Some Thing Called Myself (Complete)

LXXV: Something Called Myself (Part Two)

Jano let one of the remaining Sents take his weapon and hold King Çaíra. With soft steps and free hands, he walked toward Mara.

"I knew you'd show up," Jano growled. "I was hoping you wouldn't, but you're very talented in disappointing the people who care about you, Mara."

She wanted to answer but couldn't, horror stuck in her throat.

Jano looked down on her, watching her over the angular curve of his high cheekbones. He clenched his jaw, sweeping their surroundings with his eyes. Finally, Jano crouched in front of her. "It is so remarkable that you're a completely new person, wildly different from the Mara I once knew—and that you'd do the exact same thing, in the exact same situation."

Mara frowned, and something twisted in her gut.

He smiled, the gesture tinged with sadness. "You know what I mean, Mara. I'm well aware you've been recovering your old memories; I can smell them on you. So think a little harder, yes? Things will be much easier if you remember what I did."

The muscles in Mara's neck and hands twitched as she moved her gaze from Jano to the violent sight around them. He had used that terrifying power to shred the trees, the ground, the cabin, the people. It was enough to bring two different images to her mind. The first one was the bloodshed in front of Sé Cathedral in her first mission after coming back, three weeks ago. The other....

Her eyebrows twitched, and an intense pain drilled the right side of her head.

Listen to me, Mara. He's not who you think he is—you need to run.

What are you talking about? Mom, what's happening?

Mara shook her head to clear her thoughts. The pain spread, drops of paint—blood—falling into water, first white in intensity, then red with the memory of all the blood pooling on the floor. There were screams. Vertigo. Fear.

She snapped her eyes open.

"It was...you. It was you!" she shouted, the anger pushing through the fear. Mara tried to free her hands and attack, but there was something unnatural about the ropes Jano had knotted around her wrist. "What the fuck did you do to my mother? Where is she?"

Mara's shout was so loud and violent, Jano reeled back. He looked around himself at the Sents' curious expressions and shrugged his shoulders. His fake confusion looked so genuine that even Mara paused. Jano approached once more.

"Hush now, darling," he said. Jano didn't even try to defend himself; anything but total confusion would look like guilt. And Mara knew he was guilty but didn't feel any guilt at all. Jano continued, "We don't want the others to listen to you and misunderstand our little conversation, do we?"

"Tell me...what you did...to my mother," she growled.

He scoffed. "Nothing. I wish I had arrived in time to do the same I'll do to you, but I was too late."

Mara shook her head. Mimi was right. Jano was Calango, and he had killed Mara. He had murdered her, six months ago. He was the reason why she'd been in a coma. He had taken her last Sentinel life and sentenced her to live under the influence of the mycelium network. Thanks to him, Mara had turned into a Zombie.

"Ah, it seems you finally get it," he whispered. "Good." Jano got up. His next words were loud enough to reach the entire group of people. "I'm not without reason, Mariana. My people know this. They know why we need to reach the reservoir—we'll rebuild the Sentinels that you destroyed, and we'll be much stronger than before." He smiled. "And seeing how you freed all the creatures I intended to use for that, I'll have to ask you to lend me your powers. I won't reach the reservoir otherwise."