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NaNoWriMo 2011 Part 7

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By the time Kim awoke, her mother had fled back to the gallery. Her father was doing something in the yard around the house that she was sure the neighbors would mistake for gardening, and she told him where she was going before taking off. Mrs. Sinha let her in very reluctantly, and she found Mithra in her room, still in bed, covers folded over her legs as she played on her computer. She sat up when Kim came in and smiled.

"How're you doing?" Kim asked, shutting the door.

"Actually, pretty okay." Mithra pressed the spot on her chest where Bedelia had dug her nails in. "A little bruised but whatever."

"What'd your mum say?"

"She thinks I'm really sick I guess. She's pretty much let me be."

"That's good."

KIm sat on the edge of the bed and folded her hands into her lap. "I'm really sorry, Mithra.'

She blinked. "What for? You didn't even do anything?"

"It's my fault she went after you. If it weren't for that stupid staff--"

"No, listen," Mithra said, leaning forward. "Your life is crazy, I get that, but that doesn't mean it's your fault. You didn't do anything to make her attack me. If anything it's my fault. You didn't even like Morgan, I think. I was the one who wanted to hang out with her."

"Yeah, but you couldn't have known. The staff should've given me some kind of warning or, I don't know. Anything."

"And it didn't, so you couldn't have known either. Which makes it Bedelia's fault."

Kim smiled. "I'm still sorry. If you weren't friends with me you wouldn't even be dealing with this."

"Also my fault," Mithra pointed out. "So there. You can't feel sorry for anything."

"At least let me feel a little self-pity."

"Alright. But only because I think you need it to live."

Kim laughed and hugged her friend. There was always some fear in her that Mithra would turn and run, and this was the end of that feeling.

---


Hui-ying stared into the blood splattered room, holding her hand against her mouth and nose. There was a man behind her who had introduced himself as Leod. His white coat was cleanly pressed and his old-fashioned fedora being carried in his hand. His expression was not of horror and disgust but of concern. The remains of Bedelia had already been packaged away, and now there were the leftovers to deal with.

"Hui," Anselm said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "The others need help."

"Y-yes, of course." She peeled her eyes away from the room and offered a wavering smile to Leod. "It'll take days to set it up right again."

He offered only a consoling glance before putting his hat back on and stepping into the room. Anselm waited at the door. He had already seen enough.

"Your girl saw nothing?" Leod called out, removing a purple handkerchief and wiping the unsullied chair where the broken ankh still lay.

"Hortense was attending to disturbance in the main room," he replied. "She didn't return until she heard the witch's screams."

"And when she came in--"

"She was dead. Whoever entered here was tricky enough to not be seen."

"You said Bedelia snuck in at least once."

He breathed out. "This time the only thing that set off the wards were the objects in the other room. Whoever did this was completely cloaked."

Leod lifted up the handkerchief and stared at the black grime that had come off on it. "I'd say so."

"Obviously if there's--"

"And you don't think she was after the staff."

Anselm gestured to the warehouse. "It wasn't touched."

"I'd like to see it anyway. I'll need to the full story on it."

Anselm attempted not to seethe through his teeth. "Of course. Right away."

He marched over to where Hui-ying was gathering up objects and glowered back at Leod.

"I do not like him," he said.

She grimaced. "You don't like that he's touching your things. Anselm, I'm very concerned."

"So am I! If someone is breaking in and disrupting my things--"

"I'm worried about my daughter," she snapped. "What if this person was after the staff and just decided to go through Hakimi to get it. Bedelia said more would come, didn't she? What should we do?"

Anselm looked at his friend and sighed. "I suppose we should find some means to take her away from it."

"Couldn't they help?" She gestured to Leod.

"...I suppose," he admitted reluctantly. "I think he wants to speak with her."

"Fine. If it'll help I'll bring her down. I'm just so worried. What if we can't keep her safe?"

"You've protected her so far." He squeezed her hand. "Hortense can drum something up for your home I'm sure. And I suppose for that other girl."

