“Not at all. It was far too long ago. I’m lucky I remember my own name at this point.”
“You still went by your old name then,” Valerie said. “You were never a Victor, though. Didn’t suit you.”
“I barely remember that name either.” Vanessa suppressed a smile. “Although I do remember how furious Mother was that I refused to choose a new name off her list. She’d been adamant that, as the woman who suffered through the birth of twins, she’d earned the right to select the new one.”
Valerie’s laughter was high-pitched and helpless, almost girlish. “I seem to recall she favored the name Verbena. Can you imagine?”
“I’ve heard worse,” I said.
“Sit down,” Vanessa instructed. “Tell us more about this important issue that requires our particular talents.”
The sisters sat side by side on the L-shaped sofa. I tried to make myself comfortable on the end cushion of a settee, but the volume of decorative pillows made it impossible. I leaned awkwardly against a dog-shaped pillow and launched into my pitch. “Demonic harbingers called oni have made an appearance.”
Vanessa splayed a hand across her chest. “On Evermore?”
“Yes.” I shouldn’t have been surprised that they were clueless. Gossip wasn’t their currency. “The oni are said tobe an omen of things to come. Have either of you had any premonitions about them? I’d like to know what these ‘things’ are so I can prepare to fight them.”
“Not I,” Vanessa said.
“Nor I.” Valerie set aside her book. “Tell us more about these demon spirits.”
“No detail is unimportant,” Vanessa added.
I told them everything I knew from Kaito, as well as my own research. Then I pulled the long, thin blue hair from my pocket. “I have a piece of evidence that might help you focus. It came from the creature’s beard.”
“Ooh.” Vanessa snatched the hair from my hand to examine it more closely. “Itisblue. How fascinating.”
“Let me see, sister.” Valerie tried to wrench the hair from Vanessa’s tight fingers, which resulted in splitting the hair in two.
“Never mind,” Vanessa said. “It’s every bit as useful at this size.”
“Did this creature hurt anyone?” Valerie asked, studying the strand.
“No. They only put the fear of the gods into them. Like I said, they’re not here to attack anyone. They’re more like the darkening of the skies before a tornado. The opening act before a main event.”
“And you want us to tell you whether the tornado will be an F-1 or an F-5,” Vanessa said. “I can do that.”
“So can I,” Valerie said quickly, not to be outdone by her sister.
“My method is faster,” Vanessa said.
“Mine is more accurate,” Valerie shot back.
“Nonsense! My accuracy rate far exceeds yours. Everybody knows that.”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted, before they erupted into a full-scale argument. “I’d love to hear from both of you. Whatever you can tell me. Vanessa, if you’d like to start, that would great. I’m sure both perspectives will be helpful.”
Vanessa shot her sister a triumphant look. “Do you have a preference for my method? I can use tea leaves, but they take longer.”
“Whichever has been the most historically accurate method,” I told her.
Vanessa cleared her throat. “I should be able to get a vision from the hair alone.” She held up the strand and fixated on it to the point where she nearly looked cross-eyed.
Valerie smacked her sister’s leg. “You’re taking too long. Hurry up so I can have my turn.”
Vanessa’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, exposing the whites. I suddenly regretted not choosing the tea leaves.
“I see fragments,” Vanessa’s voice rumbled, low and ominous.
