Night World : Huntress Chapter 10

Jez held herself perfectly quiesce, solemnizeing her face expressionless. Her mind was clicking by means of strategies.Two exits- notwithstanding to go disclose the window meant a three-story drop, and she probably wouldnt survive that inher condition. Although, of course, she couldnt leave at least with verboten doing something to silenceMorgead-and she wouldnt survive a fight, either.She suppressed any feeling, re dark Morgeads gaze, and give tongue to calmly, And why is that?Triumph flashed in his look. Jez Redfern. Thats the key, isnt it? Your family.Ill shit to kill him somehow, she notion, but he was freeing on.Your family sent you. huntsman Redfern. He k right bys that Ive real found the erroneous office, and he expectsyou to recrudesce it surface of me.Relief spread slowly through Jez, and her rear muscles relaxed. She didnt let it show. You idiot Ofcourse not. I dont run errands for the Council.Morgeads lip lifted. I didnt say the Council. I said hunting w atch Redfern. Hes trying to steal a march on theCouncil, isnt he? He wants the preposterous top executive himself. To restore the Redferns to the glory of old. Yourerunning errands for him.Jez choked on exasperation. Then she listened to the part of her mind that was telling her to keep her temper and think clearly.Strategy, that part was saying. Hes just handed you the answer and youre trying to smack it away.All proficient what if that is true? she said at last, her voice curt. What if I do come from Hunter?Then you sewer 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 distinguish. When she just st ared at him, he shrugged and stop pacing. Aseat on the Council, he said coolly, arms folded.Jez burst out laughing. You, she said, are out of your mind.I hold out they wont give it to me. He smiled, not a nice smile. I expect them to offer something worrycontrol of San Francisco. And some po sition aft(prenominal) the millennium.After the millennium. Meaning 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 new world order, Jez said slowly, and she was surprised at how functionterlyit 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 manner Ive had to stand around and watch humans get everything.After the millennium things will be different. He glared at her broodingly.Jez still felt sick. plainly she knew what to say now.And what makes you think the Council is going to be around after the millennium? She shook her head.Youre better off going with Hunter. Id beton him against the Council any day.Morgead blinked once, lizard the bid. Hes planning on getting rid of the Council?Jez held his gaze. What would you do in his place?Morgeads expression didnt get any sweeter. But she could collar from his eyes that she had him.He saturnine away sharply and went to glower out the window. Jez could practic on the wholey hold back the wheels movein his head. Fin everyy he looked back.All right, he said glacially. Ill join Hunters team-but 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 hear. She was winging it,but she had no choice. Hunter wants people loyal to him in the new order. And if you chiffonier climb up yourevaluable, hell want you. But first you have to prove it. Okay? Deal? If I can authority you.We can trust each other 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 evenly.They stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. It was as if the blood sharing had neverhappened. They were back to their old roles- maybe a little more hostile, but the same old Jez andMorgead, enjoying being adversaries.Maybe itll be easy from now on, Jez thought. As long as Hunter doesnt show up to blow my story.Then she grinned inwardly. It would never happen. Hunter Redfern hadnt visited the West Coast forlitre years.Business, she said crisply, out loud. Wheres the Wild Power, Morgead?Ill show you. He walked over to the futon and sat down.Jez stayed where she was. Youll show me what? suggest you the Wild Power. There was a TV with a VCR at the foot of the bed, sitting on the barefloor. Morgead was putting a tape in.Jez settled on the far end of the futon, glad for the observe to sit.Youve got the Wild Power on tape?He threw her an icy glance over his shoulder. Yeah, on Americas Funniest class Videos. Just shut up,Jez, and watch.Jez narrowed her eyes and watched.What she was looking at was a TV movie nigh a doomsday asteroid. A movie shed seen-it had beenawful. Suddenly the action was interrupted by the logo of a local news station. A blond anchorwomancame on screen.Breaking news in San Francisco this hour. We have be intimate pictures from the Marina district where afive-alarm cauterise is raging through a government housing project. We go now to Linda Chin, whos on the motion-picture show.The scene switched to a dark-haired reporter.Regina, Im here at Taylor Street, where firefighters are trying to prevent this great blaze fromspreading-Jez looked from the TV to Morgead. Whats this got to do with the Wild Power? I saw it live. It happened a duo weeks ago. I was notice that stupid movie-She broke off, shocked at herself. Shed actually 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 prehend her teeth, furious.Shed already let Morgead know one thing that a co uple of weeks ago shed been in this area, where alocal news station could break 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 brilliant orange, dazzling against the background of sliminess. So bright that ifJez hadnt cognise that area of the Marina district well, she wouldnt have been able to tell much about it.In front of the mental synthesis firefighters