"Mithra."

"If we're going to start involving people we might as well make sure they're safe."

Hui-ying allowed a small smile of relief. "And does our guest know anything yet?"

"No." Anselm glared at the man as best he could. "I'm sure he'll find something."

---


Kim found Geoffy sitting in the reception area, arms crossed as he curled up in one of the chairs. Hortense was not there, which was the only surprise. She kicked him to let him know she was there. He looked up from his game.

"Hey," he said. "How're you?"

"Tired, mostly." She sat beside him. "What's going on inside?"

"Dunno. A white suit's taking care of things. I'm supposed to stay out here." He sat up. "What happened last night?"

Kim told him. He cringed with her and said consoling things at appropriate times. She apologized for calling and worrying him. She asked if he knew if Bedelia had been taken away yet.

"Dunno," he said. "I haven't seen her."

"That's good at least." She folded her legs against her chest. "I hope I never have to see her again."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Hortense said as she entered the room. "She's gone for good."

"They took her away?" Geoffy asked. "I missed it."

"Someone else snuck in last night." She slid a finger under her throat.

"What?" they asked together.

"Someone came in and killed her."

Kim stared at her. "What happened?"

Hortense shrugged. "No clue. That's what what's-his-face is looking at. He's real cute too."

"But--" Kim was still wrapping her mind around the news. "You didn't just leave her."

"The artifacts were going insane. I had to deal with that. When I came back..." She shrugged. "Someone else must've broken in. Someone I never saw and who did the whole thing in under five minutes. I literally walked outside, poke around, heard her screaming, and ran back in. She was already dead."

"Oh," Geoffy said, glancing at his friend. "Then that guy in there is--"

"Trying to figure out who did it."

"Does he have any ideas?"

"Well, since we also have security cameras, which show absolutely nothing, our options are--" She counted them off on her fingers. "--vampire, fae, a really powerful sorcerer, or a ghost."

"Wow."

Kim bit her lip. "Is my mum here?"

Hortense nodded. "You want me to get her?"

"No, I can find her."

Hortense hesitated but didn't stop her from entering the warehouse. She saw the two other men working on gathering the objects, and there was her mother, chatting with the tall man in all white. She walked up slowly and realized they were standing right in front of the staff. She walked a little slower, but her mother looked up and saw her, waving her over.

"Darling," she said. "This is Mr. Leod. He came to take Bedelia away."

"Hortense told me what happened," Kim said, allowing her mother to fold her into her arms. "Is it true?"

"Erm." Mrs. Zhi glanced to the man in white. "Unfortunately. I was explaining to Leod about the staff."

Kim glanced over Leod. She supposed if Prince Charming was going to exist, he was going to look like this. He was all pushed back hair and perfect teeth and baby blue eyes. There was something else about him though, and maybe it was just the all white suit--even down to the shoes--and the old fashioned cut of it that made her want to stand as far away as possible.

"You're Kim, I assume," he said. He grinned at her, leaning down to get closer to her level, and she tried to inch away. "You're bonded to the staff, aren't you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am."

"Good. I need to look at the staff to understand what happened."

"It's not..." She glanced at the staff. To say it returned to sleep would be a lie. She could feel its presence. It wasn't talking to which, which was great. Tasting the words in her head were bad enough, but she was more than a little upset at it. Still, it remained quiet, like it was watching them.

"It's not doing anything," she finished her thought. "It was pretty active last night, but lately it's been quiet."

If this mattered to his investigation, it wasn't apparent. He took the staff and once again it was laid out on the table. Kim glanced back and saw Aremana standing by a small room in the back. For a moment the scent of iron and blood filled her nose, and she almost stumbled back, gripping the table for support. The staff sparked briefly in her mind, but she tried not to let it show in her face. Leod did not have fancy equipment like Aremana did, instead waving his hand over it. He murmured things she couldn't hear, and she saw his eyes glance over her before he pulled away.

