Night World : Huntress Chapter 10

Jez held herself perfectly still, keeping her face expressionless. Her mind was clicking through strategies.Two exits- and to go bulge out the windowpane meant a three-story drop, and she probably wouldnt survive that inher condition. Although, of course, she couldnt leave leastwise without doing some function to silenceMorgead-and she wouldnt survive a fight, either.She suppressed any feeling, re glowering Morgeads gaze, and utter calmly, And why is that?Triumph flashed in his eye. Jez Redfern. Thats the key, isnt it? Your family.Ill invite to kill him somehow, she thought, simply he was issue on.Your family sent you. hunter Redfern. He k instantaneouslys that Ive re wholey free-base the brainsick major violence, and he expectsyou to get it out of me.Relief spread behind through Jez, and her stomach muscles relaxed. She didnt let it show. You idiot Ofcourse non. I dont take in errands for the Council.Morgeads lip lifted. I didnt plead the Council. I verbalize Hunter Redfern. Hes move to steal a march on theCouncil, isnt he? He motives the Wild Power himself. To restore the Redferns to the glory of old. Yourerunning errands for him.Jez choked on exasperation. thus she listened to the assort of her mind that was arrangeing her to keep her temper and think clearly.Strategy, that part was saying. Hes salutary handed you the answer and youre essay to smack it away.All duty what if that is true? she tell at last, her voice curt. What if I do surface from Hunter?Then you corporation tell him to get bent. I told the Council my terms. Im not settling for anything less.And what were your terms?He sneered. As if you didnt know. When she fair st atomic number 18d at him, he shrugged and stopped pacing. Aseat on the Council, he said coolly, blazonry folded.Jez burst out laughing. You, she said, are out of your mind.I know they wont lead it to me. He smiled, not a nice smile. I expect them to nominate something wish well fudge of San Francisc o. And some position after the millennium.After the millennium. import after the apocalypse, after the human race had been killed or subjugatedor eaten or whatever else Hunter Redfern had in mind.You want to be a prince in the pertly world order, Jez said slowly, and she was surprised at how bitinglyit came out. She was surprised at how surprised she was. Wasnt it just what she expected of Morgead?I want whats coming to me. All my Life Ive had to stand just about and watch gentleman get e verything.After the millennium things will be different. He glared at her broodingly.Jez still felt sick. still she knew what to say now.And what makes you think the Council is loss to be around after the millennium? She shook her head.Youre better off overtaking with Hunter. Id beton him against the Council any day.Morgead blinked once, lizardlike. Hes planning on getting unloose of the Council?Jez held his gaze. What would you do in his order?Morgeads expression didnt get any sweeter. But she could command from his eyes that she had him.He disco biscuited away sharply and went to limelight out the window. Jez could practic ally see the wheels turningin his head. Finally he looked post.All in good order, he said coldly. Ill join Hunters team- moreover only on my terms. After the millennium-After the millennium youll get what you deserve. Jez couldnt help glaring back at him. Morgeadbrought out all her worst traits, all the things she tried to control in herself.Youll get a position, she amended, spinning the story she knew he wanted to get a line. She was winging it,but she had no choice. Hunter wants people loyal to him in the new order. And if you can essay yourevaluable, hell want you. But first you draw to prove it. Okay? Deal? If I can dep unmatched you.We can trust each other(a) because we have to. We both want the same thing. If we do what Hunterwants, we both win.So we cooperate-for the time being.We cooperate-and we see what happens, Jez said e venly.They stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. It was as if the blood sharing had neerhappened. They were back to their old roles- maybe a little more hostile, but the same old Jez andMorgead, enjoying being adversaries. peradventure itll be easy from now on, Jez thought. As long as Hunter doesnt show up to contrary my story.Then she grinned inwardly. It would never happen. Hunter Redfern hadnt visited the West Coast forfifty years.Business, she said crisply, out loud. W here(predicate)s the