Chapter 18. Jenny
Jenny
When we reached the shop, I parked the van, jumped down, and hurried toward the closest firefighter, leaving Temple and Ronnie to deal with the fire. “That’s our home. There’s nobody inside.”
He relayed the message to the rest of his team. Even through the bulk of their gear, I could see the tension in their bodies decrease slightly, maybe from a nine to an eight point five.
I might not share Temple’s connection to the house, but the sight of the flames made me sick to my stomach. I’d felt at home here from the day I moved in—comfortable and safe in a way I’d never experienced before. And Alex wanted to destroy that sanctuary.
What had happened to bring him to this? A deeper question plagued me: how had I missed it?
Self-recrimination could come later. “Annette, stay with the firefighters in case they have questions. Try to keep them back until Temple can do his thing.”
I didn’t wait for her to answer. My attention was on the young boy standing apart from the crowd, staring at the shop.
I was halfway to him when Mindy from down the street cut me off.
“Jenny! Thank God you’re all okay.” She pulled me into a hug. “I was so worried you might still be in there.”
“We’re all fine, thank you.” I tried to extract myself.
“I called 911 as soon as we saw,” she continued.
“I told my husband to get the fire extinguisher from our kitchen. He ran over and used it until it ran out, but it didn’t do anything.
I’m going to send a letter of complaint to the manufacturer.
I wanted to try a garden hose next, but nobody had one long enough to—”
“It’s all right.” Fortunately, Mindy was short enough for me to peer over her shoulder and keep an eye on the boy. He hadn’t moved. I considered physically lifting Mindy and setting her aside.
“When you call your insurance, don’t let them weasel out of paying you.
My sister Clara down in Florida got flooded two years ago, and her insurance said they wouldn’t cover it.
Which company do you use? I forget the name of ours.
It’s the one with that funny little lizard on all the commercials.
We had to file a claim last fall when a tree branch fell on our gutter, and—”
“Annette handles our insurance, and I’m sure she’d appreciate any advice you can share.” I was even more sure that Annette would get back at me for dumping Mindy on her, but I could face that punishment later.
I dodged several more well-meaning neighbors and hurried toward the boy, stopping about five feet away. His smell matched the scent Annette had brought back from Sage’s house, and he looked similar enough to the photo she’d shown us, though he was dirtier and more disheveled. “Sage Parker?”
His eyes reflected the fire. His pupils were normal. Breathing slow and steady. Face flushed but not unusually so.
He was a little taller than Annette’s granddaughter, with brown skin and close-cut black hair. He wore dark blue track pants and a T-shirt with a group of LEGO ninjas.
A large blister had formed on the back of his right hand. Another swelled from the side of his neck. They didn’t look like burns, but it was hard to know for sure without a closer examination.
“My name is Jenny Winter. I want to help you.”
A line bisected the blister on his neck. The skin peeled back, and a yellow-ringed eye blinked blearily at me.
I jerked away. My hand moved instinctively to draw the sword I hadn’t carried in decades.
For the second time tonight, I felt the rush of Artemis’s power urging me to fight and kill.
The first time had been in the garage when Morgan did his prayer ritual.
Whatever he’d prayed to, Artemis had not liked it.
This was stronger. It wasn’t a matter of good or evil. It was simply wrong, an invasive species that needed to be destroyed before it spread.
I forced my fists to unclench.
The yellow eye had an irregular vertical pupil, like three tiny hourglasses stacked atop each other. The pupil focused on me and contracted until it was just a line of disconnected black dots.
Sage grabbed my arm. His touch seared the skin and muscle. At the same time, my tetradrachm necklace turned to ice.
I wrenched free, instinctively drawing back for a punch that would crack concrete. I caught myself and turned the strike into a poke. My index finger jabbed the extra eye on Sage’s neck. He yelped and jerked back.
I spun him around and pulled him into a bear hug with his arms pinned and his back to my chest. To anyone else, it should look like I was comforting an upset child. “Sage? Are you in there, kiddo?”
I’d dealt with more possession cases than I could count. Sometimes, the victim was fully conscious and along for the ride. Other times, they were completely destroyed, burnt out of the shell to make room for the new occupant.
HE’S TRAPPED. Artemis’s words made me jump.
I felt a flash of resentment at her reaching out uninvited, though I suppose it wasn’t realistic to expect anyone from the Greek pantheon to respect personal boundaries. And if I was honest, I was relieved to hear her voice. “How do I help him?”
KILL THE ONE WHO TRAPPED HIM. She left the DUH unspoken.