"We're hoping of finding some way to remove the bond," Mrs. Zhi was saying. "If what Bedelia said was true--"

"What did Bedelia say?" Kim asked suddenly.

"She, er, warned Aremana others would come to take the staff."

"Is that what happened?" She looked at Leod. "But they didn't take the staff."

"Bedelia did disappear for a few centuries," Leod said. "It's possible she still had enemies about."

"We're still not sure what happened," her mother said. "We're not going to worry yet."

Kim took note of Leod's expression and decided to ignore him.

"Kim," he said, "could you hold the staff for me?"

She stared at him. "Why?"

"I want to see the response."

Her mother nodded in encouragement. Kim hesitated only a moment before gripping the staff in her hand. There was a moment when nothing happened, and then the fire flickered up her arm and into her chest. It wasn't the impact it had been in the past. This time warmth flooded into her, and while colors danced in the corner of her eyes, she was still there in the room. It was a welcome change. It felt good.

Leod was staring at her. She dropped it immediately.

"Are you alright?" her mother asked.

"Fine," Kim breathed. "It didn't even hurt."

She reached out to mother her, but Kim ducked away.

"If it's alright," she said, "I'm gonna go back to sitting with Geoffy."

"Of course." Her mother nodded. "We'll be here."

Kim left as quickly as she could. She returned to the reception area. Hortense had returned to whatever she had been doing, and Geoffy was trying to keep himself amused. She sat back down beside him and kicked her legs up in his lap. He glared at her but not very strongly.

"You talk to Mithra?" he asked.

"Yup. She's doing surprisingly well."

"That's good. You really freaked me out last night."

"I said sorry about that." She sighed. "To be fair I was under a lot of stress."

"Sure."

She curled up, hugging her jacket tighter. "Have you talked to that Leod guy?"

He shook his head.

"He's such a creeper."

"Does he know anything?"

"He didn't say anything to me."

"Not even about the staff?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Mum's hopeful, but no one knows anything about it."

"I bet he'll take it back to the main council. They have to know something."

"Yeah," Kim said. "You're probably right."

---


If Leod was still around, Kim didn't know it. The next time she returned to gallery, it was a few days later, and by that time Leod was gone. Mithra came as well. At this point it was no use trying to keep anything a secret. She still wasn't allowed in the main warehouse, but that didn't bother anyone. They mostly stopped by to grab Geoffy, but today Kim needed to sneak in to speak to her mother.

"I have no idea what he thinks," Mrs. Zhi said. "We may not know for a while."

Kim tried not to let her disappointment show, but it was obviously read on her face.

"You know I'd tell you the minute we knew anything," she said.

"I know." She sighed. "I just wanted to be sure."

Her mother hugged her. "You're wearing the necklace your father gave you, aren't you?"

"Of course." She kept it hidden underneath her shirt, but she felt safer having it. "All the time."

"Good. I'll see you tonight."

Kim was leaving, and she paused in front of the staff. It was still alive, still waiting for her, and as she moved closer, the warmth began to bloom in her chest again. She'd avoided it for so long, but it had left her when she needed it most. She didn't want to wield it. It couldn't force her to. As soon as she thought to lodge the complaint, she found herself holding the staff. Fire thrust over her arm, and suddenly she was somewhere else, not part of the physical world. The staff was staring at her as much as a staff could.

"This is your fault!" she shouted, too angry to comprehend the circumstances of the conversation. "I just wanted you to let me go!"

The staff said nothing. She wanted to hurl her fists at it.

"You would've let Mithra die over letting me go!"

No came the voice in her head, pounding against her temple with its force. She clutched her forehead. I wanted to make you stronger.

"That wasn't strength! It was stubbornness!"

If you had allowed me to help you, she would still have been spared.

"That's not the point!" She almost reached out to grab it, but the lack of physicality made that hard. "I asked you to give me up. I don't want you! I don't want this power! I liked the life I was living."

You have so much potential in you.

"You can't force me to use it. You can't force me to use you."

You have enemies.

"You have enemies! You have people coming after you! You're forcing me to fight them!"

