Marjorie Liu - Within the Flames

Lyssa tore those memories loose from Tina’s mind and ate them. Then, she went looking for more.

Two minutes later, she was done.

Tina still slept, but the lines in her face had smoothed, and her breathing was easier. Lyssa wished she could say the same for herself.

Eddie reached back to wrap his fingers around her hand. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she told him wearily, “but I’d like to forget the things I saw in her mind.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “My mother did this, sometimes. Before she met my father, anyway. When she lived in Europe after the First and Second World Wars, people would come to her. . knowing she had a peculiar gift. . and beg her to steal their memories of the war. To just. . erase it all. . so they could move on with their lives.”

“She didn’t think it was better to remember?”

“She refused some people. Others, no. She also believed in second chances, for obvious reasons.”

“But she had to live with their nightmares.”

Lyssa closed her eyes. “I asked her about that once. She said it was nothing compared to what she had to live with after killing the other Cruor Venator. That woman’s mind. . she said. . was too vile to comprehend. That trying would be enough to make a person unclean.”

“You mother was tough.”

“I will never be as strong as her.”

“I doubt she would agree.”

Lyssa’s mouth softened into a smile. “You’re probably right. But she’d be biased. And so are you.”

“No,” he said, kissing her hand. “Not even a little.”

Jimmy ran back, his sweatshirt sleeves flopping wildly over his hands. Breathless when he got back into the car, he scooped Icky into his lap.

“I got her,” he said, with a hint of pride. “Serena? She said that someone named Roland called her, and she flew into New York an hour ago. She’ll be here soon.”

“Huh. What else?”

“I asked her if she was with the FBI, and she said it was better than that.”

Eddie gave him a wary look. “What did she tell you?”

“Mercenary.” Jimmy seemed totally fine with that and looked back at his mom. “Is she okay?”

“Better.” Lyssa wondered who Serena was. “She woke up for just a minute while you were gone, but didn’t remember anything about what happened. When you talk to her. .”

“I’ll be careful,” said the boy. “I don’t want her to be more scared.”

But a moment later, he gave Lyssa a hesitant look. “You didn’t really see a drug deal. . did you?”

Lyssa chewed the inside of her cheek. “Because of my arm, you mean?”

“It looks real. Can I touch it?”

Eddie’s mouth twitched. She took a breath and extended her right hand.

Jimmy’s eyes got big as he stared at her reptilian scales and sharp golden claws. He grazed them, lightly, with his fingertips. It tickled.

“Wow,” he breathed. “Did someone do experiments on you? Is that why they were really after you? Like, the cops were part of a conspiracy?”

What a kid, Eddie thought.

Lyssa said, “Yes. You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“No way.” Jimmy hugged Icky tighter. “Are we safe now?”

No, she thought. I haven’t killed the Cruor Venator.

She met Eddie’s gaze and saw his concern.

“Yes,” she lied again. “You’re safe.”

Serena McGillis was tall, lean, and wore dark clothing that hugged her body like a glove. Red hair, threaded with golden highlights, fell to her chin. Ageless face. Feline scent. An eye patch that Jimmy thought was just too cool for words.

He didn’t seem to notice that her other eye wasn’t quite human, but Lyssa did, and it made her feel less awkward when Serena openly studied her right arm.

“Does it ache?” she asked.

“Yes.”

Serena nodded and tossed her a shopping bag full of clothing. “I didn’t know your size, so I went big.”

Large jogging pants and a sweatshirt. There were gloves, too. Warm and roomy. Lyssa liked them all. Eddie received something similar. They dressed inside the car, while Serena and Jimmy moved Tina to the Humvee idling beside them. Icky sat in the big front seat, wagging his tail and panting.

“Do you need to wipe down the car for prints?” Lyssa asked Eddie.

He shook his head. “I’m going to burn it. Safer, that way. We’ve been in it for too long, and there’s blood in the backseat.”

He waited, though, until they were in the Humvee and on the road. Serena pulled over. Eddie looked through the back window at the stolen Cadillac, which was parked several hundred feet away. A safe distance from them and the gas station.

Lyssa saw flames flicker inside the car. Small, at first — then larger, licking the windows and spreading through the interior.

When Serena pulled back onto the road, Lyssa didn’t look back. Neither did Eddie. She sat snug against his side, warm and drifting, trying not to think too hard. It was all so surreal. All the blood, and violence. . floating away, detaching from her as though some ghost was absorbing her memories. Softening them, if nothing else.

Is that you? Lyssa asked her dragon. If so, thank you.

You are welcome. Rest, sister. You will need your strength.

The war, it added , is not done yet.

Serena parted ways with them at LaGuardia, to — as she put it, go and clean some things up. Tina and Jimmy were already aboard the private jet, and the pilot was a familiar face. Eddie felt safe enough, though he kept scanning the hangar for anything that might be a witch or gun.

“Lannes and Lethe are back in Maine,” Serena said to him. “I met them at the airport, along with his two brothers. I’ve never seen gargoyles armed with guns, but they were. And they seemed especially protective of Lethe. Care to explain?”

“No,” Eddie replied. “It’s their business.”

“Huh.” Serena looked at Lyssa with a hard glint in her eye. “Lannes explained what you did for him and his wife. He also told me what you are.”

“And?”

“Did you kill the witch?”

“Not yet. I don’t recommend you go near that burned house for a while, either. Just in case you’d planned to.”

Serena hesitated, her single eye narrowing. “You’re not what I expected. Eddie and I were both told that we’d be searching for a lost lamb, a damaged little girl. A shape-shifter, and nothing more.”

Lyssa tensed. “Is that what Long Nu said?”

Serena’s gaze hardened. “You know her.”

“Of course. And Long Nu knows me. . which is why she didn’t come herself. . if she ever truly was worried about my welfare.” Bitterness touched her mouth. “Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?”

The implications were very disturbing. Eddie and Serena shared a long look.

“Will you call Roland?” he asked her.

“Of course.” She began to turn away, but stopped and looked back at Lyssa. “What are your intentions?”

“Hey,” he said.

“She has a right to ask.” Lyssa looked her dead in the eyes. “I just want to be left alone.”

“You carry the blood of a dragon and a Cruor Venator, ” replied Serena, and for the first time, Eddie heard a trace of unease in her voice.

“Being bothered,” she said, edging away, “will be the least of your problems.”

Seven hours later, they arrived in San Francisco.

A rental car was waiting. Eddie drove them to a quiet neighborhood in a nice part of the city, where he had the keys to an elegant Tudor built at the end of a cul-de-sac.