“Mac,” she said. “What’s my reputation? I don’t lie. You’ve doubled in size in the time I’ve been lobbying for you. Subtract what you’re paying me from what I’ve saved you, and you’ve earned tens of thousands. If you want to more than double in earnings now, you need to do two things for me. Say yes, and then follow through.”
Agreement.
“Thank you, Mac. Do me a favor and don’t fret. Focus on taking advantage of the snowstorm and the heavy demand, take the employee files with you tonight and read them in bed. No rush, no pressure. I suspect a little voice in the back of your head has been telling you you really should be more ruthless with the employees. It’s natural for a company that’s grown as fast as you have.”
A one-syllable response.
She reached out to the blazing urn on her desk and extended a finger for the fire sprite that lurked within.
A small woman emerged, keeping just far enough away from the Elder Sister’s hand to avoid burning her.
“It’s very simple,” she said. “All those thoughts you’ve had but haven’t followed through on? That you’ve grown too fast, and it’s crazy to lay people off when you’re growing as fast as you are? The employees are thinking it too. The worst employees are thinking it and taking advantage of it. You’re going to look at the books and see the problems pop up almost straight away, I think. It’ll be a relief.”
Another one-syllable response.
“I’ll reach out to you in a few days, Mac, if I can make the call, way things have been going.”
He would be thinking of dropped phone and power lines.
She was wondering about mortality.
All the same…
She hung up.
Mortality. Success and failure. It reminded her… it was about time.
Her phone had a text on it from one of her subordinates.
The dolls had been delivered.
Thorburn was dealing with the demon.
It was win-win, wasn’t it?
Either they didn’t have the diabolist to worry about, or the demon was dealt with.
It wasn’t that she disliked him. But he was more trouble than he was worth. The fact that he was going to try to mediate the issue with the Torch the Astrologer had stolen went a long way. It meant things were quiet for now, and the Sisters could focus on other things.
Problem was, the concerns about taint and the general fact that she couldn’t predict him went further the other way. Unpredictability was scary when someone could tap the kind of power he could.
It was easier when things were predictable.
So long as things stayed predictable, she saw a fairly clear, straight road to the Lordship of the city, temporarily or long term.
Build up ties with local business, expand her powerbase here, deal with Conquest’s remaining subordinates – which amounted to the Shepherd and the Eye right now – and ally with others. Isadora should back her if she made enough headway to sell the idea, and as for Emily, Fell’s successor… well, Fell’s family would accept an option that kept Conquest from regaining power, and the Sisters could arrange a scholarship for Emily, resources…
This would work.
The candles across the entire great hall flickered, as if a draft with no substance had passed through. The shockwave from a distant event.
She shook her head.
A disconnect, a momentary lapse.
It unsettled, left her nerves on edge.
It reminded her of the nightmares she’d had for years after leaving University, the idea of something critical that had been forgotten. A major exam or assignment that her entire degree hinged on, except it was a little more profound.
In her work with the Sisters to date, she’d avoided putting them in life or death situations. It wasn’t something she’d been prepared to do. Their focus lay elsewhere. They only went to war when they had to.
Right now, there was only one war that demanded her attention.
She stepped out of her room, turning to the first Sister she saw. “Sharon.”
“Yes, Elder Sister?”
“How many dolls do we have?”
“I have no earthly idea.”
“Find out and get back to me. We need to handle this business with the astrologer before we do anything else.”
“Yes, Elder Sister.”
■
The Shepherd – 2:47 PM
The Shepherd felt the recoil, reality reacting.
He was sensitive to such things. A silenced scream. If the universe worked as it was supposed to, such a scream would be heard across the city.
He felt it every now and again. Sometimes in clusters, a few at a time.
This time it was just the one. He had a vague sense of who. Two of his ghosts were nearby, even.
It always made him think of Bennie, and Laurel, and Andrew.
If the feeling behind a scream was what determined how loud that scream could be, his scream would be heard across the world.
He called for his steed, footsteps shuffling as he made his way down the dilapidated stairwell.
It was good that he didn’t speak. He told himself he’d look for the children until it was dark. If he’d said it aloud, it would have been a lie. Every time, he lied to himself.
■
Rose – 2:47 PM
Rose’s heart was pounding. She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack, and she couldn’t make sense of why.
Once upon a time, she’d gone on a camping trip with the school, her parents had hoped it would help her make friends. They’d hoped, too, that making friends would help her build up her social skills. Rhetoric and understanding people would only help with the inheritance.
She’d gotten dirty, her hair greasy. Everyone had. They’d been proud of how dirty they’d gotten. Sharing in that was the closest she got to making friends there.
When she’d returned home, she’d hopped in the shower.
The hot water had felt alien, painful.
Everything felt that way now.
The fresh air was so rich she felt like she was getting high off it. She was cold, and it almost hurt to breathe. The sun on her skin helped with the cold, and she felt like she’d just woken up on a Saturday morning with the sun shining on her.