Page 144 of Cast in Atonement

“Did she also remain in her own body at that time?”

“Not according to initial research, no.”

“How was that even possible? They were human bodies. I mean, Barrani don’t have souls, do they? They have words.”

“And if I am to understand everything that has occurred in the past several days, Mrs. Erickson has been dealing with the ghosts of words. I fail to see your point.”

Kaylin opened her mouth and closed it again, conceding the point to Teela.

“What she did not fully accept was that the physical bodies caused odd resonances; she could possess one for a handful of years without difficulty, but beyond that, she would begin to lose her sense of self; her thought patterns and her focus would drift into something she considered decidedly inferior.”

Kaylin thought about the age of the children, from possession to death.

“She had, as you’ve already noted, found a way into the green—a small thread, a small conduit. She was very apprehensive of the power of the green; she had no intention of drawing on it. She merely wished to grow that flower, because she considered it a plant that allowed for bonding in a particular way. Serralyn mentioned earlier that it was involved in ceremonial joining, although the custom had fallen out of favor centuries before Azoria’s attempts.

“The flower itself was twined in Mrs. Erickson’s hair, on the long-ago day that Azoria painted the family portrait. But another flower was planted within the painting itself, and it resonated with Mrs. Erickson; the painting made the connection almost permanent. When Mrs. Erickson was older, Azoria encountered her again in the city. She was younger then, not yet married, but rumors about her ability to see the dead had been noted by Azoria; it was an ability that she had done much to find, much to encourage.

“When the child was in the uterus, she attempted to enspell her. She had done this as well with other pregnant woman, to limited success over the passing centuries. For the most part, the pregnancies ended in miscarriage; in three cases, in the mother’s death—the mother having prematurely aged during her attempt to give birth.

“But toward the end of her experiments, there was success; the children were born successfully, the mothers survived childbirth, and the children grew. She attempted to monitor the children, to see how her efforts to instill ability in their pre-birth bodies had worked. All of these children are presumed dead—of old age, if not tragedy; one of these children, Azoria chose to ensnare and possess. That child had a strong affinity for elemental magic. But the others purportedly had little magical talent. She realized then that she could not randomly choose a pregnant woman if she wanted the child’s potential to be examined.

“This led her to many experiments of a more subtle nature. Mrs. Erickson was not the last, but close to the last, of those recorded. Serralyn says that Larrantin is frustrated that the books cannot be taken out of the lab; he started to attempt to break those protections, but Bakkon prevented it. The lab is safe from the influence that has transformed the rest of her former home, and Bakkon fears that if Larrantin breaks them, they won’t be safe.”

“Thank the gods for Bakkon,” Kaylin muttered.

“Regardless, Larrantin is very, very interested in her research, because her research implies that she had managed to create a method to identify ability to an incredibly detailed level. He of course has great interest in it. Serralyn says he said a lot more, but she’s distilled it to this: Azoria guessed, with a remarkable degree of accuracy, what Mrs. Erickson could or might be. It’s possible that she hired Mrs. Erickson’s mother as a maid because of some background that the Swindon family had, some hint that this could be encouraged or developed.

“But the one thing that proved unfortunately true for Azoria is: Azoria could not possess Mrs. Erickson. She had become more adept at body swapping; she had experimented with such possession outside of her own domain. She considered it dangerous to invite Mrs. Erickson into her home, but when she decided the risk was worth it, she had no easy way of doing so.

“She created a piece of jewelry—a necklace or a brooch, that part was not clear and they couldn’t find the record of the magic that might have gone into it. Larrantin wasn’t as interested in that; he considered it something he could personally achieve. She gave that to Mrs. Erickson’s mother; it was a baby gift.”

Kaylin winced, remembering.

“It was attuned to Mrs. Erickson in some fashion; through it, Azoria intended to create a personal envelope that would, when activated, surround Mrs. Erickson with the same enchantment that governed Azoria’s halls. She believed that with that enchantment, she could possess Mrs. Erickson’s body before her death. I am uncertain how long she intended to occupy it: perhaps she needed the body only to command the dead.

“But the brooch disappeared.”

Mrs. Erickson said, “It didn’t disappear. Having children was more costly than my parents had anticipated. I didn’t really consider it when you first asked, but I believe that my mother took all of her jewelry, all of her valuables, and sold them.”

Teela stiffened, turning in the direction of Mrs. Erickson’s voice. Mrs. Erickson failed to appear, but it was now clear that she could, and had, heard everything. And could speak.

“Yes, dear,” Helen said.

“Is Severn listening, too?”

“He is. Imelda felt he wouldn’t have left the room if not for her.”

Kaylin, who’d had advance warning, picked up the discussion, including Mrs. Erickson in its flow, even if she couldn’t see her. She was used to this, though; she often had conversations with people who couldn’t be seen. “She pawned it?”

“I overheard, I didn’t ask. She was unhappy with the decision, but felt it was the right one; I know my father urged her to reconsider. But after she had me, she didn’t return to work for Azoria. And some years after, Azoria left her manse; it vanished. She gave the property deed to my parents, for my future. My mother held Azoria in some awe, but she always said we were just regular people. We didn’t belong in a fancy, intimidating house—that wasn’t a home to my mother.

“I thought she could make any place a home if she was in it. I told her so. She laughed.” Mrs. Erickson looked down at her hands. “At least they never knew. They never did know.” She lifted her chin. “Azoria wanted me to command the dead. I won’t do that.” Kaylin noted that she didn’t say she couldn’t. There was a peaceful steel in the old woman’s eyes—steel meant for kitchens, not war. She turned to Kaylin. “Do you think that she was looking for the pawned jewelry when she took over the children’s bodies?”

“Maybe not at the beginning—but yes, I do. And it all makes sense. But I think she was wrong about one thing. She thought if you entered her domain, she could possess your body and have access to all of your power. I don’t think that could ever have happened. She would have known when she tried. She would have had to force you to do what she wanted in a different way, but that was more difficult for her. She wasn’t a woman given to sentiment, but even she could no doubt see that you led a very solitary life. What could she hold over your head?”

“The children,” was the quiet reply.

“Children she could no longer see.” Kaylin turned to Teela. “I think it’s time for those who need sleep to get some. Severn?”

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