Page 14 of A Skirl of Sorcery
I raised an eyebrow but she waved a hand dismissively. ‘The person who’d taken out the contract wanted to send a messageto the druid’s cronies that they’d be next if they didn’t stop what they were doing. It didn’t work, and they ended up as dead as their friend. It was a long time ago and it’s not relevant to this story. Whatisimportant is that twelve hours after the contract had been completed, a ban sith walked over the spot where the druid had died and knew what had happened.’
‘She knew someone had died on that spot without any physical evidence to indicate it?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was there a chance any blood had been spilled?’
Louise pulled a face. ‘Please! I was a professional, Kit, and I was good at my job. As good as you were.’
I couldn’t argue with that.
‘Besides,’ she went on, ‘the ban sith didn’t just know that someone had been killed, she knew who it was.’
I blinked. ‘Seriously?’
Louise nodded. ‘Seriously. And in case you still doubt me, I completed the contract with a poison-tipped umbrella that only required contact with the skin to work. No blood was spilled, not a drop.’
Hmmm. I didn’t doubt Louise’s words but nonetheless I was shocked. I chewed on the inside of my mouth as I considered her revelation. As a cat sith, I possessed the ability to see spirits re-enact the moments before their death. It only worked if I effected my transformation with fur from a cat who themselves possessed that ability. Many cats couldn’t see the dead in that way, and I’d never heard of any other creatures who could do it, but there were many different Preternaturals in Coldstream and not all their abilities were documented.
‘Can every ban sith do this?’ I asked.
‘I don’t think so. Only the more powerful ones.’
A trickle of unease dripped through my veins. ‘Do you know which particular ban sith felt that death?’
Louise nodded. ‘An older woman by the name of Agnes Johnson.’ She gazed at me. ‘You’ve gone pale, Kit.’
‘Mmm.’ I swallowed.
She was still watching my face carefully. ‘There’s more.’
‘Go on.’
‘I sought out Agnes Johnson – I was curious about her and I wanted to know the extent of her powers.’ She grimaced. ‘That was a mistake.’
As I waited to hear the words, I had a horrible feeling that I knew what she was going to say.
‘Agnes could also sense that death followed me.’ Louise’s expression was sombre. ‘Not because I was about to die, you understand, but because I hadcauseddeath. She told me that death enveloped me like a cloud.’
‘Because you were an assassin,’ I whispered.
‘Exactly so.’ She sighed. ‘Despite EEL’s views about unsanctioned kills, I made it clear what would happen if she spoke about the matter. I didn’t want to threaten her but it was an uneasy time for me. There were plenty of other EEL assassins who would have killed her immediately to remove the problem.’
She was correct, but that didn’t make it right.
‘Agnes Johnson said nothing and I avoided ban siths afterwards,’ she continued. ‘Even if most of them don’t possess the skill to sense that someone is a killer, it’s wise to steer clear of them.’
I drew breath. ‘The ban sith staying in my house is Agnes Johnson’s grand-daughter.’
‘Ah.’ Louise’s mouth flattened. ‘That does put an interesting spin on matters.’
And then some. I dug my fingernails into the fleshy part of my palms. Keres’ kinship to such a powerful ban sith might mean nothing – but it might also mean everything.
Louise stood and picked up the tray. ‘I’ll make a fresh pot of tea,’ she said. ‘You’ve not touched this one.’
I’d picked the cup up but I certainly hadn’t been stupid enough to drink from it. ‘Neither have you,’ I pointed out.
She smiled. ‘This time, I won’t add poison. I should have known that you weren’t here to harm me and that you wouldn’t drink it. You’re too careful.’
