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Frustration surged through him. His dragon began to pace. She was clearly not pleased. Well, too bad. They were out of time.
Before she could come up with anything else, he powered through, addressing the mother and daughter. “Thank you, ladies, for coming over on such short notice.”
He made a few quick introductions and offers of refreshments, before speaking directly to Chris. “I apologize if I am about to come across a little more…” he paused as he attempted to tap down his frustration level a bit. “A little more direct,” he continued. “But you know more than you are telling us and I need to know what it is.”
Chris shifted uneasily in her chair, but it was her daughter who spoke first. “Mom, just tell them. People are dying!”
The rest of the pack looked on with rapt attention, but no one spoke.
Chris put her hand to her temple as she stifled a little sniffle. “I know, and I’m sorry,” she began as Bloom sat up in her chair, still seemingly unhappy with the tack Dax had decided to take. At the same time it was obvious she was also very much interested in what Chris might have to say.
“Just tell us what you know,” Dax said firmly.
“Dax, just give her a minute,” Bloom implored. “She’ll tell you everything. Right?” she added turning to Chris and holding her hand offering support.
Dax felt his dragon pacing. The tension was palpable.
Why does she have to keep undermining me in front of everyone?
He couldn’t allow his frustration with her to take over when the real enemy was out there. But he couldn’t just sit there and do nothing either.
“Don’t you all see the danger we are in? The danger our town is in? You saw the marks on their foreheads. You saw what they each did! For God’s sake, Dewey killed everything within a block…well, every plant. Next time it might not be just plants! The witches are still trying to understand what kind of twisted magic he was wielding. Lora doesn’t even understand it other than that it is all very high level – far beyond anything Dewey should be capable of.”
“We don’t know it was Dewey for sure,” Bloom said. Dax felt himself tense up at her interruption. “He is…was the nicest man you could ever meet,” she continued. “And he never hurt a fly. All he cared about was his gardening, and his flowers.”
“And amassing an army of broccoli to take over the world it seems,” Dayton quipped.
Dax gave him a subtle shake of the head. “Not the time.”
“Sorry,” he said, putting up his hands in apology.
“Cassius was also ‘just a big pussy cat’ but he totally destroyed that shop. We are lucky he didn’t hurt Tam. Do I have to say it again? Two people are dead.”
Chris had her head down and suddenly gripped the table. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Okay? I was frightened! You don’t know what those thugs can do. They don’t care about people. I was afraid they would come after us,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “And I couldn’t let anything happen to Kim. I just couldn’t!” She hugged her daughter.
“Tell us,” Dax commanded. “Please.”
His words had the desired effect, it seemed, and she snapped out of her upset and refocused.
“The drug. They knew. They knew what it can do. It’s amazing. Everybody said it gave them special abilities, or enhanced what they already had. Some even said it gave people magical powers. There were stories.” She paused and looked around at the assembled group for a second. “Like things I have heard you people talk about when you don’t think we’re listening. But I didn’t believe it. Wearetalking about people on drugs, after all. But stories of people turning into animals, and of casting spells. I just thought all that was the hallucinations or…” she trailed off. Then she looked around. “Now I don’t know what to think.”
Bloom squeezed her hand. “We are going to go see Etta soon. And the other women at the shop. It will all make sense to you then.”
“Yeah, but none of that matters. What matters and what I should have told you all right away,” she said as she seemed to build up her courage.
“And what about that red mark they have on their foreheads? What’s that about?”
“That’s how you do it. It comes on a card and you heat and wet it.” Chris was saying, struggling to catch her breath as the words poured out of her.
“Heat a card?” Dayton said, as he cocked his head, as if he weren’t sure he had heard right.
“Yeah, it’s supposed to go right to your “third eye” or something. That’s what they say,” she continued.
“And if they have that mark, does it mean they’re on it?” Rollo asked.
“Not exactly, I don’t think. Maybe at first, but the more you do it, the less it fades, till I don’t think it ever goes away. Doesn’t matter how long. Course once you start doing it you don’t want to stop. Supernova’s supposed to be amazing and only get better and better with every hit for about a month,” she added. Then finally slowing down, she looked around and added, “after that, people start getting sick…really sick. Or worse. Usually worse. Like dead worse.”
“Cassius and Dewey.”
