Night World : Daughters of Darkness Chapter 11

Jade-wait a minutel Mark verbalize.Jade, of course, didnt wait even a second. But shelost time change by reversal the bolts on the front door, andMary-Lynnette could hear the quick tap, tap, tap of someone running away.Jade threw the door open, darted bug out onto theporch-and screamed. Mary-Lynnette crowded forwardand saw that Jade had de deputee her foot into oneof the holes w present the porch was missing a board. Everybodywho didnt cheat the place did that. Butthat wasnt what had made her scream.It was the goat.Oh, God, Mark said. Oh, God-who would dothat?Mary-Lynnette took one look and felt a burning inher chest and arms-a painful, bad feeling. Her lungsseemed to trim rear and her breath was forced out.Her vision blurred.Lets get it inside, rowan said. Jade, are youall right?Jade was taking In ragged, whooping breaths. Shesounded the way Mary-Lynnette felt. Mark leanedover to help winding her out of the hole. rowan and kestrel were lifting the goat by its legs.Mary-Ly nnette was backing into the house, teethclamped on her already-bitten lip. The taste of copperwas like a blood dot in her mouth.They put the goat on an old-fashioned patternedrug in the entrance to the living room. Jades whoopingbreaths turned into gasping sobs.Thats Ethyl, Mary-Lynnette said. She felt like sobbing too.She knelt beside Ethyl. The goat was pure white, with a sweet grammatical case and a broad forehead. MaryLynnette reached out to touch one hoof gently. Shedhelped Mrs. B. trim that hoof with pruning shears.Shes dead, Kestrel said. You cant hurt her.Mary-Lynnette looked up quickly. Kestrels facewas make up and distant. Shock rippled under MaryLynnettes skin.Lets take them out, rowan said.The hides ruined already, Kestrel said.Kestrel, please-Mary-Lynnette stood. Kestrel, shut up on that point was a pause. To Mary-Lynnettes astonishment, the pause went on. Kestrel stayed shut up.Mary-Lynnette and Rowan began to pull the little wooden carrys out of the goats body.Som e were as small as toothpicks. Others were longer than Mary-Lynnettes finger and thicker thana shish kebab skewer, with a smother point at one end. person strong did this, Mary-Lynnette thought.Strong enough to punch splinters of wood throughgoat hide.Over and over again. Ethyl was pierced everywhere. Hundreds of times. She looked like a porcupine.There wasnt much bleeding, Rowan said softly.That cerebrates she was dead when it was done.Andlook here. She gently touched Ethyls neck. Thewhite coat was crimson there-just like the deer,Mary-Lynnette thought.Somebody either cut her throat or bit it, Rowansaid. So it was probably quick for her and shebledout. Not like What? Mary-Lynnette said.Rowan hesitated. She looked up at Jade. Jade sniffled and wiped her nose on Marks shoulder.Rowan looked back at Mary-Lynnette. Not like Uncle Hodge. She looked back down and carefullyloosened another stake, adding it to the pile theywere accumulating. You see, they killed Unde Hodgethis way, the El ders did. Only he was alivewhen they did it.For a moment Mary-Lynnette couldnt speak. Thenshe said, Why?Rowan pulled out two more stakes, her face controlled and intent. For telling a human about the nightWorld.Mary-Lynnette sat back on her heels and lookedat Mark.Mark sat down on the floor, bringing Jade withhim.Thats why Aunt Opal left the island, Rowansaid.And now somebodys staked Aunt Opal, Kestrel said. And somebodys killed a goat in thesame wayUnde Hodge was killed.Butwho? Mary-Lynnette said.Rowan shook her head. Somebody who knowsabout vampires.Marks blue eyes looked darker than usual and alittle glazed. You were talkingbefore about a vam pire huntsman.That gets my vote, Kestrel said.Okay, so who around here is a vampire hunter?Whats a vampire hunter?Thats the problem, Rowan said. I dont knowhow you could tell who is one. Im not even sureIbelieve in vampire hunters.Theyre supposed to be humans whove found out about the Night World, Jade said, pushingtears outof her eyes with her palms. And they cant get otherpeople to believe them-or maybe they dontwant other people to know. So they hunt us. You know, trying to kill us one by one. Theyre supposedtoknow as much about the Night World as Night People do.You mean, like knowing how your uncle was executed Mary-Lynnette said.Yes, simply thats not much of a secret, Rowan said.I mean, you wouldnt have to actually knowaboutUncle Hodge to think of it-Its the traditionalmethod of execution among the lamia. There arent more things besides staking and burning that impart killa vampire.Mary-Lynnette thought about this. It didnt getthem very far. Who would want to kill an old ladyand agoat?Rowan? Why did your aunt have goats? I mean, I unceasingly thought it was for the milk, butIt was for the blood, Im sure, Rowan saidcalmly. If she looked as old as you said, sheprobablycouldnt get out into the woods to hunt.Mary-Lynnette looked at the goat again, trying tofind other dues, trying to be a good observer detached,met hodical. When her eyes got to Ethyls muzzle, she blinked and leaned forward.I-theres something in her mouth.Please tell me youre joking, Mark said.Mary-Lynnette just waved a hand at him. Icant-I need something tohang