Ghost Silk (Ghost Perfume, Book 2) | ✔

12 - Free us - Part 2 (Alexander)

Alexander (continued)

Gabriel and Michael sat with her. Lukas finished tying up the last of the humans. He brought over one of the candelabras that lined the walls, so its flames could cast a stronger light for Rose.

I considered the tableau of sobbing bodies and dragged the one called Maximilian forward, because he'd struck me as the most assertive of the leaders.

Michael was saying behind me, "They have a great deal to answer for. We relied on them. We've moved unscathed through far worse conditions, because we've always been sure of our information."

Rose said in a rush, "They're really sorry for missing the gun. It was a mistake."

He said nothing else, because there was of course nothing else to do. Except never rely only on ghosts again.

Rose glanced between the cult and us. She'd laced her hands together. She really was too steady and pitiless towards the humans; she wasn't herself at all.

It was convenient, but I was afraid she'd have a delayed reaction to the violence.

"Try your persuasion now?" Gabriel nudged her.

If her persuasion was strong enough, we wouldn't have to resort to torture.

"You must be Maximilian," she said in a hilariously nice tone to the trussed up man, a tentative thread of honeyed persuasion lacing her voice.

He contorted to face her more directly. I could smell the fear souring his sweat, and he was more confused than ever - his face gone slack, at the sweet young voice that issued from his fifth attacker.

"And - and - you are?" he asked.

"Maximilian, where's the book you use to call up demons and the portal that they come through?"

"You seek to join us." His voice was strange, wheezing and unusually high.

He struggled to sit up with his wrists behind his back. "But why open with aggression? I admire it, I do. You are tigers among sheep. But you have much to learn from us."

His gaze darted around and landed warily on me. I stood over him with my arms crossed. "Meet me on equal ground, man to man, and I will -"

I dragged him up till his feet dangled off the floor, humans flinching at my sudden movement. "You are a man," I whispered. "Just a man. Answer her questions."

He looked at me with big eyes.

"Who are you?" he breathed. A trickle of blood ran down from his temple.

How I wanted to give him a lesson in humility.

"Let her lead," Michael warned.

I dropped the man. He fell on his broken leg and screamed.

"Maximilian," Rose said, but to my pleasure, the darker side of her persuasion laced the tone. A shiver worked its way through the humans, and Maximilian flinched on the floor. "Where are the book and the portal?"

"Wh-what? I don't know -"

I kicked him.

"You can't have them," he said on a high whine, "you can't just take them!"

"But I don't want to keep them, Maximilian," Rose said, sounding so surprised and reasonable I almost grinned. "I promise I'll give them to their rightful owner; I've just promised to help a couple friends come over, and I need to borrow the book and the portal for that."