Crane is breathing in deep through his nostrils, and I see the corner of his jaw flex, his pulse pounding at his throat, and I’m suddenly fearful of what he might do.
Then he lets go of me and marches toward Brom, whose fists clench in response.
Then Crane goes past Brom.
Heading in the direction of the cathedral.
“Where are you going?”I call out after Crane, gathering up my skirt and quickly running after him.
“I’m going to talk to the sisters,” Crane yells over his shoulder.“This has gone on long enough.I should have done this a long time ago.”
“Crane!”Brom calls out, running alongside me.“Don’t draw attention to yourself!”
But it’s too late because as we pass the classroom building beside the herb garden, Sister Sophie suddenly steps out in front of us.
“Mr.Crane,” Sister Sophie says in a commanding voice, her hood down.“May I have a word with you?”
“No, I believe I’m going to have a word with you,” he says, pivoting toward her.
Sister Sophie nods and looks around her, then motions with her hand for us to follow her as she disappears into one of the stone buildings that house the classrooms.
We go inside the front doors, the hallway dark except for the faint morning light coming in through the windows, and Crane springs into action, grabbing Sister Sophie by the throat and slamming her back against the wall.
“Crane!”I yell at him to stop, but Sophie just gives him a faint smile.
“I understand your frustration, Mr.Crane,” she says, her voice sounding completely normal despite the fact that he’s strangling her.“And to see your anger come out is a beautiful thing indeed.But I don’t think you should kill me.I’m on your side, after all.”
“Crane, let her go,” Brom says in a gruff voice.
There’s fire in Crane’s eyes, not the usual inferno that I see in Brom’s black depths, but something that’s both white-hot and ice-cold.I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this way.It’s almost as if he’s impossible to reach.
But then Crane’s grip relaxes, and he lets go of Sophie.Her feet touch the floor, and it’s only then that I realize he had her dangling in the air.
She clears her throat and adjusts her cloak at the collar.
“Do you feel better now?”she asks him in a clipped voice.“Was it helpful to get out your rage without killing another?”
“Go to hell,” he says, spitting on the floor in front of her, his hair wild across his face.
“Charming,” she comments with a curl of her upper lip.Then she looks at me.“And here we have Katrina.”Then she looks at Brom, and her face visibly softens.“And, of course, our dear Abraham.”
“I’m not your anything,” Brom sneers at her.
“Hmm,” she muses, her eyes flicking over us.“A den of vipers.I can’t say I blame you for all that you’ve been through.Though I must let you know that you have been sparedsomuch.”
“What happened to Daniels?”Crane says, his eyes still flickering with anger.“What happened to Desi and Ms.Peek and Ms.Wiltern?To Vivienne Henry?”
“You’re asking all the wrong questions, Mr.Crane,” she says.“It’s not about what happened to them.It’s about what will happen toyou.You, if you don’t put your head down and continue doing what you were hired to do.To teach.”
“And us,” I say to her, pointing at Brom.“What is supposed to happen to us?”
She gives me a tight smile.“You know what will happen to you, Katrina.It’s written in the stars.Your fate was decided a long time ago.In 1695, to be specific.”
“You were part of the original coven,” Brom says to her.“You made the deal with the demon.You were there.”
“My dear Abraham,” she says, walking toward him.He stands his ground as she puts the back of her hand against his cheek.“I never wanted this.I never wanted any of this.I hated Leona and Ana with a passion.It was Margaret who agreed to the bargain with them.I never would have sacrificed one of my sons if I had the choice.But I had no choice.I am no match for a demon.For a god.”
“One of your…,” Crane begins.“Are you Brom’s real mother?”
