“Well, that should make you feel better, Thea,” Alecto said. “Cora didn’t betray you after all.”
Thea shook her head, a little dazed. “Meaning I can trust the pitiless creature of vengeance I’ve known for a month, but not the cousin who’s been more like a sister my whole life.” She flinched when she saw Pete’s scowl. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” Pete said. “You saw her today?”
“Yes.”
“Notice she wasn’t wearing her ring?”
“You broke up with her?”
Pete let out an exasperated sound that was a distant cousin to a laugh. “Wouldn’t you?”
Thea sighed. “I think I kind of did.”
“Nah, you won’t get off that easy. Bridget will have you saying grace together over Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Don’t count on it.”
“Fascinating as all this family drama is, I think we need to start making some plans,” Alecto said. “We’ve saved our wings for the time being, but that doesn’t solve any of our real problems.”
“No,” Thea agreed. “I saw what this superhex can do. In the hands of the wrong people, it’ll wreck the whole damn planet. We can’t let them finish it.”
“Yes, saving the world is all well and good, as our livelihood depends on the humans,” Alecto said.
“As does mine,” Pete interjected.
“But I was thinking more of my colony,” Alecto went on. “Destroying the hex isn’t enough. We need proof that Graves is responsible if we’re going to set things back to rights at Hexing House.”
“Meaning what you’re really worried about is your position,” Thea said.
Pete took a turn too fast, Thea suspected on purpose to distract them. “Okay, I think we’re all tired,” he said. “How about you two get some sleep and save plans for the morning?”
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the hunting cabin. As he pulled up the driveway Pete said, “There’s a few groceries inside, and clean sheets. And a shotgun in the gun cabinet, should it be necessary. Thea, you know where that is.”
“You aren’t staying?” Thea asked.
Pete shook his head. “Only two bedrooms. I’ll come back tomorrow. You two play nice until then.”
Alecto muttered something unintelligible as she got out of the truck.
Thea paused with her hand on the door handle, watching Alecto stalk up the steps, and said, “Maybe you shouldn’t have reminded me where the gun is.”
Thea was sorry for several reasons that she didn’t have her bells with her, chief among them that she woke up just as the sun came up to find Alecto standing over her.
She stifled a scream as Alecto said, without preamble, “Will they think to look for you here? Is it in any records?”
Thea blinked at her, considered rolling over and going back to sleep, then sighed. “I hear the Investigators are pretty thorough, but still, I don’t see why it would be. Until the other day I hadn’t been here since I was a teenager, and Pete’s not family yet.” She sat up. “Unless Flannery tells them. Which is still possible. I have no idea whose side she was on yesterday.”
“I don’t think she was working for them,” Alecto said. “In fact, I think her exposing the lab is the whole reason Uncle Graves put this particular plan in motion.”
“He cooked the books to set you up. That took advanced planning.”
“A contingency, in case he needed it. But it would have been too risky unless his back was up against the wall, and he could have handled this if it was just you. Nobody would take your word against his without a lot of evidence.”
“Including you.”
“He’s my uncle.”
“Yeah, well, she’s my cousin, and I’m telling you she’s not that nice. Don’t trust her.”
“So will they come flying over here to look around, or not?”
Thea shrugged. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I want you to come outside with me. I don’t want to be rude and wreck your friend’s cabin.”
Half an hour later, dressed and washed but still not entirely awake, Thea met Alecto on the front porch and pushed a mug into her hand. “Can we at least have coffee?”
“I suppose.” Alecto looked her over with what appeared to be distaste. “Are you still weak from the lab?”
Ah, of course. Nothing grosses Alecto out like weakness. “I’m getting better. What are we doing?”
“Nana thought you could learn telekinesis, so you’re going to learn some telekinesis.”
Thea shook her head. “Nana was wrong. I’m a little psychic. I’m not telekinetic.”
“You’re a lot psychic, and Nana is never wrong.”
