Part 35 (1/2)
”Lia” I said
”I know right”
”No Look,” I said
”What?” she said She looked whatat Which was at my Mark I had brushed the sleeves back
There, in the darkness, where it was just the two of us, ht It was a flower Faint outlines of petals twisted upthemselves around my forearm, like a sleeve, alhtened and this heat raced upI had swirls and flowers, and my MarkI was either Grace or Goodwill
”Lia” I said, ”it'saway fro for the sun, but there wasn't any to be had; it writhed and twisted, newly-for open
It was full of the aether, the Mark, the source of my Wiccan power My delta was on fire It burned like liquid ore; rit my teeth; but as fast as it caed steel hissing in waterforging lowed and I putIt esoone But as it had passed so neas there, I didn't entirely understand yet ”Okay That Has Never Happened To Me,” said Lia, andout of her bed
”I nearlyheavily
”That must be what it's like to be a Neophyte and to have your Mark Your real Wiccan Mark,” said Lia
I nodded
Is that what this was? Did I have mine now?
”No one can know,” I said to Lia ”Not even Ballard, not anyone If tongues waggle, I'll rip them out”
”No I swear It's just between us Promise,” she said
”Sister swear,” I said
She did her two-finger thing againand winked atto need that power,” she said toready to shi+ft I can feel it also What I thought was iht about before has suddenly become important These people can't be trusted They're all of the more I can't explain it, but Rome is the key That's why they all wanted to meet here To look it over I think Gaven knows this But he's careful who he lets in on his secrets You're right about that”
She nodded her head ”Do you know?” she said ”I feel dangerous I erous”
”We are,” I said ”We just don't know it yet” I flexedto find that out”
”I can't wait until I Burn,” she said, and showed me her Wiccan Mark It was still nebulous Under-formed ”I think you are her If such a creature exists The One,” said Lia ”Not even VittoriaI'm sure of iteven she wouldn't have a Mark like that A flower They're really rare I ertips I don't think even any of the Mistresses had a Mark like that And they're from one of the Three Heads You ood is Grace or Goodwill?” I said And I didn't say it, but Vittoria's Markit was a poisonous flowerdeadly nightshade What good was ainst so much enmity in the world?
Chapter 25 The Last Pendderwenn
Not having naiances Who was Selorking for? What was his Mark? What was his House? And Marek? Was he with the Lenoir? They had a death warrant out on him So Marek had told me How did that work? Lia continued to talk about the Pack and her place within it
”Lia, you're safe You're one of them It's me I'm not,” I said ”I'm off Haven't you noticed how brainwashed everyone is? If you aren't from someone's House, that's it You aren't one of them And if you are, you better toe the line, or it's a threat, and an or else I'm really scared about the state of Wicca,” I said ”But I definitely feel you And I s in here”
The snuffling was co
The snuffling was now at the slats in h And the handle turned
Selas standing there Except he wasn't a cat any longer He was afound out I understood why
The black hairs Selwyn-cat had stood over Julius Pendderwenn's dead body
Of the two of the could be said for Pendderwenn, which could not be said for Selwyn At least, with Pendderwenn, you knehere he stood His allegiance had been to Pendderwenn House So as Selwyn's allegiance to?
He held his fingertips up to his lips, bidding me to be quiet, but I was not some doormat, he could not step on me whenever he chose?
”Why are you here,” I said, ”and what do you want? You coo, Selwyn, but who are you, anyway?” I hispering so Lia wouldn't wake up Soht just jerry-rig so cat Selwyn h the swar olves ere outside ”I knoas you,” I said ”They found cat hairs, Selwyn Black bits of you You killed Julius Pendderwenn You slashed him up”
He held his hands up ”I'm innocent,” he said There was no blood on them
”You could have washed them off Or licked them off,” I said ”Your claws retract, don't they, when you put back on your people suit?”
”I didn't do it,” he said ”I was trying to save hi to save you”
”Froasped ”You already know the answer to that”
”Tellme Halsey Rookmaaker” I didn't like his voice Like he knehat I wanted to know Which was secrets Selwyn looked like he was in a panic
”I can't do that,” he said
”What, tellme Halsey Rookmaaker?”
”Both,” he said ”Besides People can't just be told They have to be shown And whatever this is you need to see it”
”What do you ht about that It was the refrain of soht about waking her up, but Selwyn said, ”There is no need to involve your friend in anything dangerous tonight I certainly would not You will be safe with ether we can find out what neither of us knows Co,” he said
He held out his hand to lared up at him, but I put my hood up, and took his paw He saw the flash of my Wiccan Mark, whereupon his eyes marveled
”What is it?” I said, but he shook his head