answer. If things look good, smooth and well-formed, then the reading is a yes. Bumpy liver, twisted entrails, anything discolored, then the answer is no. That’s what we get from historical records, back to the Babylonians and down through the Greeks and Romans. But there are accounts of more sophisticated divination practiced by an Etruscan Haruspex named Teitu, who was something of a genius in his field. The Etruscan Mozart of sheep guts, you might say.”
“I doubt I would say that, but okay. Can we do the lecture outside?”
“No. I mention Teitu because of two things.” He pointed at a series of symbols cut into KC’s skin all around the tear in his stomach. “First, these readings were generally taken without any other preparation of the sacrifice. The powers that be already knew what you were worried about, but if you wanted to be extra sure, you might chant something about it during the hoopla leading up to the viewing of the entrails. But Tietu wasn’t looking for a yes or no, so he cut specific information about his question into to the victim’s flesh beforehand.”
I looked longingly towards the door and fresh air. “How quickly can you tell me about the second thing?”
“Heptomancy is usually performed on a freshly killed animal. Teitu held that he could only read the entrails of the living. And, of course, it had to be a person. Look at KC’s wrists and ankles.”
I hadn’t noticed before, but now that Henry had pointed it out, I saw that the skin there was torn all the way to the bone. He’d been held down as he struggled and not by ropes or straps. Picturing the rough wooden hands of Prime and his creations, I could easily see how KC’s injuries would have been created.
I looked away and resumed my study of the back wall. No matter how long I lived, or what I saw, I could never seem to get the clinical detachment that Henry had. I figured it must be something you’re born with, as I’d never seen him bothered by this stuff, even as a young man.
“So, what was the question and what was the answer?”
Henry shrugged. “I have no idea about the question that was asked. These symbols don’t make any sense to me. But as for the answer, well, Old Teitu was famous for exactly one thing, and that was finding out the when to go with a what. So my guess is that these symbols describe what Prime is looking to do and the answer tells him when he needs to do it. It’s in the liver, right there. See?”
“Why do you always make me look at this stuff?”
He shook his head and laughed, white teeth flashing in his dark face. “Builds character.”
I leaned in and found the liver Henry had pointed out before. It had been divided and the pieces placed face up to show the insides of the halves. On each were three dark symbols made of what looked like black blood that had seeped to the surface. The symbols on each end were hollow and rounded with one point on the bottom and three points on top. The one in the center was a stick drawing of a four-legged animal.
“Okay, I looked. I didn’t learn anything, but I looked.”
“The symbols on the ends are fire. The animal in the center represents livestock, either a cow or a sheep. Taken together, these are depicting an old harvest ceremony where farmers would walk their animals between two bonfires in a ritual cleansing to keep them healthy and productive. It’s done as a part of the celebrations of Samhain, or All Hallow’s Eve.”
“So it happens on Halloween.”
“Not just Halloween, but at a specific kind of Halloween celebration involving a bonfire. Like the one Halfway is throwing in town tonight.”
“Tonight? Are you sure?”
Henry’s answer was cut off by the sharp bang of the kitchen door slamming into the wall. Men with drawn weapons poured into the room, Sheriff Fowler first among them.
22
T he deputies pounded into the room with guns drawn and eyes wide, ready to fight for their lives if need be. Two seconds later,
“I doubt I would say that, but okay. Can we do the lecture outside?”
“No. I mention Teitu because of two things.” He pointed at a series of symbols cut into KC’s skin all around the tear in his stomach. “First, these readings were generally taken without any other preparation of the sacrifice. The powers that be already knew what you were worried about, but if you wanted to be extra sure, you might chant something about it during the hoopla leading up to the viewing of the entrails. But Tietu wasn’t looking for a yes or no, so he cut specific information about his question into to the victim’s flesh beforehand.”
I looked longingly towards the door and fresh air. “How quickly can you tell me about the second thing?”
“Heptomancy is usually performed on a freshly killed animal. Teitu held that he could only read the entrails of the living. And, of course, it had to be a person. Look at KC’s wrists and ankles.”
I hadn’t noticed before, but now that Henry had pointed it out, I saw that the skin there was torn all the way to the bone. He’d been held down as he struggled and not by ropes or straps. Picturing the rough wooden hands of Prime and his creations, I could easily see how KC’s injuries would have been created.
I looked away and resumed my study of the back wall. No matter how long I lived, or what I saw, I could never seem to get the clinical detachment that Henry had. I figured it must be something you’re born with, as I’d never seen him bothered by this stuff, even as a young man.
“So, what was the question and what was the answer?”
Henry shrugged. “I have no idea about the question that was asked. These symbols don’t make any sense to me. But as for the answer, well, Old Teitu was famous for exactly one thing, and that was finding out the when to go with a what. So my guess is that these symbols describe what Prime is looking to do and the answer tells him when he needs to do it. It’s in the liver, right there. See?”
“Why do you always make me look at this stuff?”
He shook his head and laughed, white teeth flashing in his dark face. “Builds character.”
I leaned in and found the liver Henry had pointed out before. It had been divided and the pieces placed face up to show the insides of the halves. On each were three dark symbols made of what looked like black blood that had seeped to the surface. The symbols on each end were hollow and rounded with one point on the bottom and three points on top. The one in the center was a stick drawing of a four-legged animal.
“Okay, I looked. I didn’t learn anything, but I looked.”
“The symbols on the ends are fire. The animal in the center represents livestock, either a cow or a sheep. Taken together, these are depicting an old harvest ceremony where farmers would walk their animals between two bonfires in a ritual cleansing to keep them healthy and productive. It’s done as a part of the celebrations of Samhain, or All Hallow’s Eve.”
“So it happens on Halloween.”
“Not just Halloween, but at a specific kind of Halloween celebration involving a bonfire. Like the one Halfway is throwing in town tonight.”
“Tonight? Are you sure?”
Henry’s answer was cut off by the sharp bang of the kitchen door slamming into the wall. Men with drawn weapons poured into the room, Sheriff Fowler first among them.
22
T he deputies pounded into the room with guns drawn and eyes wide, ready to fight for their lives if need be. Two seconds later,
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