Page 146 of Coerced

“Was it because she refused to do something?”

“Yes.”

“Did she refuse when you asked her to tailor a dead person?”

“Yes.”

I went on asking questions like that until it was obvious he knew no more. Thanking him quietly, I signaled the guard and followed her back to the lobby.

“Did you get what you wanted?” Ms. Chapman asked.

“Yeah. Thanks for waiting.”

As we headed back to the dock, I thought over everything Pham had told me.

One, Zoe had been a powerful enough tailor to turn several dead animals into living ones.

Explains their interest in her.

Two, when the necromancer - Khaydari, according to Pham - had ordered her to try her talent on a human, she’d refused on moral grounds and threatened to go to the Council. Khaydari had ended her there and then.

So she wasn’t possessed, coerced, or enthralled.If she’d been any of those, she wouldn’t have been able to resist the order. She obviously hadn’t corrupted herself, either, so she bore no taint. That may comfort Rome.

Three, Zoe had stolen a book from the Vault on Khaydari’s orders. Pham didn’t know what it was about, but he didn’t think it had been found by the wardens. It never came up at the trial, and he’d kept his mouth shut about it.

I don’t know all the ins and outs, but stealing from the Vault can’t be easy. Could she have done it alone, or did she need an accomplice? If she did, who was it? And who would know?

And one more thing: Khaydari was the same necromancer Argaud had mentioned. That bothered me. It bothered me a lot.

I wished Pham would have known more about the Alchemists or the Great Experiment, but his ‘master’ obviously hadn’t trusted him enough to share details like that.

Gah! There are too many pieces in this puzzle!

Not for the first time, I really,reallywished I could call Hank.

#

After the icebreaker dropped us back on the mainland, we headed to the airport. Ms. Chapman didn’t ask any questions, sticking with her promise to not get involved unless we asked her to, and I respected her even more for that. She musta been bursting with curiosity; I know I woulda been.

She did surprise me, though, before her flight left.

“If you require further assistance, call and I will come.”

I was kinda waiting for her to say “April Fools,” and it took me a second to accept that she was serious. Once I did, I thanked her with wide eyes. There weren’t many elders on the Council who woulda made such an offer to a young nephilim, and a tainted one, no less.

Then she said she was very sorry about “Ms. Shepherd and the others” and hoped we’d find them sooner rather than later.

I did, too. My patience was running out fast, and my control slipped more every hour.

I called Rome to catch him up on everything we’d learned, including the info about Zoe Becerra. He wasn’t happy to hear it, but I think it gave him some of that closure Chance said he was so big on.

He’d put me on speaker phone, and everyone had a hundred questions and no answers. Well, except Travis. He at least knew a little about alchemy, but said he’d have to look up more.

“It’s not a science anyone gives any credit to today. I’m working on an Internet connection, then I’ll get to digging online. Maybe I can find something on these Alchemists and their Great Experiment.”

“We can look into Hubler on this end,” Rome offered. “See if he has any cronies or patterns of travel or whatever.”

“Sure.” I nodded. Seemed like a good idea. “And see if you can find out anything about City of the Future or a lab in California.”

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