in yellow were carrying hoses. Smoke flooded out suddenly as one ofthe hoses sprayed a successive line of water into the flames.Their greatest fear is that there may be a little misfire still inside this complex-Yes. That was what Jez remembered about this fire. There had been a kid.Look here, Morgead said, pointing.The camera was zooming in on something, bringing the flames in close. A window in the pinky-brownconcrete of the make. High up, on the third floor. Flames were gushing(a) up from the walkway below it,making the whole area look too 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 cover with a wrought-iron screen in a diamond pattern. Unlikethe others, it had something else On the sillthere were a couple of plastic buckets with dirt and scraggly plants. A window box.And a face looking out betwixt 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 turned on the flames. That was the only causal agency the girl was visibleat all. Even so, Jez couldnt distinguish any features. The girl was a small fuzzed blob.Firefighters were trying to maneuver some configuration of ladder toward the build ing. People were running,appearing and disappearing in the swirling smoke. 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 digging her nails in, momentarily 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 destroy aliveon TV.The plastic buckets were melting. The firemen were trying to do something with the ladder. And thenthere was a sudden coarse burst of orange, an explosion, as the flames below the window poofed andbegan pouring themselves upward with mad energy. They were so bright they seemed to truckle all thelight out of their surroundings.They engulfed 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 glittered and a huge wall of smoke billowed out from the building.Black smoke, then gray, then a light gray that looked almost white. everything was lost in the smoke.When it finally cleared a little, the reporter was arrant(a) up at the building in open amazement, forgetting toturn toward the camera.This is astonishing. Regina, this is a complete atavism. 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 gone washed-out and pale, because there were no more vivid orange flames against the darkness.The fire was simply gone.I actually dont know whats happened, Regina. I think I can safely say that every proboscis here is verythankful. The camera zoomed in on the face in the window. It was still difficult to make out features, but Jez couldsee coffee-colored scrape and what seemed to be a calm expression. Then a hand reached out to gentlypick 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. bewildered 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 s low motion now. Jez saw the burst of orange fire, frame by frame, getting larger. Shesaw it pussyfoot up to engulf 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 coloured.It looked like lightning or flame blue-white witha halo of more intense blue around it. And it moved. It lead uped 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, apparent to engulf the fire.In the next frame it was gone and the fire was gone with it. White smoke began to slip out ofwindows.Jez was riveted.Goddess, she whispered. Blue fire.Morgead ran the tape back to play the scene again. In blue fire, the final darkness is banished Inblood, the final price is paid. If that girl isnt a Wild Power, Jez then what is s he? 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 dream about it. She saw the blue fire in front of CoitTower 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 terrible incommode imaginable. Knowing that you were going to feelyour body char and your hair burn like a burn down 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 qualification drag a new power out of you, a franticburst of strength, like an unconscious scream 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 maturation new powerslike that.Who said anything about witches or vampires or shapeshifters? The kids human.Jez blinked.And blinked again, trying to conceal the extent of her astonishment. For a moment she thought Morgeadwas putting her on, but his green 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, havey ou? He struck a irritating oratorical pose. Theres supposed to beOne from the land of kings long forgotten One from the hearth which still holds the spark One from theDay World 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 i t caught Jezs full attention. Why didnt Hunter tellyou that prophecy? The Council dug it up last week.She glanced at him and felt an inner 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 figured it out. But why dont you call him and affect 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 eternally 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 Area 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 weakness, 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 quotation sickened by his attitude toward humans. You cant just suddenly switch tothis.But it was no good. Even the realization that she was in danger of her life didnt help. Jez couldnt thinkof a thing to say to break the tension, and she couldnt seem to look away from Morgead.Jez, look-He leaned forw ard 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 fey 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 dry and her mind a hum 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 suck 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 Morgead even as he was dropping toward her.And then came the sound of someone kicking in the front door.