Page 78 of Waifs And Strays
Suddenly I realised what was worrying him. ‘Lorna,’ I breathed.
His jaw tightened. ‘Brassick didn’t mention her at all.’
‘But she told us she’d been attacked just like you.Beforeyou, in fact.’
He didn’t answer.
‘Did you go to her house? Did you speak to her?’ I demanded.
‘Nobody was home.’
‘Maybe she’s gone out of town for the holiday. Maybe Brassick forgot about her.’ Even as I said the words, I didn’t believe them.
Lorna had played us all. No wonder Umbra were sure they could control whatever demon appeared: they were using Lorna’s blood to complete the invocation. She’d daubed her apartment block with graffiti, she’d pretended to be attacked and she was inexplicably wealthy. Maybe Brassick had bankrolled her or maybe it was the other way around. It didn’t really matter.
‘If she shows up here,’ Thane said dully, ‘we’ll know for certain.’
No sooner had he finished speaking than a trumpetsounded across the square. Thane and I gazed over the crowd. When I saw the figure step out of the building, I knew we were right: it was unmistakably Lorna. Blood was dripping from both her arms and splattering the stone cobbles. She was holding a large conical flask containing a dark, viscous fluid.
I reached for my gun.
‘People of Coldstream!’ She amplified her voice magically so that everyone could hear. ‘People of Coldstream!’ she repeated. ‘Witches, druids, ogres, nymphs, shapeshifters, trolls.’
‘Leprechauns!’ someone yelled.
‘Squibs!’ shouted another. There was a ripple of good-humoured laughter.
Lorna smiled beatifically. ‘All of you! Happy Winter Solstice!’
As the crowd roared, I lowered myself to the rooftop; I’d be more certain of my aim if I was lying flat. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a silencer and fixed it to the gun’s muzzle. I didn’t want to create panic in the crowd, and I didn’t want to kill anyone other than Lorna.
‘Don’t kill her,’ Thane said, as if he’d heard my thoughts. I squinted upwards at him ‘We need to talk to her.’
I snorted. I was done talking.
‘And if she drops dead,’ he went on, ‘she’ll drop that damned flask. Between what’s in it and her own blood, there’ll be enough to bring forth a demon.’
True. I adjusted my aim. If I hit her shoulder, she’d be flung backwards. With any luck, the flask would land on top of her and remain intact. I inhaled. There was no point in wasting any time. I squeezed the trigger and took the shot. There was a dullphhtas the bullet was ejected and I felt the jolt.
Nothing happened. Lorna was still smiling – and still standing.
‘You missed,’ Thane growled.
I didn’t fucking miss. I never missed. ‘She’s using some kind of magical ward.’
‘She’s a werewolf, not a damned witch,’ he snapped.
‘Then there’s another member of Umbra who we’ve not found yet. Someone in that crowd is powering the barrier magically.’
He hissed under his breath. ‘I’ll find them.’
‘Be quick, Thane. Look for anyone who’s focusing on the space around Lorna rather than Lorna herself, anyone holding a box.’
‘I know what to fucking look for.’ He was angry because his old friend and ex-partner had fooled him. I couldn’t blame him; she’d fooled me too.
The noise of the crowd started to die down. Thane clattered down the fire escape while I held my position and waited, hoping he’d find the witch who was protecting Lorna.
She spoke again. ‘Twice a year Coldstream comes together to celebrate the solstice, but we know deep down that we don’t really have anything to celebrate. We are not a unified city. We keep to ourselves and our own communities. We don’t help our neighbours. We don’t have a governing body that has everyone’s best interests at heart.’
