I suddenly understood what she was talking about. I tucked the pistol under my arm and took the ghost knife from my pocket. “I used it on you because you were trying to kill me.” I grabbed Merpati’s wrist and swept the ghost knife through her little finger. It cut a notch in her braided gold ring, but her flesh was unharmed.
She gasped. Her shoulders slumped and her hands drew up next to her chest in a frightened, defensive posture. “Both of you,” she blurted out. “I’m sorry. He sent us to kill both of you, along with Mr. Kripke, if we could find him.”
Catherine leaned toward her. “Who sent you to kill us?”
“His name is Zahn.” I heard Annalise inhale sharply. That wasn’t a good sign. Merpati kept talking. “He’s what Mr. Yin has wanted to be his whole life. He’s a real sorcerer. When his man approached me and offered to make me an apprentice, I couldn’t refuse.”
Catherine’s voice was quiet. “So you double-crossed your employer for him.”
“I … yes,” Merpati said. “Mr. Yin …” Her voice trailed off.
Three of the townspeople, all men, began walking up the street toward us. One carried a rifle. The others were probably armed as well, but no weapons were visible. I lifted my empty hand to tell them to stop, and startled by the gesture, they did.
“Mr. Yin was the forty-sixth richest man in the world. He was ruthless and a little crazy, but he was a good man, in his way. He loved me. He even asked to marry me, and my solicitor assured me the terms of the prenup were excellent. Here I was, just a bank teller’s daughter from Surabaya, and I would have been set to take care of my parents and siblings for life. And of course my association with him would have enabled me to pursue my only real interest: magic.”
She glanced at the marks on the back of my hand. We were all quiet, waiting for her to continue.
She looked at Catherine again. “When we kidnapped you, I thought we were going to get everything we would ever want. But Mr. Yin …” She looked at me. “He wanted that spell you offered him so much that he lost all caution.”
I didn’t look at Annalise. I didn’t want to see the expression on her face.
“When Herr Zahn approached me, I made the same mistake. Exactly the same. He promised me the secrets of the world behind the world, and I threw away everything. I lured Yin to his death. Me. When Zahn ordered me to take the few men I’d saved for myself and come after you, I knew he’d used me. He didn’t care if I made it back, and if I had, he would have killed me. I betrayed a man who would have given me a good life for nothing. I’m so sorry.”
She began to weep. A sorcerer had once promised to show me the world behind the world, but instead I had stolen his spell book and created my ghost knife. In the end, he had seemed like a decent guy—for a sorcerer—but I saw the world behind the world without his help. And just like Merpati, I wanted more.
With that thought, I couldn’t help but look down at the dead gunman at my feet.
The townspeople were slowly moving closer to us again, and this time they had a crowd behind them. Whatever we were going to do with her, it would have to happen soon.
Annalise stepped over the boy’s body and jostled Catherine aside. She laid the scrap of wood against Merpati’s shoulder; the sigils didn’t react. She wasn’t carrying any magic.
Annalise’s voice was quiet. “Where can we find Zahn?”
“He’s been staying at a cabin near the fairgrounds. It’s where he lured Mr. Yin and his men to kill them.”
“I was just there last night,” I said. “The chief of police discovered Yin’s body—and the others—but the sorcerer was long gone.”
“No,” Merpati said. “He has a way of forcing you to think certain thoughts and turn away from certain places. Sometimes he can make people not see him when he’s right there with you. He thinks it’s funny.”
“Merpati,” I said.
“Yes?”
“I want you to tell those people”—I gestured toward the approaching townspeople—“that you came here with these gunmen to kill everyone in the building, and that you did it on Zahn’s orders. You can say they forced you or whatever, but don’t tell them about the magic. Make up a believable lie. Understand?”
“I will,” she said. “Do I have to spend the rest of my life in jail? I’m afraid.”
“No,” Annalise said. “Someone will be along to debrief you and ease you out of this world. You’re done, but if you talk about spells or predators to anyone—
Merpati’s mouth dropped open, then shut. She nodded.
The three locals at the head of the crowd were about ten feet from us by then. “Excuse me,” the man with the rifle said. “What’s going on here?”
Merpati glanced at Annalise one more time. I knew she would do what I told her until the effects of my spell wore off, but the look she gave Annalise told me that she would stick to that story for as long as she had to.
Then she turned toward the three men. “These others are not involved. I will explain,” she said in her perfectly accented English.
Annalise gave me a look. “Let’s go.” I followed her along the side of the road toward town, away from the throng of people gathering around Merpati.
“Hold it right there,” one of the men said, hustling in front of us to block our path. He was a balding guy with a couple more chins than were strictly necessary, but the double-barrel shotgun in his hand was tough enough.
Annalise sighed. “Let me show you my identification,” she said. She reached into her jacket.
“Boss—” I was suddenly afraid for Balding’s life. But Annalise pulled out a white ribbon and showed him the sigil on the bottom. Balding suddenly closed his eyes and turned his back on us. Then he stretched out on the road
