Free Dragon Coast by Greg van Eekhout Page A

manipulation.
    â€œWhatever I can do to help, D. You know that, right? Anything, any time?”
    She touched his good hand, and he wrapped his fingers around hers and felt even more ashamed. “Thank you. You really are the best.”
    Jo took him into her bathroom. She had a whole Hollywood makeup thing going, complete with lightbulbs rimming the mirror. She was still a professional thief, posing as people who had a right to walk into places and wouldn’t be suspected of walking out with a few Rolexes in their pockets. She used to be an actress. Still was, actually, just on different stages.
    She sat Daniel in front of the mirror and adjusted the height of his chair. “Okay, so what kind of effect are we trying to achieve here?”
    â€œLet’s start with my nose. Can you make it look like it hasn’t been broken five times?”
    â€œHow long ago did you take that chimera?”
    â€œAbout an hour.”
    â€œThen you should be good and squishy. Okay, let’s have a go.”
    She pressed down on the prominent bump rising from the bridge of Daniel’s nose.
    â€œThat … hey, that hurts. A lot.”
    â€œ Pobrecito . Changing your shape hurts, sweetie.”
    â€œBut you do it all the time.”
    â€œAnd I’m a badass so I don’t complain.”
    â€œWell, I’m not a badass. Can you be more gentle?”
    â€œYes. But it’s still going to hurt.”
    She pressed her fingertips to Daniel’s nose and straightened it. He yelped, but when she was done, his nose looked right.
    â€œThat’s perfect, Jo.”
    â€œI liked it better before. Next?”
    â€œThis scar through my eyebrow … can you shift stuff around to fix it?”
    â€œIt’s going to hurt.”
    â€œI’m getting that.”
    Daniel flinched and carried on like a baby as Jo worked over his face.
    The pain was worth it. After fifteen minutes, Daniel stared in the mirror and the face of his golem-brother, Paul, looked back at him. It was a good face, a less broken face. Or maybe just broken in different ways.
    â€œI look better this way. I should have done this a long time ago.”
    â€œThen you wouldn’t be Daniel, and that would be a loss.”
    â€œThat’s funny to hear, coming from you.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause, you’re a shape-shifter. I’d think you’d be telling me that what you are, who you are, doesn’t change just because your outer form is different.”
    â€œThat may be true of some people,” Jo said. “Maybe it’s even true of me. But not you. You are your scars. You remember them, and you lug them around like chains. You without your scars? Not Daniel.”
    â€œThat’s okay, I guess. I need to not be me for a while.”
    She started trying to tame his tousled hair with a comb. She wasn’t gentle, but he let her, because Paul was better groomed than he was.
    â€œI know who you’re trying to be,” she said, working a tangle, “and I don’t like it. There’s no reason to go North as Paul that isn’t incredibly dangerous, and I wish you wouldn’t.”
    He looked at her reflection in the mirror, then turned to look at her properly. “I don’t have much choice, Jo.”
    â€œI know. You’re doing it for Sam. But still.”
    â€œHow much do you know?”
    â€œAs much as Moth knows. He keeps in touch with his friends, unlike you.” She hit his head with the comb.
    â€œAny professional acting advice for me?”
    She resumed the tug-of-war between Daniel’s hair and her comb. “You can’t be Paul. But you have to get as close to being him as you can. The new look will help. Actors rely on costume and makeup all the time. But to convince anyone, you’ll have to really get inside his head.”
    â€œI don’t know if I can do that. Paul was a weird guy.”
    â€œYou’re a weird