“I’m not sure. I’ve never had it.”
Cassie poked her head back out from the kitchen to regard her strange guest. “Huh?”
The girl blushed as if the question embarrassed her. “I’m sorry, but there are so many things that are new to me.”
Cassie went back into the kitchen and retrieved two cans of soda from the refrigerator.
Setting them down on the coffee table, she took a seat next to the girl. “Did you just drop out of the sky?”
The girl blinked in puzzlement. “Not exactly but I come from a long way off.” She stiffly extended her hand in greeting. “My name is Hannah.”
Cassie warily shook her hand, thinking this was the geekiest kid she’d ever met. That was a surprise considering what a looker the girl was—green eyes, blond hair, tall for her age. That type usually got past being socially awkward before they were even out of diapers. She handed a can of soda to her guest who looked at it like it was a bomb about to explode.
The pythia flipped the top on her own soda.
“Oh, I see,” said Hannah. She did the same and jumped a little when the tab made a hissing sound.
Cassie laughed in spite of herself. Thinking the girl might need a lesson in how to consume this strange beverage, she lifted the can to her lips and drank.
Hannah followed suit. “Oh, my!” she grimaced in surprise. “It has bubbles and the taste—”
“I guess it’s acquired.” Noting her guest’s sour expression, she asked, “Would you like some water or tea instead?”
“Oh, yes. Please.” Hannah nodded vehemently and set the can down on the coffee table.
Cassie rummaged around in the kitchen until she found a cold bottle of iced tea at the back of the refrigerator. Just in case the kid had never seen a twist cap bottle before, she loosened the lid before handing it to her.
“Here, try this. You might like it better.”
Hannah took a thirsty gulp. “Yes, that’s much better. Thank you.”
The pythia studied her visitor for a few moments. “So, what brings you to my door?” she asked.
Hannah stared at the rug and fidgeted with the bottle of tea for a while. “I was hoping you might protect me.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Protect you from what?”
“From them,” Hannah said simply.
There was only one “them” that would cause anybody to be as scared as this kid obviously was. Only one “them” who would motivate an absolute stranger to look her up. The pythia’s mind began to make rapid connections. “Are you talking about the Nephilim?”
The girl nodded.
“Jeez, Louise! How did you ever get mixed up with that bunch of crazies?”
“I was born in a compound in Missouri,” she replied.
“Born in— Then that means—” Cassie sprang from the couch and backed away. “You’re one of them!”
“No, no.” The girl shook her head violently. “I’m not. I ran away. They’re probably looking for me right now. I don’t know what they’ll do to me if they figure out where I am.”
“How did you find me? Do they know I’m alive?” Cassie remained standing some distance away. “Because if they do, I should be packing a suitcase right about now!”
The girl shook her head again. “No, none of the Blessed Nephilim know you’re alive. I only just found out myself from Rhonda, the lady at the shop. I went there because I had heard of a woman named Sybil who was murdered by Leroy Hunt. I was hoping to find out if someone might still be after those artifacts that Father Abraham wants so much. I thought perhaps I was safer among the enemies of the Nephilim if any survived.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Cassie laughed. “Good strategy, kid.”
Hannah continued. “So, when the shopkeeper gave me your address, I was so glad. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to send me back to them.”
“You guessed right.” Cassie smiled appreciatively. She sat back down. “But how is it you know so much about the relic hunt, and how the heck did you manage to get out of that place on your own?”
Hannah relaxed a bit now that she sensed Cassie wasn’t going to turn her out. “Daniel helped me.”
“Daniel!” Cassie exclaimed. “You mean the little weasel who stood by and let Hunt try to kill us?”
“Oh, but he isn’t like that at all.” The girl rushed to his defense. “He was very brave when he smuggled me out of the compound in his car.” She paused, thinking back. “The whole time he was teaching me about the Fallen Lands, he kept talking about that terrible night when he saw you sealed up in the cave. He still has nightmares about it because he blames himself for your death.”
“Good!” Cassie countered. “He probably should.” She relented when she saw the stricken look on Hannah’s face. “Still I suppose he couldn’t be all bad if he helped you get out. Kind of like your big brother, huh?”
Hannah looked down at the floor again. “He was my husband once.”
“Your—” Cassie gasped. “This couldn’t get any weirder! How old are you, kid?”
“I’ll be fifteen soon.” The girl actually sounded proud to be so grown up.
“I didn’t get a good look at him, but that Daniel dude had to be at least thirty.”
Hannah nodded. “Yes, I believe he is. He’s been very good to me.”
The pythia sat speechless, staring at her young visitor. She was having trouble wrapping her brain around the whole bizarre situation. “So, why aren’t you married to him anymore?”
Hannah avoided looking her in the eye. She took a quick gulp of tea before answering. “Daniel has three wives, but I don’t believe he ever wanted to be married to anybody. On our wedding night, we didn’t...” she trailed off.
“Oh.” Cassie’s single syllable spoke volumes.
“And then Father Abraham thought that the devil was making me spread lies about Daniel, so he dissolved the
