CIA had erased her identity and that the Australian government had denounced her. Then, Ann had had a cold beauty, with a mane of auburn hair to rival Ella’s.
Now, she seemed to have shrunk.
She was hunched in her chair and if her wrists hadn’t been cuffed and chained to the table, I bet she would’ve wrapped her arms around herself. Her hair hung lank and stringy and her eyes had a dull cast to them. Was she still sick from the conjuring? Or was the CIA a less than kind host? I could believe either.
When the door opened and Mamie entered, followed by Jorge, Ann cringed and pushed her chair as far back as her restraints would allow.
“She’s scared,” Johnson said. “That’s one terrified lady.”
“I wouldn’t call her a lady, but I’m with you on the scared part,” I said.
Frick joined us in the room. “They’re ready to begin.”
Jorge pulled out Mamie’s chair for her before picking a spot in a corner by the door to lean against the wall. He watched Ann with hooded eyes, but otherwise faded into the background. From the intensity of his stare, though, I knew he was catching every detail of the room.
“Why are you here?” Ann said. Her once throaty voice now sounded like a knife on a whetstone. “Come to say goodbye?”
Mamie visibly stiffened for a moment before closing her eyes. Tink moved restlessly in my head, too. I reached for the knife sheathed in the thigh pocket of my BDUs. The handle was cool. Whatever had Tink upset wasn’t something I could take care of, apparently.
My sister relaxed and opened her eyes. And suddenly, there was Super Mamie. Her eyes weren’t glowing, but they had that same steely quality as the last time we did this.
“We don’t have much time, as you well know,” she said. “You called the darkness two days ago. How, since you were stuck in here?”
Ann sighed. “It was already in motion before I was arrested. I didn’t get my phone call, thanks to your father, so I couldn’t tell my people to stop the calling ritual. You want to blame someone, blame him.”
“Nice of you to blame someone else for your ideas. Especially when the result was the death of five of your followers, an innocent child, and four hundred and eighty other people.” Mamie leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. “But that’s not really why I’m here. You know that, too.”
Ann’s expression went sullen. “Yes.”
“Something happened several weeks ago. What was it?”
“I’m not an idiot, Marguerite. There was a blood red moon, which is why you can have this conversation with me.” Ann tilted her head, almost coy. “You came into your full power that night. Otherwise—” She held up her cuffed wrists. “This never would’ve happened.”
“Keep deluding yourself about that. My father and brother caught you because you screwed up, not because of anything I did. I had nothing to do with their trip.”
Now Ann looked surprised. She darted a glance at one of the cameras. It happened to be the one that fed into the monitor directly in front of me. Almost like she meant to catch my eye.
“Remarkable. I had no idea. I thought you scryed me out.”
“I don’t know how to find people that way,” Mamie said. “ Yet. ”
Note to self: find out what “scryed” meant.
“Anyway, I was abducted by thirteen of Dark Master’s creatures. They ultimately let me go. That tells me a lot of things, but also leaves me with a puzzle I’d like you to help me solve.”
“And what do I get in return?” Ann asked. “I’d rather not die in this place.”
Mamie lifted a shoulder. “I’ll do what I can, but both of us know that might not mean very much.”
The witch deflated. “So the creatures let you go? They were that self-aware?”
“Yes, enough to recognize right from wrong. They accidentally—or so they said—killed two of my friends as we walked back to the dorms from the astronomy lab.” Mamie sighed. “I never should’ve gone
Now, she seemed to have shrunk.
She was hunched in her chair and if her wrists hadn’t been cuffed and chained to the table, I bet she would’ve wrapped her arms around herself. Her hair hung lank and stringy and her eyes had a dull cast to them. Was she still sick from the conjuring? Or was the CIA a less than kind host? I could believe either.
When the door opened and Mamie entered, followed by Jorge, Ann cringed and pushed her chair as far back as her restraints would allow.
“She’s scared,” Johnson said. “That’s one terrified lady.”
“I wouldn’t call her a lady, but I’m with you on the scared part,” I said.
Frick joined us in the room. “They’re ready to begin.”
Jorge pulled out Mamie’s chair for her before picking a spot in a corner by the door to lean against the wall. He watched Ann with hooded eyes, but otherwise faded into the background. From the intensity of his stare, though, I knew he was catching every detail of the room.
“Why are you here?” Ann said. Her once throaty voice now sounded like a knife on a whetstone. “Come to say goodbye?”
Mamie visibly stiffened for a moment before closing her eyes. Tink moved restlessly in my head, too. I reached for the knife sheathed in the thigh pocket of my BDUs. The handle was cool. Whatever had Tink upset wasn’t something I could take care of, apparently.
My sister relaxed and opened her eyes. And suddenly, there was Super Mamie. Her eyes weren’t glowing, but they had that same steely quality as the last time we did this.
“We don’t have much time, as you well know,” she said. “You called the darkness two days ago. How, since you were stuck in here?”
Ann sighed. “It was already in motion before I was arrested. I didn’t get my phone call, thanks to your father, so I couldn’t tell my people to stop the calling ritual. You want to blame someone, blame him.”
“Nice of you to blame someone else for your ideas. Especially when the result was the death of five of your followers, an innocent child, and four hundred and eighty other people.” Mamie leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hands. “But that’s not really why I’m here. You know that, too.”
Ann’s expression went sullen. “Yes.”
“Something happened several weeks ago. What was it?”
“I’m not an idiot, Marguerite. There was a blood red moon, which is why you can have this conversation with me.” Ann tilted her head, almost coy. “You came into your full power that night. Otherwise—” She held up her cuffed wrists. “This never would’ve happened.”
“Keep deluding yourself about that. My father and brother caught you because you screwed up, not because of anything I did. I had nothing to do with their trip.”
Now Ann looked surprised. She darted a glance at one of the cameras. It happened to be the one that fed into the monitor directly in front of me. Almost like she meant to catch my eye.
“Remarkable. I had no idea. I thought you scryed me out.”
“I don’t know how to find people that way,” Mamie said. “ Yet. ”
Note to self: find out what “scryed” meant.
“Anyway, I was abducted by thirteen of Dark Master’s creatures. They ultimately let me go. That tells me a lot of things, but also leaves me with a puzzle I’d like you to help me solve.”
“And what do I get in return?” Ann asked. “I’d rather not die in this place.”
Mamie lifted a shoulder. “I’ll do what I can, but both of us know that might not mean very much.”
The witch deflated. “So the creatures let you go? They were that self-aware?”
“Yes, enough to recognize right from wrong. They accidentally—or so they said—killed two of my friends as we walked back to the dorms from the astronomy lab.” Mamie sighed. “I never should’ve gone
Similar Books
