"We're going to see the doll maker."
Okay, ask a stupid question…She looked skeptically at Nick. "You know, I don't think they make life-sized Barbies."
He snorted at her as she walked into the shop with Nick one step behind her. "I'm not looking for a Barbie and this trip isn't for me. I'm here for Kyrian."
Now she really was worried. "Why?"
Before he could answer, an elderly lady looked up from her workbench beside the door and caught Amanda's full attention. She held a Barbie doll whose face she was repainting.
The woman wore a strange orange headpiece with a light and a bifocal eye shield. It covered her stark white hair, which was pulled back into a tight bun. Her old, brown eyes were bright and friendly.
"Little Nicky," she said in a motherly tone. "What brings you here this afternoon and with such a beautiful guest? Why, I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen you with a woman." She gestured at him with the tiny paintbrush in her hand. "One worth being seen with, anyway. Why, she's plum nice-looking and I'm not talking about her looks, if you know what I mean."
Nick raked a hand through his hair and shot Amanda an embarrassed glance.
"Liza, my love," he said in a loud tone, flashing her a devilish, charming grin. "Do I really need a reason to come see your shining face?"
She laughed at that. "I may be old, Nicholas Gautier, but I ain't stupid yet." She tapped her head, making her headgear shake. "My old noodle is still up to snuff and it's been more years than I care to remember since a man like you came by to see me for a social call. Now come whisper in my ear and tell me what you be needing."
Nick went to whisper and it was then she realized Liza was a touch deaf. In fact, Nick ended up speaking so loudly, Amanda heard every word clearly. Even when he ordered plastic explosives.
"Now, remember," he said. "Kyrian wants one just like Talon's."
"I heard you, Nicky," Liza said good-naturedly. "What, you think I'm deaf?" She winked at Amanda.
"When should I come back?" Nick asked.
Liza pursed her lips. "Give me a day or two. Can you?" She held up the doll in her hands. "Barbie waits for no Dark-Hunter."
Nick laughed. "Sure, Liza, thanks."
As they headed for the door, Liza stopped them. "You know," she said to Amanda as she tottered up to her. The old woman barely cleared five feet. She patted Amanda on the arm. "You have a graceful look to you. Like a pretty little angel."
Amanda smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."
Liza tilted the lenses up on her headgear and walked to a shelf by the door. She stood up on her tiptoes and took a custom-crafted Barbie off the shelf. It was all white, with long, curly black hair, and it had faint, wispy angel wings and a beautiful white bead work gown. Never had Amanda seen anything more beautiful or delicate.
Liza handed it to her. "Her name is Starla. I painted her face like a lady I know who comes in here all the time." She held the doll to her ear as if the doll were talking to her. She nodded, then handed the Barbie to Amanda. "She says she wants to go home with you."
Amanda's jaw dropped. Especially when she saw the four-hundred-dollar price tag on the doll. "Thank you, Liza, but I can't take this," she said, trying to give it back.
Liza waved her hand, refusing. "It's yours, hon. You need an angel to watch over you." "But—"
"It's all right," Nick said, inclining his head to the door. Then in a low tone, he said, "Don't hurt her feelings by refusing it. She loves to give them away."
Amanda hugged the old woman. "Thank you, Liza. I will treasure her always."
They were almost out the door when Liza stopped them again. She took the doll back. "I forgot something," she said. "Starla is very special." Liza put the doll's legs together, then pressed her head down.
Two pencil-thin, three-inch blades shot out of her feet.
"It's for Daimons," Liza announced, pulling the head up until the blades retracted. "Beauty is sometimes best when it's lethal."
Okay, Amanda thought slowly. She wasn't quite sure what to make of all this. Liza handed her the doll and patted her arm again. "You two take care."
"We will," Nick said and this time they made it all the way to the street. Amanda stared at the doll in her hands, not sure what to think. Nick laughed at her the whole way to the car.
"Liza's a Squire, isn't she?" Amanda asked as she got into the Jag and placed Starla very carefully in her lap.
"She's retired, but yes. She was a Squire and an Oracle for about thirty-five years until she turned Xander's care over to Brynna."
"Is Liza the one who makes the boots for Kyrian?"
He shook his head as he started the engine. "Another Dark-Hunter makes the big weapons. The swords, boots, and such. Liza makes the small weapons like the pendulums that carry plastique. She's an accomplished artist who likes to make jewelry and other innocuous items lethal."