The Wiccan Diaries: Neophyte Adept Part 34

Asher said, "There's no time. Get dressed. Both of you."

Lia said, "Why? What's up?" But Asher had left. We looked at each other and did as he told us. I slipped into my robes. Lia did not. She put on her leather riding pants and her fire-red racing jacket. "Just in case," she said.

We collided with the other werewolves, who headed from the dormitories, out into one of the hallways. Locke, Leander and Liesel were directing them, as was Paolo Lights were on down the hallway, shouting, loud noises.

"Where do you two think you're going?" said Locke. He snapped his fingers at us, getting our attention.

Lia said, "We have carte blanche, remember?"

That put him in his place.

Locke soured at once. "I don't think Gaven meant" he said.

But Lia and I went on without him. The rest of the werewolves looked like they were mustering, the Team Leaders organizing them into groups. "What's going on?" I shouted at Lia, who was racing ahead.

Pretty soon we found out exactly what was going on. We turned a corner and a huge ruckus greeted our eyes. Veruschka Ravenseal was standing there in her traveling robes. She looked like she was ready to depart. Gaven and Ballard were also there, as were the Heads of Houses Coven and Harcort. And so were the twins and the Lenoir. Maria was with Pier Alexander. Pier Alexander smiled at me and made strange clicking noises, which I guessed Maria could interpret. "Look who's here," he said. "Two Wiccan Initiates. What fun." Something about his demeanor suggested Pier Alexander was above it all. He wasn't the only one. Maria seemed to be smiling in an ambivalent way, too. She had that Mona Lisa look again, which must've meant she was trying hard not to laugh. "Does someone want to tell us what's going on?" said Lia.

"Yes, yes, I would like to know that, too," said Mariska Coven. Her hair was a messgreen bits of fluff going everywhichway. Mine must've not looked any better. I put my hood up. Ballard looked at Lia and I, but left it for Gaven to explain.

"Pendderwenn is dead," he said. The air seemed to go from my lungs. "We heard a strange noise and came to investigate"

"Who found the body?" asked Maria Lenoir, cutting through Gaven's explanation.

"I did," said Ballard. He looked at her, waiting for her to respond. She didn't. Just smiled.

"We think the rooms should be searchedand this traitorfound. Yes."

"Yes," said the other twin to his brother. I had never heard them speak before. It was almost a hiss. Veruschka had her hand up to her throat.

"Absolutely not," said Fanishwar Harcort.

Maria looked at her.

"The mind and our personal s.p.a.ce is inviolate. That was agreed upon. Remember?" said Fanishwar, looking at Maria's marigold eyes with her blue ones.

"We could read their minds," said the twins. They had delicate voices, almost a whisper. It was like they were speaking to each other. We weren't involved. By their, I took it the twins meant everyone's minds at the Gathering.

"I agree," said Maria at once.

"I won't allow it," said Gaven. The twins looked at him, but he just stared right back. Gaven wasn't the type to be intimidated by anyone. Not even by them. Even if they were from the Master House.

It was a moment before I saw the half-open door and realized who must be behind it. Julius Pendderwenn. Dead.

"I" I said.

"You wanted to say something, Halsey?" said Gaven to me.

"Maybe if we checkedthe body," I whispered, "it would tell us whowho killed him. Pendderwenn..." I said. My voice constricted; I could barely talk.

"There is no need. We have already performed that search," said one of the twins. He held up three hairs. They were short, black, fine.

"Whatever it was, tore him apart," said Maria, and stifled a grin. "Are you sure we can't just peek?" she said to Gaven.

"None of my people did this. My word should be good on that score. As for any further molestation of our minds" He looked at Lia and me. "I won't allow it," he said. "Not unless you wish to upset me." He said it more delicately than even the twins.

"No," said Maria. "I don't wish to do that."

"Then good," said Gaven. "I suggest we continue to patrol the halls. And the delegates inform your Houses to prepare for departure."

Veruschka looked at me.

"Unacceptable," said one of the twins. "Let us use them. They will find your killer." They had spinning red eyes. I realized the effect was a trick of my eyesbut I couldn't help it. They bothered me big time, the twins.