“If I was a lot psychic, I’d be able to control it like she can. I can’t even get the flower friends to help me anymore.”
Alecto scowled. “The flower friends?” She held up a hand when Thea opened her mouth. “No, do not tell me. It’s bad enough that you’re looking for help from anyone, much less flower people. You can’t control it because you’re too timid to claim it.”
“You know what? That is enough. You’ve been treating me like I’m feeble since the day I met you.”
“You are feeble. And the day I met you, you tried to convince me that you had power, and that you could wake it up and learn to use it. But now that it’s come down to it, you’re trying to deny that same power. Because the fact is, you don’t really want it. You’re afraid of it.”
Thea crossed her arms. “I transformed from human to fury in a month. Even though half the colony wanted to tell me it was impossible. I found my cousin without anyone managing to stop me. And when I found her, I also found one hell of a scandal that was going on under your nose, run by your family, without you knowing a damn thing about it. So maybe you shouldn’t be throwing stones.”
Alecto took a step forward, claws out. Thea stood her ground, and protracted her own claws.
After a few seconds of staring each other down, Alecto turned toward the driveway and waved a hand. A cloud of gravel flew into the air and whirled around.
“As I was saying, Nana thinks you can learn this, so I intend to teach you.” Her voice was perfectly normal, which Thea supposed meant the fight was over.
Thea could have pushed it, demanded an apology, even. She was for sure owed one. But she knew she would never get it, and she was pretty sure Alecto had gotten the point. So she just stood alongside her, watching the stone cyclone for a few seconds before she asked, “Why?”
“Comes in handy in a fight,” Alecto said.
“Then maybe you shouldn’t show me. Never know when I might use it against you.”
Alecto smiled at that, and the stones fell.
“Try it,” she said.
“How?”
“Just make them do what you want them to do.”
Thea laughed. “This is your idea of teaching?”
Alecto sighed. “Do you see things that haven’t happened yet? When you have your visions?”
“I don’t think so, only things that have happened or are happening.”
Alecto nodded. “Well, if you’re seeing things that are happening as you see them, we can work with that. The only difference here is that you’re driving it instead of witnessing it. Force yourself to see the stones moving, project that energy at them, the same way you move a hex. And they’ll do what you see. This only works with things that haven’t got a will of their own, by the way, so if you’re already entertaining ideas of making me punch myself in the face, you can let that go.”
That advice was at least a little better than just make them do it, but Thea still hadn’t moved so much as a pebble an hour later, when they stopped at the sound of gravel crunching under wheels.
Pete had said he would be there sometime that morning. Thea squinted up the driveway. It was definitely an SUV, but was it Pete’s?
It wasn’t.
Flannery parked and got out of her truck with a box of donuts.
; “Figured you would be here,” Flannery said. “Again.”
Thea tensed. “Flannery, we’ve got enough drama right now.”
“I didn’t come here to cause trouble.” She walked past both furies and up the porch steps. As she opened the door she said, “I hope you guys made coffee, I didn’t bring any.”
Thea and Alecto followed Flannery into the kitchen, where Thea poured herself a second cup of coffee without offering Flannery any.
“Why are you here?” Thea asked.
“I came to tell you something,” said Flannery. “Or a few things.”
“I imagine there’s a lot you could tell us,” Alecto said.
Flannery got her own coffee, chose a donut from the box, and sat down. “They searched my mother’s house this morning.”
“Who did?” Alecto asked.
“Three furies. Two of them did most of the searching, while the third one ordered them around. Big guy, dark hair, three chins.”
“Gordon,” said Alecto. “High priority if he went personally.”
Flannery looked up at Thea. “Aren’t you going to sit down?”
Thea kept standing, arms crossed.
“Now who’s being the drama queen?” Flannery rolled her eyes. “At least take a donut, I got the Boston cream for you.” She turned back to Alecto. “Actually, I don’t know how high priority it was.”
