Rhapsody in Orange

Rhapsody in Orange

  Kevin L. O'Brien

  +++

  Text Copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Cover design and typography copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Birch Standard font distributed under a free use license by Adobe Systems Inc.

  +++

  License Notes

  Please consider writing a review for this book on the retailer's website.

  If you see any misspellings or typographical errors, please notify Kevin L. O'Brien using one of his online social networks. Thank you.

  +++

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, including those based on the real world, are either products of the imagination of Kevin L. O'Brien or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Because some ebook platforms do not support special characters, certain words may appear misspelled, but this was done deliberately to avoid the problem of the platforms deleting the characters. Also, the LRF platform used by older models of the Sony Reader does not permit the use of links to external URLs, whereas the PDB platform used by Palm reading devices does not support any form of linking whatsoever. Finally, certain words use British instead of American spelling, to simulate the characters' English accents.

  +++

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Rhapsody in Orange

  About the Author

  Other Books by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien

  Sample Excerpts

  +++

  Preface

  Sir Differel Van Helsing has many personal enemies; in fact, she often compares herself to El-ahrairah, the semi-divine trickster rabbit folk hero from Watership Down by Richard Adams, which she read as a girl. (His name means "Prince with a Thousand Enemies".) Most of them simply want to destroy her (or eat her), but some would rather corrupt her and turn her to their cause, and a few see her as little more than a plaything. The enemy featured in this story is one of these last, and grew out of my desire to introduce a Mister Mxyzptlk-like villain into the Sir Differel story series.

  This is the first story of the Sir Differel series to feature Eile and Sunny of Team Girl. In fact, it is written from Eile's point of view. The Girls first met Differel when they rescued her from being brainwashed by a Serpent Woman. They became BFFs when Differel physically crossed over into the Dreamlands and they had to find a way to get her back into the Waking World. Since then the three of them have adventured together and saved each others' asses more times than they can count.

  This story takes place in mid-summer of 2010, five years after the events in "One-percenter Vendetta". It also contains some sexually suggestive actions. Reader discretion is advised.

  Back to TOC

  +++

  Once Vlad emerged from whatever null universe he teleported through, and her senses returned to her, Eile realized she and Sunny had appeared in the entry hall to Differel's manor. She spotted Aelfraed coming towards them.

  "I'm so glad you Young Ladies could come so quickly," he said as Vlad set them both on their feet. He wore an expression of mild concern, and she heard a trace of worry in his voice, both of which disturbed her. He normally showed no emotional at all. She realized he must have been very upset if he allowed that little bit to peek through.

  She exchanged glances with Sunny, and from the look on her face she could tell her partner realized how serious the situation must be.

  "Yer text message sounded urgent."

  "What's wrong?" Sunny squeaked, cutting to the chase.

  "How long could you two stay?"

  "Huh. I suppose a few days?" She looked at Sunny, who nodded.

  "We'd just need to call Wendy Cleasa so she can take care of Snowshoe Kitty," Sunny added.

  "Look, what's this all about?" Eile asked.

  "Has something happened to Differel?" Sunny asked.

  He looked grave. "I fear so, Miss."

  Eile felt her gut seize as butterflies dive-bombed her stomach. "You fear so? Don't you know?"

  "We--excuse me, Miss King, Miss Turing, Mr. Holt, Mrs. Widget, Dr. Carmichael, Vlad, and myself--believe she may be breaking under the stress. We fear she may have a nervous breakdown, if nothing can be done."

  "Geezus. How long's this been goin' on?"

  "About ten days, Miss, though we think longer; you know how reticent she is about herself. She has been having trouble sleeping; she has become agitated; she has lost control of her temper; she has even shown signs of extreme anxiety. She has complained about hearing voices and seeing things, but Vlad can detect nothing."

  "That's strange," Sunny mused.

  "No shit, Sherlock!" Sunny's penchant for stating the blindingly obvious could be irritating.

  She gave her an exasperated look. "That's not what I meant."

  "Miss?"

  "Sorry, Aelfraed. I meant, even if she was hallucinating he should be able to see or hear it."

  He raised an eyebrow. "That's a good point, Miss, I hadn't considered that."

  "Alright, alright," Eile broke in. "So, whaddya want us ta do?"

  "I was hoping you could spend some time with Sir Differel, maybe even take her back to the States for a few days; try to snap her out of it, or at least find out what may be bothering her. So far, we've been able to keep this from the Privy Council, but in a week there will be a meeting she must attend; it's unavoidable."

  "And yer afraid that if she hasn't recovered, they'll remove her and put someone else in charge. Someone who'll defer ta them."

  "Quite so, Miss."

  She looked at Sunny, who smiled and nodded.

  "Yeah, sure thing, Aelfraed. We'll have a talk with her, see what we can do. Okay?"

  He looked relieved, or at least as much as he allowed himself. "Thank you, Miss, we appreciate this. I will inform the guards to let you pass."

  She nodded, and she and Sunny made their way to Differel's office. The guard in the corridor stepped away from the door and they went on in.

  The sight of Differel looking up from her desk stopped them in their tracks. She sat hunched over, leaning on her arms braced against the desktop. For a moment she almost looked like a zombie. She appeared haggard and disheveled, with heavy bags under her bloodshot eyes, and her stringy, lifeless hair ragged and unkempt as if she hadn't showered for several days. It wasn't simply a matter of letting herself go; they had seen that before. It seemed indicative of a failure of will, as if she didn't care anymore. Eile glanced at Sunny, and from the look on her face she could tell she understood just how bad a shape Differel was in.

  The aristocrat leaned back in her high-backed chair and rested her head against the padded leather. "What are you two doing here?" She looked and sounded weary, as if she had very little energy left.

  "We haven't seen much of you lately, except in the Dreamlands," Sunny said as she closed the door, trying to sound airy, "so we just decided to drop by."

  Eile decided to go along with her. "Yeah, Dracula was kind enough ta give us a lift."

  She closed her eyes, as if the effort to get irritated would be too much for her. "You two never were good liars. Aelfraed sent for you."

  "Aw, cripes. Yeah, yer right, but he's worried about you. They all are, and now that we've seen you, so are we. Geezus, Diff, what's happened?"

  She opened her eyes a crack. "That's none of your business."

  Eile could feel herself getting angry, but she reflected that if she could a rise out of the blue-blood, that might snap her out of her malaise. "Like hell it is. We wanna help you."

  Differel leaned forward and removed a cigarillo from the desk's humidor. Eile knew she used smokin
g as a defense mechanism, so the fact that she had gotten one seemed a good sign. But she didn't like the way her hands shook as she lit it with her father's lighter.

  "Everyone's been trying to help me." She stood in a slow, cautious manner. It almost felt painful to watch.

  "I don't need help." She walked around the chair towards the back windows, pausing for a moment to steady herself. "I need understanding and acceptance." She continued on.

  Sunny walked around the desk to join her, and Eile followed. "That's what Eile meant," she said in a soothing tone.

  She turned to face them, her visage grim as death. "No, you're like the others. You won't believe me either. You'll just laugh, or feign sympathy as you plot to have me committed."

  Eile finally lost her temper. "Dammit, Differel, do we hafta spell it out, again?! We're yer friends! We're not gonna laugh at you, or question yer sanity; we will try ta help you anyway we can. But you hafta level with us. Now, come on, what's wrong?"

  She gave them a desperate look, as if