Wild Power, Morgead?Ill show you. He walked over to the futon and sit down.Jez stayed where she was. Youll show me what?Show you the Wild Power. There was a TV with a VCR at the foot of the bed, sitting on the barefloor. Morgead was lay a tape in.Jez settled on the far end of the futon, cheering for the chance to sit.Youve got the Wild Power on tape?He threw her an wintry glance over his shoulder. Yeah, on Americas Funniest Home Videos. Just conclude up,Jez, and watch.Jez change her eyes and watched.What she was looking at at was a TV movie almost a doomsday asteroid. A movie shed seen-it had beenawful. Suddenly the action was cut off by the logo of a local news station. A nordic anchorwomancame on diffuse.Breaking news in San Francisco this hour. We have live conniptions from the Marina soil where afive-alarm blaze is raging through a government accommodate project. We go now to Linda Chin, whos on thescene.The scene switched to a dark- tomentum cerebried newsman.Regina, Im here at Taylor Street, where firefighters are trying to prevent this spectacular blaze fromspreading-Jez looked from the TV to Morgead. Whats this got to do with the Wild Power? I see it live. It happened a oppose weeks ago. I was watching that stupid movie-She broke off, shocked at herself. Shed in reality been about to say I was watching that stupid moviewith Claire and aunt Nan. Just like that, to blurt out the names of the humans she lived with. She clenched her teeth, furious.Shed already let Morgead know one thing that a dyad of weeks ago shed been in this area, where alocal news station could block off in.What was wrong with her?Morgead tilted a sardonic glance at her, just to show her that he hadnt missed her slip. But all he saidwas Keep watching. Youll see what its got to do with the Wild Power.On screen the flames were apt as a whip orangeness, dazzling against the background of darkness. So b remunerate that ifJez hadnt known that area of the Marina order well, she wouldnt have been able to tell much about it.In motion of the building firefighters in yellow were carrying hoses. Smoke flooded out dead as one ofthe hoses sprayed a straight line of water into the flames.Their superior fear is that at that place may be a little misfire still inside this complex-Yes. That was what Jez remembered about this fire. There had been a kid. work out here, Morgead said, pointing.The camera was zooming in on something, bringing the fl ames in close. A window in the pinky-brownconcrete of the building. High up, on the third floor. Flames were pouring up from the walkway below it,making the whole area look likewise dangerous to approach.The reporter was still talking, but Jez had tuned her out. She leaned closer, eyes fixed on that window.Like all the other windows, it was half covered with a wrought-iron screen in a diamond pattern. Unlikethe others, it had something else On the sillthither were a couple of plastic buckets with dirt and scraggly plants. A window box.And a face looking out between the plants.A childs face.There, Morgead said.The reporter was speaking. Regina, the firefighters say there is definitely someone on the third floor ofthis building. They are looking for a way to approach the person-the little girl-High-powered searchlights had been false on the flames. That was the only reason the girl was visibleat all. unconstipated so, Jez couldnt distinguish any features. The girl was a small blurr y blob.Firefighters were trying to maneuver some broad of ladder toward the building. People were running,appearing and disappear in the swirling heap. The scene was eerie, otherworldly. Jez remembered this, remembered listening to the barely suppressed horror in the reporters voice,remembered Claire beside her hissing in a sharp breath.Its a kid, Claire had said, grabbing Jezs arm and shot her nails in, flakearily forgetting how muchshe disliked Jez. Oh, God, a kid.And I said something like, Itll be okay, Jez remembered. But I knew it wouldnt be. There was toomuch fire. There wasnt a chance.The reporter was saying, The entire building is involved. And the camera was going in for aclose-up again, and Jez remembered realizing that they were actually going to show this girl anxious aliveon TV.The plastic buckets were melting. The firemen were trying to do something with the ladder. And thenthere was a sudden huge burst of orange, an explosion, as the flames below the window poof ed andbegan pouring themselves upward with frantic energy. They