on a sec. Sheran into thekitchen and opened a drawer. She snagged a richly decorated sterling silver knife and ran back to theliving room.Okay, she grunted as she pried Ethyls teeth farther open. There wassomething inthere-something like a flower, but black. She worked it out with her fingers.Silence of the Goats, Mark muttered.Mary-Lynnette ignored him, turning the disintegrating thing over in her hands. It looks like aniris-but itsspray-painted black.Jade and Rowan exchanged grim glances. Wellthis has somethingto do with the Night World, Rowansaid. If we werent sure of that before, weare now. scandalous flowers are the symbols of the Night World.Mary-Lynnette put the sodden iris down. Symbols, like ?We wear them to invest ourselves to each other.You know, on rings or pins or clothes orthings like that. Each species has its own kind of flower, andthen there are other flowers that mean youbelongto a certain dub or family. Witches use black dahlias, werewolves use black foxglove madevampires use black roses And theres a chain of dubs called the Black Iris,Kestrel said, coming to stand by the others. Iknow because Ash belongs to one.Ash Jade said, staring at Kestrel with widegreen eyes.Mary-Lynnette sat frozen. Something was tugginginsistently at the tree of her consciousness. Something about a black design.Oh, God, she said. Oh, God-I know somebody who wears a ring with a black flower on it.Everyone looked at her.Who? Mark said, at the same time as Rowansaid it. Mary-Lynnette didnt know which of themlooked more surprised.Mary-Lynnette struggled with herself for a minute.Its Jeremy Lovett, she said finally. Not toosteadily.Mark made a face. That oddball. He lives by himself in a trailer in the woods, and last summer Marks voice died out. His ja w dropped, and when he spoke again, it was more slowly. And last summer they found a body right out near there.Can you tell? Mary-Lynnette asked Rowan quietly. If somebodys a Night Person?Well Rowan looked dismayed. Well-not for sure. If somebody was experienced at shieldingtheir mind Well, we might be able to startle them into revealing something. But otherwise, no. Notforcertain. Mark leaned back. Oh, terrific. Well, I think Jeremy would make a with child(p) Night Person. Actually, sowould Vic Kimble and Todd Akers.Todd, Jade said. Now, wait a minute. Shepicked up one of the toothpicks that had been embedded in the goat and stared at it.Rowan was looking at Mary-Lynnette. No matterwhat, we should go and see your friend Jeremy. Hellprobably turn out to be completely innocent-sometimes a human gets hold of one of our rings or pins,and then things get reallyconfusing. Especially if they wander into one of our dubs.Mary-Lynnette wasnt so sure. She had a terrible, terrible sick feeli ng. The way Jeremy kept to himself,the way he always seemed to be an outsider atschooleven his untamed good looks and his easy way ofmoving No, it all seemed to lead to one conclusion. She had solved the mystery of Jeremy Lovett atlast, and it wasnot a expert ending.Kestrel said Okay, fine we can go check this Jeremy guy out. But what about Ash?What about Ash? Rowan said. The last stake wasout. She gently turned one side of the rugover the body of the goat, like a shroud.Well, dont you see? Its his dub flower. Somaybe somebody from his dub did it. Urn, I knowIm starting to sound like a brokenrecord, Mark said. But I dont know what youre talking about.Whos Ash?The three sisters looked at him. Mary-Lynnette looked away. After so many missed opportunities, itwas going to sound extremely peculiar when she casually mentioned that, oh, yes, shed met Ash. Twice.But she didnt have a choice anymore. She had to tell.Hes our brother, Kestrel was saying.Hes crazy, Jade said.Hes the precisely one from our family who migh.know that were here in Briar Creek, Rowan said.He found megiving a letter to Crane Linden to smuggle off the island. But Idont think he noticedAuntOpals share on it. Hes not much good at noticing things that arent about him.You can say that again, Jade said. All Ashthinksabout is Ash. Hes completely self-centered.All he does is chase girls and party, Kestrel said,with one of those smiles that madeMary-Lynnette wonder if she really disapproved. And hunt.He doesnt like humans,Jade said. If he didnt like chasing human girls and playing with them, hedprobably be planning towipe out all the humans and take over the world.Sounds like a great guy, Mark said.Well, hes sort of conservative, Rowan said. Politically, I mean. Personally, hesLoose, Kestrel suggested, eyebrows up.To put it mildly, Jade agreed. Theres only onething he wants when he goes after human girlsbesides their cars, I mean.Mary-Lynnettes heart was pounding. With every second that passed it was getting harder to speak up.And every time she took a breath, somebody else started talking.0So, wait you think he did all this stuff? Mark asked.I wouldnt put it past him, Kestrel said. Jade nodded vigorously.But his own aunt ,Mark said.Hed do it if he thought the honor of the familywas involved, Kestrel said.Yes, well, theres one problem with all that, Rowan said tightly. Ash isnt here. Hes inCalifornia.No, hes not, Ash said casually, from the back ofthe living room.