to talk.
Catskinner's reply was to lash out to the shelf next to me. Something dark blurred past her head and exploded into pottery shards against the far wall. He grabbed another one and it detonated at her feet. The next one he crushed in my hand and threw a handful of red-brown dust in her face.
Now I was seeing real fear on her face. “Stop it!” she cried out.
Catskinner snatched up a bit of crystal and snapped it against the shelf, shattering it. With one of the shards he thrust forward, cutting her robe across her chest without touching the skin below it. He snapped the shard to one side and it embedded in the shelf.
“ it stops when you talk .”
“The book!” she shouted at me. “His book was in the safe.”
I felt Catskinner pull back.
“Book?” I asked. “What book?”
“The Book of Thoth.” She glared at me defiantly.
“Thoth, huh? Egyptian guy, head like a bird or something? That Thoth?” I took another step towards her, she took another step back.
“You don't know anything.”
“So tell me, and then I'll know. Where's Thoth's book now?”
“Gone. Dissipated.” With a contemptuous glare. I wanted to slap that look off her face.
“So you were just there for kicks, then? Just because you get off on killing people?”
“There were no people there. Unnatural things.”
I was starting to lose my temper. “Unnatural? As opposed to what you did to Godiva, which was perfectly natural?”
Damn. I hadn't wanted to mention Godiva. The response was gratifying, though. Her eyes widened and she backed up a few more steps. She hadn't expected me to know about Godiva.
I pressed on. We were by the stairs now. “How do you think I got your address?”
“Godiva wanted it done.”
“And that makes it okay to leave her—”
She interrupted me by laughing. “You're an idiot.”
“Maybe so, but I know evil when I see it.” I walked closer. She backed away through the arch to the left. I could see more of her house now. A conversational grouping, matching chairs and couch, polished blond wood and brown leather. It looked expensive.
“Evil? With that reaver inside you?”
“Reaver?”
i do reave upon occasion.
Thanks, I know.
shall i scare her some more?
Not just yet.
She was looking at me closely, as if she could sense my internal conversation. Deliberately she took two slow steps back. I followed her.
“Where are you going?” I asked sharply.
She spread her hands. “You tell me.”
“I like this room. We'll stay right here.”
She planted her feet and folded her arms and glared.
She was right about one thing—I didn't know half of what I needed to, and I didn't even know the right questions to ask.
“Who else was with you?”
“Just me and my imaginary friends.”
Okay, your turn.
Catskinner lashed out and slapped her across the face, hard enough to knock her off balance. With my other hand he grabbed the front of her robe and yanked. She fell, naked, and Catskinner tossed the torn pieces of the robe behind me.
Now there was real fear in her eyes. She crawled backwards and Catskinner stalked towards her, driving her back to where a plate glass door separated the room from the fenced back yard. Idly I noticed there was a large in-ground pool. Typical.
“ you live on an island gathering shells on the shore and you think that you can control the tides because you can reckon their rise and fall. you see the surface of the waves and you think you know the sea. ”
She scrambled backwards, her eyes wide with panic. She reached the glass door, pressed up against it, Catskinner bent down to put my face close to hers. I could feel his death's head rictus on my face.
“you walk across the skin of this world and you think the ground is solid under foot. you close your eyes when you fall under the shadow of great black wings, and you tell yourself the sun will rise again.”
“but you know,” –he reached out to brush my fingers across her arms, crossed
Catskinner's reply was to lash out to the shelf next to me. Something dark blurred past her head and exploded into pottery shards against the far wall. He grabbed another one and it detonated at her feet. The next one he crushed in my hand and threw a handful of red-brown dust in her face.
Now I was seeing real fear on her face. “Stop it!” she cried out.
Catskinner snatched up a bit of crystal and snapped it against the shelf, shattering it. With one of the shards he thrust forward, cutting her robe across her chest without touching the skin below it. He snapped the shard to one side and it embedded in the shelf.
“ it stops when you talk .”
“The book!” she shouted at me. “His book was in the safe.”
I felt Catskinner pull back.
“Book?” I asked. “What book?”
“The Book of Thoth.” She glared at me defiantly.
“Thoth, huh? Egyptian guy, head like a bird or something? That Thoth?” I took another step towards her, she took another step back.
“You don't know anything.”
“So tell me, and then I'll know. Where's Thoth's book now?”
“Gone. Dissipated.” With a contemptuous glare. I wanted to slap that look off her face.
“So you were just there for kicks, then? Just because you get off on killing people?”
“There were no people there. Unnatural things.”
I was starting to lose my temper. “Unnatural? As opposed to what you did to Godiva, which was perfectly natural?”
Damn. I hadn't wanted to mention Godiva. The response was gratifying, though. Her eyes widened and she backed up a few more steps. She hadn't expected me to know about Godiva.
I pressed on. We were by the stairs now. “How do you think I got your address?”
“Godiva wanted it done.”
“And that makes it okay to leave her—”
She interrupted me by laughing. “You're an idiot.”
“Maybe so, but I know evil when I see it.” I walked closer. She backed away through the arch to the left. I could see more of her house now. A conversational grouping, matching chairs and couch, polished blond wood and brown leather. It looked expensive.
“Evil? With that reaver inside you?”
“Reaver?”
i do reave upon occasion.
Thanks, I know.
shall i scare her some more?
Not just yet.
She was looking at me closely, as if she could sense my internal conversation. Deliberately she took two slow steps back. I followed her.
“Where are you going?” I asked sharply.
She spread her hands. “You tell me.”
“I like this room. We'll stay right here.”
She planted her feet and folded her arms and glared.
She was right about one thing—I didn't know half of what I needed to, and I didn't even know the right questions to ask.
“Who else was with you?”
“Just me and my imaginary friends.”
Okay, your turn.
Catskinner lashed out and slapped her across the face, hard enough to knock her off balance. With my other hand he grabbed the front of her robe and yanked. She fell, naked, and Catskinner tossed the torn pieces of the robe behind me.
Now there was real fear in her eyes. She crawled backwards and Catskinner stalked towards her, driving her back to where a plate glass door separated the room from the fenced back yard. Idly I noticed there was a large in-ground pool. Typical.
“ you live on an island gathering shells on the shore and you think that you can control the tides because you can reckon their rise and fall. you see the surface of the waves and you think you know the sea. ”
She scrambled backwards, her eyes wide with panic. She reached the glass door, pressed up against it, Catskinner bent down to put my face close to hers. I could feel his death's head rictus on my face.
“you walk across the skin of this world and you think the ground is solid under foot. you close your eyes when you fall under the shadow of great black wings, and you tell yourself the sun will rise again.”
“but you know,” –he reached out to brush my fingers across her arms, crossed
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