“I’m going to be eighteen in a year and a half. I know people are only looking for babies. So if you have any pull with the couple you said is going to take us, I’d like for you to see if they’ll allow me to stay until I can get my brother situated.” Mercy asked her why she thought they’d turn her out when she turned eighteen. “As I said, people looking for children don’t want a grown woman hanging around too.”
“I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised by Jude and Duncan. They’re as good a couple as that bitch isn’t.” They both heard laughter from the front seat, and Tracy knew it was her brother. “He’s had some trauma in his life, hasn’t he? Someone hurt him badly.”
“Yes.” She looked out the window as the houses became fewer and fewer, and the open fields became more. “His father did it. Not to him directly, but he sold him to one of his buddies. His mom thought it was a hoot. He has nightmares about it, and I got the information from him when I woke him from a bad dream.”
“Does he visit them?” Tracy said he’d not seen them since they’d been arrested. “Do you think he’d want anything to do with them?”
“No. Why?” Mercy didn’t say anything, but Joel did. He asked her if he would be happy if they were gone. “You mean dead? I doubt very much he’s given much thought about them being around him very much. I’m sure he couldn’t care less if they were alive or dead. However, I don’t want you to do it. You’re very ready to right wrongs with killing, aren’t you?”
“In this, selling that young man to other men is a killing offense if you ask me. No one, especially a parent, should ever have something like that even enter their head about their own flesh and blood. Do you?” Tracy didn’t, but she didn’t want this woman to have it on her conscience that she’d killed someone. “Killing them won’t ever be on my mind after they’re gone. People like them make me physically ill. The very fact they can be alive while he’s suffering as he does is enough to make me want to lose my temper with them.”
“Don’t do it. Why should they not have to live every day with the consequences of their actions? Both of them are in solitary confinement to keep the other inmates from killing them. To me, being cut off from everything around them is more of a punishment than you ending their time in prison.” Tracy looked at them both. “I’m not going to ask you for a promise to kill them. I don’t think I have to. What I am going to ask you is, would you not do so? Would you please not kill them while they’re in prison?”
“All right.” She knew that it had been hard for Mercy to give her what she wanted. Tracy told her she’d owe her for this. “I’ll take that too. You will owe me one favor. A favor of whatever I ask, you’ll do. I will tell you it will be nothing illegal, nor will it be harmful to you or your brother’s health and wellbeing.”
They were pulling up in front of the large castle when Tracy put out her hand. Mercy looked at it, then at her. Tracy wasn’t sure she would take it at all until she spoke.
“I’m magical, as I’m sure you’ve gathered. Touching our hands, it will give you something. I’m not sure what, but you will get some of my magic.” She smiled at her then. “You’ll also get some from all the birds, now that I think on it. This could be really fun.”
When she got out of the car, Tracy looked at Joel. He was grinning as well. She asked him about birds and what that meant. His laughter wasn’t very encouraging.
“We’re all birds. All of us. I would guess you will be as well.” He got out then, and she still sat there.
Mercy looked into the limo where she was still sitting and put out her hand. The moment their fingers touched, Tracy felt it. The tingling down her arm told her she was going to be in deeper shit than she’d realized the moment she and her brother entered the house. But they’d be safe. For her, that was more than enough to put up with a little magic and some tiny birds. What kind of harm could a bird do to her if she messed up? Time would tell, Tracy supposed. Hopefully, she had plenty of time left to figure it out.
Mercy was still laughing as they entered the castle with Abe. Holy crap monkeys, Tracy thought, it really was a castle. And there were beautiful decorations everywhere. Abe just stood in the middle of the great hall and looked around.
“What the hell are you doing here?” The whispered voice could only be one person. “You’ll get back into whatever brought you here right this minute and go back to the home. I will deal with you later.”
“I sent for them.” Tracy turned to look at the beautiful woman standing next to a tall man. “You were told when arrangements were made that everyone was to come to this party. If you want to talk to me about it later, I’ll be all ears. But for now, come