“What do you mean?” Thea asked.
“They threatened us, and you,” Flannery said. “Very serious matter, dangerous people, if you’re harboring them we won’t hesitate to hex you. All that kind of thing.”
“Yeah? And did Aunt Bridget offer them tea?” Thea finally sat.
“Of course she did. They turned it down. Trying to look menacing, much like you were before you gave in and started eating that donut.”
“All sounds pretty high priority so far,” Alecto said.
“But that’s exactly it: it sounded high priority, but it was all talk,” said Flannery. “They acted tough, searched the fields and the house and went through the barn quick. But they didn’t spend very much time, and then that was it. I think they were trying to scare us more than anything. Maybe they figured you’d get the message from me.”
“In other words, they’re more interested in intimidating us than catching us.” Thea gave Alecto a pointed look. “They mostly want us to stay out of their way.”
“That was the impression I got,” Flannery said. “Although I don’t know why. Doesn’t seem like hurting humans is a problem for them as a general rule. To be honest, I’m surprised they didn’t hex me, at least. They must be pissed.”
“Maybe we’re shielded by association now.” Thea gestured at Alecto. “They only want her to give up the fight.” To Alecto she said, “Think how pissed Nana would be if they killed you.”
Alecto sighed and shook her head. “If you’re going to start talking about my sister again—”
“The point is,” Thea interrupted, “it’s a warning to go away quietly. We’re probably lucky we got one, and I don’t think they’ll give us another.”
“We’re obviously not going to go away, quietly or otherwise,” Alecto said.
“No,” agreed Flannery.
Thea stared at her. “You do not seriously think you’re part of that we.”
Flannery rolled a scrap of donut into a ball, a gesture Thea recognized well.
“I didn’t know what they were making,” Flannery said after a few seconds. “I just thought it was hex research, the usual stuff you guys always do. I didn’t know it was a hex bomb.”
“Yeah? And just how hard did you look into that before you took their money?” Thea asked.
Flannery ignored that. “Now that I know, I don’t like that I was part of it. I can’t take it back, but maybe I can help undo it.”
“You can,” Alecto began, but Thea cut her off.
“She can’t! I’m not trusting her again.”
Alecto gave her an impatient look. “I could not be less interested in your hurt feelings, Thea. She has been inside that lab for weeks. She knows things. And frankly, I’d have her helping us one way or another, whether she wanted to or not. It just makes it easier that she’s volunteering.”
Thea started to say something, but Flannery spoke over her.
“Would you mind giving us a minute?” she asked Alecto.
“Think I’ll have a donut, after all.” Alecto took one and left the room.
“Okay, what do you need?” Flannery asked. “You want to tell me what an asshole I am? Give me a lecture? What?”
“I don’t need anything,” Thea said. “I’m not trying to punish you. I just can’t trust you. It’s that simple.”
She expected some self-pitying, dramatic response, but Flannery said, “Fair enough.”
“And yet you’re still here.”
“Well, you’re just going to have to get past it. Alecto was right. You guys can use me.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe you’ve had a change of heart and now you’re one hundred percent committed to saving the world?” Thea asked. “What happens if they offer you another paycheck?”
Flannery took a sip of coffee, Thea suspected mostly out of a desire to hide her face while she composed it. “I want to tell you something. About Pete.”
“I know he broke it off.”
“Of course you know. I bet he couldn’t wait to tell you he was on the market again.” There was the familiar, resentful Flannery.
“Oh, would you give it a rest!” Thea said. “Pete has been my friend almost my whole life. A better friend than you, a lot of the time. You can’t expect that to go away just because you’ve always been jealous and insecure and, frankly, whiny.”
She stood and snapped her wings open. “But look at me, Flannery. Take a good look at what I’ve become. This is forever. I’m pretty sure a human boyfriend is out of the question for me.” She couldn’t help but add, “And I’m damn sure I won’t miss having one.”
