Page 93 of Aftermarket Afterlife

“According to Dr. Morrow, the biology of gorgons is closer to that of lizards than any other currently extant reptilian clade,” explained Sarah, with the air of someone who was sharing knowledge that they themselves had only recently received. “Normally, the regenerative ability of gorgons is dormant in adulthood, although they tend to heal without scarring. By adding his own abilities to her natural healing process, he can coax her body into restoring the snakes she’s lost. He can’t regrow the fangs that were pulled from the snakes that weren’t severed, and the new snakes will be shorter than the originals, but it’s better than remaining as she is.”

“I guess so,” I said, wonderingly.

“I can’t wait to see what changes in the thought patterns of the restored snakes versus the originals,” said Sarah. “The ones she has are simple by human standards, but they’re as old as she is, and they understand more than people assume they do; presumably, the new snakes will have new brains, and may need to be taught manners and proper behavior from the beginning.”

“Have you called Megan’s mother?”

“I did, after she was stable and it was clear you weren’t coming,” said Sarah. “Dee is occupied with cleanup at the Fringe, and while she would like to be here, neither she nor Frank can leave the community before they’ve decided whether they will have to move.”

I hadn’t even thought of that. The gorgon Fringe where Dee lived and Megan had grown up was unusual in that it was a semi-permanent gorgon settlement. Gorgons often prefer to live near humans, but can’t always live among them, for obvious reasons. They’ve been pushed to the edges of the world, and past a certain point, there hasn’t been any farther for them to go. The Fringe was an attempt at a stable, planned community, close enough to humans to access the resources they needed, but self-sufficient and isolated enough to let the gorgons who lived there enjoy a natural—for them—life. And now that was all in danger, because the Covenant had been able to capture one gorgon girl and dig the answers out of her mind.

“I understand,” I said. “We can call her again later. Have you spoken to anyone else?”

“Yes. Alex is grateful that we were able to find and rescue his assistant’s daughter, and Antimony is adamant that as soon as I find you, I dispatch you to Seattle to, quote, ‘get ready to burn those bastards to the ground.’ She’s very angry. I don’t want to go to Seattle.”

“That’s okay, sweetie; I’m going to go without you. It’s only been a day, right?”

Sarah nodded.

“Well, then we still have about two days before Uncle Mike can get me those bombs. Once I have them, we’ll be able to end this. Are you staying here?”

“For now.” Sarah squeezed Megan’s hand. “She’s very scared and confused, and being asleep doesn’t make that go away, it just makes it harder for her to push against. So I’m trying to help, by being here.”

“All right. Can you make sure someone—me, or Antimony, or even James—knows where you’re going if you decide to move along again? I don’t want to lose track of you.” Almost as much as I didn’t want to annoy the anima mundi by doing things the fast way.

Sarah nodded, a bit reluctantly, but agreeably enough, and I relaxed. If she was willing to help me with this, we could still finish what we’d started. “Has there been any sign of Leonard?”

“No. There were a few attacks in Seattle, but nothing major, and Annie says it looks like they went for easy opportunities on their way out of the city; the Covenant is on the move again. But there’s nothing to indicate they’re moving toward Portland.”

“Small miracles,” I said. “How’s Verity?”

“Sad. So sad I can’t go to New York right now—I’m too attuned to her, and I can’t block the sadness out, no matter how hard I try. She loved him a lot. She still does.”

“Love is one of those things that don’t end just because one of the people involved dies,” I said. “Love keeps going, even when there’s nothing to anchor it.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I know. But it’s true.”

Sarah sighed deeply. “Yeah. I guess it is.”

I hesitated. “The anima mundi doesn’t want me hopping around at my own discretion anymore, so we’re sticking with the plan where you and Annie go over first and I meet you there,” I said. “I’ll call the hospital when I need you to summon me so we can get the bombs to Penton Hall.”

“Blowing up the Covenant’s house isn’t going to bring back the dead or get rid of the field teams,” she said.

“No. But it’s going to scare them, and stop them from getting reinforcements for at least a little while, and maybe that gives us the time we need to turn this fight around,” I said. “I’ll see you soon, Sarah.”

“Bye, Mary,” she said, and I was gone.

• • •

This time, I made the journey without being waylaid into the endless field of wheat, although I couldn’t help feeling as if I were being watched by something ancient and implacable. The eyes of the anima mundi were upon me, and I just had to hope she approved of me making this journey on my own.

I appeared in the room that was serving as Olivia’s makeshift nursery, surrounded by the evidence of time passing: a surprising number of toys littered the floor, some fresh from the box, still more brought out of the storage loft above the garage and unpacked for the enjoyment of the latest generation of Prices. There was a moth-eaten taxidermied jackalope on the bed that I recognized from Alice’s childhood, hauled out for one more round of tea parties and wild backyard adventures.

But there was no Olivia, sleeping or otherwise. I frowned as I looked around the room, then crouched down and went for the one guaranteed method of getting an update.

“Hello,” I said. “This is the Phantom Priestess, and I could really use some revelations.”

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