Faye chuckled. “Why Maddie, that bordered on the poetic.”
The operations director yawned and stretched. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t sound like me at all, right? That’s what I mean. This place makes me a little dazed in the head.”
Faye took a sip of coffee. “On the contrary. I think the effect my garden has on people, you included, is to make them sane in the head.”
“Maybe,” Maddie conceded, sitting up straight. “A little extra sanity would be good right now. I’ve had a few updates about what’s going on in the field. Leroy and that Nephilim they call Daniel have landed in Crete.”
“We can only hope they aren’t able to make heads or tails of the riddle too quickly.”
“At least they’re missing the final line.” Maddie paused to light a cigarette. The tip burned red in the darkness. “That ought to buy us some time.”
“Yes, it should,” Faye agreed, but her tone indicated worry. “If only we knew why they want the Bones of the Mother so badly.”
“That’s a riddle in itself,” agreed Maddie. “I’d love to get some intel from inside their organization, but they’re awfully twitchy about who joins the ranks.”
“An opportunity may present itself in due course,” Faye observed. “At least for now, we can monitor Mr. Hunt. As long as he stays tethered to this Daniel person, we have some idea of what’s going on.”
“That’s true,” Maddie conceded. “We might not have much info, but we’re getting the basics. As for our side, we’re making a little bit of progress. I got some good news from Griffin today.”
“Yes?”
“He said Ozgur was able to put them onto a lead about some calendar stones on Mount Ida.”
“Calendar stones,” Faye echoed. “Of course, I should have thought of that myself. Poor Griffin. He was in such a state before he left. I thought he was going to give himself an ulcer over that riddle.”
“He is wound kind of tight,” Maddie agreed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that boy relax.”
A breeze stirred lightly in the treetops releasing the scent of angel’s trumpet into the air.
“Speaking of boys,” said Faye, “has Erik been behaving himself? I know he had some reservations about working with Griffin and Cassie.”
“If you’d asked me that question before they left for Crete, I wouldn’t have given it a week. But from what Griffin tells me, it sounds like Erik’s gotten used to the idea of cooperating with them. Then again, Erik’s idea of cooperation is when he holds himself back from punching you in the face if you get in his way.”
Faye laughed softly. “Are you still annoyed with him about that Venice retrieval?”
“Annoyed doesn’t begin to cover it! An entire hotel room trashed.” Maddie snorted in disbelief. “Who does that?”
“Someone who is determined to finish the task you sent him to do,” Faye observed quietly. “No matter what.”
“Yeah, maybe.” The operations director crossed her arms and blew a puff of smoke. “But I’m not letting him off the hook with a smile and a ‘Sorry, chief.’ Not this time.”
“Oh Maddie, you didn’t,” Faye protested. “Substandard accommodations again?”
“That boy’s gotta learn that he’s not ten feet tall and bullet-proof. Being reckless has consequences.”
Rather than argue the point, Faye changed the subject. “And what about our new pythia? How is she faring?”
“It sounds like she wowed the Anatolian trove team with another great performance.”
“I’m glad of that.” Faye smiled and took another sip of coffee. “Each time she succeeds in bringing hidden information to light, her confidence in her gift will grow.”
“She’s doing great by all accounts.” Maddie’s voice struck a false note.
“And this disturbs you?” Faye peered through the darkness at her companion.
“No, it’s not that. I’m really glad she’s working out but…” She hesitated.
“But?”
Maddie ground out her cigarette in the grass. “Dammit! Why isn’t anybody talking about the elephant in the room?”
Faye looked cautiously around her garden. “Well, for one thing, we’re outdoors.”
Maddie immediately lit another cigarette. “Don’t play coy, Faye. Why isn’t anybody talking about Sybil? I mean the kid lost her sister barely two months ago. Didn’t just lose her. Saw her murdered, in fact. Yet she’s perky and happy to be bouncing off on this relic hunt. That doesn’t seem normal to me.”
Faye studied the tips of her shoes for a moment. “You’re right. It isn’t normal, but nothing about Cassie’s relationship with Sybil was normal.”
“What do you mean?” Maddie turned in her chair to stare at the memory guardian.
Faye set down her cup and folded her hands in her lap. “When Cassie first came to me, it was obvious she was shattered by her sister’s death, but I got the impression that it wasn’t personal.”
“How in the hell could it not be?” The operations director leaned forward. “Sybil was her last living relative.”
Faye nodded. “Yes, Sybil represented family to her and her family was gone. For that, she grieved. But on a personal level, Sybil and Cassie were strangers to one another. Cassie never knew her sister at all.” The old woman paused, lost in thought for a few moments. “If I’d realized it in time, I might have tried to intervene. I’ve always believed that the Arkana has no right to pry into people’s personal lives. In this instance, however, it was a mistake. I should have done something.”
Maddie remained uncharacteristically silent. An owl hooted softly in one of the ancient oak trees at the back of the garden.
“After their parents’ death, Sybil became obsessed with protecting her sister—making sure neither one of them became easy targets for the Nephilim or any other artifact thieves. They moved constantly. Cassie never had time to catch her breath much less make a single friend while Sybil was bustling her around the country.
