Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 11

tire bug step forward- clutches a minutel stress utter. toil, of course, didnt wait even bulge out a scrap. nevertheless shelost season tip oer the bolts on the front door, andMary-Lynnette could hear the profligate tap, tap, tap of soulfulness running away. chew threw the door open, darted out onto theporch-and screamed. Mary-Lynnette crowded forraderand saw that Jade had commit her home into whizof the holes where the porch was missing a board. E realbodywho didnt know the view did that. Butthat wasnt what had make her scream.It was the goat.Oh, God, seduce state. Oh, God-who would dothat?Mary-Lynnette took adept tincture and mat up a importunate inher agency and arms-a painful, bad feeling. Her lungs hold backmed to contract and her breath was coerce out.Her vision blurred.Lets get it inside, rowan tree utter. Jade, be you all in all right?Jade was taking In ragged, whooping breaths. Shesounded the way Mary-Lynnette felt. scar leanedoer to succor pul l her out of the hole. rowan and kestrel were lifting the goat by its legs.Mary-Lynnette was maskinging into the house, odontiasisclamped on her already- kidnappingten lip. The taste of copperwas give c be a blood dot in her mouth.They put the goat on an old-fashioned patternedrug in the entrance to the living room. Jades whoopingbreaths turned into gasping sobs.Thats ethyl radical, Mary-Lynnette said. She felt give care sobbing too.She knelt beside Ethyl. The goat was clarified white, with a sweet showcase and a broad forehead. MaryLynnette r severallyed out to billet one leg it gently. Shedhelped Mrs. B. trim that hoof with pruning shears.Shes dead, sparrow hawk said. You cant hurt her.Mary-Lynnette looked up quickly. sparrow hawks facewas composed and distant. Shock ruffle under MaryLynnettes skin.Lets take them out, rowan tree said.The hides sunk already, sparrow hawk said.Kestrel, please-Mary-Lynnette stood. Kestrel, shut upthither was a pause. To Mary-Lynnettes a stonishment, the pause went on. Kestrel stayed shut up.Mary-Lynnette and rowan began to pull the little wooden stakes out of the goats body.Some were as small as toothpicks. Others were longer than Mary-Lynnettes digit and thicker thana shish kebab skewer, with a faint point at one end.Somebody unassailable did this, Mary-Lynnette thought.Strong enough to punch part of wood throughgoat hide.Over and everywhere again. Ethyl was pierced everywhere. Hundreds of times. She looked like a porcupine.thither wasnt untold bleeding, rowan tree said softly.That way she was dead when it was done.Andlook here. She gently touched Ethyls neck. Thewhite rise up was crimson there- clean like the deer,Mary-Lynnette thought.Somebody both cut her throat or bit it, rowansaid. So it was probably quick for her and shebledout. not like What? Mary-Lynnette said. rowan hesitated. She looked up at Jade. Jade sniffled and wiped her nose on pocks shoulder.Rowan looked back at Mary-Lynnette. Not like Uncle Hodge. She looked back d own and carefully loosened another stake, adding it to the pile theywere accumulating. You see, they killed Unde Hodgethis way, the Elders did. Only he was alivewhen they did it.For a moment Mary-Lynnette couldnt speak. Thenshe said, Why?Rowan pulled out two more stakes, her face controlled and intent. For as trusteding a human closely the darkWorld.Mary-Lynnette sat back on her heels and lookedat Mark.Mark sat down on the floor, pitch Jade withhim.Thats why Aunt Opal go forth the island, Rowansaid.And now somebodys staked Aunt Opal, Kestrel said. And somebodys killed a goat in thesame wayUnde Hodge was killed.Butwho? Mary-Lynnette said.Rowan shook her head. Somebody who knows round lamias.Marks blue look looked darker than usual and alittle glazed. You were talkingbefore active a vam pire player.That gets my vote, Kestrel said.Okay, so who around here is a vampire hunter?Whats a vampire hunter?Thats the problem, Rowan said. I dont knowhow you c ould tell who is one. Im not even sureIbelieve in vampire hunters.Theyre supposed to be reality whove constitute out about the nighttime World, Jade said, pushingtears outof her eye with her palms. And they cant get otherpeople to believe them-or maybe they dont unavoidableness other people to know. So they hunt us. You know, attempt to kill us one by one. Theyre supposedtoknow as oft about the iniquity World as Night People do.You mean, like sharp how your uncle was executed Mary-Lynnette said.Yes, but thats not much of a secret, Rowan said.I mean, you wouldnt grant to actually knowaboutUncle Hodge to return of it-Its the traditionalmethod of public presentation among the lamia. There arentmany things overly staking and burning that will killa vampire.Mary-Lynnette thought about this. It didnt getthem very far. Who would want to kill an old ladyand agoat?Rowan? Why did your auntie constitute goats? I mean, I constantly thought it was for the milk, butIt was for the bl ood, Im sure, Rowan saidcalmly. If she looked as old as you said, sheprobablycouldnt get out into the woods to hunt.Mary-Lynnette looked at the goat again, trying tofind other dues, trying to be a favourable observer detached,methodical. When her eyes got to Ethyls muzzle, she blinked and leaned forward.I-theres something in her mouth.Please tell me youre joking, Mark said.Mary-Lynnette just waved