used them to get at their families.”
“Contagion,” Spirit said bleakly. “He’d have to be close by to ensorcell them. It would be so convenient to let them spread the spell themselves. Anyone without a Gift would be affected, so anyone who showed up to investigate would fall under it too.”
“It’s probably how he’s planning to control the refugees after he launches the missiles,” Burke said.
“But why would he—?” Addie asked, staring out at the newly-medieval village of Radial.
“Serfs,” Loch said. “He needs laborers. To— To till the soil, bring in the crops, do all the scutwork. Sure, he’s a magician—but I can’t see him wasting his time using his power to bring in the harvest.”
“He’s re-creating what he knows,” Spirit said, reasoning it out. “You— I— All of us, all of the Reincarnates, we remember that time, yes. But we also remember being born as who we are now.”
“And the Kinslayer doesn’t,” Loch said in a hard voice.
“No,” Spirit said. “And that’s just one more reason we have to make sure he doesn’t get the chance to remake the world.”
“If we’re going to lift this spell, we need allies,” Loch said. “Come on.”
* * *
The village was a work in progress. Spirit wasn’t sure where the houses and buildings that had been here before had gone—not even their basements remained—and the new village was clustered around the walls of The Fortress, just as a village would have been clustered around the walls of the castle in medieval times. She could see the places where the foundations of new huts had been laid out, and near the lake there was a place where mud bricks were being made. The huts they passed were one-room cottages. Some of the doors were open, and they could see makeshift beds inside. The huts were already empty—by this time in the morning, good little medieval villagers were already in the fields. The people Spirit and the others could see were working with hoes and rakes—not even a horse-drawn plow.
At the outer edge of the village was a hut twice the size of the others. Brenda Copeland was standing in the open doorway, tossing handfuls of grain to the ducks and chickens in the yard. Spirit glanced at her friends, unsure of what to do now, but before she could make up her mind, Brenda caught sight of the four of them.
“My lady—my lords,” she gasped, dropping to her knees. Grain spilled everywhere, and the ducks and chickens swarmed her, trying to get the food.
Spirit heard Addie stifle a despairing giggle. How could something be funny and horrible at the same time?
“Get up,” Spirit said desperately. “I— You have to come with me right now.”
Brenda looked puzzled, but didn’t argue. There was a stand of trees across the field behind The Fortress. As soon as they got there, Spirit relaxed a little. At least now they couldn’t be seen as easily.
“How may I serve you?” Brenda said humbly.
“Tell me what you remember,” Spirit said.
“I don’t understand.” Brenda stared at her in bafflement.
“Your name is Brenda Copeland,” Spirit said carefully. “You live in the town of Radial, Montana. Your father is the Sheriff. And … something happened to you on March 22nd. Do you remember the Spring Fling?”
Suddenly Brenda’s face filled with horrified awareness. She opened her mouth to scream, but Burke lunged forward and clapped his hand over her mouth.
“We’re here to help!” Spirit said as Brenda struggled. “If you draw their attention, they’ll kill us all!”
“Do you understand?” Loch asked. Brenda nodded, and Burke slowly took his hand away from her mouth.
“I … What’s going on?” Brenda demanded, her voice shaky. “I went to the dance at Oakhurst. I remember thinking the decorations were creepy, and then— And then.…” Her voice trailed off, and there was a long moment of silence. “You said you’d tell me what was going on,” she said at last.
“Contagion,” Spirit said bleakly. “He’d have to be close by to ensorcell them. It would be so convenient to let them spread the spell themselves. Anyone without a Gift would be affected, so anyone who showed up to investigate would fall under it too.”
“It’s probably how he’s planning to control the refugees after he launches the missiles,” Burke said.
“But why would he—?” Addie asked, staring out at the newly-medieval village of Radial.
“Serfs,” Loch said. “He needs laborers. To— To till the soil, bring in the crops, do all the scutwork. Sure, he’s a magician—but I can’t see him wasting his time using his power to bring in the harvest.”
“He’s re-creating what he knows,” Spirit said, reasoning it out. “You— I— All of us, all of the Reincarnates, we remember that time, yes. But we also remember being born as who we are now.”
“And the Kinslayer doesn’t,” Loch said in a hard voice.
“No,” Spirit said. “And that’s just one more reason we have to make sure he doesn’t get the chance to remake the world.”
“If we’re going to lift this spell, we need allies,” Loch said. “Come on.”
* * *
The village was a work in progress. Spirit wasn’t sure where the houses and buildings that had been here before had gone—not even their basements remained—and the new village was clustered around the walls of The Fortress, just as a village would have been clustered around the walls of the castle in medieval times. She could see the places where the foundations of new huts had been laid out, and near the lake there was a place where mud bricks were being made. The huts they passed were one-room cottages. Some of the doors were open, and they could see makeshift beds inside. The huts were already empty—by this time in the morning, good little medieval villagers were already in the fields. The people Spirit and the others could see were working with hoes and rakes—not even a horse-drawn plow.
At the outer edge of the village was a hut twice the size of the others. Brenda Copeland was standing in the open doorway, tossing handfuls of grain to the ducks and chickens in the yard. Spirit glanced at her friends, unsure of what to do now, but before she could make up her mind, Brenda caught sight of the four of them.
“My lady—my lords,” she gasped, dropping to her knees. Grain spilled everywhere, and the ducks and chickens swarmed her, trying to get the food.
Spirit heard Addie stifle a despairing giggle. How could something be funny and horrible at the same time?
“Get up,” Spirit said desperately. “I— You have to come with me right now.”
Brenda looked puzzled, but didn’t argue. There was a stand of trees across the field behind The Fortress. As soon as they got there, Spirit relaxed a little. At least now they couldn’t be seen as easily.
“How may I serve you?” Brenda said humbly.
“Tell me what you remember,” Spirit said.
“I don’t understand.” Brenda stared at her in bafflement.
“Your name is Brenda Copeland,” Spirit said carefully. “You live in the town of Radial, Montana. Your father is the Sheriff. And … something happened to you on March 22nd. Do you remember the Spring Fling?”
Suddenly Brenda’s face filled with horrified awareness. She opened her mouth to scream, but Burke lunged forward and clapped his hand over her mouth.
“We’re here to help!” Spirit said as Brenda struggled. “If you draw their attention, they’ll kill us all!”
“Do you understand?” Loch asked. Brenda nodded, and Burke slowly took his hand away from her mouth.
“I … What’s going on?” Brenda demanded, her voice shaky. “I went to the dance at Oakhurst. I remember thinking the decorations were creepy, and then— And then.…” Her voice trailed off, and there was a long moment of silence. “You said you’d tell me what was going on,” she said at last.
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