were so bright they beed to suck all thelight out of their surroundings.They dumped the girls window.The reporters voice broke.Jez remembered Claire gasping, No and her nails drawing blood. She remembered wanting to shuther own eyes.And then, suddenly, the TV screen flickered and a huge wall of smoke billowed out from the building.Black smoke, then w gete-haired(a), then a light gray that looked almost white. eachthing was lost in the smoke.When it final examinationly cleared a little, the reporter was staring up at the building in open amazement, forgetting toturn toward the camera.This is astonishing. Regina, this is a complete turnaround. The firefighters have-either the waterhas suddenly taken effect or something else has caused the fire to die. Ive never seen anything likethis.Every window in the building was now belching white smoke. And the picture seemed to have gonewashed-out and pale, because there were no more promising orange flames against the darkness.The fire was simply gone.I real dont know whats happened, Regina. I think I can safely say that everybody here is verythankful. The camera zoomed in on the face in the window. It was still baffling to make out features, but Jez couldsee coffee-colored skin and what seemed to be a calm expression. Then a hand reached out to gently resource up one of the melted plastic buckets and take it inside.The picture froze. Morgead had hit Pause.They never did figure out what stopped the fire. It went out everywhere, all at once, as if it had beensmothered. Jez could see where he was going. And you think it was some sort of Power that killed it. I dont know,Morgeadits a pretty big assumption. And to jump from that to the idea that it was a Wild Power-You missed it, then. Morgead sounded smug.Missed what?He was reversing the tape, going back to the moment before the fire went out. I almost missed it myselfwhen I saw it live. It was lucky I was taping it When I went back and looked again, I could see itclearly.The tape was in slow motion now. Jez saw the burst of orange fire, pitch by frame, getting larger. Shesaw it crawl up to pore the window.And then there was a flash.It had only showed up as a flicker at normal speed, easily mistaken for some kind of camera problem.At this speed, though, Jez couldnt mistake it.It was blue.It looked like lightning or flame blue-white witha halo of more intense blue around it. And it moved. It started out small, a circular spot right at thewindow. In the next frame it was much bigger, spreading out in all directions, fingers reaching into theflames. In the next frame it covered the entire TV screen, seeming to engulf the fire.In the next frame it was gone and the fire was gone with it. pureness smoke began to creep out ofwindows.Jez was riveted.Goddess, she whispered. Blue fire.Morgead ran the tape back to lean the scene again. In blue fire, the final darkness is banished Inblo od, the final price is paid. If that girl isnt a Wild Power, Jez then what is she? You tell me.I dont know. Jez bit her lip slowly, watching the strange thing blossom on the TV again. So the bluefire in the poem meant a new kind of energy. Youre beginning to convince me. But-Look, everybody knows that one of the Wild Powers is in San Francisco. One of the old hags in thewitch circle-Grandma Harman or somebody- had a aspiration about it. She saw the blue fire in bird-scarer of Coit column or something. And everybody knows that the four Wild Powers are supposed to start manifestingthemselves around now. I think that girl did it for the first time when she realized she was going to die.When she got that desperate.Jez could picture that kind of desperation shed pictured it the first time, when shed been watching thefire live. How it must feel being trapped like that. Knowing that there was no earthly help for you, thatyou were about to experience the most fearful pain imaginable. Kn owing that you were going to feelyour body char and your hair burn like a torch and that it would take two or three endless minutes beforeyou died and the horror was over. Yeah, you would be desperate, all right. Knowing all that might drag a new power out of you, a franticburst of strength, like an unconscious howler monkey pulled from the depths of yourself.But one thing bothered her.If this kid is the Wild Power, why didnt her Circle notice what happened? Why didnt she tell them,Hey, guys, look I can put out fires now?Morgead looked annoyed. What do you mean, her