CHAPTER 107

"Maybe...I think that maybe you've got it wrong," Abella told her. "Your father's humanity is precious. It is a gift that allows you to relate to the world in a whole different way. Instead of seeing it as a flaw, you should think of it as the thing that makes you...special."

Velvet opened her eyes and looked at Abella, those dark orbs of her shimmering.

"Do you want to be here when it happens?" Abella asks.

Velvet whimpered. "Do I have to be?" she whispered.

"No." Abella picked up all the eggs. "Are these all of them?"

Velvet nodded.

"You can trust me. Go wait outside." Once the words crossed Abella's lips, Velvet bolted out of the barn. Not wanting to prolong the process, Abella set the eggs on the ground and lifted her foot.

Yet, she hesitated. For just a moment, she could see them. She could never have children with Mike herself, nor did she want to. Yet the idea that she was destroying something he created pained her. It also made her appreciate Velvet's sacrifice far more.

Instead of slamming her foot down, she lowered it gently. The eggs were tough, but they cracked beneath her weight. The moment the yolks ran into the dirt, she heard Velvet let out a mournful wail outside of the barn. The musty smell of the barn was briefly overpowered by the odor of ozone, but with another sniff it was gone.

Determined to complete the job, she crushed them all until the shells were tiny fragments. As she ground them up beneath her feet, she couldn't help but think about how the Arachne had dragged her brother to the top of that church and repeatedly slammed him into the ground. All she had seen was the ruthlessness in their eyes, their absolute lack of humanity.

Would these have been any different? Outside the barn, Velvet's wails diminished into hiccuping sobs. It was the sound of a mother's grief. Abella paused for a moment, the sound rocking her. It wasn't an emotion she had ever expected to see in an Arachne, and she couldn't help but feel sadness at the mess beneath her feet. Determined to see the deed through, she used her talons to dig a hole and then pushed the remains of the eggs inside. The burial was easy, and she used her tail to smooth out the ground.

When she walked outside, she found Velvet huddled against the wall of the barn. The Arachne was crying, her legs splayed on the ground. Abella helped her stand and then wrapped her arms around Velvet in a tight embrace and became a rock for her to lean on.

The fridge in Murray's kitchen rattled briefly before letting out a sigh and going silent. Eulalie threw a dirty glance at it, hoping that it wouldn't decide to break down. Murray's interior aesthetic trended toward what the early eighties aspired to, and she was quite convinced that the fridge was no different.

She turned her attention back to the computer and was about to change cameras when she felt the thread she had attached to their intruder shift. It was the tiniest of movements, but already she was across the room and climbing the stairs.

Sofia, who had been asleep on the couch, leapt to her feet and followed. She squinted against the bright light of morning and stumbled on one of the steps. The floor creaked beneath Sofia, and Eulalie frowned at the noise.

"Sorry," Sofia muttered. "Didn't sleep well. Felt like I had the flu or something for a bit."

"As long as you're okay now."

"I am." Sofia continued up, and Eulalie followed. They opened the door to Murray's room and walked inside. The intruder was holding perfectly still, and she wasn't even entirely certain that he was breathing.

"Enough of that." Sofia pushed past Eulalie and extended her sword. Using the flat of her blade, she slapped it against the stranger's belly. The sound was loud, and his whole body jerked. A thin welt appeared across his sagging gut.

"Why did you do that?" asked Eulalie.

"He was attempting astral projection." She swatted his belly again. "Maybe remote viewing, or trying to contact someone, I don't know. But if he keeps it up, I'm going to start using the edge," she declared.

"Ow, enough, please." He turned his head back and forth. Eulalie figured he was trying to find a gap in the pillowcase to look through, but she had already checked. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Why are you breaking into places with a magic wand?" Sofia dragged the tip of her sword along his foot, then up his calf. "Don't give me that innocent bullshit. Let's skip ahead to the part where you tell me something useful."

"I...uh..." he shifted. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"So go." Sofia now ran the blade up his thigh. "Nobody is stopping you."

The man sighed. "If you insist."

"Wait." Eulalie placed her hand on the man's belly and gave Sofia a dirty look. She really didn't want to deal with the mess, and would be able to smell it throughout the house. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"I'm listening." His voice was gravelly now.

"Why don't we start with just a few basic questions. Nothing invasive, just some basic manners. For instance, what is your name?"

He tilted his head in her direction. "Names are a powerful thing," he told them. "How do I know you aren't a witch who--"

WHAP! The flat of the blade smacked him on the bottom of his foot. Sofia grinned.

"Ow, fuck!" He jerked in his bonds. "You can call me Cyrus!"

"Okay, Cyrus. Nice to meet you." Eulalie moved her hands up to his neck. She could see the beating of his heart through his carotid artery. As she watched his pulse, she couldn't help but think she had heard that name before. "Why did you break into our house?"

"It isn't your house," Cyrus declared. "But I answered your question, so you owe me one."

Sofia slapped him again, but this time, he didn't utter a sound.

"Hmm. Looks like a protective aura is around him now." Sofia put her hand an inch above his skin. "Here, you can feel it. It's kind of like an electrical field."

Eulalie obeyed. Her fingertips felt like they were full of pins and needles.