Read MA06 Little Myth Marker for Free Online

door.
    “Come in!” I said, grateful for the interruption. That is beyond a doubt the dumbest thing I have ever said.
    The door opened, sweeping the stacked furniture back with amazing ease, and Chumley walked in.
    “I say, Skeeve, Aahz has just been telling me the most remarkable ... Hal-lo?”
    I mentioned before that Chumley is a troll. What I didn’t say was that he could blush ... probably because I didn’t know it myself until just now. Of all the sights I’ve seen in several dimensions, a blushing troll is in a category all its own.
    “You must be Chumley!” Bunny chirped. “The boys told me about you.”
    “Umm ... quite right. Pleased to make your acquaintance and all that,” the troll said, trying to avert his eyes while still making polite conversation.
    “Yeah. Sure, Chum. Don’t you have somethin’ else to do ... like leavin’?”
    I clutched at his arm in desperation.
    “No! I mean ... Chumley always comes by first thing in the morning.”
    “Ahh ... Yes. Just wanted to see if Skeeve was ready for a spot of breakfast.”
    “Well, I got here first,” Bunny bristled. “If Skeevie wants something to nibble on, he can...”
    “Good morning, Daddy!”
    Markie came bounding into the room and gave me a hug before any of us knew she was around.
    “Well, well. You must be Skeeve’s new ward, Markie,” the troll beamed, obviously thankful to have something to focus on other than Bunny.
    “And you’re Chumley. Hi, Bunny!”
    “Hiya, kid,” Bunny responded with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm as she pulled the covers up around her neck.
    “Are you up, Skeeve?”
    The voice wafting in from the corridor was immediately identifiable as Tananda.
    Chumley and I had rarely worked together as a team, but this time no planning or coordination was necessary. I scooped Markie up and carried her into the hall while Chumley followed, slamming the door behind him with enough force to crack the wood.
    “Pip pip, little sister. Fine day, isn’t it?”
    “Hi, Tananda! What’s new?”
    Our cordial greetings, intended to disarm the situation, succeeded only in stopping our colleague in her tracks.
    Tananda is quite attractive—if curvaceous, olive-skinned, green-haired women are your type. Of course, she looks a lot better when she isn’t pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
    “Well, for openers, I’d say the little girl under your arm is new,” she said firmly. “I may not be the most observant person, but I’m sure I would have noticed her if she had been around before.”
    “Oh. Well, there are a few things I’ve got to debrief you on,” I smiled weakly. “This is one of them. Her name is Markie, and...”
    “Later, Skeeve. Right now I’m more curious about what my big brother’s up to. How ‘bout it, Chumley? I’ve seen you slam doors on the way into bedrooms before, but never on the way out.”
    “Ummm ... that is...” the troll mumbled awkwardly.
    “Actually,” I assisted, “it’s more like ... you see...”
    “Exactly what I had in mind,” Tananda declared, slipping past us and flinging the bedroom door open.
    My room was mercifully empty of occupants. Apparently Bunny had retreated through whatever secret panel she had emerged from. Chumley and I exchanged unnoted glances of relief.
    “I don’t get it,” Tananda frowned. “You two acted like you were trying to hide a body. There’s nothing here to be so secretive about.”
    “I think they didn’t want you to see the girl in my daddy’s bed,” Markie supplied brightly.
    I wanted to express my thanks to Markie but decided that I had enough problems without adding murder to the list.
    “Well, Skeeve?” Tananda said, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline.
    “Ummm ... actually, I’m not really her daddy. That’s one of the things I wanted to debrief you about.”
    “I meant about the girl in your room!”
    “That’s the other thing I wanted to...”
    “Cut him some slack! Huh, Tananda? It’s