“Mocking you?”the Pythia picked up a carving fork and knife and summoned the bird, which had started twerking again.“Stop that,” she told it, and then looked up at Jen.“Did you think you were the only necromancer in town?You’re not even the only one at court.Besides me, there’s Jesse, the young man I learned this trick from; Saffy, a coven witch with the ability but no training; and the bokors the hotel employs—”
“Bokors are low-level hacks!”Jen spat, staring at the bird, which had not, in fact, stopped that.“That isn’t low level!That takes control, skill,power—”
“Not as much as what you did in the kitchen.”The Pythia carved up the gyrating bird and handed me a plate with a thigh and leg, which were still jerking slightly.I regarded it sickly, even as my stomach growled.
“If you’re able to do this, how are youPythia?”Jen yelled.“They—they lock us up for less, do you know that?They throw people like me—like you—in prison!They never let some of them out—”
“I know.”
“You know?Youknow?Then what are youdoingabout it?”
“Jen,” I said, because I needed a reading on the damned beads, and we’d already done enough to get tossed out on our collective asses.Several times over.
But Jen wasn’t hearing me.
“You’re supposed to be—I don’t know—like a check on the Circle.You’re supposed to have all this power, all this influence.You’re supposed tohelp us.But instead, we get—” She stopped and swallowed, trying to get herself under control, but it didn’t work.Maybe because the remains of the chicken twerked on.“You aren’t doing anything!”
“Except getting you out?”The Pythia poured herself some tea.“Or did you think Jonas came up with the idea for the task force all on his own?”
Jen had been about to start another tirade, but at that, she stopped, her mouth still open.And then slowly closed it and sat back down, her eyes narrowing along with her lips.“You’re going to take credit for that?”she finally asked.
“I don’t know,” came the frank reply.“After today, I’m not sure I want to.”
“We’ve done good work,” Sophie said indignantly, and looked at me.“Since we got out.Ask Lia!”
The blonde smiled slightly over her cup.“Forgive me, but that’s like asking Jesse Jamesto vouch forBilly the Kid.”
“She’d a decorated war mage!”
“Are you?”the Pythia looked at me, but I had my mouth full.I swallowed.“It’s still...squirming a little,” I said, because I could feel it dancing all the way down.
She sighed and made a gesture, and it finally cut out.“I wouldn’t think a Were would have a problem with that,” she said.“Don’t you hunt prey?”
“Yes, but it’s not normally...dancing.”
“Lia!”That was Sophie.
“Uh, right.They’ve...been great.If this was your idea, it was a good one.”
“I hope so,” it was fervent.“Talking the Circle into this wasn’t easy, and getting more people out of those ‘schools’ largely depends on how your group does.”
“And after?”Jen rasped.“What happens to us when the war is over?”
“Assuming we win, you mean,” the Pythia said soberly.
“Isthere a win for us?An outcome where we’re treated like...like people?”
For the first time, the Pythia showed a real emotion, a series of them, that flickered over her face too fast to follow.“I hope so,” she finally said.“Otherwise, what’s the point?This war isn’t just about saving the world; it’s about making a better one.One where—well, you said it.Where we’re all just people.”
“And is that what you See?”Jen demanded.“Or just what you hope?”
“I see a lot of things.Infinite possibilities branching out from what we do, every one of us, every day.Which way it will all end, though...No.I can’t See that.There are still too many variables.But in case you’re worried, I’m not going to rat you out to the Circle.”
Jen fell back into her chair, looking stunned and blinking slowly, and I decided to capitalise on the goodwill we seemed to have for the moment.
“Then perhaps you could sort out one of those variables for me?”I asked, producing the beads.“I read in a magazine that you’re a touch psychic.Can you get anything off of these?”
“What are they?”she asked, taking the evidence bag and holding it up to the light.
