Chapter 20 #2
“Why bullshit, Ms. Allen… Paloma?” Seren looked around her, and Paloma motioned to the little fridge in the corner. Seren came back with more water and sat cross-legged on the chair.
Bisexuals and their weird-ass sitting.
“I’ll pay you back for that one, Deryn.”
“Before sibling violence increases, I don’t believe for a second this was a random attack.
” Paloma gestured to Deryn’s head. “They meant to harm her as much as possible. A temple hit? An inch here or there and she’d be…
dead.” Paloma’s voice broke over the last word.
She took a deep breath and continued. “And you don’t escalate and then, the very next day, de-escalate your modus operandi.
Once violence is unleashed, you use it more often—unless violence was the point all along.
Everyone in this freaking town knows Lachlan is staying at the flat over Book Nest and watching the possum and the cat.
He has my permission to work the store in the mornings before Judge Astor takes over in the afternoons.
Why strike Deryn, but not Lachlan? Especially since they had already tasted blood, so to speak. ”
“I mean, I am five ten, and he’s six seven, so the perp might’ve been scared—”
“You’re also a witch, Deryn Lyn Crowhart, and the perp was not scared of you.”
For a moment, nobody spoke. Nobody even blinked. Then Ceridwen adjusted the flowers in the bouquet farthest from her with a wave of her hand, and Seren’s empty water bottle was immediately filled again. Victoria grimaced but passed an empty to Seren, who in a moment handed it back to her full.
Deryn feared her eyebrows would never return to their correct position, as she had lifted them way too high at the sights around her.
What is happening?
“Not important.” Seren pursed her lips. “What’s important is that I kinda agree with Paloma. Lachlan may be a big so-and-so, but Deryn could have turned whoever it was into a crisp.”
“Ooookay…” Deryn finally raised her hand and saw Paloma smile at the gesture. She lowered it quickly, realizing how ridiculous she must’ve looked. “I will admit to having zero idea you knew all along that I have the gift, but why are we assuming that whoever did this knows too? What am I missing?”
Deryn turned to Victoria, who squinted and focused on Paloma. Seren just took another swig from the bottle. Deryn wondered if Seren would need the bathroom soon.
“No, I’m fine.” Seren grinned. “Thank you for your concern, twin. Paloma, I think I know the answer to Deryn’s question, but could you…?”
Paloma just nodded. “I don’t think there is any kind of mystery behind this string of attacks.
I mean, yes, we don’t know who, and we don’t really know the ultimate why.
But there is zero reason to believe that someone who has been clearly stalking and causing issues for the entire Crowhart family has no idea what you all are.
This level of fixation, from the incidents before the fire at Rhiannon’s to now, and this latest break-in?
This whole thing feels fueled by obsession, which I don't believe for one second is unrelated to who you are.”
Paloma took Deryn’s hand again. Seren watched the motion and smirked. Deryn tried lifting an eyebrow at her fool of a twin.
Seren gave her the bird in true sisterly fashion, then turned to Paloma.
“I mean, that was my thought, too. Only Victoria and Crow House have been spared. For whatever reason, and not to jinx it, they’ve decided neither Victoria nor I has what they’re looking for.”
“So how do I fit in all of this?” Deryn asked.
Then, before anyone could speak, she took over.
“No, no, let me think out loud on purpose this time. If I am picking up what you are all dropping here, the story begins with the former Atelier. So, they started with the arson, which was almost a murder, but let’s say arson first. Purpose?
Unknown. Either to destroy something or kill the whole family, since we were all there.
Pru running back in wasn’t something anyone could’ve predicted.
However, neither was Rhiannon’s return to the world of witches and her acceptance of the power, so who the hell really knows what the purpose was?
” Deryn took a deep breath and licked her drying lips.
“Now, fast-forward months, and they ransack Ceri’s store.
Then the Phthalo Palace—which is what I’m calling it from now on—and then they came here?
Only to go back to Rhiannon’s again? Also, I don’t live here, so why come here at all? ”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time here. Everyone knows you, loves you and thinks you pretty much belong here. How many people had the two of you being fake girlfriends on their bingo card?” Ceridwen gestured between Paloma and Deryn.
“Fake girlfriends? What?” Victoria was off the bed in an instant, hands flying as she ranted. “I had such hopes! Why are the two of you doing this to me? Fake girlfriends? Oh my Goddess, Deryn Lyn Crowhart, I always knew you’d be the death of me. Out of the four of you!”