I need a wielder.

"But you don't need me. You could've chosen Hortense or Professor Aremana or, hell, even my mum or Geoffy. Why did it have to be me?"

The staff was silent for a moment. For a brief, solitary moment she believed she may have convinced it.

Power, it said, is a corrupter. Minds that seek power, even if their intentions are just, do not understand how to wield it. You do not wish to wield me. You fear the magic I bring. It is best that you are the one to hold me.

"That's messed up," she murmured. After a moment she sighed, rubbing her face. "Unfortunately I'm getting used to you, which is even more messed up. At least you stopped attacking me."

I did not deem it the best way to get your attention.

"And the headaches?"

I am simply reminding you that I am here.

"I don't appreciate that. Next time someone's life is on the line, you do what I say."

Next time someone's life is on the line, perhaps you'll learn to trust me.

In that moment she was released. She was back in the warehouse, blinking under the fluorescent lights. No one appeared to have noticed her. She fled quickly before they could.

---


The three of them had moved to the park in an attempt to get away from their houses. A fresh layer of frost covered the swings and the playground, and they walked the length around it to keep warm. Kim told them of her conversation with the staff, and they considered what to do about it.

"Maybe you can convince it," Mithra said, kicking up a pile of leaves. There was a small stream that ran the length around the playground which she'd been attempting to kick various things into. "If you're not going to use it, then there's no point of it keeping you around."

"But I do keep using it," Kim pointed out. "Which is entirely its fault. What am I supposed to do if that crazy person who killed Bedelia comes back?"

"Run, probably," Geoffy said. She poked him in the ribs. "You probably shouldn't be dealing with him anyway."

"Yeah, even if you have the staff," Mithra agreed. "Isn't that what the dudes in white are supposed to be dealing with?"

Briefly, Geoffy had tried to explain to them how the main council worked, which even Kim was a little sketchy on. The main function appeared to be old guys in white suits who policed magic with various arbitrary rules to keep anyone from going dark. Leod was the first time she or Geoffy had ever met a white-suited man. It was probably a good summation for the rest of the council.

Kim dug her shoe into the ground. "I still have to defend myself from a million other people who want the power of Merlin or whatever."

"Hortense is gonna put up all those wards or whatever," Geoffy said. "And you said your dad was putting some stuff up."

"Yeah, but..." She glanced at her friends. "I mean you guys aren't safe either. Mithra almost got canned."

"Totally fine," Mithra said. "Not even a little traumatized."

"You got hurt."

"Mostly my feelings. Definitely don't enjoy feeling used."

Kim pouted, feeling her point drifting away. "Still. It's all Myrddin's fault."

"Maybe that guy will know what to do," Geoffy said, resting a hand compassionately on her shoulder. "Then we won't have to worry anymore."

"Yeah," Kim sighed. "Here's hoping."

---


Here in the darkness, blood still flecked her fingers. It caused them stir, long tendrils of blackness reaching out inquisitively. She let them lick it away from her. It was the most she'd seen them awake in millenia. She had to be careful next time she stepped through the veil. They may attempt to follow.

One bird put down quite easily. Now there was the matter of the staff and its wielder. She would find him, and then she would end him, and then there would be no one who could stand up to her.

---


Kim was studying, but not very well. Winter break was almost upon them, and outside more sleet was coming. Ashley and Thomas had been asking her if she'd come home for Christmas, which seemed a likely possibility. They still had family in London and other places, so it wouldn't be too much of a trip to stop by. Her parents had been slightly reluctant recently, possibly fearing what would happen if they got too far from the safety of the gallery and their now protected home, but Kim figured with all that had been happening, she deserved a little break.

