That made no sense.Shemade no sense.
“How did you get out?” I asked her, glancing back toward the open passageway to my domain, my words coming out gruffer than I’d intended.
“I… figured out the lock,” she said.
The lock? She must mean she’d moved one of my scythes, an action that had apparently triggered the door. I hadn’t factored for that possibility. How could I have when, until now, I’d always been the only one capable of entering my quarters in the first place?Orhandling my scythes.
Apparently, while others could not enter, they could exit.
Or was it possible that Helena was somehow… unique?
“Cedric is hunting her.” I blurted this out to Johann. Perhaps I was appealing to him to help me—to help Helena.
Before, I’d been so sure I’d stoked his anger by acting on my impulses—and telling him off. Maybe he wasn’t angry anymore. Maybe he’d never been. Sometimes, he was harder to read even than me. Whatever the case, I needed him to hear me on this. Flora, too.
Helena couldn’t be anywhere near Cedric, who was bound to return at any moment.
Unless…
“Relax,” Flora said before Johann could reply. “Pluto and I took a field trip to your McD’s and picked up the meddling tyrant.”
“We put the fries in the bag,” said the bird.
Flora raised the lantern, which swung on its hinge, the green light within crackling as though with displeasure and, likely, rage, confirming my suspicions about the lantern’s lone occupant. “Picked up a new chapeau for Johann while I was at it.”
“So oft is he perfectly coiffed,” added Pluto.
“The lady.” Johann paused to gesture to Helena. “She emerged from your chambers less than an hour ago. But that was enough time for her to explain what I already suspected. That Cedric’s behavior has become… ungentlemanly.”
“Putting it mildly,” said Helena through a snort, which she stifled the moment she regained my attention.
“It was Johann’s idea to park him for a spell,” said Flora as she plopped the lantern back down again—roughly. “When you said you killed Cedric and left him, Johann sent us to catch his soul before itcould return to his body. Had to chase him around a bit, and he put up a fight for sure, but Pluto helped me get him wrangled. Managed the task just as they were zipping the body bag.”
Florahad secured Cedric’s soul? The fight at the restaurant must have weakened the wizard somehow. Or else Johann’s bird was stronger than he seemed. Sometimes that bird made me wonder…
Whatever the case, I was glad her pursuit had kept Cedric too busy to rejoin his earthly form.
Which meant, at that moment, Cedric’s corpse was probably right back in a morgue drawer. Possibly even the same morgue or even the same drawer. The authorities would want to assume their John Doe had an identical twin, but that would be hard to conclude with the original body now missing. From what I understood, Cedric also had a fair number of identifying scars, including that brutal one on his neck.
How many fires could I set and leave roaring until another of The Few showed up to take names and crack skulls?Myskull.
“You’ll be glad to know Lady Helena understands the finer details of her situation now,” said Johann. “Flora and I took the liberty of elaborating on what a Fated Soul is. She mentioned how your conversation on the topic was… interrupted by our resident wizard.”
“Resident bampot more like,” added Flora under her breath.
Helena offered me a weak smile, but this did nothing to alleviate my growing confusion.Oranxiety.
“Johann and I guessed at what you must’ve been thinking when you brought the lass here,” said Flora, her own expression sobering. “That you assumed you’d both fare best if you contacted Sir White directly now and owned up to this guddle before it got worse. But Helena thought it might be better to let the situation… play out. Without, of course, Cedric’s meddling.”
Flora gave the lantern another nudge with her toe, inciting the green orb within to once again flare and flash in agitation.
“In the meantime,” said Johann, “Cedric can enjoy a much-needed… er… time-out here in the Hallows.”
“You’re going to keep him captive?” I asked.
“I think we’d better,” said Johann. “You said yourself you didn’t think it was a bad idea. Actually, to quote you directly, you said you didn’t think it was a ‘bad fucking idea,’ and after learning more about the situation, I must say I’ve come to agree.”
Flora’s mouth dropped into anO, her eyes rounding as they flashed my way, her expression half scandalized, half delighted since Johann rarely cursed.
