always been. Death distills the soul.”
“Therefore, I can assume Leander wants power. Revenge. And all the things he was denied in life.”
“Isabelle?” Maeve asked. “He wanted Isabelle. But she’s dead. They were both dead. At peace. Together. Why come back?”
“To live. They were cheated out of life together,” Dad said. “He wants life with her, not death with her. Immortality. If I were still a part of the Authority and had a vote in these matters, I would be advising us all to stop looking at this problem on a small scale. It is not whether or not we find Sedra in time to save her from death, it is not whether Dane and his men have gone rogue, nor that Jingo has broken trust by using magic against other members of the Authority that matters. What matters is deciding what our enemy really wants, what his end goal is, and stopping that before it is too late.”
Victor folded his hands behind his back, his stance a little wider, as if to carry the weight of that comment.
“You’re confusing the problem,” Maeve said. “Is Jingo Jingo working for you?”
“No.”
“Is he working for anyone other than himself?” she asked.
Dad sighed. “You know Jingo. He has only ever worked for himself.”
At her look, he added, “Mikhail. He is working for Mikhail. Always has been. All these years.”
The silence in the room told me how much of a surprise that was to everyone. Shame swore softly and pushed up out of his chair to pace. He looked like he wanted to hit someone.
“Do you know what he is doing for Mikhail?” Maeve asked.
I felt my head shake. That was weird. “Whatever has made Jingo Jingo follow Mikhail, even though Mikhail is dead, is beyond me,” Dad said. “I have my suspicions. I think Mikhail promised Jingo something. I don’t know what, but Jingo Jingo is motivated by power and by his appetites.”
Victor frowned. “Appetites?”
“Come now, Victor, haven’t you known that Jingo Jingo finds his pleasure in children?”
Victor closed his eyes and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Do you have proof of that?”
“Only the closet full of bones Jingo has kept hidden.”
Oh hells. I knew Dad was telling the truth. Jingo Jingo always struck me as creepy. And now the ghosts of children I’d always seen surrounding him when I used Sight suddenly made sense. He’d killed them and trapped their souls.
Fucking bastard.
The mood in the room had gone grim. No one said anything. I don’t think anyone knew what to say. What could you do when you discover the enemy within your midst is a child-murdering monster?
I could tell no one knew Jingo Jingo had a closet full of bones. After the silence, the anger in the room was palpable, the betrayal almost physical. I knew the Authority had rules and trials and their own brand of justice. And I was sure that if they found those bones, Jingo Jingo was going to be a dead man. No trial needed.
The oldest Georgia sister, Augusta, got up and walked out of the room. Carl followed her.
Victor, as cold as steel, picked up the questioning again.
“I fail to see how Mikhail can give Jingo further opportunity to harm children,” he said.
“Mikhail gives Jingo the promise of power. When Mikhail rises again, Jingo Jingo’s sins will be pardoned. He will not be Closed, jailed, killed. Jingo is just working his bets to stay alive. Or so I assume.”
“And do you have a theory on how Mikhail intends to rise?” Victor asked.
“No.”
“Did Dane kill you?”
With that change of subject came a flash of anger that was not my own. “A man stood in front of me. Greyson. He cast magic. A man stood behind me; I didn’t know who that was until this morning. Dane. He held a gun to my head. A gun .” He was quiet a moment. “I am unable to remember if it was the gun or magic that killed me.”
It came out pretty calmly. Which emphasized his anger all the more.
“Not a way any of us should leave this world,” Victor said.
I felt my head nod.
“Therefore, I can assume Leander wants power. Revenge. And all the things he was denied in life.”
“Isabelle?” Maeve asked. “He wanted Isabelle. But she’s dead. They were both dead. At peace. Together. Why come back?”
“To live. They were cheated out of life together,” Dad said. “He wants life with her, not death with her. Immortality. If I were still a part of the Authority and had a vote in these matters, I would be advising us all to stop looking at this problem on a small scale. It is not whether or not we find Sedra in time to save her from death, it is not whether Dane and his men have gone rogue, nor that Jingo has broken trust by using magic against other members of the Authority that matters. What matters is deciding what our enemy really wants, what his end goal is, and stopping that before it is too late.”
Victor folded his hands behind his back, his stance a little wider, as if to carry the weight of that comment.
“You’re confusing the problem,” Maeve said. “Is Jingo Jingo working for you?”
“No.”
“Is he working for anyone other than himself?” she asked.
Dad sighed. “You know Jingo. He has only ever worked for himself.”
At her look, he added, “Mikhail. He is working for Mikhail. Always has been. All these years.”
The silence in the room told me how much of a surprise that was to everyone. Shame swore softly and pushed up out of his chair to pace. He looked like he wanted to hit someone.
“Do you know what he is doing for Mikhail?” Maeve asked.
I felt my head shake. That was weird. “Whatever has made Jingo Jingo follow Mikhail, even though Mikhail is dead, is beyond me,” Dad said. “I have my suspicions. I think Mikhail promised Jingo something. I don’t know what, but Jingo Jingo is motivated by power and by his appetites.”
Victor frowned. “Appetites?”
“Come now, Victor, haven’t you known that Jingo Jingo finds his pleasure in children?”
Victor closed his eyes and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “Do you have proof of that?”
“Only the closet full of bones Jingo has kept hidden.”
Oh hells. I knew Dad was telling the truth. Jingo Jingo always struck me as creepy. And now the ghosts of children I’d always seen surrounding him when I used Sight suddenly made sense. He’d killed them and trapped their souls.
Fucking bastard.
The mood in the room had gone grim. No one said anything. I don’t think anyone knew what to say. What could you do when you discover the enemy within your midst is a child-murdering monster?
I could tell no one knew Jingo Jingo had a closet full of bones. After the silence, the anger in the room was palpable, the betrayal almost physical. I knew the Authority had rules and trials and their own brand of justice. And I was sure that if they found those bones, Jingo Jingo was going to be a dead man. No trial needed.
The oldest Georgia sister, Augusta, got up and walked out of the room. Carl followed her.
Victor, as cold as steel, picked up the questioning again.
“I fail to see how Mikhail can give Jingo further opportunity to harm children,” he said.
“Mikhail gives Jingo the promise of power. When Mikhail rises again, Jingo Jingo’s sins will be pardoned. He will not be Closed, jailed, killed. Jingo is just working his bets to stay alive. Or so I assume.”
“And do you have a theory on how Mikhail intends to rise?” Victor asked.
“No.”
“Did Dane kill you?”
With that change of subject came a flash of anger that was not my own. “A man stood in front of me. Greyson. He cast magic. A man stood behind me; I didn’t know who that was until this morning. Dane. He held a gun to my head. A gun .” He was quiet a moment. “I am unable to remember if it was the gun or magic that killed me.”
It came out pretty calmly. Which emphasized his anger all the more.
“Not a way any of us should leave this world,” Victor said.
I felt my head nod.
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