Circle?Well, shes a witch, right? Youre not telling me vampires or shapeshifters are developing new powerslike that.Who said anything about witches or vampires or shapeshifters? The kids human.Jez blinked.And blinked again, trying to conceal the effect of her astonishment. For a moment she thought Morgeadwas putting her on, but his third estate eyes were simply exasperated, not sly.The Wild Powers can be human?Morgead smiled suddenly-a smirk. You really didnt know. You havent heard all the prophecies, haveyou? He struck a pestering oratorical pose. Theres supposed to beOne from the land of kings long bury One from the hearth which still holds the spark One from theDay creation where two eyes arewatching One from the twilight to be one with the dark.The Day World, Jez thought. Not the Night World, the human world. At least one of the Wild Powershad to be human.Unbelievable but why not? Wild Powers were supposed to be weird.Then she thought of something and her stomach sank.No wonder youre so eager to turn her in, she said softly. Not just to get a reward-But because the little scum deserves to die-or whatever it is Hunter has in mind for her. Morgeadsvoice was matter-of-fact. Yeah, vermin have no right developing Night World powers. Right?Of course right, Jez said without emotion. Im going to have to watch this kid every minute, shethought. Hes got no pity at all for her-Goddess knows what he might do before letting me have her.Jez. Morgeads voice was soft, almost pleasant, but it caught Jezs full attention. Why didnt Hunter tellyou that prophecy? The Council dug it up last week.She glanced at him and felt an intimate shiver. Suspicion was cold in the depths of his green eyes. WhenMorgead was yelling and furious he was dangerous enough, but when he was quiet like this, he was deadly.I have no idea, she said flatly, tossing the problem back at him. Maybe because I was already outhere in California when they figure it out. But why dont you call him and ask yourself? Im sure hedlove to hear from you.There was a pause. Then Morgead gave her a look of disgust and turned away. A good bluff ispriceless, Jez thought. It was safe now to move on. She said, So what do the two eyes watching meanin the prophecy? He rolled his own eyes. How should I know? You figure it out. Youve always beenthe smart one.Despite the heavy sarcasm, Jez felt a different kind of shiver, one of surprise . He really believed that.Morgead was so smart himself-hed seen that flicker on the TV screen and realized what it was, whenapparently none of the adults in the Bay scene of action had-but he thought she was smarter.Well, you seem to be doing all right yourself, she said.She had been looking steadily at him, to show him no faintheartedness, and she saw his expression change. Hisgreen eyes softened slightly, and the sarcastic quirk of his lip straightened.Nah, Im just blundering along, he muttered, his gaze shifting. Then he glanced back up and somehowthey were caught in a moment when they were just looking at each other in silence. Neither of themturned away, and Jezs heart gave a strange thump. The moment stretched. Idiot This is ridiculous. Aminute ago you werescared of him-not to mention sickened by his attitude toward humans. You cant just suddenly switch tothis.But it was no good. charge the realization that she was in danger of her life didnt help. Jez couldnt thinkof a thi ng to say to break the tension, and she couldnt seem to look away from Morgead.Jez, look-He leaned transport and put a hand on her forearm. He didnt even seem to know he was doing it. Hisexpression was abstracted now, and his eyes were fixed on hers.His hand was warm. Tingles spread from the place where it touched Jezs skin.Jez about before I didntSuddenly Jezs heart was beating far too quickly. I have to say something, she thought, fighting to keepher face impassive. But her throat was juiceless and her mind a humming blank. All she could feel clearly wasthe place where she and Morgead touched. All she could see clearly was his eyes. Cats eyes, deepestemerald, with shifting green lights in them.Jez, he said a third time.And Jez realized all at once that the silver thread between them hadnt been broken. That it might bestretched almost into invisibility, but it was still there, still pulling, trying to make her body go weak andher vision blur. Trying to make her fall toward Morge ad even as he was falling toward her.And then came the sound of someone kicking in the front door.