Page 30 of Corvus and the Broken God

“See, you still know me.”

“Always.”

“Wait, your eyes.” He waved his hand over my face, and a trickling sensation washed over my face.

“Better.” He nodded and turned back. I followed him through the house to the front door, doing my best to keep my thoughts quiet for a change.

When I spotted Darryl and the two officers, my heart raced. Up until this moment, I was convinced my midnight transformation and flight had been a dream. But now they were here again, and based on last night’s trespassing, up to no good. Should I go hide my identification? I wore the same thing Darryl saw me in yesterday. Was that suspicious?

Quiet, Corvus. This is not a problem.

I took a deep breath, watching Darryl’s face as he spotted us. His brow furrowed, but he wasn’t intimidated by Camazotz. He should’ve been.

In the light of day, the older officer looked nothing like his attention-grabbing voice made him out in my mind, and yet it was the same man from my dream. “Excuse me, sir. We are looking for Freya Rook.” The same deep voice. His eyes found me. “Are you Freya Rook?”

“No, I am not.” It popped out of my mouth before I could reflect on what I was doing. And yet, it felt right to hide my identity from them. Did they have any photos? A missing person flyer? I didn’t think Matthew had any pictures of me on hand; I hadn’t climbed high enough on the corporate ladder to warrant one on the website. Plus, Comazotz hadn’t changed me back to my old self.

The officer looked at Darryl, a single look asked the obvious question. “She said her name was Freya. It’s an unusual name.”

I shook my head and looked confusedly between them.

“What can we help you with, gentlemen?” asked Camazotz, his voice quiet yet commanding.

All eyes turned to him. “Can we come inside and discuss this matter?” The older officer made a step toward the door, but my Monster moved in front of him, blocking his path.

“No. I’d prefer you state your intent here.”

The two men eyed each other, neither one backing down. Camazotz had at least a foot on the officer, but the shorter man didn’t seem intimidated. Clearly, he wasn’t used to people ignoring his suggestions. I almost hoped the human would make a wrong move. Camazotz glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. I apologized silently but could sense his amusement.

“We have a report on file for a missing woman, Freya Mason Rook. She went missing a few weeks ago. Her car broke down not far from your property.”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen her. Don’t you think she would have made her way down the mountain if she were stranded instead of scaling it?” He pointed to his driveway, which these men had just climbed.

“Is this your property, Mister…”

“Benjamin. No, I am just the keeper. This is hallowed ground and is protected. It is my job to make sure no one desecrates it.”

The officer didn’t bother to keep his thoughts hidden, disgust written all over his face. Darryl’s frown degenerated into a scowl. Only the younger officer looked composed. I wondered what the problem was. Why were they so intent on seeing inside the house?

“I’d like to speak with your lady friend, Mister Benjamin. What’s your name?” the older officer asked me.

“What’s your name?” I retorted instead of answering his question.

“Deputy Thompson, ma’am, and I’m curious why you’d tell Darryl here your name is Freya if that’s not the case.”

“No, Deputy Thompson, I didn’t tell him my name is Freya. Maybe he heard what he wanted to hear. But I only arrived a few days ago, and I wasn’t stranded on my way to somewhere else.”

“And how did you get here? What’s your name?”

“It’s Morrigan, and a friend dropped me off. She spent the first night here and then left the next day.”

He looked as if he didn’t believe me, but that was his problem.

“Do you have a card? In case we find something belonging to the missing girl?” Camazotz asked.

They didn’t like it, that much was clear, each man fighting his own frustration, but Deputy Thompson handed Camazotz a business card. They left reluctantly.

“Did you turn me into a crow last night?” I asked him as soon as they were out of earshot.