These were the thoughts that were going through her head when suddenly she felt a small tingle on the back of her neck. She brushed her hair back nervously and sat up, curious what was causing the sensation. Just cold, she determined, but no. Sparks burst in her mind. They were warning her. Quickly she went to the window to look outside. Her front lawn was cast in blue from the ice and the streetlamps, the bushes slowly losing any foliage they had left. The flowerbeds were empty and hard brown from the frozen soil, and there was no one on the cracked concrete. The cars lay like dead statues covered in ice and sleet and snow. Everything was deathly quiet, the birds long gone for warmer weather, the small furry rodents buried in their homes for the winter. Not a sound, not a breath. There was something across the street, shrouded in darkness, as in literally wearing the darkness as a shroud. The form was hard to make out, and there was a flash of red, and then it turned away and disappeared as if it'd never been there at all.

Kim stood at her window a moment longer, breath fogging against the glass. She pulled away, closed the curtain, and curled up in a ball in her bed. She could barely close her eyes that night. The darkness was waiting.

---


Kim told her parents of the incident, but there was little to do. The wards appeared to be holding in place, and her dad went around the house again, doing what he could. It was decided that she would go to school, the gallery, and then home and nowhere else. If someone was waiting for her, the less time she spent unprotected the better. She could still hang with Mithra and Geoffy, but their choices were the reception area of the gallery or her house, and that quickly became old. Her friends were ever faithful though. The dreams were stopping as well, and though the staff still left little tricks in her mind, it was beginning to fade away. Maybe it took what she said to heart. Maybe it would finally leave her alone.

All went well until winter break came. They were given three weeks off and to Kim's disappointment they wouldn't be able to go back for Christmas. Her aunt and uncle and great-aunt were going to visit them here, but she still had to tell Ashley and Thomas the bad news. Other than that she was basically trapped at home, with only her laptop and occasionally Mithra and Geoffy for company. Finally cabin fever became too much. She took a walk to the gallery, and she took the long way.

It felt good to be outside. She loved the way the cold stung at her cheeks and the way ice crunched beneath her boots. She kicked up some snow for a while and played with it between her gloves. Greenery still survived here, and while pine needles were everywhere, it was a pleasant sight to still see the tall thin trees bearing leaves in protest of winter. She paused as she passed the pond, which was nearly completely frozen over. In the middle of the day there were a few kids running around, but it was almost entirely empty. She closed her eyes and let the wind brush her hair back and stood there. She almost got to enjoy herself, until she felt the hair rise on the back of her neck and spark in the back of her head and she turned around. Not two feet from her was a woman standing barefoot in the snow. No, her feet barely brushed against the top of the snow, her tattered red dress swirling around her legs. Her shoulders were bare against the wind, as were her arms, and her hair was tangled and thick and flying every which way in the breeze. Her eyes were almost impossibly to make out, hidden by darkness and by wayward strands of hair, and she appeared to be staring with nothing at all. She didn't smile, the way Bedelia had. She didn't cackle or make any sort of noise at all. She reached out a hand gently, so silently that Kim didn't even realize what she was doing until her fingers brushed against her cheek. She continued to stare at her, darkness ebbing around her feet and her arms and where the tips of her hair disappeared into nothing. Her fingers curled beneath Kim's chin, and she tilted her head with fascination.

"Is this all?" she said.

She withdrew almost as quickly as she had come, the darkness closing around her and then disappearing altogether. Kim still felt the pressure of her fingers and the hard edge of her nails against her skin. Her mouth popped open and she tried to stutter out something before simply falling to her knees in the snow, still watching the same spot.

She ran the rest of the way to the gallery. She didn't stop at all until she threw herself through the doors and nearly collapsed on Hortense's desk. The secretary carried her to the chair and let her rest there as she got her water, and her mother appeared sometime after that. Kim must've looked a mess, her hair going everywhere, out of breath, sweating despite the cold. It took time for her to calm down and to tell them all the story, and after that they let her rest and went off to discuss what to do.

---


At some point Kim felt well enough that she could wander into the gallery. She saw her mother having a very serious conversation with Aremana off in the doorway to her office, and she made her way over there. She passed the staff and felt a jolt up her spine, but she only acknowledged it with a glare. At least it had thought to warn her this time. Perhaps they could reach an understanding yet.

