The Wicked Within

As we approached the girl’s bedroom, the air became thicker, the power so heavy it was like trudging through thick bayou mud. It made my heart beat faster, my head hurt, and my skin tingle.

“You ever see The Exorcist?” Sebastian asked from behind me.

“Why are you following me?” I shot back. “And Bran didn’t say anything about demons.” I stopped. “Please tell me there aren’t demons.”

“I don’t think she’s possessed. Not the way you’re thinking.”

“Gee, let’s see, sitting in a corner, speaking in tongues. Sounds like possession to me.”

The door was open. Inside, the space was how I’d always imagined a little girl’s room should look. She was one of the lucky ones. She had a nice home, a family, and was cared for and loved.

Zoe sat cross-legged, her profile to us. Her back was straight, hands limp in her lap, and she was rocking slightly. Her hair was long down her back, a glossy black that needed washing. She wore pajama pants and a cami, and I pegged her about ten or eleven.

Sweat beaded at my hairline. I swallowed. It wasn’t hot in the room, just . . . overwhelming. I met Sebastian’s gaze, took a deep breath, then approached. She was a cute kid. Olive skin, open, unseeing, almond- shaped brown eyes.

Her mouth moved, the words too low to hear. I knelt down. “Zoe.”

Nothing. Just rocking and soft words.

“Zoe. It’s me. Ari.” I took a steadying breath and said, “The god-killer.”

The girl’s head snapped in my direction so quickly it scared the daylights out of me. I recoiled, hitting the wall behind me. Sebastian took a step forward, but I signaled him to stay back. Her eyes didn’t focus on me, but her words grew louder and faster. I was able to pick out some English. God-killer. World. Tell her. Regret. Wake up. My child. My child. My child.

Exhaustion was written in the dark shadows beneath Zoe’s eyes. Her parents had a right to be worried. Whatever had ahold of their daughter was draining the little girl. And that ticked me off. I knew I wasn’t talking to Zoe. And I decided the fastest way to get its attention was to piss it off.

I leaned forward, easily tapping into my anger from earlier. “Listen up, you parasite. Say whatever the hell you need to say and then leave the kid alone. I’m here. I’m waiting. You want to talk about the god-killer? Well, talk. Talk about me to my face. Or do you always hide behind little kids? You too much of a coward, is that it?”

Sebastian winced at my theatrics. I shot him the bird, still mad at him. And, yeah, I was laying it on thick, but it was worth a try.

I’d barely finished the thought when Zoe’s hand snatched my throat, shoving me back. Rising to her knees, she pinned me to the wall. Holy shit. Still, I stopped Sebastian with a hand. Zoe’s head swiveled around slowly, letting him know she—or it—saw him. And then her attention returned to me.

Zoe leaned in close. The voice that came out of her small mouth was powerful and male. “Wake me. Wake me up. And I’ll set you free.”

Zoe released my throat and fell onto her back, arms straight out, eyes wide open on the ceiling as her parents hurried into the room and knelt by her side.

Sebastian crouched next to Zoe. She was still breathing. He turned to me. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Fine. That kid has quite a grip.”

“I don’t think it was the kid.”

Bran came in and leaned over Zoe, assessing the situation. Determining that she was fine, he nudged my foot with his boot. “On your feet, Selkirk.”

“Thanks for the concern. I’m fine, by the way.”

“Of course you are. You are my student. I don’t train puss—” He stopped himself in deference to the others in the room. I couldn’t help the smile that split my face. He rolled his eyes and went to Zoe and her parents.

Sebastian held out a hand to help me, but I got to my feet on my own. Zoe was sitting up and enveloped in parental love. I was surprised to find I was trembling.

Zoe’s eyes focused on me. Focusing was good. “You all right, kid?” I asked.

She swallowed. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

I smiled. “It wasn’t you. So you remember doing that?”

Bran crouched in front of her. “It’s important that you remember, Zoe. Anything at all will help us.”

The mother smoothed Zoe’s hair back from her forehead and placed a kiss there. She wasn’t letting go. The girl nodded. “Okay.”

Bran asked the million-dollar question. “Who was talking through you?”

A pause followed, the words ringing in my head. Wake me. Wake me up. And I’ll set you free.

“The gods that sleep,” she began, “they hear things from our world . . . things about them and what they care about. Just bits and pieces, fragments and whispers . . . ” She shook her head and then looked at me. “They know about you. The one . . . the one who was in my head. He wanted you to come because you’re strong. Your blood is strong enough to—”

“To wake him up.”

“Yes.”

“And if I do, he’ll set me free.”

“Free?” Bran asked.

“From my curse.” It was the only thing I wanted to be free of. Or maybe that was god-speak for “I want to kill you.” Because in a roundabout way, that would set me free too.

Bran turned back to Zoe. “Who was it? Who was he?”

She blinked hard. “I—I don’t know. He kept saying weird things. Like poems or chanting. He’s scary. He’s angry and hurt—not physically, like betrayed hurt. He’s . . . mad at himself, too, I think. He wants revenge. He has wanted that for as long as he’s slept.”

“Who?” I asked. “Who does he want to hurt?”

She thought for a moment. “It’s not a person. It’s a god. Athena, I think. I saw an image of her and another woman together. Like it was a memory he’d had. One lady was holding a baby, the other was smiling down at it, holding its hand.”

“You ever see Athena before?” Sebastian asked.

“My parents did. And they told me what she looks like.”

“At the Arnaud Ball,” the mother explained. “Then again at the fight in Lafayette Cemetery, and later in the ruins when—” She flicked a nervous glance at Sebastian. The ruins. When I changed Sebastian from stone to flesh, and he went nuclear on Athena’s minions.

Bran reached out and ruffled the hair on Zoe’s head. “You did good, kiddo. You stayed strong and you delivered a message from a god. Not many kids can say that, can they?”

When she smiled, Bran did too. Apparently, the Big Guy had a way with kids. Who knew?

“What did the other woman look like?” I asked.

“She has blond hair and is tall like Athena.”

Another goddess, I thought while Bran rose and gestured toward the door. As I followed, Zoe captured my hand. “He doesn’t want to hurt you,” she said, trying to put into words what she’d felt from the god. “But he will if you get in his way. . . . ”

“Thanks, Zoe. See you around.”

Bran escorted us out of the apartment and back outside. The three of us walked across the street to the low stone wall topped by the iron fence that surrounded Jackson Square. I could feel the tension coming off Sebastian. He ran a hand down his face. “Just add this to the shit coming our way,” he muttered.

“So you want to clue me in here?” I asked, trying not to grit my teeth. “Either of you? What the hell does this mean, and what the hell happened last night?”

Sebastian and Bran exchanged looks, but it was Sebastian who spoke. “Athena sent a messenger to the council meeting last night. She made an offer. . . . ”

Just like she had with me. Athena was playing both sides, covering her bases. “I’m almost afraid to ask. What kind of offer?”