Part 32 (1/2)

Dear Diary, I don't knohat to do; I could use a three-diht now Ballard is MIA Lia is spending the night with Gaven You should've seen his face when he picked her Like he could breathe again

Pendderwenn erupted; which, for hi of treachery; of depriving House Pendderwenn of its rightful heir I think I would rather go with him than Mistress Ravenseal Veruschka silenced him with a look; the rest of the Houses booed Julius Pendderwenn Vittoria, meanwhile, was absolutely venomous

But I was as stunned as she was I think Veruschka traded down She ht I would still be there at six I wonder what she got in return?

The Houses have all been negotiating all this time September October November December This whole One business is really important to them

Some part of me resisted, when Veruschka called ot this impatient look on her face Lux was as shell-shocked as the rest of the Vittoria No-Naue

I looked at the twins I never noticed how unnatural-looking they were It made the hairs on my neck stand up

When I looked at them, I saw their minds; it wasn't so much a House as a fortress We looked at each other keenly, when my new Mistress, whom I loathe, called me over

”Who were those two?” I said

She”Better you not know,” she said It was clear she wanted to depart with ue?” I asked

The words cooodbye to my landlady It felt too soon

”No, but you are finished with Lux, for now He'll want to get you back and train you properly Who knows? You may be the One, after all”

”You mean you don't know,” I said

”Of course not,” said Veruschka Ravenseal She was ht you would be best for us If you ask me, there isn't a s” she said the last word dismissively

”But what's the plan now?” I asked The rees had just disround the selection process to a halt

”Dinner and rest And then we finish up toe your affairs, of course, and then someone will be sent to collect you” She s You ree”

I assumed she ,” I said ”Do you think I can really fit in?”

”I think you have the wrong idea of what a House is,” said Veruschka Ravenseal ”We don't all sit around and watch TV all day”

She leftafter her

I wondered if it were really true that the Master House had been showing interest in her, and then, if I could trust Veruschka Ravenseal? If she was a shoo-in, as it sounded like, she would knowThey had to be here for a reason, didn't they? Perhaps they were the two voices I had been hearing In which case, I would need to watch e symbol tattooed upon their faces It ran from the bottom of their eyes Shaped like a tremendous twisted thorn, it went down their faces and seemed to ju pinwheels I could not escape

”Well, come on, then,” said Veruschka Ravenseal

I put the diary away Why did it feel like everybody at the Gathering hadsleeves? I couldn't trust any of theerous than ever Perhaps Pendderould try to start so; his marker had been stolen, after all, rendered obsolete My friend and ally, Asher, was nowhere to be found I re to look forward to But when? I toldBut Ballard Ballard was the one it hurt me to think about He must've seen that Lia and I had been chosen, but where was he now, and as he up to? And did he even care that I was no longer going to be in Roined it had to be hard for hi to find things out My parents What was I doingnot only here but existentially so? And blah blah blah

No wonder Ballard wanted to get away from all that He had his own problems I was so far outside of the Pack that I didn't even knoas going on anylad to be rid of me

I could hear Ballard's voice in my head ”You're such a drama queen, Halsey”

I rease rag in his hand Our days pre- All of This were so called Halls Yet, if I ith Veruschka to Ravenseal House I would be giving all that up, wouldn't I?

Somewhere Lux's voice said to ood one, you have it”

I had so to do, and I couldn't think of a better way to do it, than on a, the bike Ballard had built for o start it up The only proble down the halls at night? First one thing, then another, I told myself When I stopped

A pair of ravenous dark eyes were staring at me, out of slits in the pupils of cat's eyes ”Asher?” I said

But it wasn't Asher It was a tre withI had seen in my dreams for the last four months, and then licked its treleam

Certain that I had seen it, it turned and looked back, like I should follow it I heldin my dreams? The black cat? It looked like a panther Which was a mythical creature Supposedly not real Panthers did not exist Much like a unicorn in that sense Asher was a wereleopard And from what he had said, it sounded like he couldn't shi+ft This was so else Soistered an awareness that transcended its species It was some shapeshi+fter? It had to be It wanted to showI decided to follow it

We walked, the cat and I, through the corridors, to a place I had never seen before The vas The cat's heavy paws hit the floor so lightly that I could swear it was not there Maybe, in an existential sense, I wasn't either I had to do s were absolutely forbidden, and a living, breathing hu into the domain of Maria and the Lenoir was certainly one of theain

I could barely see anything ”Stop,” I said The cat did as instructed, licking its nose

I freed my arm from the robethe one with the Wiccan Mark on it

It was so faint, but the almost absolute darkness made my Wiccan Mark shi+ne in a way I had never seen before I could see it filling in And, as this? It wasshape But it was too soon to tell I didn't knohat it was My Virtue was Ignorance, so far

Concentrating as I had never done in ic It was hard, because I didn't kno exactly Lux had never taught us I guess he thought ould be too dangerous Maybe that hy they had a Gathering, to prevent usand by that Iour own House

Interesting idea, I thought

It erupted in a dazzling flash the bright ball of light, shi+vering in ,” I said

The cat blinked It didn't need the light

But I did ”Okay I'o”