[This post is from Seamus’s point of view.]
What was it that Daegon said about what he saw? Oh. “It could be that you’d have more control over something he wants to call,” Seamus said. He swallowed bile, his throat sour and his mouth drying out. “The dirae, the lampades—something else.”
“Something else,” Hecate echoed, her gaze growing distant for a few moments. She wet her lips, staring off into the middle distance. “Maybe,” she murmured. “Maybe that’s it.”
“Do you have a history of being able to control a lot of things like those?” Marin asked, her voice quiet. Hecate glanced up over her shoulder at her, smiling a crooked grin.
“You could say that. You know that they’ve used me—what they’ve used me for. They made sure I had weapons at my disposal. Then, later, I extended and expanded on what they’d taught me.” Her smile faded and she looked away, stared at her hands for a few seconds. Hecate took a slow breath, then exhaled, squeezing her eyes shut. “You might be right, Seamus. It could be that. But something—I don’t know. Something’s still sitting wrong.”
“Do you think it maybe has something to do with your erstwhile ex?”
Hecate’s gaze snapped to Leinth, her jaw tightening for a few seconds before it relaxed. “Why would—”
“Because they’re both opportunists,” Seamus interrupted, his voice quiet. “It would fit. If Orcus thought that he could gain something from an alliance, no matter how lopsided, he’d make it. He’d stick to the very letter of the agreement because I’m certain that whatever one he made was one he made in his own favor.” He shook his head slowly, stomach roiling. “Yes. It could be that. It may well be.”
Hecate glanced at Marin. “Then it’s worse than we thought,” she said softly. “Much, much worse.”
