“I’ll ride with you.” Paloma was surprised to hear herself say and was even more surprised when Ceridwen shook her head.
“I’ll drive you, Ms. Allende. We might even arrive before the big wagon makes it down the cliffs.”
Paloma watched in a fog as Deryn was very carefully laid down and strapped to a gurney, and was carried by four men to the elevator.
By the time Ceridwen helped her close the seat belt over her chest, Paloma felt like she was in some kind of weird dream that made exactly no sense and yet insisted on going on and on. Still, despite everything, Ceridwen didn’t seem…
“I touched her, I felt her, I healed her. I will have to do a lot more healing on her, but she is…” Ceridwen trailed off,navigating a particularly treacherous stretch of the road, the ambulance a bit farther behind them. “Deryn is surprisingly okay for someone who has had her head bashed in.”
Paloma stared ahead at the snowy road, slowly growing snowier still.
“I sat down and made myself a drink, can you imagine? She had been lying in my bedroom for god knows how long, and I was just sitting there…”
Ceridwen threw her a sideways glance before refocusing on the road.
“Is this where you beat yourself up? For what, exactly? Unless you’re the one who bashed her skull in, I don’t see the issue. And no, I don’t believe for a second you could harm my sister. For one, this is very much not your style, and for two, you don’t have power, Ms. Allende.”
Paloma could’ve deflected, could’ve insisted that between her wealth and the foregone election outcome, she did hold tremendous power. But she knew Ceridwen spoke of a different power altogether. She bit the inside of her cheek and waited for an answer—or for more questions.
What came next was, however, more of an observation as Ceridwen stared unblinkingly into the dark night stretching out in front of them, broken up only by the headlights of the little Jeep and the beam of the Dragon’s Eye beckoning them from below the cliffs.
“I know for a fact that Deryn did not share who she is with you. I know my sister, and no matter what she may do or may feel, power is not something she’d share freely. For a yapper, she is surprisingly buttoned up?—”
“She’s not a yapper. What she is is remarkable. And special. Yes, I know about her power. I might not have the right words to name what she is properly… A witch? Yes, I knew she was a witch from the start. So what? She is so many other things.Deryn is successful and generous, kind and funny. I’m getting sick of you Crowharts acting like she’s some kind of problem child for you all to fix.”
Paloma spat the last few words, not bothering to look at Ceridwen. It didn’t matter. They had been bitter in her mouth for weeks now, ever since she observed the family dynamics more closely.
“Ah” was all Ceridwen said. Then, after a few beats, the serene voice added, “How interesting, Ms. Allende. For someone who is not dating my sister, you are exceptionally knowledgeable about her. About her power, which is a generational secret that no human outside of the family has access to, not even spouses and partners. Not anyone who does not wield power themselves. And yet, here you are. Seeing. Knowing. And being noticeably partial to someone who is not your girlfriend.”
Paloma simply closed her eyes and let her head fall back on the seat. This was going to be a long night.
20
DERYN, DÉJÀ VU & FIRE MAGIC
CROW’S A NEST OF CRIME!
With the mayoral election less than two weeks away, the Crow’s Nest break-ins do not seem to be over. With at least four reported and one ending in severe bodily injury, there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight for the criminal activity on the island.
Sheriff Redding has issued a statement asking all residents to lock their doors and report any suspicious activity, but his efforts so far have failed at putting a stop to the misdeeds.
For the record, these incidents already constitute a 200% increase in crime on the island in comparison with its worst year, and that one broke all records due to the Dragons School for Girls burning down. Do we really need another arson to trigger some change? Hasn’t the Crow & Cat been sacrificed enough?
Watch this space and watch your back on the island.
—Crow’s Caw
Deryn opened her eyes.This was one hell of a déjà vu. Hadn’t she sat by Rhiannon’s bed just a couple of months ago?
Just like back then, the room was dark, but not scarily so. And the sheets had a high thread count, something or other. Was she at Ceridwen’s? She couldn’t tell if the bedding was green, as that would’ve been her biggest clue.
“Are you appraising my linen, Deryn?”
Ah, no, not at Ceridwen’s after all.
“I take it I’m in really bad shape since you are calling me by my first name.” Deryn tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness made her drop her head back on the pillow, which, in turn, made it throb. She whimpered, and Paloma was by her side in an instant with a compress of some sort. It smelled of herbs Deryn couldn’t name even when clearheaded, which, right now, felt like never.
“Ouch, mmh, damn. Why is the room doing somersaults?”
