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"Yours?"
"Of course."
Esus pursed his lips. "A full pint."
"Half before and half after."
"Agreed."
Esus dictated instructions for setting up the sacrificial circle. Then I helped Lucas draw the blood. Not for the squeamish. I'd put in plenty of volunteer hours at blood donor clinics, but our methods that night were, shall we say, a tad more primitive, involving a penknife and a bra. As a tourniquet, there's no better suited item of clothing, nor one that is less likely to be missed. And if it got bloodstained, well, I never turn down an opportunity to freshen my lingerie wardrobe.
Once the blood was drawn, I untied the makeshift tourniquet and repositioned it over the wound. Lucas held his arm up to slow the flow, then turned to Esus.
"Sufficient?" Lucas said.
"Red silk," Esus said. "Bonny. Dare I assume there are matching panties?" His gaze slid down me, grin turning to a leer, which, considering he was in the shriveled corpse of an old woman, was less than flattering. "Maybe I asked for the wrong sacrifice."
"Sorry, no virgins here," I said.
"Ne'er been that keen on virgins myself. And I'll take red silk over white lace any day. Tell you what, dump sorcerer-laddie here, and you and I--"
Lucas cleared his throat. "What can you tell us about the killer?"
"Afraid of a wee competition, senor?"
Lucas raked a pointed look over Esus's current corporeal form. "No, not really."
"Och, I'll find a better body, of course." Esus turned to me. "Blond or brunette?"
"I kinda like what I've got," I said. "Sorry."
"Oh, I can do that, too. Dinnae see the attraction, but--"
"We had a deal," Lucas said. "Now, we found records of Cabal children on Everett's computer and a program that selected potential victims. What we want to know is--"
"Who bought the data," Esus said. He closed his eyes and intoned a low hum, dragging the note out for a few seconds. "That which you seek can be found in a land inhabited by neither the dead nor the ever-living. Like you, yet nae like you. A hunter, a stalker, an animal heart in a--"
Lucas cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should define clear and comprehensible."
"Perhaps we should define dull and boring." When Lucas only stared at him, Esus sighed. "Have it your way. He's earthbound. Human. Now that's information that Everett himself couldnae give you because he ne'er saw the man. I caught a glimpse of him at the courthouse, when he killed that bairn. Damned Cabal shamans put up a barrier to keep me outside, so I couldnae help Everett. I was trying to find a kink in the armor when the dobber grabbed the bairn. Didnae get a good look at him, thocht."
"Why not?" Jaime said. "I thought you were all-seeing."
"All-knowing, nae all-seeing," he snapped. "I'm a god, nae Santa Claus."
"But if you're all-knowing--" she began.
I elbowed her to silence. I doubted gods, even minor Celtic deities, appreciated having their shortcomings pointed out.
"What can you tell us about him?" I asked. "From the glimpse you got?"
"Male, corporeal human form, light hair, average size, and fast as Thor's thunderbolt. Stabbed that poor bairn so fast he didnae have time to scream. Your man has killing experience, and lots of it. In the auld days, priests made a dozen sacrifices to me every spring, and none of them was as good at it as this fellow."
"Back to the files, then. How did that come about?"
"The way most jobs come about. Networking. After the Nasts fired Everett--oh, and do you know why they fired him? Because some sorcerer's laddie wanted the job for his co-op. Obviously, Everett wasnae happy. He was looking for a wee bit of revenge, maybe shooting his gob off too much. This guy found out, called and asked Everett if he wanted to make some cash hacking into Cabal employee files. Everett figured the guy was looking to recruit Cabal employees. Happens all the time."
I nodded. "Then he asked for employee files for the Cortez, Nast, and St. Cloud Cabals."
