Their destination is a bungalow in a quiet neighborhood on the west side of Proventia. Before Hiram can turn off the car, news reports of a fire at the Federal Crime Division emit on the radio.
“She’s insane,” Veda says.
“Motivated,” Hiram corrects. “I think I’m going to take Antaris out of town for a bit.”
“Smart.”
Dozens of cars and people are outside. Veda doesn’t realize this is Marlene’s house until an unfamiliar woman runs past them and announces, “They found her alive, thank the Cosmos! Everyone who can stay, please do. The home needs a restart.”
Inside is tightly packed with people, but the crowd thins as they walk farther into the house. The first familiar face is a distraught Everly. “She’s been here this entire time, and I knewnothing.”
Veda’s worry grows the closer they get to the back room. A hush falls, and as soon as she steps into the doorway, she understands why. The room looks and smells horrible. Marlene lies on filthy sheets, unrecognizable. Asleep or unconscious, Veda can’t tell. Matted hair. Loose, sunken skin. There are pinpricks dotting her arms, cuff marks on her wrists. Gabriel is on his phone, shaken and furious. Ruth holds her niece’s hand. Hiram grips Veda’s shoulder.
“No hospital will take her, because she’s a Seer.” Gabriel is visibly shaken. “The closest Seer-friendly hospital is in Portland. The drive alone would kill her.”
The weight of Hiram’s hand on her shoulder disappears. “Excuse me for a second.”
Veda glances back, watching him pull out his phone as he slips out the back door. She doesn’t know where to start, but asks someone nearby for a warm, soapy towel. When it’s brought, she kneels beside Marlene and gently dabs her forehead. The cloth comes back streaked with dirt and blood. Marlene groans at the touch. Veda keeps going, washing her neck and checking the needle marks on her arms. They look red and swollen, signs of infection, which is exceedingly rare in Seers.
“What was she given?”
“The Liquid Curse,” Ruth replies. “There’s a vial left in the kitchen.”
Veda is struggling with seeing Ruth, but right now it’s about Marlene. “Khadijah’s clinic? Who’s on duty?”
“They don’t have anyone to spare, and Marlene needs more than the clinic can provide.”
Veda pockets the vial. The Liquid Curse is illegal because it cuts someone off from magic. Likely given to subdue Marlene, and possibly injected to keep her too weak to fight back. Veda doesn’t want to imagine her trauma, but given the length of time she’s likely been dosed, it could take weeks or months for her to fully recover.
“I don’t—”
Hiram reappears in the doorway. “Take her to Stillwater Medical. They’ll take her.”
Ruth frowns. “That’s a—”
“Trust me,” he says, earnest and firm. “Take her.”
A long silence passes before Ruth whispers, “Okay.”
Gabriel is the first to move. Veda warns against using magic around Marlene until her own restarts, but it doesn’t take long before Marlene is packed into Ruth’s van, Everly in the front seat, and Gabriel in the back. Veda expects everyone to clear out, but is reminded how deeply community centered Seers are. Knowing the FCD won’t investigate, the crowd descends on Marlene’s house, cleaning it from top to bottom, removing trash and furniture. When Hiram has to step out because of how overwhelming the magic becomes while they cleanse the air and talisman, Veda follows. A truck pulls up. The same woman who left earlier has returned with a new bed, mattress, and couch.
You could have this, too,a little voice reminds Veda. Distracting herself, she looks to Hiram, only to find him checking his phone; his satisfied smirk makes Veda suspicious.
“Gabriel messaged me. Stillwater took Marlene. Like I said.”
“How did you do that?” The hospital is quasi-public, exclusive, and notoriously anti-Seer.
“I threw three things at the problem: my money, my name, and the threat ofunrelentinglitigation.” Hiram shrugs. “Those always stick.”
Despite being so tired her bones ache, Veda doesn’t fall asleep right away. It’s after two in the afternoon when she and Hiram return to where their day began: his house.
After filling Khadijah in on where Marlene is being treated and making sure she doesn’t want her to come with, Veda grabs spare clothes from her bag, showers in the guest bathroom, and eats a haphazard meal with Hiram and Antaris. She crashes on the couch under the weight of an excruciatingly long and stressful day, then wakes in the darkness, covered with a warm blanket, a spare pillow under her head. Her phone is on the coffee table with dozens of missed calls. It rings again before she can start checking messages.
Veda sobers. Skipping the greeting, she says, “Is Marlene ...”
“I’m leaving the hospital now.” Khadijah sounds numb. “How are you? Need me to pick you up?”
“I’m alive, apparently.” Veda sits up and scratches her head, yawning. “And yeah. This sofa is more comfortable than mine, but I’d like to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