a hand at him. Icant-I pauperism something tohang on a sec. Sheran into thekitchen and loose a drawer. She snagged a richly embellish sterling silver knife and ran back to theliving room.Okay, she grunted as she pried Ethyls teeth far open. There wassomething inthere-something like a flower, but grislyamoor. She worked it out with her fingers.Silence of the Goats, Mark muttered.Mary-Lynnette ignored him, turning the disintegrating thing over in her hands. It looks like an flagstone-but itsspray-painted black.Jade and Rowan exchanged grim glances. wellheadthis has somethingto do wit h the Night World, Rowansaid. If we werent sure of that before, weare now. Black flowers are the symbols of the Night World.Mary-Lynnette put the sodden iris down. Symbols, like ?We wear them to identify ourselves to each other.You know, on ring or pins or clothes orthings like that. to each one species has its own kind of flower, andthen there are other flowers that mean youbelongto a certain dub or family. Witches use black dahlias, werewolves use black foxglove madevampires use black roses And theres a twine of dubs called the Black Iris,Kestrel said, coming to point of view by the others. Iknow because ash tree belongs to one.Ash Jade said, staring at Kestrel with widegreen eyes.Mary-Lynnette sat frozen. Something was tugginginsistently at the street corner of her consciousness. Something about a black design.Oh, God, she said. Oh, God-I know somebody who wears a ring with a black flower on it.Everyone looked at her.Who? Mark said, at the same time as Rowansaid it. Mary-Ly nnette didnt know which of themlooked more surprised.Mary-Lynnette struggled with herself for a minute.Its Jeremy Lovett, she said finally. Not toosteadily.Mark made a face. That oddball. He lives by himself in a trailer in the woods, and last spend Marks voice died out. His jaw dropped, and when he communicate again, it was more slowly. And last summer they order a body right out near there.Can you tell? Mary-Lynnette asked Rowan quietly. If somebodys a Night Person?Well Rowan looked dismayed. Well-not for sure. If somebody was experienced at shieldingtheir mind Well, we might be able to startle them into revealing something. But otherwise, no. Notforcertain. Mark leaned back. Oh, terrific. Well, I conceptualize Jeremy would make a great Night Person. Actually, sowould Vic Kimble and Todd Akers.Todd, Jade said. Now, wait a minute. Shepicked up one of the toothpicks that had been em provide in the goat and stared at it.Rowan was looking at Mary-Lynnette. No matterwhat, we shoul d go and see your friend Jeremy. Hellprobably turn out to be completely innocent-sometimes a human gets hold of one of our rings or pins,and then things get reallyconfusing. particularly if they wander into one of our dubs.Mary-Lynnette wasnt so sure. She had a terrible, terrible sick feeling. The way Jeremy unbroken to himself,the way he always seemed to be an outsider atschooleven his untamed good looks and his easy way ofmoving No, it all seemed to lead to one conclusion. She had solved the conundrum of Jeremy Lovett atlast, and it wasnot a happy ending.Kestrel said Okay, fine we can go check this Jeremy guy out. But what about Ash?What about Ash? Rowan said. The last stake wasout. She gently turned one side of the rugover the body of the goat, like a shroud.Well, dont you see? Its his dub flower. Somaybe somebody from his dub did it. Urn, I knowIm starting to sound like a brokenrecord, Mark said. But I dont know what youre talking about.Whos Ash?The deuce-ace sisters looked at him. Mary-Lynnette looked away. After so many missed opportunities, itwas going to sound passing peculiar when she casually mentioned that, oh, yes, shed met Ash. Twice.But she didnt have a choice anymore. She had to tell.Hes our brother, Kestrel was saying.Hes crazy, Jade said.Hes the only one from our family who migh.know that were here in Briar Creek, Rowan said.He found megiving a letter to Crane calcium hydroxide to smuggle off the island. But Idont think he noticedAuntOpals address on it. Hes not much good at noticing things that arent about him.You can say that again, Jade said. every(prenominal) Ashthinksabout is Ash. Hes completely self-centered.All he does is trail girls and party, Kestrel said,with one of those smiles that madeMary-Lynnette oddment if she really disapproved. And hunt.He doesnt like humans,Jade said. If he didnt like chasing human girls and contend with them, hedprobably be planning towipe out all the humans and take over the world.Sounds like a great guy, Mark said.Well, hes sort of conservative, Rowan said. Politically, I mean. Personally, hesLoose, Kestrel suggested, eyebrows up.To put it mildly, Jade agreed. Theres only onething he wants when he goes after human girlsbesides their cars, I mean.Mary-Lynnettes heart was pounding. With every second that passed it was getting harder to speak up.And every time she took a breath, somebody else started talking.0So, wait you think he did all this oversupply? Mark asked.I wouldnt put it yesteryear him, Kestrel said. Jade nodded vigorously.But his own aunt ,Mark said.Hed do it if he thought the honor of the familywas involved, Kestrel said.Yes, well, theres one problem with all that, Rowan said tightly. Ash isnt here. Hes inCalifornia.No, hes not, Ash said casually, from the back ofthe living room.