Chapter 13
Ronit
The next few days are quiet. Strange.
She is there, a constant presence, her scent in the air; it is both soothing and deeply aggravating.
I can’t say for certain why it is, but it’s definitely her presence that is causing my mood to swing wildly from barely contained frustration to deeply pensive turmoil.
The Strega is almost silent, rarely speaking.
I get the impression that if she could see, she would be watching us intently, learning us inside and out.
Working out our weaknesses, readying to destroy us.
Yet, seeing her fight for her life against that creature is something I dream about.
I wake when he catches her, my body ready to fight, her name on my lips, desperate to save her.
Because in that startling moment when we pursued them and I thought he had her, it felt like the worst moment of my life, worse even than my sentence.
Which makes no sense.
I’m still not sure if our truce was the right move or not.
It took a couple of minutes to talk Reed and Brio around, but Canto and Lirin saw the merit of the plan straight away.
Lull her into a false sense of security, buy the time we need to complete the mission, and then we can get rid of her for good.
Except, that’s not what I dream about. In the dreams where I do manage to save her, I hold her in my arms like she’s precious and press my lips to her throat. It is disturbing.
It’s just…she’s so aggravating. Sitting there smugly, eating almost constantly as if there’s nothing wrong, and I want to hate her, but the truth is I don’t even understand her.
Finding that thing trying to kill her was bad enough, but the stark terror written all over her body language was something new. She fought it, and she fought it with a skill that made me realise we can learn a lot from her and about her just by training.
Know your enemy. I underestimated her; I have done it over and over again. Not this time.
Leaf is the calmest of the seven of us, he’s not bothered by the tension or by her snappy commands for him not to touch her. He is just happy. Which is annoying as hell.
He keeps offering me food. It’s weird and getting on my nerves. I turn away from the window and the dark squall that is creeping towards shore.
There’s a squabble between Brio and Lirin that is getting louder. I head towards the kitchen, trying to get away from it.
“You ate the last one.”
“Srslly?” Lirin shouts, his mouth clearly full of food.
“How can I help you?” A female voice booms.
The whole house goes silent. I whirl around, stalking back towards the lounge.
“Who are you?” I snarl. “Show yourself.”
“I’m Siri, here to help.”
“Help? Help what?”
Mei crouches and creeps towards us, talons have appeared on her fingertips, black and deadly. Canto pulls his black sword from mid-air and stalks around the room in the opposite direction as me.
“I can help with all sorts of things. I can tell you how far away Timbuktu is or how tall a Tyrannosaurus Rex is.”
“I do not know Timbuktu or a Tyrannosaurus,” I say warily.
Lirin and Reed open cupboards, hunting, while Canto stabs the couch cushions.
RIP our lounge room.
“You are not supposed to be in our house,” I snarl and attack the curtains, but there is no one behind them.
“But I live here.”
Another one? Hiding in plain sight? I think not!
Leaf sits up, his teal eyes whirling with outrage. He springs into action, ripping the house apart. Literally pulling drywall off the wall in his effort to find the unwelcome guest.
“Where are you?” I say as loud as I can. “Come out.”
My phone starts ringing. I answer it.
“Not now, I’m hunting,” I say and toss it away. We only have the one between us, but that’s one too many in my books.
“Show yourself!” I bellow.
“Sorry, I don’t understand.”
Mei is crouched in the corner, watching us, with her head cocked to the side.
“No!”
I whip around to find the tiny old lady who Diablos says is the housekeeper, clutching her cheeks, staring at the mess in horror.
“Merda!” she shouts.
I stand up straight, glaring at her. “Wait until the threat has been neutralised please, Mrs Nome.”
She can’t take her eyes off the mess.
“Siri, show yourself,” I snarl.
“I don’t understand.” This evil entity known as Siri says calmly.
“Where are you hiding?”
“Can’t you see me?” Siri responds.
That creepy comment has Mei laughing so hard she topples over from her crouch and ends up on her hands and knees.
I fly around the lounge, launching towards the hallway and the bedrooms, determined to get rid of this spawn.
“Wait! Stop!” Mrs Nome shouts, but I ignore her. “Diablos, you better come sort this out right now. I quit! Do you hear me! I quit!”
Diablos appears. “Mandy, wait!”
“No, sir. Look what they’ve done!”
Diablos huffs as he takes it in. I stalk towards him, forgetting the bedrooms. Lirin and Reed take over searching for me.
“Siri says she’s here,” I snarl furiously.