"I don't think you heard me," said Gaven, and stood forward. I noticed, as he spoke, Ballard break off from Gaven, and circle to a position on the other side of the invisible circle they were making around the twins. Lia did also. Maria smiled at the unconscious aggression.

Something tingled in my fingertips.

"Careful, dog. If you draw a line between us, we might just step across it," said one of the twins, and smiled. I looked at his evil face, which seemed to come alive. As he said it, his brother manifested as well. They were unnatural, creepy-looking things. They gave me the heebs.

Gaven neither flinched nor attacked. But stood his ground.

"Only something like you would threaten so broadly," he said. "I want you out of my city immediately. This Gathering is over. Is that understood?"

"When we say it is," said the twins. "But you are right. We will go."

"And Pendderwenn?" said Veruschka. She looked through the open door. Now that it was time to draw lines, to pick sides, so to speak, it was clear who she was siding with. She was siding with the twins. They were from the Master House, after allsomewhere she wished to be.

"A Wiccan of no measurable import, and or skill," said the twins. "Why someone would wish to murder him is a mystery to us."

"He was a number two. Adept. Perhaps they want to give Pendderwenn House to a third. You know, a fledged Wiccan Elder," I said.

"They?" said Maria Lenoir.

"Pendderwenn House is extinct," said Veruschka Ravenseal, cutting me off. She turned her hardened expression upon me. "Julius was the last of that House. There are no more Pendderwenns. He will be given a proper burial, of course?" she said, turning to Gaven.

"Of course," said Gaven. "We are very near our gravesite."

Via Appia Antica, he must've meantor the Columbarium. I didn't know.

"I should think so," said Maria. "We are standing in it. Are you two satisfied?" she said to the twins.

"This mystery isn't worth solving," they said. "We leave for Prague at once. Oh, and here are your hairs."

The twin holding them, dropped the black hairs. They fluttered down to the ground. Looking at his brother, he said, "They almost look like cat hairs, don't they? What do you say, Il Gatto?"

They left, but not before Gaven said "I want your things gone from Rometake them with you."

The twins hissed something, but whatever it was, I didn't hear it. I was too busy looking at Ballard. He seemed to be looking at me for the first time in weeks. But instead of saying anything, he tapped Gaven on the shoulder, who nodded, listening to what Ballard had to say.

"Pendderwenn had no family, is that correct?" said Gaven to the Heads of the Three Houses.

"And no friends," said Veruschka Ravenseal. "He was a mediocre wizard. You can bury him immediately. The Wiccan rites must be performed, of course."

"Of course," said Gaven. The other two Mistresses nodded, as if this made perfect sense.

Maria said, "Well, I'm leaving. Congratulations on another wonderful Gathering, everyone." Which was weird, because for some of us, it was our first. And our last...

"Yes," said Pier Alexander. "It's so nice to get together. Let's go, my dear." He put his arm out for her to take it.

"Oh, and Halsey." Maria caught my attention before she left. "Asher wanted me to tell you something, but I've forgotten it. Oh, he says you're a very powerful young lady, andI guess that's it. Ta-ta."

"Yeah. Chow," said Ballard.

"Woof!" said Maria to Ballard.

She left us there.

"Did they ever get a pick?" I asked, but Lia shook her head. "The Lenoir never chose an Initiate," she said.

"So I guess they'll be taking Asher back with them?" I said.

But she pointed over my shoulder. At Maria's leaving, Pier Alexander and the Mistresses had gone as well. I was glad to see the back of Veruschka Ravenseal, who gave me one last reproachful look before leaving. A look that said everything it needed to. She would be expecting me in Prague sometime soon. I had little more than a fortnight to get my affairs in order. Asher tapped my shoulder, as I turned around, and I gave him a gigantic hug.

He said, over my shoulder, to Gaven, "Sois that it, then?"

I released Asher. Gaven was nodding. "We just have to take care of the body," he said. "I have to warn you. It's pretty badly slashed up."

"So you don't think it was them, then?" said Asher.

"It's too bad you can't look into the minds of the dead to see evidence of who their killers may have been," said Gaven. "Halsey, Lia... I have to say, if you don't have to see this... I don't think you should."

