“I guess so,” I said.
“Why not tell us what’s going on, if I’m going to have to wait until three of my cousins are dead before getting some big surprise about murderous cults or something?”
“Because it’s the sort of complicated that messes up everything it touches.”
“What’s to stop them from coming after us now? Before we’re in the know?”
“Ros- Paige. I can’t get into it.”
“Who’s that Ro-something?”
Rose. “Someone with a voice that sounds like yours. I’m really tired, Paige. I’ve had a long day, I’ve got another one in front of me.”
“Can you guarantee that we’re safe?” she asked. “Somehow I don’t think you can.”
“No,” I admitted. “I can’t guarantee it. But the threats that are involved here, they’re more interested in using the Thorburn family than they are in hurting us.”
“You’re being useful to the people who killed Molly?”
“Yes and no. Not the way you’re imagining. But it’s complicated.”
“Blake,” she said.
“Paige.
Why not tell the police? Oh, wait, you said the police chief was a problem.”
“And there’s more going on,” I said. I was too tired to navigate this conversation. “Go take your exams. Ignore me, ignore all this.”
“What if I don’t believe you? What if I say this is too implausible, and I tell the police everything?”
“Then I forgive you,” I said. I crossed the room to get a glass, and filled it at the sink.
“Forgive me?”
“I get it. It does seem implausible. Whatever happens, after you spread the word? I forgive you if your conscience tells you to talk to the police instead of listening to me.”
“You sound odd.”
“I’m just really, really tired, Paige. I have to go to bed. Big day tomorrow, stuff to deal with. Thank you for telling me about the police. I’m sorry I can’t give you more concrete answers to your questions.”
“…Sure?”
“Good night, Paige. Good luck with your exams.”
“Blake?”
“What?”
“Is there anything I can do?”
Was there?
“Just the fact that you’d ask helps,” I told her.
“Okay.”
I hung up.
I could have handled that better, probably.
My eyes roved over the tattoos, the locket, the scrapes and bites I hadn’t covered up. The pain was fresher, now.
I felt very, very mortal.
I collected the glass and lasagna, and I moved over to the dining table. I almost never ate at the table, preferring to stand, but I needed a surface to work with.
I grabbed the same pad of paper I’d used to sketch out the lines I’d drawn on myself and began writing.
Rose. Kathryn. Ellie. Roxanne. Ivy. Paige. Whichever of you is left at the time you read this.
Blake here. I’m liable to be dead if you’re reading this. Pretty much everyone I’ve talked to has given me a life expectancy in the single-digits.
You’re in for a rude awakening. You’re going to find out some stuff. What I’m going to do here is try to ease you into it. Warn you about some of the pitfalls. I’m going to try to do it in a way that doesn’t screw you over:
Don’t stress over the name ‘Rose’ being up there. It’s a just-in-case. Consider her an illegitimate grandchild. But mainly don’t stress about it. There are enough other things to worry about.
Don’t go past the wall around the house unless a mark is painted at the foot of the driveway, or you see someone walk up there first. It’s a trap, and it would be too easy for each of you to walk into it one by one.
Laird Behaim is the enemy. He’s the one directing the Jacob’s Bell contingent.
Sandra Duchamp will surprise you and spoil anything you set in motion.
As enemies go, neither of them even come close to comparing to the real danger. You’ll realize what that danger is when you see the books on the shelf to the right of the desk. Resist the temptation. I’ve had to interact with things in that domain, and nothing good comes of it.
The lawyers count as part of this real danger.
Maggie is an ally. This doesn’t necessarily make her trustworthy.
Johannes isn’t an ally or trustworthy, according to grandmother and my gut, but you know what they say about the enemy of your enemy. Tread carefully.
Sarcasm is tempting, don’t. You’ll understand what I mean.
Those are the bullet points. Get somewhere safe, then read on. I’ll explain what’s happened thus far, to put it into context…
■
Fell was waiting outside when I emerged, standing on the driver’s side of the car.
“Thank you for coming,” I said.
“I take it you’re acting a little more civil this morning,” he commented.
“Trying,” I said. “No promises I’ll stay that way. I wound up falling asleep at my dining room table. I’m tired, and you’re working for Conquest, who is trying to enslave me and fling a small share of humanity into infernal ruin… I might get grumpy.”
“Passenger door is open,” he said. “Upholstery is clean. Fleas exterminated.”
I pulled open the door. Sure enough, it looked like I hadn’t been in it the night prior.
Taking my bag off, I settled it on my lap as I sat down. Fell climbed in and set us on our way.
“The goblin?” he asked. “Or the demon?”
“Goblin should be easier than an abstract demon,” I said. “Goblin first.”
“Mm,” he grunted. Not a confirmation, not a refutation either.
“Kind of hoping Rose wakes up so she can help me with the demon,” I added.
“No comment,” Fell said. “And I won’t comment. Don’t even try to weasel it out of me.”
I almost responded, then I stopped short. When he said he wouldn’t comment, he’d effectively made a promise.
Bastard.
“So noted,” I said. I watched as a faint patter of wet snowflakes hit the windshield, melting almost immediately. The worst aspects of rain and snow both.
He drove just a little fast, for my comfort.
“You expressed interest in meeting the Knights. Conquest reached out to them,” Fell said.
“That so?”
“It’s your choice. I’m to take you to each location. Would you like to see the Knights first?”
I thought of how Rose and I had handled things yesterday. We’d checked out what was going on, figured out what we’d needed, handled other stuff, and then returned.
Or I’d returned, in any event. Garbed in magical diagrams.
My clothes were so filthy I hadn’t been able to bring myself to wear them, and I had fallen asleep before I’d thought to launder them.
For now, I was in clothes with pure utility purposes.
“Can we swing by? I’d like to see what it’s like, then see the Knights, so I can think about the oblivion demon while I work on the goblin problem.”