Light in Dark Places

Chapter Thirty-Six

"What were you thinking?" Mathiessen rages. His anger fills the room like a thunderstorm. Agatha and the other two helpers stay very still, except for occasionally flinching. They're all waiting for blows to fall—because when someone like Mathiessen is angry, violence is surely an inevitability. "You could have ruined everything!

"You shouldn't have brought her," Sempiternal says, jabbing a finger in Agatha's direction. "She is dangerous. The Miserable creature is dangerous. Kill them both, Mathiessen, or let me do it."

"Miserable creature," Mathiessen says sharply. "You mean Joan Kaas. What do you know about her waking up?"

Sempiternal's nostrils flare, looking very much like an angry bull. "This will not turn out the way you want. Not unless you kill them."

Mathiessen doesn't like being told what to do. But even he is not so stupid that he would ignore warnings from a god. He turns his attention to Agatha. "What were you talking about with Seung-ri's sister?"

"Nothing," Agatha stammers, "The food, we were talking about the catering—"

"Why were you talking to her?"

"She—" Agatha's throat is dry. "She looked lonely. I felt bad."

"You felt bad for the Mountain King's sister," Mathiessen scoffs.

Agatha struggles with her words. It doesn't help at all that she's completely telling the truth. "I thought she needed someone to talk to."

Mathiessen stares at her in suspicion, like he suspects that she's lying. It's a tense, silent moment.

"Just kill her!" Sempiternal explodes. "Kill her and leave this place."

That does it. Mathiessen really doesn't like being told what to do. "We're not leaving. I have the Kings right where I want them. So you better not do anything to mess this up, got it?"

This is not the time to feel relieved. It can still go wrong. Sempiternal won't leave this alone, and there's very little Agatha can do.

*

"Do you think some things can't be changed?" Joan asks.

The question echoes in Benedict's ears, but he's gotten used to that. He is also slowly getting used to the way Joan springs questions on him. He's sure it's because she has no one else to ask, but it's nice all the same. No one has ever asked for his opinion before.

"Yes," Benedict replies. And he doesn't call attention to it, doesn't look at his wing at all, but Joan seems to realize what he's thinking about and she sends him an apologetic look.

"Yes, right, of course, but that's not what I meant. I mean, I know there's things we can't change, but I mean—do you think there's ever a time when there's nothing that could be done?"

Benedict scrunches his nose in thought. "I think...that's the same question? Maybe you should just tell me... what you're referring to."

Joan sighs. "I keep thinking about that girl."

"A problem I have constantly," Schwartz says, coming up from behind them. "What girl?"

Joan jumps at Schwartz's sudden appearance, even more so as she realizes the whole group is now suddenly there.

"She came with Carl Mathiessen," Joan says reluctantly.

"No good," Schwartz says. "The long distance thing would never work."

"She's a slave," Joan says.

"Then it really wouldn't work. Sorry, sorry, I know that was inappropriate, Jude, you don't need to glare at me. Start from the beginning, what about Mathiessen's slave girl?"