Lia nodded. I picked up the three hairs. "These were on the body?" I asked.

"I'll take them," said Gaven.

"Come on," said Lia. She took my hand, and we went back to our dormitory, but not before I dropped the hairs into Gaven's outstretched hand.

Lia was restless. "I can't think. And that poor man," she said. We listened as the Team Leaders continued breaking up the werewolves into groups. Locke's voice sounded above the rest. ("Patrol in groups. Use your noses. Sniff this monster out.") They barked in acknowledgement. Suddenly the voices cut out.

Lia snorted. "He's not staying around to be picked up by you lot," she said to herself.

"Locke seems competent," I said. "Although he isn't exactly the nicest person..." It sounded like they had just transformed, changed into werewolves. Snuffling instead of shouting. I wanted to go see.

"How do you communicate with each other when you're in your wolf forms?" I asked.

"Sorry, kid. That's top-secret. And seems is right," she said. She was back thinking about Locke again. "I can't just sit here," she said. "Don't you want to do something? Or, I don't know, get into a fight, or something?"

"Honestly, I don't think I'm powerful enough yet," I said. "Even you were chosen before me." I laughed.

Lia snorted.

"What is it?" I said.

"Gaven. He said they all got togetherthe other werewolves. You know, at the Colosseum. Anyway, guess who they wanted to pick?"

"Who?" I said. "You mean at the Gathering?"

"You," said Lia. "They wanted to pick you as their Initiate."

"Me?" I said. I couldn't believe it.

Lia nodded.

I didn't know whether to be flatteredor... Maybe that settled it. Maybe I was supposed to be a werewolfor well some type of shapes.h.i.+fter. The dreams couldn't be wrong, could they?

"They were giving me all kinds of c.r.a.p. The one thing about a pack," said Lia, "is there are no secrets. Too many ears out, and tongues wagging."

Ears out, eyes out. I waited for her to vent some more.

"According to my brother," said Lia, laying back in her bunk bed, which was above mine, "wolves have sharp instincts, terribly sharp, like their teeth, and werewolves even more so."

"What do you mean?" I said.

"You know, you say that a lot," she said. But she was only joking. "I'll tell you what I mean. You and me."

"What about us?" I said. I sat up in my bed and looked up at her. "You're not angry with me about something, are you?" I said.

"No, no, no. Nothing like that," said Lia. "That's Ballard who's like that. But he'll grow out of it. I hope. Gaven expects big things from Ballard. And that's always difficult. Take us for example. First we were potentials, and now, look at us, one of us may be Her, this Chosen One; although if you ask me, His Hotness, Mr. Lux, is right about that, and it all sounds like hok.u.m. But maybe some hok.u.m with some truth. There are dark days ahead for us. I can feel it. But you know what I mean.... Maybe I only showed because you showed up."

"Lia..." I said.

"That's their theory, anyway. The other werewolves. And the Wiccans seemed to know about it, too. They sent that Invitation to me. And to you. They're keeping track of us, Halsey. How did they know I was causing wall sockets to explode and my microwave to blow up? They didn't see me accidentally craft, did they?"

"Did you?" I said, genuinely awed.

She looked down at me, nodding. "You must've shown, too," she said.

I shook my head, but she said, "Maybe you just don't know it."

"Your Mark is more formed than mine," I said. "I was never able to do anything. Why did they want me, The Sons and Daughters of Romulus... if you could do all of those things?"

"Well, that's it, isn't it?" said Lia. "The other werewolves have been taking me for granted, you see. But Gaven figured different. He didn't want to take any chances on somebody else picking me, so he blew his pick on me. To protect me. Which is why some of the werewolvesLocke, for instancehave been calling for his headand his Heads.h.i.+p."

"You mean they don't want him to be Il Gatto, anymore?" I said.

"Correct," said Lia. And already, Halsey, they are positioning themselves, for who will replace him. So instead of worrying about this Gathering, Gaven has to look over his own shoulder, at his Pack. And it's not fair. It's not fair at all. What you and I need to be is like this." She entwined two of her fingers of her Wiccan W. "Stronga.s.s and together. You know what I mean?"