As she approached the words the adults were sharing got quieter. Aremana turned without a word and stalked off. Mrs. Zhi took her daughter into her arms and then led her into the office.

"This is very troubling news," she said as Kim collapsed into one of the chairs. She'd had to strip away nearly every layer due to the adrenaline and the fear and the running. Her side ached. If this was going to be a thing she'd need to start working out.

"Do you think it's the same person?" she asked. "The one who killed Bedelia?"

Her mother did not look at her, instead focusing on the computer in front of her. "It's very possible. You said she just disappeared."

"It was--" She felt a bit silly saying it. "It was like she was never there."

"Why didn't you say something when you saw her the first time?"

Kim had ended up mentioning the figure she'd seen outside her window, imagining it to be the same person. "I don't know. That time it really was like she wasn't there. It was a trick of the light or one of the neighbors. Not everything I see is going to kill me."

She really didn't like how her mother didn't answer that. Silence fell over the room, and Mrs. Zhi folded her hands and leaned forward.

"You shouldn't leave the house," she said. "At all. When you're with us, fine, but this woman is dangerous. She might actually kill you."

"Mum--"

"No. I'm putting my foot down about this. I'll tell Anselm to bring Geoffy over, lord knows what that boy's doing by himself all day, but you cannot leave the house."

Her mother was very serious about this. Kim relented.

"Good," she said. "You can stay here until I leave."

Kim leaned back, folding her arms in front of her. "What was the professor so upset about?"

Her mother rolled her eyes. "I'm going to call that man, Leod, and ask him to come back. He isn't happy about that."

Kim wasn't happy about that either, but it made sense. There was something different about this woman. She wasn't something they could handle on their own.

---


And thus winter break became more a prison sentence than an actual vacation. Her father was nice about it at least. He came out of his study occasionally to watch movies with her and they cooked meals together and even maintain some of the wards they put around the house. There was an entire Saturday where they painted every single window with a thick brown liquid that they used to create intricate patterns and symbols. He washed over them with something else that made the actual paint disappear, but sometimes if she moved just right under the right lighting she could still see them there. Mithra came over as often as she could, but she was often on babysitting duty, and Geoffy was starting to spend every day there. He found an old Super Nintendo for ten dollars and a bunch of games for it, so they spent a lot of days playing Mario and Donkey Kong. It wasn't the worst vacation, and on Christmas morning she got a call from her friends online, and they chatted face to face for an hour before she went downstairs for presents. She had a good haul that year, and some packages came in the mail a little later, which was extra nice. Her closet was now stocked with cute clothes and boots and Geoffy got her some books on magic that she actually ended up enjoying. She bought him a little plush sheep to remind him of home, and for Mithra she got her a rainbow belt, something small that wouldn't give her away. Mithra got her an assortment of teas from India, and she had fun trying a new one each day. There was only a week after that before they returned to school, and Kim spent it by herself mostly, which she didn't actually mind. Sometimes she would look outside and think she saw something, and Mister Leod returned to ask her a few questions, but there wasn't anything she could tell him. After that, it was Monday, and she was once again in her school uniform wearing three pairs of leggings underneath the skirt to keep herself warm.

Her mother still expected her to to go straight home every day, which was fine, since Mithra could drive her now. Sometimes they hung out, but mostly Kim went straight into her room, worked on her homework a while, and then moped around the house out of boredom. Being locked up was wearing on her once more, and finally she was allowed free for the evening, so long as she promised to keep her phone on and stay inside somewhere. That wasn't a problem at all. It was still too cold to enjoy the outdoors properly, and instead Geoffy, Mithra, and she all went to the mall to walk around and then potentially see a movie. It surprised her when Geoffy knew people, but she supposed he couldn't spend all his time locked up in Aremana's house (wherever that was).

