He’d thought I’d given the power away, that I had no reserves?
Yeah, that was the kind of surprise I’d hoped for, in an abstract way. Rose, Evan and I were interconnected, it seemed.
“When you assume,” Rose commented, “You make an ass of you.”
“That particular barb cuts both ways, given how fast and loose I was playing it there,” I said. I leaned back. “I’m going to try being very still and very quiet, in the hopes that I can delay the inevitable.”
“If you can’t go after the abstract demon,” Rose said, “That’s okay, isn’t it? You only promised you’d try to bind the three things. Conquest only really wanted you to do it so you’d be weak and pliable when it came to his big plan.”
“Well, he achieved that,” I said. I lifted a hand, then let it flop down. “He had altars, Rose. Three altars, for three prizes. I think it’s a little more complicated than that. And besides, I told Evan I’d help him stop other monsters from preying on people, and, seeing what Pauz and the Hyena did? I’m not so keen on letting another thing run loose.”
“Yet you’re really okay with waiting? With trusting the system here?” Rose asked. “Duncan is out there, manipulating it.”
“That’s three wins for me,” I murmured. “Three times I’ve successfully woke his boss up to the fact that he’s gaming the system, gunning for me. I’m thinking maybe this time, it’s going to stick.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“No,” I said, “But I’m not unsure either. Gonna conserve energy for now. We wait.”
“Then I’m going to read,” Rose said. “I want to actually help for this one. And I’m saying, for the record, I’m hoping they keep you, just a little longer. Because I don’t think you’re up for it.”
“That’s fair,” I murmured. I shut my eyes. “Good plan.”
■
“Blake Thorburn!”
I opened my eyes.
It was Duncan’s voice.
“Dunc, stop. You’re not doing yourself any favors.” His partner’s voice.
“Thorburn! You took something from me! Give it back!”
He was shouting, and something or someone was keeping him from entering the hallway. Maybe he was being led away in cuffs. Didn’t matter. He was pissed, and the day hadn’t reset.
“Good job Evan,” I said. I smiled, shutting my eyes again.
I moved my hand, to ensure the object was still there. A short silver chain with the charms on it. A bracelet, with little silver etchings of the individual components of Stonehenge. Evan’s second retrieval from Duncan’s jacket pocket.
If Duncan hadn’t broken his promise to keep me contained, I still might have worried, because he had the items.
But he didn’t. Not all of them.
Leaving me reasonably satisfied I was safe from another reset.
I shut my eyes again, smiling at Duncan’s fading shouts.
■
“Mr. Thorburn.”
Not shouting, this time. I raised my head to look.
My lawyer was in the hallway, on the other side of the barred door. Mrs. Harris, with her badly bleached hair and crisp suit.
“What time is it?”
“Six in the afternoon. You had a pet bird?” she asked.
“More a friend than a pet,” I said. I rubbed at my eyes. “I’m becoming very eccentric.”
“Apparently so. I’d ask, but I’m in a hurry. The apparent malfeasance in your case has raised enough reasonable doubt. I got in touch with a justice of the peace, and she had words with the police chief here.”
I nodded. “I can go?”
“They raised some questions about your activity in the morgue-“
I heard her prattle on, saying nothing of consequence. The lack of time was getting to be more of a problem. I had six hours to bind the demon and get it to Conquest. I needed time to prepare.
“Can I go?” I cut her off.
“It’s complicated,” she said. “There’s the question of charges against Officer Duncan Behaim, the allegations against Laird Behaim, further charges possibly being pressed against you, and paperwork.”
“Yes or no?” I asked. “Can I go?”
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Can I talk to someone in charge?” I asked.
“I can ask.”
“Please,” I said.
That was it. Things were falling into place.
The officers showed up to escort me to the police chief’s office after a ten minute wait. Those ten minutes stung worse than the first hours had.
When they helped me to my feet, though, I was surprised at how weak I was. No more strength than a baby. I staggered rather than walk, my leg muscles failing me.
This might be phase one of the rejection process.
Worse, it was phase one of the possession process. I’d read about what happened when too big a spirit took up residence.
“You wanted to have a word?” the man asked. He left me standing while he sat, which was kind of a reverse power play, or he was trying to make it clear he wasn’t trying to intimidate me.
“What happened there… it’s going to be ugly, when the media gets ahold of it.”
He didn’t sound surprised. More weary. “Ah, that’s your approach?”
I shook my head. “You know that what you have arranged against me is thin. It’s clear there was something going on with Behaim there. You made a mistake, letting him get close to me after what I told you, when you first brought me in. If I wanted to make a fuss, I could make a big fuss. But I don’t want to make a fuss.”
He nodded.
“All I want is out. I have important stuff to do. You can handle this incident however you want to handle it, I go away, except to come in and say what you need me to say, at my own convenience.”
“We have questions.”
“You can ask those questions. But in exchange for my complete and total cooperation, I’m asking you to save those questions for a day or two from now.”
“I can’t imagine it’s wise,” he said, “To compound one breach in procedure with another.”
“I’m thinking it’s going to look bad no matter what you do,” I said. “I’m offering.”
I’d seen it before. The forces that had been keeping me in were now disrupted. Balance sought to restore things, and that meant pushing me out.