“Did you really think you could get away with it?" Daedaluss voice was cutting.
"Oh, Daedalus," Petra said. "Get over yourself" She ignored his look of outrage and went to the small bar. She found a bottle of spring water, then went to look out the tall French window at the people passing on the street below.
The air was heavy today, heavy and wet. She'd left Clio at home, working on her "principles of metal in magick" lesson. Clio had been only ten minutes late last night, but she was keeping a secret, Petra was sure of it. But Racey had dropped her off-so they had probably stayed together during the evening. Petra tried to control her tension. She had spoiled Clio, and now she was reaping the results, Petra was sick of secrets. Almost her entire life had been a series of secrets. After all this time, she had no idea how to live without them.
"Petra!”
Petra looked up to see Ouida coming toward her, hands outstretched. The younger woman looked a bit drawn, Petra thought. A bit tense. Well, this was a messy business.
They hugged, and Petra wondered how long it had been since they'd seen each other. Not that long, surely, Petra pulled back to look at her, smoothing her hand over the soft coffee-colored cheek. "Last time I saw you, you had cornrows and beads," Petra said, smiling,
Ouida patted her short-cropped afro, "This is easier. Wait till you see Richard."
Petra 's glance was sharp. "How is he?" Ouida nodded thoughtfully. "He's good" she said, but Petra felt her uncertainty.
The doorbell below rang, and Jules buzzed someone in. Moments later, Sophie and Manon came through the door, Sophie as lovely as always, with her fair skin and large brown eyes. And Manon still had her girlish prettiness, her pale blond curls, her dark eyes, the slender body poised on the edge of puberty.
"My dears," Petra hugged them each in turn, "Still in school?" she teased Sophie. Sophie blushed and nodded, "Art history this time," said Manon, "But we're going to the Riviera for Soliver-she's promised."
"You look beautiful, my dear" Petra told Manon tenderly, Manon and Richard would always have the hardest time, and Petra understood how intensely they wished it were different,
Manon smiled and shrugged. She moved to the small sofa and sat down, propping delicate feet on the Directoire table in front of her, Petra saw Daedalus wince.
"Well, isn't this quite the little reunion?" Richards dry voice cut through the air. Petra turned to see him, Ouida said cheerfully, "He's goth now,"
Petra embraced Richard, holding his tight body, feeling his tension. He held himself stiffly for a moment, then seemed to relax against his will, putting his arms around her in a brief, hard hug. When she looked into his brown eyes, she saw pain, as usual,
"You kept it from us," he said under his breath so only she could hear.
She nodded sadly, "I had to, love, I-"
"Yeah," Richard released himself and went to pour himself several fingers of whiskey over ice. So he was drinking again. Petra wondered how long that had been going on,
Petra looked around the room. "Where s Claire? Marcel?" Who else was missing? And our favorite rake?" she asked dryly.
Axelle grinned, running her finger around the top of her wineglass. "He's out," she said, "Raking through the locals, no doubt,"
"We can start without him," said Daedalus, "He knows all this anyway. And Claire and Marcel are on their way. Petra — we know about the twins, obviously. We know that you kept it from all of us for seventeen years. What do you have to say for yourself?"
It was a measure of Daedaluss arrogance that he was most offended by her not telling him-Petra was sure that if he alone had known, he would have been content to keep the secret from the others if it suited his purpose.
"I did as I thought best" Petra said calmly. "I honored Clemence's last wish, I honored the wishes of the twins' father. And truly, all this never occurred to me-" She waved her hand, summing up Daedaluss whole scheme. "Cerises descendants have always been my responsibility-none of you have offered to take on the burden. Why would I trouble you with these orphans when you couldn't be bothered before?" She shrugged, sounding eminently reasonable.
