How implicated am I now Baloo Erickson
Mrs Hamilton coughed lightly She knew the girl heard her entry into their strange cathedral but manners were a fiction that two people indulged in to make it work One of KierstyÆs followers stepped towards Mrs Hamilton with a glare but his expression faltered into something more respectful when he saw who it was
Ah Mrs Hamilton Regretfully the Priestess is currently in the midst of preparations for a great ritual I will let you know when she finishes and I have no doubt she will contact you immediately
I believe sheÆs finishing up now Mrs Hamilton said with a soft smile It was a strange thing manners They dictated that she must speak with him but Mrs Hamilton knew there was no point in doing so his words would soon become irrelevant So it suddenly became about power
Mrs Hamilton felt very tired dealing with the man She needed a vacation Maybe she should head down to Franksburg for a spa day
Unfortunately The follower started to say his expression darkening but he was interrupted
Ha How did you know I was almost done ItÆs fine Sarran let her pass Kiersty said walking over towards Mrs Hamilton
Mrs Hamilton just smiled
It was those little weavers eh Gossipy for spiders Kiersty said shaking her head with a rueful expression Well I suppose it isnÆt a secret Arbor is going to transform soon we believe Something big Even Arbor doesnÆt know whatÆs going to happen HeÆs super nervous Before the Ghosthound handled everything and now that he gets to choose
Kiersty stopped mid sentence and shouted over towards several workers correcting one of their mistakes Whereas the cathedral had previously just been a spot in the forest surrounded by weaver webbing now the followers of Arbor were making grand pillars in a semicircle Then they created staircases and three levels attached to the grand pillars The weavers then came and draped the entire thing in silk hiding the true shape of the building But still the followers of Arbor worked at the direction of Kiersty More and more architecture was thrown up within the strange mass of spider silk
At this point even Mrs Hamilton was mystified at what they were making underneath it all And that was saying something
Mrs Hamilton turned and regarded the young girl Even though she was probably nearing 13 Kiersty was still clearly a child At first Mrs Hamilton had put Kiersty as one of the high risk individuals within Donnyton Growing up with people living by your every word has a tendency to warp people
But it seemed she had underestimated the power of the relationship the girl had with Arbor Although everyone saw Kiersty as the source she saw Arbor That helped her avoid any damage to her integrity That and her own innocence But how long would that last
So what did you want to talk to me about Kiersty asked after she had finished
Mrs Hamilton smiled She did like how efficient the girl was when it didnÆt have to do with her rituals IÆm not sure you recall but we agreed to offer a planting of Arbor to any who would unite in our pursuit of the so called Undying Hero Star Crossing has of course sent aid and their current planting should receive more energy if possible But to our surprise East End is also moving I was told by Sydney herself that she would personally move
Kiersty considered that kicking at the grass It was somewhat brown now having been shielded from the sun by the spider silk But it was still a suitable distraction Mrs Hamilton didnÆt press the girl
well I don’tÆ see why not Arbor would like making new friends too ItÆs just
mm
Kiersty looked up at Mrs Hamilton and her eyes were deep and dangerous like a vicious riptide Being so connected to a strange plant creature was not without side effects The Refuge is supporting the Undying Hero right Secretly And East End was founded by someone else who was close with the Undying Hero before he died the first time right
That is correct But I think there was a falling out towards the end Mrs Hamilton said amused How much did Kiersty know Probably everything that Arbor could know Could it listen through its plantings Interesting
But it was one of her men that revived the Undying Hero Kiersty pointed out IsnÆt this just a trap What if she moves and helps him escape
ThatÆs possible but I think unlikely Mrs Hamilton said simply
Kiersty looked up at her curiously and at that moment she was just a 12 year old girl again Why
As humans we chase the wondrous and settle for the predictable Mrs Hamilton said slowly She could hear in her head the soft click of mandibles It was the sound of a grey spider testing the tremors on its web ItÆs a cultural thing The occurrence of each ebbs and flows When she revived the Undying Hero it was a predictable act Helping out an old friend
Mrs Hamilton turned and looked at the horizon Now I suspect that Sydney Harp will chase something more enthralling Something more dangerous
Again Kiersty shifted and there was something ancient next to her Her pale grey eyes were almost hollow And when she spoke she saw through right to the core of it Ah You think she now moves to face her own fears Is that truly such a wondrous act
Mrs Hamilton smiled
Chapter 563
The first thought Randidly had when he walked in was that the lights were too low Normally this wouldnÆt be a problem at all for him his Perception meant his gaze focused at a speed that changes in lighting barely affected him It would need to be pitch black for him to be blind But the rest of the guests didnÆt share his Stats and therefore there was a cluster of people right outside the elevator who were blinking uncertainly as they walked onto the top floor to see the venue
Snorting Randidly grabbed TatianaÆs hand and pulled her through the press of bodies to walk out into down the hallway and onto the rooftop bar It also was a nice reason to ditch Henrik Randidly had no doubt the other man would track him down sometime but it would be a brief break that Randidly sorely needed
If that man asked one more question about the functions of the drones
The second thing that Randidly thought was that aside from Senator FireflyÆs ballroom this was the nicest place he had ever been
The tables were sleek and dark on the rooftop lit by small candles in the middle of glass containers blown to look just like a flame It gave the lighting a primitive feel but the base of the tables was heavy mahogany There was a weight to everything that was slightly surprising
All around people who had arrived earlier glanced up at Randidly and TatianaÆs entrance Very quickly most of them looked away no one recognized the duo A few of the menÆs gazes lingered with some hint of lust but they too looked away more quickly than Randidly would have expected But then again every woman at this party was beautiful Perhaps
Then Randidly shook his head and bit his lip Thinking along those lines was incredibly shallow and he felt slightly guilty for reducing Tatiana to just her looks But Randidly supposed that was just the kind of place this was A place where all that mattered was power and sex
Ignoring most of the people Randidly let go of TatianaÆs hand and walked to the edge of the balcony The city spread out below them glittering and bustling When he had arrived Randidly had looked around and could find no traces of poverty in the city limits Although he had been hustled straight to a relatively well to do part of the city it still made him uneasy
Because below amongst the lights the poor were working to service the rich Restaurants were humming with activity the manatech rail system continued to operate well through the night But these homes This was a place for the upper class
Randidly sighed He understood why he had previously wanted to come here But being here he was immediately reminded that around power there was rot and sloth It would undoubtedly be much harder to find information than he would like But still he needed to make an attempt
It would just be a long night
When Thaddeus Hatch walked out of the elevator with a bored expression on his face he immediately detected that something was wrong