the sickening sound of tearing gristle. At last, as if released by an invisible force, he slid to the floor.
'-use of mind-altering magic,-'
The irony of that statement was an added cruelty, as the speaker remained oblivious to the slaughter around him.
The last man in camera shot simply vanished.
At that, finally , James saw Leeth startle, then pale.
'-and making ecologically damaging bargains with Greater Inorganic beings.'
The woman smiled graciously, rising and stepping daintily from behind her large desk. 'If I am so dangerous, monsieur, should you perhaps not have brought some men with you?'
She had a faint French accent.
Several seconds of silence followed, the camera panning from side to side, strongly suggesting confusion. But it didn't linger on any of the corpses around the room; as if the camera-owner couldn't see them.
'I- I am quite prepared to use this weapon, madam.'
She smiled and bowed her head, and something red and black flashed out from her a moment before the clip ended.
-
For a while, neither of them moved; then Leeth exhaled deeply and James spoke. 'As I said, that was Melisande d'Artelle. The woman who made the World Storms, the Red Plague, and orchestrated the Melt virus. Who caused, indirectly, two billion deaths, a hundred million minds ruined, fifty million mutations.'
Leeth’s eyes met his briefly, then slid away. 'Yeah.'
Familiarity . That was it. That was what her expression told him. Goosebumps prickled across his skin, but he forged on. 'We only have that footage because it was being broadcast. By the time the backup teams got into the office, she was gone.' How could Leeth be familiar with d'Artelle? There was very little footage of the witch, and she'd been killed fourteen years ago. Leeth would have been scarcely a child.
'She didn't kill them herself though, did she? Not personally. It was the storms and the plague that killed most of them.'
James looked at her strangely, realizing she wasn't talking about the grisly magical slaughter she'd just seen, but about the indirect deaths. It wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
'Didn't Lord Lao Pi Shen, um, kill her in the end?' she asked.
'That is what he's supposed to have said, just before he closed off China to the rest of the world. Which was six months after his dramatic return and rise to power. Some people think he was hunting her, that entire six months.'
'Yeah. Him, and Godsson, and the monk. It must have been some hunt,' she sighed, eyes dreamy.
James frowned. Goddson? I wonder ….
«Emma?»
A secure channel opened.
«She did react to the picture of Benson from sixteen years ago, just before his disappearance.»
«Dear god: so Benson is at the Institute for Paranormal Dysfunction. But what about her familiarity with d'Artelle ?» The depth of Emma's horror came clearly down the Link, an overtone of black dread.
For a long time, neither spoke.
« Eagle had her brought in» James offered, at last.
In the tones of a prayer.
Chapter 13
Leeth sat in the cosmetologist's chair in yet another tucked-away room inside the Department. Watching Emma in the brightly lit mirror with interest.
'Are you sure?' the auburn-haired woman asked, scissors in hand.
Leeth shrugged. 'It's too long. Dojo said so.'
Emma ran her left hand under the heavy black hair, the silken threads slipping through her fingers. She sighed. 'It seems such a shame, that's all. When was the last time you had it cut?'
Leeth shrugged again. 'I don't know. When I was little. Uncle cut it for me.' She frowned. 'He stopped, when I got bigger.'
What else changed as you got bigger? Emma wondered. With a grimace, she began cutting. Laying each sheaf of hair along the benchtop before them with care.
As Emma brushed at Leeth's shoulders, the girl giggled at her own reflection. The straight fringe across the top, the simple bowl cut of the rest. She tugged her eyes up at
'-use of mind-altering magic,-'
The irony of that statement was an added cruelty, as the speaker remained oblivious to the slaughter around him.
The last man in camera shot simply vanished.
At that, finally , James saw Leeth startle, then pale.
'-and making ecologically damaging bargains with Greater Inorganic beings.'
The woman smiled graciously, rising and stepping daintily from behind her large desk. 'If I am so dangerous, monsieur, should you perhaps not have brought some men with you?'
She had a faint French accent.
Several seconds of silence followed, the camera panning from side to side, strongly suggesting confusion. But it didn't linger on any of the corpses around the room; as if the camera-owner couldn't see them.
'I- I am quite prepared to use this weapon, madam.'
She smiled and bowed her head, and something red and black flashed out from her a moment before the clip ended.
-
For a while, neither of them moved; then Leeth exhaled deeply and James spoke. 'As I said, that was Melisande d'Artelle. The woman who made the World Storms, the Red Plague, and orchestrated the Melt virus. Who caused, indirectly, two billion deaths, a hundred million minds ruined, fifty million mutations.'
Leeth’s eyes met his briefly, then slid away. 'Yeah.'
Familiarity . That was it. That was what her expression told him. Goosebumps prickled across his skin, but he forged on. 'We only have that footage because it was being broadcast. By the time the backup teams got into the office, she was gone.' How could Leeth be familiar with d'Artelle? There was very little footage of the witch, and she'd been killed fourteen years ago. Leeth would have been scarcely a child.
'She didn't kill them herself though, did she? Not personally. It was the storms and the plague that killed most of them.'
James looked at her strangely, realizing she wasn't talking about the grisly magical slaughter she'd just seen, but about the indirect deaths. It wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
'Didn't Lord Lao Pi Shen, um, kill her in the end?' she asked.
'That is what he's supposed to have said, just before he closed off China to the rest of the world. Which was six months after his dramatic return and rise to power. Some people think he was hunting her, that entire six months.'
'Yeah. Him, and Godsson, and the monk. It must have been some hunt,' she sighed, eyes dreamy.
James frowned. Goddson? I wonder ….
«Emma?»
A secure channel opened.
«She did react to the picture of Benson from sixteen years ago, just before his disappearance.»
«Dear god: so Benson is at the Institute for Paranormal Dysfunction. But what about her familiarity with d'Artelle ?» The depth of Emma's horror came clearly down the Link, an overtone of black dread.
For a long time, neither spoke.
« Eagle had her brought in» James offered, at last.
In the tones of a prayer.
Chapter 13
Leeth sat in the cosmetologist's chair in yet another tucked-away room inside the Department. Watching Emma in the brightly lit mirror with interest.
'Are you sure?' the auburn-haired woman asked, scissors in hand.
Leeth shrugged. 'It's too long. Dojo said so.'
Emma ran her left hand under the heavy black hair, the silken threads slipping through her fingers. She sighed. 'It seems such a shame, that's all. When was the last time you had it cut?'
Leeth shrugged again. 'I don't know. When I was little. Uncle cut it for me.' She frowned. 'He stopped, when I got bigger.'
What else changed as you got bigger? Emma wondered. With a grimace, she began cutting. Laying each sheaf of hair along the benchtop before them with care.
As Emma brushed at Leeth's shoulders, the girl giggled at her own reflection. The straight fringe across the top, the simple bowl cut of the rest. She tugged her eyes up at
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