was already ordained that Malory would search for the first key? That it had nothing to do with the luck of the draw? That was just show?”
“Or ritual. You still had to choose to reach into the box for a disk. You decide to follow the deer, or turn away from it.”
“But is it real? Is that deer really standing over there, or are we imagining it?”
“Thats something else for you to decide.” He waited until the deer faded back into the shadows before he turned.
Both the old man and the car were gone. After the initial jolt, Jordan slid his hands into his pockets. “Youve got to admit, that is very cool.”
The entrance doors opened. Rowena stood dead center, the foyer lights spilling over her fiery hair, glinting on the long silver dress she wore. “How lovely to see you both.” She held out a hand in welcome. “I was just pining for company.”
Chapter Seven
PITTE was already in the parlor, wearing a black shirt and trousers that echoed Rowenas casual elegance.
Dana wondered if they sat around looking beautiful all the time. Something else to think about, she supposed. Like did they ever have bad hair days, indigestion, sore feet?
Or were those things too mundane for gods living in the mortal world?
“We were just enjoying the fire, and a glass of wine. Youll join us?” Rowena asked.
“Sure, thanks.” Welcoming the heat, Dana walked toward the snapping fire. “You guys hang like this every evening?
In the process of pouring wine,Pitte stopped, frowned at her. “Hang?”
“Hang out. You know, sit around in great clothes, drinking fine wine out of, what is that, Baccarat?”
“I believe it is.”Pitte finished pouring, offered the glass to Dana. “We often take an hour or so to relax together at the end of the day.”
“What about the rest of the time? Do you just putter around this place?”
“Ah. You wonder what we do to entertain ourselves.” Rowena sat, patted the cushion beside her. “I paint, as you know.Pitte spends time on our finances. He enjoys the game of money. We read. Ive enjoyed your books, Jordan.”