"But surely you must have recognized the significance of twins!" Daedalus said coldly. "How many years ago did we start thinking about the possibility of a ritual? A ritual that all of us have wanted at one time or another"
"Not all of us, Daedalus" said Petra…And frankly, after I had watched Clemence bleed to death, as I had watched Cerises other descendants bleed to death-instantly plugging her children into your grand plan never occurred to me." Petra let her voice take on an edge of steel. Daedalus was trying to extend his influence-she would draw the line where it would stop. "I found myself with two newborn, motherless infants. Their father had no idea of Clemences background or who I was. He was heartbroken at her death, barely able to function. He felt he could deal with only one child, if that, and begged me to take care of the other. We kept in touch for years, but gradually our letters became less and less frequent, and then he moved and left no forwarding address. I've had no idea of Thais's whereabouts for years."
Petra was aware that the others were watching this exchange, back and forth like a tennis match. Some would agree with Daedalus, some with her, but above all else, each witch there was truly loyal only to him- or herself.
'All that is in the past, and the twins weren't significant much before this, anyway," Ouida said. "The question is, what's happening now?"
Daedalus moved to stand before the marble fireplace, striking a pose that Petra saw as rehearsed and theatrical. Really, did he think anyone would buy this persona? Didnt he realize that the years had stripped away all their innocence forever? None of them would ever regain a fresh perspective, ever trust anything at face value, ever truly let down their guard again. Not even Sophie or Jules, who had always been the most trusting of them all.
"What's happening now is that we're working hard to put the rite together," Daedalus said pompously. "Jules, Richard, and I. And now that you're all here, we can move more quickly, with your help."
Petra put disbelief and just a touch of scorn into her voice. "The rite? Deesse, Daedalus, is that still the focus of your being? Have you not branched out by now?"
Daedalus schooled his face into calm, but Petra had seen the brief flash of rage in his eyes. She wondered if anyone else had. "Of course, Petra," he said. "You re not the only one who has pursued interests and achieved goals in this life. But yes, beneath all my business dealings, the companies I've founded, my pursuit of all of life's experiences, there has always been a strong interest in… recapturing the past, shall we say. Some of you may have let that desire go. Some of you may not agree with how urgently I feel it's necessary. But in my view, yes, the rite is imperative. I have never released that hope, never lost sight of that goal"
He managed to make everyone else sound faithless and shortsighted, Petra acknowledged wryly. Point to him.
"To what end, Daedalus?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
"To whatever end we agree on," he came back. "That's the beauty. With this one rite, we could each achieve whatever personal goals we have. But more important, we could reclaim a treasure that was lost to us long ago, one invaluable to our ancestors. It has kept this famille alive. This treasure would give us, the Treize, incalculable power-and it's rightly ours. Surely you're not truly prepared to let it go forever? Does it mean so little to you, Petra? After everything?"
Petra glanced around the room-his words had made people thoughtful, perhaps given new life to dreams that she thought had been left behind long ago.
"This is all within reach again," he went on, "Now that we know Cerises line has produced twins. They will make twelve and thirteen: a complete Treize, Not that they are the only consideration" He gestured to Jules and Richard. "Jules and I have been trying to pinpoint the exact location of the source. The land itself has shifted. Richard is working on the rite. Perhaps Sophie or Manon could help him with that. Axelle has the four cups." Axelle nodded. "Ouida has the vial of water." Daedalus deliberately met Petra 's eyes. "And you have the twins. Its all coming together"
"So I assume the twins are safe, then?" Petra said sternly. "No harm will come to them from any of you?"
"Of course not," Ouida said, shocked, but Ouida hadn't been the one Petra was talking to.
"The girls are quite safe," Daedalus said with a frown. "We do, after all, need them."
Petra nodded, not meeting anyone's eyes. Inside her a feeling was rising that she recognized as panic. Ruthlessly she shut it down. Not time yet to panic, she told herself. After all, Claire was so unreliable, and she never could stand Daedalus. And then Marcel-Marcel would be a tough nut to crack. No. There was no reason to panic. Not yet. And before the time to panic came, she would have come up with a plan to save the twins, to keep them from being used in this way, in a rite that would surely kill one of them.