“And here I thought it was me. Or maybe Ceri?” Seren smiled and flicked Ceridwen’s hair off her forehead.
“Oh, you two will not escape my wrath. I can’t believe it, fake girlfriends? This means that only Rhiannon is settled. My Goddess, it’s the grave for me because of all of you and your inability to just be smart. Find someone intelligent and hot and tie her down. How hard could it be?”
“Well, depends on the rope. Some can snag, and if she’s moving around—”
“Oh my god and all the saints, Deryn, you did not just go there!” Paloma’s tone was strict, but Deryn could see the little devils dancing in her eyes.
“Okay, okay, so sexual proclivities of women who are not even girlfriends are not my thing. Can we move on to the one big question that looms over everything?” Seren stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, drawing the heavy curtain open and letting sunshine in.
“Which is?” Deryn grimaced at the unexpected light as it cut across her eyes. Seeing her discomfort, Seren drew the drapes back together immediately.
“The Crow & Cat was not fully open and had basic security. Ceri’s store has a much better system, as does her house.
Plus, knowing her, she has laid down as much magical protection as only a witch of her caliber can, and that’s a considerable amount.
Am I right?” When Ceridwen nodded, Seren went on.
“Now that Rhiannon is back among the practicing, she embraces her gift, so no way Pru’s flat wasn’t safeguarded, even if it was on the lower side of security.
I could’ve picked that lock with a safety pin.
So, here’s the question. I spoke to Redding, and while he can be cagey, nobody seems to have any idea how the bastard or bastards got into Astronomy.
Because while Paloma here is no witch, she is a millionaire, and money can and did, in this instance, buy a lot of top-level security.
Cameras, guards, card swipes, probably lasers and bazookas…
” When everyone smiled or laughed, Seren sat back down in the chair and lifted her legs, she rested her elbows on her knees. “So, what does that tell us?”
Paloma looked up from her phone.
“I don’t know. Yet. But I got an update from my security people with video files, so we will have some answers. And Headmistress Nox wants to have a meeting about the files she unearthed. What with Rhiannon getting back tomorrow, I think it’s time we all get together in a room.”
Everyone nodded and filed out, and Deryn was left alone with Paloma after many hugs and some additional recriminations from Victoria about not being good at getting women.
“She does all this because she loves me,” Deryn said as she watched her aunt leave the room.
“I wish she loved you more gently. I wish all of them did.” Paloma’s words seemed to echo in the empty room.
“They do,” Deryn whispered, but the simple sentence, said in that tone that Paloma’s voice sometimes took, cut right down to the bone.
“How are you feeling?” Paloma reached out and touched the edge of the bandage on Deryn’s temple.
“I’m…okay, I think. I’m still reeling from all the revelations.”
Paloma nodded, her fingers still caressing the gauze.
“I imagine this conversation has been a lot. Plus the drugs making you quite loopy—”
“To say the least!” Deryn felt very insulted by the indignities of the last few hours. At least it seemed that she once again had control of her mouth.
Paloma traced the shell of her ear, drawing a shiver out of her, and went on as if Deryn had not interjected. “Between your attack, the break-in at Prudence and Rhiannon’s, all the things that came out…”
Deryn shrugged. “I guess the most discombobulating is you knowing about my…magic and being okay with it all along.” She paused and gulped the anxiety down. Or at least attempted to, because her emotions felt like a huge lump in her throat. “I mean, were you? Okay with it?”
Paloma’s smile was as tender as her fingers.
“I am. And I was. All along.”
Deryn bit her lip, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears. She could feel them welling in her eyes, stinging and embarrassing. She blinked furiously, and the fingers moved from her temple to her cheek, carefully dabbing at the drops falling freely now.
“Can you tell me why you’re crying, Deryn?”
Deryn whimpered, before lowering her eyes. If she were to speak, she’d have to look anywhere but the dark amber depths that held her entire world within them.
“I guess it’s because I’ve never told a soul before? Nobody in my entire life, outside of my family, knows. Rhiannon hid her power for almost a lifetime. Seren sort of works around it, taking it all in her stride. Ceridwen studies it like her life depends on it, and I guess it does?”
“And you?” There was genuine curiosity in Paloma’s question, and it precipitated the tears’ fall down Deryn’s cheeks.
“I live with it. It’s my reality. It’s…what it is.”