The other agents mimicked her, drawing their wands and sinking into ready positions.
Friends or foes? I couldn’t tell yet. They might only be guilty of following her lead.
I didn’t want to kill them if I could avoid it, a blip of conscience, if you will. But given the sheer volume of zombies we had dusted so far, a proficient coven made more sense than a gifted solo practitioner with a Frankenstein fetish. Many hands make light work, and all.
“Tell me mine,” Clay teased, hoping to deescalate, “and I’ll tell you yours.”
“You offered to share food with us.” She shook her head. “You’re selective about your dining partners.”
That wasn’t strictly true. Clay showed affection through food, yes, and he taught me to do the same. But he also showed respect for his fellow agents when he brought them coffee or treats he baked.
For her to believe otherwise spoke volumes about his read on her character. Whatever their past relationship, he hadn’t shown her those same courtesies, which told me all I needed to know about her.
With a polite nod, he fulfilled his end of the bargain. “No one knows about the grimoire.”
“More people than you know are aware of its existence.” Regret shadowed her features, eclipsed by her determination. “Give me the book, Clay, for old times’ sake. Don’t make me hurt them.”
A prickle stung the base of my spine, and magic hummed under my skin.
Colby.
Her magic friend must be whispering in her ear again, warning her I was in danger, since the familiar bond didn’t work like that.
“We don’t have a book.” I drew her attention from Clay. “Sorry for any confusion.”
“Oh?” Her eyes glittered. “What’s that on the table?”
Before I could cut my eyes in its direction, the foul presence of black magic slid over my skin in a rush.
That grimoire was going to be the death of us if we didn’t figure out how to lock it up tight.
“You don’t have to die today, Rue.” Her voice softened. “Let us have the book, and we’ll go.”
“You’re an accomplished liar.” I smirked with every ounce of arrogance in me, which caused her façade to crack. “How many people have you killed to herd us into this trap?”
This whole case smacked of premeditation, in hindsight. The rogue coven members accepted they might die in the attempt to retrieve the book, and they were okay with that. They felt it was a worthwhile sacrifice, their lives or ours, and that kind of zeal never ended well for the opposition.
“Your wards were too strong at the cabin.” She pursed her lips. “The revenants could cross, but all living things were rebuffed.”
That explained why I was alerted to the ward breach. It hadn’t been the zombies but one of them attempting to break in that tripped the magic. There had been too much chaos at the cabin for me to think twice about it. No doubt, that had been their plan.
“You killed those quicker than anticipated,” she continued. “We were forced to create zombies, because of time constraints, and I don’t have to tell you how lacking they are when it comes to even the simplest orders.”
The zombigo and the zipper-head worm had been fancier than the shamblers for sure.
Revenantssounded witchier than fancy zombies, so I filed away the difference to read up on later.
As much as I had studied, the director felt necromancy was beneath us. That if a witch required a sack of animated meat to defend their claim to a territory, or to perform other menial tasks for them, they were unworthy adversaries.
“You killed fellow agents to have enough bodies to throw at us.” Clay kept his tone even. “What in that book could be worth the loss of so much life?”
Understanding dawned in her expression, and her gaze skipped to me. “You haven’t read it.”
Bobbing a shoulder, I lied through my teeth. “There was nothing earth-shattering in it.”
“Then you haven’t truly read it.” Her lips kicked up in a grin. “The book chooses who it reveals itself to.”
Given what I suspected, that it was whispering in Colby’s ear, I wasn’t sure how picky it was about insinuating itself with potential vessels. But that link—that possible link—was one I would have to investigate after we got home.