Flannery regarded her through narrowed eyes that looked more considering than angry. Finally she said, “It wasn’t a skiing accident, was it?” When Thea didn’t answer she shrugged. “What I wanted to tell you was, that I cried half the night after I gave Pete his ring back. I’m pretty sure I told my mother I wanted to die. But I didn’t die, and you know how I woke up?”
“How?” Thea asked.
“Relieved,” Flannery said. “Unburdened. I’ve spent half my life now desperately trying to hold on to him. I thought losing him was the worst thing I could imagine.”
“And yet you happily risked it for money.”
“Yeah, I guess I did. But my point is, now the worst has happened. And Thea, it is such a relief to give up the struggle. You have no idea.”
Thea frowned at her cousin. She didn’t need to try to sense her virtues to tell that there was a serenity in her face—the tiniest bit, maybe, but it was something—that had never been there before. She thought maybe Flannery was telling the truth. Or at least that she thought she was.
Flannery got up to rinse her mug. “Anyway,” she said over her shoulder. “I’m thinking more clearly now, is all. I’m a fucked up mess, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t know, I guess my priorities actually did change overnight.”
Thea shook her head. “People don’t change overnight.”
“Course they don’t,” Flannery agreed. “But they can start to.” She sat back down. “And like I said, you can use me. So be as suspicious of me as you want, but you’re going to have to work around that.”
The door swung open, and Pete walked in. His face tightened when he saw Flannery, but she held up a hand. “Pete, this is not about you. I unwittingly helped make a weapon of mass destruction, and I’d like to help unmake it, if you don’t mind.”
He stared at her for several seconds, his face inscrutable. Finally he said, “Well. Long as you brought donuts.”
“Are we done with the bickering?” Alecto came back into the room. “While you were hav
ing your group hug, I was coming up with some ideas. Pete, you have a computer I can use?”
“Yep. Brought my laptop with me, as a matter of fact.”
“What about a pen and paper?”
“Could probably find some around here somewhere. If not I can run up to the drugstore and grab some.”
Alecto nodded and looked at Flannery. “You will draw us a map of the lab, and write down everything you know about it. Every single detail you can remember, doesn’t matter how small. If you remember the color of the bathroom wall, put that down. I don’t want anything left out.”
To Pete she said, “Do you have some way of getting in touch with Cora?”
Pete shook his head. “She seemed to think our usual methods weren’t safe, but she’ll be in touch with me.”
“When she is, figure out some system of communicating on a regular schedule. I’ve got jobs for her and Nero, too.”
“What about me?” Thea asked.
“You’re going to keep practicing until you learn to get things to do what you want them to do.” Alecto crossed her arms. “We’re going to get proof to present to the colony, and then we’re going to blow that lab, the superhex, and all of their data the hell up.”
Cora called Pete a few hours later, on a cell phone that she assured them was untraceable back to her. Pete talked to her for a few minutes, then Alecto, before Alecto finally handed the phone to Thea.
“Sorry, now I don’t have a lot of time left,” Cora said. “And sorry about the hearing. The look on your face was awful, but at least it was convincing.”
“Are you sure he doesn’t suspect it was an act?” Thea asked. “If he catches you talking to us…”
“He won’t. He offered me a promotion and a raise in exchange for my cooperation. Ironically enough, the promotion only makes it easier for me to access things and cover my tracks. Plus I made it extra believable by pretending to feel guilty about it. I asked for his word that he wouldn’t hurt you.”
“And what did he say to that?”
“That it was up to you. Far as he was concerned, you could live out your days at your aunt’s or anywhere else you wanted to go, long as you didn’t interfere with him.”
Cora told Thea that Graves was acting as head of the colony until a new one was voted in, an election she suspected would be delayed as long as possible. In the meanwhile, he assured everyone that the lab had been shut down and that the board was conducting a full investigation.
Rising Fury (Hexing House Book 1) Page 18
