She towered over Cassie and matched Griffin ’s height which was about six feet. She looked to be in her fifties with an olive brown complexion and bushy hair that had been dyed a burgundy shade of red. When they shook hands, it made Cassie wince. Maddie’s grip was as powerful as her physique.
“My name’s Madeleine but everybody calls me Maddie.” There was a piercing quality to her eyes. Sharp and dark like obsidian arrowheads. “Have a seat.” She indicated a spot next to her on the couch.
Griffin remained standing. He looked at Maddie questioningly. “You’ll show her out when you’re done?”
She nodded.
“Right, I’ll leave you to it then. Until next time, Cassie.”
“Bye, Griffin .”
Maddie was scrutinizing a piece of paper and apparently wasn’t pleased with what she saw. She muttered something under her breath and tossed the page face down on the coffee table next to the phone.
“Like my work space?” She laughed ruefully. “My real office is downstairs but I needed a cigarette break so that’s why we’re meeting up here.”
She reached for a lighter that was balanced upright on an end table. Cassie noticed her fingernails—long red talons.
“Sorry about the smoke. Nasty habit. I keep trying to quit. Been trying for about ten years. I keep thinking it’ll be easier when the pace slows down around here.” She lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke up toward the ceiling. “Except that it never slows down around here.”
Cassie didn’t know exactly what to say. She must have looked sheepish because Maddie tried to put her at ease.
“Lots to take in, isn’t it? Your sister. Us.”
The girl nodded uncertainly. “I guess that’s why Faye sent me here. To get some answers.”
“Then you came to the right place, kiddo. I’ve got answers for everything. At least that’s what my colleagues tell me. Sometimes they don’t like my way of putting things. What do you want to know first?”
“That’s easy. It’s the thing I’ve been asking for weeks now. Who are you people?” The words were spoken before she could catch herself. Out loud, the question sounded abrupt and rude.
Maddie threw back her head and laughed. “You know, I ask them that all the time.”
“Maybe I should rephrase that. What is the Arkana exactly?”
“You’re not gonna start with something easy like what’s my favorite color?” Maddie teased. “It’s red in case you hadn’t guessed. But never mind that. Faye told me to give you the big picture and to give it to you fast. You’ll get down to the nitty-gritty soon enough.”
The Operations Director settled herself back into the couch cushions. “How much has Faye told you about the name Arkana itself?”
“Nothing.” The girl shrugged.
“Arkana comes from the Latin verb ‘arcere’. It means to shut something up so you can to keep it safe. The noun is ‘arca’ which means a chest or strongbox. In English, ‘arca’ became ‘ark’ as in Noah’s ark, the ark of the covenant.”
“So you guys call yourselves the Arkana because you’re locking up all these old artifacts to keep them safe?”
Maddie paused a long moment, considering the question. “The artifacts aren’t the real treasure. They’re simply the physical proof that we haven’t always been the way we are now.”
The older woman glanced as Cassie. Noting the girl’s perplexed expression, she elaborated. “You have to sift through layer after layer of myth to get to the real truth. Let me explain by telling you a little story about a goddess names Gaia. Do you know who she is?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of her,” Cassie answered readily. “She was some old Greek earth goddess, right?”
“Some old Greek earth goddess.” Maddie snorted in disgust. “That’s pretty funny. Here’s your first lesson in mainstream mythology, kiddo. Nothing is ever what it seems. By the time the Hellenes started writing their origin myths, they’d already done some creative
“My name’s Madeleine but everybody calls me Maddie.” There was a piercing quality to her eyes. Sharp and dark like obsidian arrowheads. “Have a seat.” She indicated a spot next to her on the couch.
Griffin remained standing. He looked at Maddie questioningly. “You’ll show her out when you’re done?”
She nodded.
“Right, I’ll leave you to it then. Until next time, Cassie.”
“Bye, Griffin .”
Maddie was scrutinizing a piece of paper and apparently wasn’t pleased with what she saw. She muttered something under her breath and tossed the page face down on the coffee table next to the phone.
“Like my work space?” She laughed ruefully. “My real office is downstairs but I needed a cigarette break so that’s why we’re meeting up here.”
She reached for a lighter that was balanced upright on an end table. Cassie noticed her fingernails—long red talons.
“Sorry about the smoke. Nasty habit. I keep trying to quit. Been trying for about ten years. I keep thinking it’ll be easier when the pace slows down around here.” She lit a cigarette and blew a puff of smoke up toward the ceiling. “Except that it never slows down around here.”
Cassie didn’t know exactly what to say. She must have looked sheepish because Maddie tried to put her at ease.
“Lots to take in, isn’t it? Your sister. Us.”
The girl nodded uncertainly. “I guess that’s why Faye sent me here. To get some answers.”
“Then you came to the right place, kiddo. I’ve got answers for everything. At least that’s what my colleagues tell me. Sometimes they don’t like my way of putting things. What do you want to know first?”
“That’s easy. It’s the thing I’ve been asking for weeks now. Who are you people?” The words were spoken before she could catch herself. Out loud, the question sounded abrupt and rude.
Maddie threw back her head and laughed. “You know, I ask them that all the time.”
“Maybe I should rephrase that. What is the Arkana exactly?”
“You’re not gonna start with something easy like what’s my favorite color?” Maddie teased. “It’s red in case you hadn’t guessed. But never mind that. Faye told me to give you the big picture and to give it to you fast. You’ll get down to the nitty-gritty soon enough.”
The Operations Director settled herself back into the couch cushions. “How much has Faye told you about the name Arkana itself?”
“Nothing.” The girl shrugged.
“Arkana comes from the Latin verb ‘arcere’. It means to shut something up so you can to keep it safe. The noun is ‘arca’ which means a chest or strongbox. In English, ‘arca’ became ‘ark’ as in Noah’s ark, the ark of the covenant.”
“So you guys call yourselves the Arkana because you’re locking up all these old artifacts to keep them safe?”
Maddie paused a long moment, considering the question. “The artifacts aren’t the real treasure. They’re simply the physical proof that we haven’t always been the way we are now.”
The older woman glanced as Cassie. Noting the girl’s perplexed expression, she elaborated. “You have to sift through layer after layer of myth to get to the real truth. Let me explain by telling you a little story about a goddess names Gaia. Do you know who she is?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of her,” Cassie answered readily. “She was some old Greek earth goddess, right?”
“Some old Greek earth goddess.” Maddie snorted in disgust. “That’s pretty funny. Here’s your first lesson in mainstream mythology, kiddo. Nothing is ever what it seems. By the time the Hellenes started writing their origin myths, they’d already done some creative
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