Wandering Soul Read Free

opened it a crack. She peered down the hallway in both directions. It was empty. When she turned back to him, he was sliding his mother’s ring onto his pinky finger.
    From Dante’s perspective, he’d only been without the ring for a few minutes. Elsa had been wearing it for years.
    Ironically, she, the time traveler, didn’t have time to think about that at the moment. She bent down again to pick up the velvet cloak pooled at his feet. Standing on her tiptoes, she threw it around his shoulders, then fastened it at his neck.
    The cloak was much shorter on him, but it would cover his face well enough. It was the mask she needed to hide. He frowned as she lifted the hood into place, tilting his head away from her so his face was even more hidden.
    â€œPeople will ask questions if they see your mask,” she said, resting her hands on his shoulders for a moment. They were firm and warm, even through the layers of fabric. She pulled her hands away before she did something stupid, like lean in and kiss him. “I hope you understand.”
    â€œI understand all too well.”
    She threaded her arm through his elbow, then led him from the box and through the hallways of the theatre. She kept her pace as brisk as she could without being too conspicuous, hoping he wouldn’t see anything too modern.
    Elsa had funded the production in part so she had a say in what theatre they used. She had selected this one for its Victorian-inspired décor. Dark carpeting covered the floor, and ornate moldings offset floral designs painted on the walls. The light fixtures were made to look like candles, even down to the flame-shaped light bulbs.
    They walked down the stairs to the lobby without encountering anyone. She let out a breath of relief and guided Dante toward the side exit.
    The night air was muggy after the chill of the air-conditioning inside. A trash bin in the alley added a faint smell of garbage to the humidity. It wasn’t the best first impression for Dante of the modern world, but the front exit wasn’t an option. She couldn’t risk him seeing cars driving by. She had things to explain first.
    They walked around to the back of the theatre, where she had instructed the driver she’d hired for the night to wait. He was standing dutifully by the rear door of the limo, which he opened when he saw them.
    She nodded at the driver, then slid into the back seat, pulling Dante in after her. Once the door was closed, she gave Dante the back bench seat to himself and took the one closest to the driver. She wanted to be sure the partition separating the front and back compartments of the limo remained closed. With what she and Dante had to discuss, Elsa didn’t want anyone listening in.
    â€œThis is a carriage,” he said.
    â€œYes. I’m a little surprised you realized that.”
    â€œIt has a seating compartment set on four wheels, though they appear quite thick and heavy. I confess it more closely resembles a train car than any carriage I have seen, but there are no tracks for it to ride upon.”
    She had planned to expose him to the modern world slowly, to give him time to adjust. She knew he had a keen intellect, but she hadn’t known how observant he was.
    They pulled away from the curb and he placed his hands on either side of the seat. Elsa had traveled to enough times before cars were invented to know it was second nature for those used to the jostling rides of a horse-drawn carriage. In the dim light, she could see Dante’s head move from side to side as he looked around the compartment.
    â€œA horseless carriage,” he said.
    â€œAnother astute observation.”
    â€œNot so. It is apparent that we are moving, yet the coachman had not time to harness horses to the carriage. Also, there were no horses in the alley.”
    She smiled, wishing she could see Dante’s expression. She could almost hear the hint of a smile in his voice, as if he was joking