MELANCHOLY [1]

FIFTEEN

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fifteen
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VIA AND PIPER CORNERED THE PRINCESS as soon as Jason and Leo went off to check out the living fur coats.

"You want them shopping for their deaths?" Piper demanded.

"Why?" Via asked. Every instinct told her to run, but she wasn't even sure if Jason and Leo would listen to her.

"Mmm." The princess blew dust off a display case of swords. "I'm a seer, my lovelies. I know both of your little secrets. But we don't want to dwell on those, do we? The boys are having such fun."

Fear became a tangible, living force that crept over Via like some hungry beast, immobilising her. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She sensed Piper giving her a questioning stare, but Via couldn't look at her.

Piper glared at the princess. "Who are you?"

"I told you, my dear. I'm the Princess of Colchis."

"And where's Colchis?"

The princess's expression turned a little sad. "Where was Colchis, you mean. My father ruled as far as the shores of the Black Sea, as far to the east as a Greek ship could sail back in those days. But Colchis is no more— lost eons ago."

Via wasn't sure she heard that right. "Eons?" The princess looked no more than fifty, but a bad feeling settling started settling over Via— something Boreas had mentioned back in Quebec. "How old are you, exactly?"

The princess laughed. "A lady should avoid asking or answering that question. Let's just say that the, ah, immigration process to enter to enter your country took quite a while. My patron finally brought me through. She made all this possible." The princess swept her hand around the department store.

Via went rigid.

"Your patron..." Piper said, uncertain.

"Oh yes. She doesn't bring just anyone through, mind you— only those who have special talents, such as me. And really, she insists on so little— a store entrance that must be underground so she can, ah, monitor my clientele, and a favor now and then. In exchange for a new life? Really, it was the best bargain I'd made in centuries."

Via didn't have to look at Piper to know they were thinking the same thing. We have to get out of here. Now.

But before the words could come out of her mouth, Jason called, "Hey, check it out!"

From a rack labelled Distressed Clothing, he held up a purple T-shirt like the one Via had first seen him in— except this shirt looked as if it had been clawed by tigers.