Diablos does a double take. “Siri?”
“Yes, some evil female is hidden inside the house,” I snap. “We can’t find her.”
“Oh…” Diablos sits down heavily but falls through the destroyed couch, ending up trapping himself in the ruins. He struggles, but it appears the couch is a perfect demon trap. “Get me out!”
I stare at him impassively, absolutely unwilling to release him until I get my answers. “Did you send Siri to spy on us?”
“What? No!” Diablos says, outraged.
“Who is she?”
Diablos explodes the couch and stands up. Crawling on his hands and knees, staring mournfully at Mrs Nome as she disappears. He stands up and slams his hands on his waist, glowering and radiating demonic fury. “Come here! All of you. Let me explain human technology. Again.”
***
I walk out to the ocean and step into the water, just letting the bracing cool calm me. What will it be like not to have a connection to the oceans? To be free?
Siri. Humans have artificially intelligent technology in their homes to help them with…everything. It’s exhausting. This world is exhausting.
“Ronit.”
I shake my head. “I’m going to change my name to something you don’t know so you can’t walk around saying my name all the time.”
Lirin chuckles and leans against me. “I was just checking you weren’t out here trying to drown yourself.”
“Not there yet. Close, but not yet. What are you doing out here?”
Lirin lets out a happy laugh and scrapes his hair back in a carefree movement that reminds me how much I love him. He was innocent, like Brio and Reed. They don’t deserve to live like this anymore.
It’s my job to protect them. To free them. Whatever it takes.
“Reed threw a wet tea towel at Brio, but it missed and hit her. Leaf is now chasing Reed around with a cheese grater, saying he will grate off his fish balls and stir-fry them with kelp.”
I bite my lip, closing my eyes, trying not to laugh. It’s not funny. It’s not.
“She is something else,” Lirin says gently. “I don’t think she’s bad or evil, Ronit.”
I let out a weary moan and squeeze my eyes closed. “I don’t want to hear.”
“Coward.”
“Damn straight.”
There’s a silence as we float in the water ,and I wait for him to continue. I reach out and tangle my fingers with his, drawing him closer so I can kiss him, perhaps to stop any more stories or because I need to feel something steady.
I don’t give out my affections easily. It’s not my way.
“Mei is staring at the toaster,” Lirin whispers against my lips, his green-blue eyes dancing.
Now that information startles me. “Why?”
“Do I look like a Strega whisperer? I have no idea what she’s doing. She’s just staring at it.”
There’s a high-pitch scream from the house, and then a flaming toaster gets thrown out and onto the sand.
Lirin and I stare at it for a minute and turn back to the ocean.
“I didn’t see anything,” I say blandly.
“Neither did I.” Lirin pauses then walks deeper.
“Truth be told, the electronics baffle all of us. I know their names, but I can’t figure out what they do or how to work them.
I may have accidentally blown up the microwave this morning.
It had lightning in it. Was pretty damn cool, but then there was smoke, and it stopped working. ”
I cover my face with my hand. “It can’t be that hard. Why can’t we figure it out?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s kind of gratifying that Mei is in the same boat.” We both still at his use of her name. We try to call her witch or Strega to dehumanize her. It’s an unspoken agreement.
Yeah, I will agree that she’s the same as us, but not out loud. Never out loud.
“Help!” Brio shouts.
“What now?” I grumble, turn, and race up the sand to the house. I walk in the sliding doors and find an angry, round, electronic thing chasing Canto.
He climbs onto the island and has his sword out, ready to attack. His eyes narrowed in concentration
“What is it? Where did it come from?” I shout as I edge into the house.
“It was hiding in the laundry,” Reed shouts from the couch, his lips white. “What kind of monster is it?”
Mei is hanging from the curtain rail, giggling.
“It’s not funny, Strega!” Reed shouts.
“It’s kind of funny,” she argues.
I have to admit; she has a pleasant laugh, and her sense of humour is fun. No, she’s still the enemy. Do not forget.
“Okay, so I’m just going to come in and get behind it.”
I get three steps in when the damn thing senses me and comes racing to eat me instead.
“What is it?” I shout.
No one has the answers. I back up and trip over.
I turn onto my hands and knees and frantically crawl out of the house.
Me, the warrior general of the Fae, crawling to safety, such a sight was never seen.
Lirin, the useless bastard, is doubled over laughing like it’s the funniest thing in the whole world, but not for long.
It follows me, struggling over the door frame.