The old woman rose stiffly. “Cassie, why don’t you and I go out into the garden and let Hannah handle this. There’s a fine sunset in the offing.”
The pythia poured them both mugs of coffee, and the two women ambled outside, allowing Hannah to finish cleaning up.
“I wanted to have a few moments alone with you anyway,” Faye confided in a low voice as they seated themselves under the pergola. The Chinese lanterns strung along the latticework were just beginning to glow in the twilight—the evening air still warmed by the last breath of Indian summer.
“Is everything squared away with your new apartment?” Faye asked.
“Barely,” Cassie said ruefully. “I found a little place in the suburbs. I thought it was safer than staying in the city. I didn’t have time to do more than sign the lease before I had to pack for Malta. Maddie says she’ll have some of her staff clear everything out of Sybil’s place and move it for me.”
“I take it you’re leaving first thing in the morning?”
“By dawn’s early light,” Cassie replied, taking a cautious sip of her coffee, which was still too hot to drink. “The guys send their regards. It would have been nice to share a farewell meal together but with Hannah here...” she trailed off, gazing pensively toward the house where the clatter of dishes could be heard. “How’s she doing?”
“We have daily lessons. The poor child’s education must have stopped somewhere around the fifth grade, so I’m attempting to fill in the gaps. The more difficult task is helping her adjust to the world at large. Every television program we watch raises a thousand questions, and I’m no expert on popular culture. I confess that the public fascination with this ‘reality TV’ business eludes me entirely.” Faye paused, frowning slightly. “Hannah often seems so normal that I’m tempted to forget her past until it surfaces in small ways.”
“What kind of small ways?” Cassie peered at the old woman.
Faye gave a tiny shrug. “Her religious upbringing comes back to haunt her at odd moments. Sometimes she has nightmares. I can hear her talking in her sleep. Now that she’s taken the plunge of rejecting her faith, she secretly wonders if perhaps she’s going to hell after all. She fears that the Nephilim were right.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Cassie exclaimed scornfully.
“Perhaps ridiculous to you and me but the pull of tradition can be very strong—especially on one so young who’s been immersed in those narrow beliefs since infancy.” Faye paused to check that Hannah was still busy in the kitchen. “She did a very brave thing to leave the Nephilim, but it came at a cost. I only hope I can help her move past her indoctrination.”
“If anybody can get through to her, I know you can. I was a head case when we first met but look at me now.” The pythia laughed briefly. “I could almost pass for a responsible adult.” She scowled worriedly as a new thought struck her. “Have you decided how you’re going to handle her condition?”
“Her condition?” Faye repeated doubtfully.
“I know she isn’t showing yet, and she says there’s no morning sickness, but you’ll have to get her to a doctor for check-ups, not to mention the delivery.”
“Oh that,” the old woman said easily. “My dear, the Arkana commands all sorts of resources you aren’t aware of. Doctors, midwives, our own medical facilities. We had to set those things in place long ago. As you already know from experience, working for a secret organization can be physically risky. Emergencies do arise, and the last thing we needed was to answer awkward questions at a community hospital.”
“I never would have thought of that.” Cassie registered surprise. “It’s good to know that Hannah will get the care she needs.”
Faye studied the pythia in silence, a slight smile playing about her lips.
Cassie did a double-take. “What is it? Do I have crumbs on my face?”
The old woman chuckled. “No, I’m just amused to see how protective you’ve become of our little fugitive.”
“I suppose it’s because I’m not the new kid on the block anymore.” Cassie’s face grew solemn. “She is.” Her gaze slid off toward the house.
“It appears to me as if you have something more than that weighing on your mind,” Faye observed.
Cassie nodded. “I was thinking back to what it was like when I was the new kid and how much has changed since then. When I first got involved with all of you, it was because I wanted to find Sybil’s killer—plain and simple. I figured the Arkana had a better shot at helping me catch him than the cops would. I wasn’t thinking too much beyond that. It was all personal to me. And then, later on, I started to feel like you and Maddie and Erik and Griffin were family—the family I never had. I liked the feeling of belonging, so I stayed. That was personal too. But now...” she trailed off.
“Now?” Faye prompted.
Cassie took another sip of coffee. “Now it’s different. Ever since Hannah landed on my doorstep, I’m seeing things through her eyes. I think about what it might have been like if I never got to go to school, or drive a car, or travel the world. If I was surrounded by razor wire my whole life. If I was married off at fourteen and pregnant before I’d even crushed on my first boyfriend.” Cassie gave the old woman a searching gaze. “Do you think anybody should be forced to live like that?”
Faye remained silent, the cryptic smile returning to her lips.
The pythia continued. “The way I see it, we each get one life. Only one and it belongs to us. We’ve got a right to live it in a way that makes us happy and maybe makes the world a better place. Hannah never got that chance because some old lunatic thought she was his property. This
