Lori Devoti - Amazon Ink

The door to the cafeteria opened and Zery stepped out. She, like Mother, appeared calm, but I knew she was holding an iron fist around her emotions. She always did.

Reynolds spotted her and moved that direction in controlled, even strides. As he approached, five Amazons moved to block his progress. He froze. Every line of his body showed he was aware of their intent, but he didn’t lose his cool or reach for his gun.

His and Zery’s control were a stark contrast to the raging Pisto behind him.

Zery called out an order and the Amazons folded back like geese moving into a new formation. Her movements smooth and unhurried, she brushed past Reynolds and took his former position in front of her lieutenant and high priestess. Without a word from Zery, both ceased their struggles-Alcippe taking a step back and lowering her head, Pisto jerking her body from Mother’s grip and moving to stand by her queen’s side.

Her countenance dark, she watched me.

I folded my arms over my chest and stared back.

Beside me, Peter moved closer, completely cutting off Pisto’s view of her sister. Her shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t shift her gaze from mine. It was me she blamed for this, and she was making sure I knew it.

In another situation she would have called me out, but with Reynolds, my employees, and their clients watching, Zery wouldn’t stand for it.

Another time, Pisto’s expression said.

As Zery moved back toward Reynolds, so did Pisto. Anger still rolled off her body. While Zery and Reynolds talked, she kept her eyes focused on something over his shoulder, seemed to be ignoring them both.

At one point, Zery turned to her and barked out some short order. Pisto hesitated, then pivoted and cantered off, around the corner and out of sight.

Zery swiveled back to Reynolds, who was watching the warrior leave. After another word to him, Zery stepped around him and followed Pisto. With her exit, the remaining Amazons, including Alcippe, Mother, and Bubbe, followed. After I raised my eyebrows a time or two at my employees, the area cleared of everyone except Dana, Peter, Reynolds, and me. Even the dog, who had sat still through everything, loped off.

Reynolds just stared at me.

I turned with the idea of helping Dana to her feet, but Peter had beaten me to it. Instead, I grabbed her hand, squeezed, and whispered in her ear for her to go upstairs and get showered. Then remembering my resolution to keep an eye on her, I held onto her hand, keeping her from leaving.

“She’ll be okay. I’ll walk her up.” Peter held out his hand.

I paused, unsure.

His hand didn’t waver. “Your mother went toward the shop when she left. I can ask her to play guard dog, if you like. Then I-” he glanced at the approaching detective-“can come back down here.”

I gave Dana’s hand another squeeze, then slipped her fingers into Peter’s. “I’ll be fine,” I murmured.

Reynolds came to a stop a few feet away.

“Oh, I know that,” Peter replied. “Still might come back down.” He stared at the other man as he spoke.

Reynolds arched a brow but otherwise didn’t respond.

After one last stare, Peter and Dana left.

“What was that about?” Reynolds asked, pulling a white square of material from his pocket and handing it to me.

At my questioning look, he mimicked dabbing at his face. “You have a spot.”

I glanced down at my dirt-coated body, then at his. “Yeah, you too.” I tossed him back the square, bent at the waist, and shook a small sandstorm of dirt from my hair.

When I’d resumed an upright position, he was leaning against the banister, looking patient and expectant at the same time. “So, you going to tell me anything?”

I went through the motions of knocking dust off my arms and laughed. “Seems I’m the one who’s been doing all the telling. I think I’m done.”

“It doesn’t-”

“Work that way. I know.” I stepped toward the sidewalk. I was finished. I didn’t know what he’d seen or thought he’d seen in the basement, but I doubted I’d be able to affect his perceptions. Let him worry it out on his own. His conclusions couldn’t be any more detrimental to me or the Amazons than the truth.

And I had a hearth-keeper to protect.

“What if I tell you what I find out about the Web site?”

That stopped me. I turned.

“Would you?”

He shoved the cloth into his front pocket and walked over to where I could now see his jacket lay on the ground. “I might.”

I laughed again. “I’m starting to think you don’t get the whole barter system.”

He picked up his jacket, let it dangle from two fingers at his side. “It’s the best I can do.”

I shook my head. “And what is it you want from me for this ‘best you can do’?”

He glanced at the basement steps. “Tell me what I saw down there.”

I pulled in a breath, held it for a second. “Nothing. You saw nothing.” Then I walked to the front, and he didn’t stop me.

Midnight I was joltedawake-this time by tiny sniffles. The dead girls were back. I didn’t pause this time, didn’t wait for them to approach me, just shot out of bed and headed to Dana’s room. At least this time I was dressed. I’d taken to sleeping in my clothes, never sure when I’d be awakened again, or by what.

Her door creaked as I pushed it open. The noise jolted me into realizing I was unarmed, without even a ward ready to protect myself. I paused, but only for an instant. I was too close. I wasn’t waiting for my mind to slow down enough to think of a spell. If the killer was waiting for me, I’d have to come up with something while on my feet.

I pushed the door the rest of the way open, and heard the soft rustling sound of movement in the bed.

“Dana?” I whispered. “Is that you?”

More rustling, then the sound of a hand feeling around in the dark.

“Dana. It’s Mel.”

A groan, and a lamp clicked, blasting the space in a blinding yellow glow. A tousled head appeared from behind a mass of covers. “Mel? What’s wrong?” Dana shoved her body to a sitting position.

“Nothing. Nothing. I just thought I heard something.” I backed from the room, pulling the door shut behind me. Then stood there with my heart pounding.

False alarm.

Or was it? Harmony…

I took off in a run, my bare feet pounding against the wood floors. It was a short trip, and this time I didn’t bother with the niceties. I slammed into the door, twisting the knob as I did. The door banged into the wall and I didn’t stop, kept going until my legs smacked into the bed and I’d jerked the covers back revealing my daughter, her eyes round and a scream ready, staring up at me.

I jerked her into a hug.

She panted against me, not resisting as I began rocking forward and backward, pulling her with me as I did.

“Mom, are you okay?” she finally got out.

I stroked her hair and squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to let the tears I could feel there spill out.

“Mom, seriously. You’re scaring me,” she whispered, her voice still rough with sleep.

I was scaring myself too, but I couldn’t let go…wouldn’t.

“Melanippe?” Bubbe stood in the doorway, her hair wrapped in a turban and a staff in her hand. I’d never seen my grandmother carry a weapon of any kind. That scared me too.

“Let the child go. She has school. Needs sleep.”

I nodded and tried to relax my arms, to release my daughter, but somehow my grip tightened and my face got lost in her hair.

“Mel. That’s enough.” Mother this time. Her hand touched my shoulder, then my hair.

A sob escaped my lips, and I knew they were right. I was losing it, but I couldn’t, not around Harmony. I dropped my grip on my daughter and pushed her lightly back against her pillow. Murmuring words even I couldn’t understand, I tucked the covers around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She stared up at me and I knew I’d screwed up-scared her when I wanted her to feel safe. I wanted to say something to fix what I’d done, but at that juncture my mind was a blank. I let Mother take me by the hand while Bubbe stayed with Harmony, probably casting some spell to make her forget what she’d seen, to keep her from realizing her mother was insane or close to it.