Being cooped up wasn't the worse thing in the world. She certainly felt safer inside. Even if Mithra dismissed any kind of danger from associating with her, she still felt bad for any situation she might put her in. And there were moments when she thought she saw something from the corner of her eye, the empty unseen eyes of the woman in red watching her. These moments were fleeting and always seemed imagined, but she was never quite sure. Her dreams as well were no longer of forests and lakes and the thick smell of earth. She would still lay in that forest, but there was a darkness overhanging her. She couldn't see the tops of the trees or much beyond the place where she lay. Fear and dread began to bleed into her mind when she slept, and she tried not to carry the trepidation with her during the day. It was the next time she saw the figure pass briefly in front of her house that she thought to ask questions.

---


Kim assumed she would get in trouble if this was her plan. Supposedly she could've told one of the many adults in her life what she wanted to do, but she thought they might stop her. She didn't even tell Geoffy or Mithra. She made up her mind and just needed an opportunity. The last time she spoke to the staff, no one appeared to have noticed, but they were extra careful with her now. It was possible she could sneak in, but she had to be sure.

Saturday she took the excuse of boredom to go back to the gallery. Geoffy was working on some school project instead of moping like he normally did, and she pretended to be surprised when she arrived. Hortense offered her apathy and irritation as always, and she went in to say hello to her mother. Mrs. Zhi had to shelve items for the rest of the day, which meant she was busy in the back of the warehouse. If Aremana was lurking about, he didn't show himself. She was grateful for that. She did ask if the man in white Leod had ever returned any answers, but she was only returned annoyed looks and silence, so she supposed the answer was no.

Kim wasn't supposed to be wandering around by herself, and really she was supposed to go home, except she'd brought her homework as an excuse, so for a while she pretended to be curled up in her mother's office. After a while of staring at her textbook she stood up, stuck her head out, and then made her way over to the staff. It had been waiting for her. It knew what she wanted the moment she walked in. For once, she was entirely aware when she grabbed onto the staff, and she wasn't scared.

Again the fire absorbed her in only a moment, and once again she was in another place. Maybe it was her mind. Maybe it was his.

This is the first time you sought me out. His voice filled her head like a drum. She no longer cringed.

"I'm tired of being stalked by these--people," she said. "Bedelia's gone, but she's replaced by something worse."

The staff did not take form to her here, but she imagined his face tense, his shoulders hunched in thought. The image came to her so vividly she was surprised it wasn't the form he would take.

"Who is she?" she asked imploringly. "What is she? How is she doing this?"

She is... There was a pregnant pause, filled with memories. We share a father, in a way. We have always shared a rivalry. She means to destroy me.

"And me?"

Possibly. She is complicated.

"This doesn't answer any of my questions," Kim said. "Who is she?"

She has taken a few names. Arada was how I knew her.

"Arada," she murmured. "And she's some kind of super awesome sorceress?"

Her power comes from a different source. She spends much of her time in the veil.

"The what?"

A place beyond consciousness. There are beings there that feed on darkness. She has harnessed them for her own means.

"Is that how she travels?"

It allows her to peer into the world at any time or place she pleases. You are protected. That is good. But you will not be protected everywhere.

For a moment there was a pulse of black. It felt as though she blinked. She rubbed her eyes, but there was only the rainbow colors of the fire.

You will not be protected here.

And suddenly the darkness opened up in front of her. She saw the woman's--Arada's--face, her arms reaching out to grab her. The fire pulsed in response, attempting to absorb her, and Kim fell back, landing on the floor, the fire disappearing in the air. Arada was still crawling after her, her hair in long tendrils behind her. Her ragged nails scraped against the stone, and Kim screamed, holding the staff in a line against her. Fire reputed from it, and Arada screeched but did not stop, scratching her nails against the wood. Her eyes were blank and dead, but her lips curled back into a smile.

"Stop her!" she screamed, and the fire rose up in a wall against her. The darkness closed around her once more, and Kim dropped the staff.

Nothing remained, but the air was heavy with magic. The cold scent of the darkness where Arada had come from filled her nostrils. She covered her nose and staggered up. She heard the heavy footsteps of someone running over to her, and she saw her mother. This was not going to be easy to explain.
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