Kelley Armstrong - Broken

I frantically motioned for Clay to grab Jaime’s arm, yank her out if necessary. As he reached for her, though, she darted out of his reach and around me.

At a rustling from the corner, Jaime stopped dead.

“Yes, yes, I see,” Tee’s voice rasped out, barely above a whisper. “A timid thing, isn’t she? Afraid of ghosts perhaps?” A cackle of a laugh. “Come in, sister. They won’t bother you.”

Tee’s face moved forward, but it was too dark for Jaime, who kept squinting. I moved up beside her, blocking her from getting a closer look.

“Who are your people, sister?”

“P-people?” Jaime said.

An exasperated growl. “Your kin. Your family. What line are you?”

She stopped, the pale oval of her face tilting up as she listened to what I’d thought were voices in her head, and now realized were ghosts. “Really? Don’t tease. It cannot be.”

Her face swiveled back to us and craned forward, her body still wrapped in her long limbs. “Oh, yes, yes, I see it. I do see it. Molly O’Casey’s granddaughter. Poor Molly. What must she think, having such a timid girl?”

Some of Jaime’s fear fell away and she edged closer.

“You knew Jaime’s grandmother?” I said quickly.

“Knew? Yes, yes. I haven’t seen her in-” A pause, as she looked to her right. Then a sharp hiss that sent Zoe, Jaime and me all jumping backward. “Gone? Gone? You lie. Molly O’Casey is not-”

She stopped, face swinging in the other direction. Then she started to keen, a razor-edged howl that had all three of us backing up again, until Jaime and I both bumped into Clay.

“Lost,” Tee wailed. “Oh, the fool. I tried to warn her. Tried. And now she’s lost. A slave for eternity.”

Tee reared up then, limbs unwrapping, as she moved out of the shadows. Jaime got her first real look at the necromancer, and let out a whimper, stifled fast, but her face white with horror and disbelief that this…thing had been human, let alone one of her own kind.

“You’ll listen to me, won’t you, girl? You won’t stop up your ears to the truth.”

Tatters of clothing hung off her larvae-pale body, limbs so thin and white they seemed bone not flesh.

“They tell us we’ll be free after they die,” she whispered, “but it’s a trick. The great lie. We think we are slaves in life-bending to the will of others, hounded by the living, hounded by the dead? It’s nothing compared to what happens when we pass over.” She waved her spindly arms over her head, as if shooing off flies, lips twisting in a guttural snarl. “No, I won’t listen. You lie. I know you lie. You want to trap me. Trick me into your world. But I know the secret. I know how to stay alive until I’ve found the answer.”

Her skull-like face dove toward Jaime’s. “Do you want to know the secret, Molly’s girl?”

“No,” Zoe said, leaping between them. “I…I don’t think she’s ready, Tee. Better wait until she-”

Tee swung an arm at Zoe, who ducked and darted to the side. Then she advanced another step toward Jaime, the smell of her so strong I gagged again.

“I will tell you, sister, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to do it.”

Jaime stiffened, eyes blazing, mouth opening.

Tee cut her short with a cackle. “Don’t like that, do you? Maybe there is some of your grandmother in you. Tell me, sister, if you wanted the key to long life, where would you look?”

“I…” Jaime paused, obviously thinking, not wanting to appear the fool in front of this woman. “In the ancient texts-”

Tee’s laugh roared out on a blast of breath so foul even Jaime blanched.

“Closer, sister. Look closer.” She waved an arm around. “In this very room we see long life-two kinds of it-do we not?”

“Vampires and werewolves,” Jaime said.

“What do they have in common?”

Jaime looked from Zoe to me. “Um, they both…” Her eyes widened as she made a connection. “They hunt. Hunt their prey.”

“And what do they hunt?”

I could see where this was going, and I took hold of Jaime’s arm. “I think-”

“Vampires hunt people,” Jaime said. “But werewolves only hunt…well, I guess some of them hunt-” Her face paled. “People.”

“That, sister, is the key. Imbibe the flesh of the living, and ye shall live.” She stretched her neck out, voice lowering to a whisper. “It’s quite simple. You take a knife, and slice off a strip of-”

I coughed. In hindsight, a silly and useless thing to do. No sudden noise would drown out Tee’s meaning. But I had to do something.

Tee only cackled and reached out her hand, her bony fingers caressing my arm. I fought to keep from pulling away, and lifted my head. My gaze met hers and I saw something there, something human and almost tender. Her bloodless lips twisted into a smile.

“Momma wolf’s tummy is a bit sensitive, isn’t it? We’ll speak no more on that, then.” She looked at Jaime and lowered her voice. “Come to me later, and I’ll tell you the rest.”

With that, she retreated, scuttling backward to the safety of her corner.

“About the…what we came here for?” Jaime managed. “This killer. The one who came through the portal. You said you know something about that?”

“Something?” Tee sounded offended. “Everything. My friends tell me everything.”

“Then we’d like to know-”

“Smoke,” she spat. “Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury. Signifies nothing. Do not waste your time.”

We looked at one another.

“Perhaps,” I said. “But still we’d like to catch-”

“The killer?” Tee made a rude noise. “Foolishness. Another spirit crosses over? It happens every second. Happening now, all around you. Will you catch all their killers too? Cancer and rage and loneliness? Catch those and lock them up?” She turned her head and spat into the darkness. “Foolishness, and you have no time for it.” Her eyes peered at mine. “Your babies have no time for it.”

“If it’s connected, though-”

“Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury,” she grumbled. “You want to stop him? Why bother me? Ask her.” Tee waved one arm at Jaime. “Or do you tell me Molly O’Casey’s granddaughter doesn’t know how to call a zombie?”

“Call?” Jaime said. “Summon a zombie, you mean? Sure, if I raised a zombie, I’d know how to call it to me, but these aren’t my-”

“Oh, so it’s beyond you, then, sister, is it? Not so simple as chatting with ghosts.” She flapped her arms, mumbling to herself. “No, no, you’re right. Wouldn’t help. They aren’t the problem. Smoke and mirrors. Sound and fury.”

My cell phone vibrated, spooking me enough to jump. I pulled it out, thinking-hoping-it was Jeremy.

“Elena? It’s me. Rita.”

“Oh. Um, Rita. Right. Can I call you back?”

“If you do, you’ll regret it. There’s been another murder.”

That stopped me. “You mean from last night? They found another-?”

“Body. And this just happened. Broad daylight. Downtown, a few blocks from the last one. Near Regent Park.”

For a second, I couldn’t speak. Then I thanked her and hung up.

“Another one,” Clay said before I could speak. “Right here. Right now.”

“Maybe it’s a coincidence-”

“It isn’t. It’s a message.”

Tee had completely retreated, pulling herself into her cocoon and going silent.

“We should check it out right away,” I said after telling Jaime and Zoe about the call. “While it’s still fresh. Maybe see if we can pick up a scent this time.”

Jaime nodded. “I’ll stay here-” A quick look over her shoulder, into Tee’s corner. “See if I can get her talking…”

“We’ll need you there,” I said. “In case the victim’s ghost is still around.”