“What will happen to them all?” I asked, though I knew, in a general way, what witches did to their own who were caught misusing magic.
Occam said, “There are several null sites, run by the National Conclave, where witches can be kept sealed away from their magic. The Rosencrantzes took money to turn on their coven. They’ll be transported to Virginia for confinement for as long as they live.”
“And Rivera Cornwall?”
“She’s fine. A little wigged out by it all,” T. Laine said. “She’ll serve a jail term but not nearly so long or arduous as the ones the Rosencrantzes will serve.”
“Daveed Petulengo?” I asked.
“Will be tried in a human court of law,” Soul said. “Not our circus. Not our flying monkey.”
Which made no sense to me at all, but I nodded. “Kamines Future Products?”
T. Laine gave me a smile that belonged on the devil himself. “They got notes on the workings. The moment they try to use them, I’ll know. And they will be stopped. Permanently.”
“Okay,” I said, digesting their words. “Sooo... Irene and Lidia deliberately took a job... ,” I said, feeling out what I had learned and sensed in the circle, “...related to the witch working that cost them their family to the Holocaust, and their great-grandmother to suicide, trying to keep that curse out of Hitler’s hands. They wanted to remake and sell that curse?”
“Money spoke to them,” Soul said. “They were... misguided. The Rosencrantz clan has agreed to the punishment. Lidia and Irene will be incarcerated for the rest of their lives, their magic stripped from them. Rivera’s magics will be stripped for a period of twenty years. All will remain under lock and key in null sites with no opportunity of parole.”
“AndInfinitio?” I asked, remembering the scream as the vessel was closed.Betrayer... “They helped make it. Helped keep it going. It had achieved some sort of sentience. What happens to it now?”
The silence in the van was acute except for the hum of tires on the highway.
“It will remain locked away with other things that are too dangerous to be allowed into the world.” Soul looked around the van. “Nell needs assistance tonight,” Soul said. “It will be hard for her to get around with bandaged hands.”
“I’ll stay,” Occam said. “My leopard can take care of Rick and hunt anything that comes onto the land.”
“I’ll stay,” T. Laine said. “I can cook. And I can spot a magical attack before any of the rest of you.”
“Why do you need to be able to spot a magical attack?” Soul asked, ever the teacher. “Why would Nell be attacked?”
“If Rosencrantz had an outside witch accomplice,” T. Laine said, “There might be repercussions for today and tonight.”
“I need to talk to Rick,” JoJo said, “assuming he can understand English at this point, so I’ll stay too.”
Talk to a black leopard?I thought. But I didn’t speak the words.
Tandy, who had been silent until now, opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Soul said, “Tandy and I will write up the reports, then. Agreed, Tandy?”
“That’s not what you want,” Tandy said, his voice still raspy from the use of his power. “Or... it’s what you want, but not ultimately what you’re trying to accomplish.”
“Allow me my foibles,” Soul said to him, sounding tired buttranquil. “You and I need to talk about what happened to you when you were hit by the sonic-blast working. The alteration and enhancement of your empath gifts is gone and you are back to normal now, yes?”
“Yes,” Tandy said, sounding tired, disgruntled, and resigned.
“We will do paperwork. We will talk. The others will take care of Nell.”
“Pizza,” Tandy said. “I’ve pulled sixty hours on this case in the last three days. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten. I want pizza. And you to pay.”
I turned in my seat to stare at the empath Tandy, who had started in Unit Eighteen as the one least likely to take care of himself, had just stood up to a VIP of PsyLED. He had changed. I wasn’t sure it was a good thing.
Soul raised her eyebrows but smiled when she said, “Pushy for an empath. Working with Eighteen has been beneficial for you. I like this part. Done.
“And you”—she pointed at me—“what do you see of me now?”
“Normal human you,” I said.
“That is fortunate. Sleep.”