“I was hoping for a more immediate solution.”
THREE BEINGS FIGHT TO CONTROL THIS SMALL BODY. SAGE IS TOO YOUNG AND WEAK TO FEND THEM OFF.
Three beings: Sage, Alex, and Ringo.
“Alex, can you hear me in there?” I winced as Sage landed a kick with his heel to the front of my shin. “This isn’t you. The Alex I knew would never hurt innocent children.”
Nothing.
“I’m sorry for whatever happened to drive you to this.
” I didn’t know if Alex was listening, but Morgan had been able to find Sage and sense what he was sensing.
Logically, Alex should be able to do the same.
“Think about what you’re doing to these kids.
The Guardians Council used us as their child soldiers.
You don’t want to do the same thing to Sage and Morgan and the rest.”
Sage kicked again, then threw back his head and screamed with raw, mindless rage.
The noise drew concerned looks from the closest bystanders. I shifted to a one-handed hold and waved to let them know we were all right. Who knew you could lie with just a wave?
YOU CAN’T END THIS WITH WORDS OR THE POWER OF LOVE, HUNTER.
Divine snark was the worst.
I glanced back at the house. The fire appeared to be dying. “Please don’t make me hunt you, Alex.”
Sage kicked me again.
I removed my necklace with my free hand. While Sage squirmed and kicked and tried to bite me, I dropped the necklace over his head.
Sage gasped. The eye on his neck squeezed shut. That had to be a good sign, right?
THAT GIFT WAS INTENDED FOR YOU.
“He needs it more than I do.”
IT’S RUDE TO REGIFT A BLESSING FROM A GODDESS.
“I’ll buy you the latest Beyoncé album.”
Artemis paused. THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE ATONEMENT.
Sage started to tremble. “I don’t feel very good.”
His voice was so weak I could barely hear. “I’ve got you.”
“I’m sorry for lighting your house on fire.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” I checked over my shoulder. “And it’s out now.”
“R’gngyk is stirring.” He sounded distant, like he was only half-awake. “There’s going to be a sacrifice. I saw a triangle doorway open.” He sniffled and wiped his nose on my shirt.
“Do you know what the sacrifice is going to be?” I asked.
He shook his head and clutched my necklace in both hands. “I’m gonna be so grounded.”
· · ·
The fire inspector told us we were lucky. “Don’t ask me how, but it looks like you avoided any structural damage, and very little smoke or water got into the house. I’ll tell you what, they built these old houses to last.”
By the time she gave us permission to reenter our house, the sun had come up, and we were pushing twenty-four hours without sleep.
I carried a snoring Sage through the front door and stopped.
My chest tightened as I took in the water puddled on the tile floor of the entryway.
The air smelled of smoke and burnt paint and—ever so faintly—sulfur.
Water had gotten into both sides of the shop as well.
Despite the inspector’s words, I felt anything but lucky.
“Annette, would you please put Sage in a spare bedroom?” I handed the boy off.
“Did you want to take your necklace back first?” she asked.
I felt naked and vulnerable without it, but I shook my head. “Not until we get Alex and Ringo out of his head.”
“I have thoughts about that,” said Temple. His eyes were bloodshot with dark smudges beneath them. His glasses were folded and tucked into the top of his T-shirt. He wasn’t as pale and clammy as he’d been in the van, but he still looked half-undead.
He swayed like a tree about to topple. Ronnie stood behind him, not quite touching but ready to catch or support him.
“What thoughts?” I prompted after a moment.
Temple blinked. “Oh, yes. Alex’s containment spell, from the pills.
It keeps the shoggoth’s influence from getting out.
If I turn that spell inside out and put it on the guest room, it could keep outside influences from getting in.
Wouldn’t clear the shoggoth out of his system, but it ought to keep him sane for the time being. ”
“Are you sure you’re up for more magic so soon after the fire?” I asked, already knowing how he’d respond. “My necklace will keep Sage safe for now.”
He squared his shoulders and thumped his cane. Water splashed onto my feet. “I’m Temple Finn, dammit. I conjured the Vorpal Axe that split Zeus’s lightning in half. I think I can handle warding a little bedroom.”
“That would have been more convincing if you hadn’t been fighting a yawn the whole time you were talking.”
He scowled. “I’ll be fine. Give me a few minutes to recover. A snack would help. I think I’ve got leftover tiramisu.”
Ronnie and I followed Temple into the kitchen. Temple pulled a square glass container from the refrigerator.
“I’ll get that,” I said. He grunted and took a seat at the table.