Free The Empress's Tomb by Kirsten Miller Page B

wondering how I’d gotten off the hook so easily. I scampered out of her office before she had a chance to change her mind.
    â€¢Â Â Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â Â Â â€¢
    My brush with trouble was long forgotten by the time the last bell rang. I left all my school books in my locker and jumped on a bus to Kiki’s house. When I arrived, the massive wooden door opened just wide enough for me to slip inside. The large, uncluttered room was furnished with one sofa, one coffee table stacked high with books, and a large archery target, which stood at the end of the room. The brick walls showcased an astounding array of martial arts weapons. Butterfly swords, battle-axes, and chain whips gleamed in the sunshine that streamed through the skylight in the ceiling. Beyond the living area was a glass conservatory that lookedout on an overgrown garden. Rare orchids, their blooms the shape of caterpillars, spiders, and crabs, sprouted from dozens of clay pots.
    A cloud slid across the sun, and the room grew dim as an arrow whistled through the air and lodged itself in the target’s bloodred center.
    â€œLuz didn’t go to school today,” Kiki explained. “Verushka’s been teaching her how to use the crossbow.”
    â€œI’m glad Verushka’s feeling better,” I noted, watching her deliver a second arrow into the heart of the target and wondering why she was wearing a pair of blue gloves indoors.
    â€œShe feels better than she looks,” said Kiki.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œYou’ll see.” Kiki led me across the room. “Try not to make a fuss.”
    â€œHi, Ananka.” Three Harry Potter Band-Aids covered the squirrel scratches on Luz’s nose and cheeks. They seemed out place with her olive-green, army-inspired ensemble. “Sorry about the map.”
    â€œWe’ll get it back,” I assured her, though I held little hope of seeing my map again. “I’m just surprised that anyone would mug a girl dressed like Fidel Castro’s niece.”
    Luz’s eyes narrowed and her Band-Aids crinkled. “I’m going to do you a favor and forget you said that. For your information, I got the idea for this outfit from a picture of Verushka back in the day.”
    â€œAnd I am flattered by the tribute.” Verushka wheeled around and offered me the crossbow. “You would like totry, Ananka?” Kiki watched with a grin as I struggled not to show my shock. The tiny gray-haired woman looked like she’d spent a week trapped in a dairy freezer. Her skin was a pale blue that darkened to navy at her lips and fingertips. “It is not smart to stare at a woman with a crossbow,” Verushka said with an oddly girlish giggle.
    â€œI don’t understand,” I mumbled. “I thought your leg was the problem.”
    â€œYes, but you see my leg is still attached to the rest of my body,” Verushka pointed out.
    â€œWill the blue go away?” I asked, relieved that I hadn’t insulted her.
    â€œThe doctors say it is temporary,” said Verushka. “But I am afraid my days as a sex symbol are over.”
    â€œMaybe, but you’d make a great Smurf.” Luz had a habit of taking things a little too far, and I decided to change the subject.
    â€œWhat’s with all the books, Verushka?” I picked up a few of the books on the coffee table.
“Conversational Urdu? The Art of War? Homemade Poisons and Antidotes? Royal Babylon?
It looks like you tried to read an entire bookstore today.”
    â€œWhen you are as old as I am,” said the little blue woman in the wheelchair, “you will not want to waste any time.”
    â€œVerushka’s trying to catch up on our lessons,” Kiki explained with a sigh. “It’s not easy being homeschooled.”
    â€œThis is your schoolwork? I’d trade Atalanta for this any day. Why study something useless like geometry when I could be