Part way to his mouth, he checked himself and said, “You should eat, baby, you're wasting—”
“—away to nothing before your very eyes. At least put the spoon in your mouth and pretend to eat,” I finished for him. At his startled expression, I said, “That was what you were going to say, wasn't it?”
Thaimon chewed his food, watching me as I put the fruit bowl to the side and leaned forward. The waiter made no sign of caring when Thaimon gestured for the man to take the food away.
Once the waiter was gone, I took out my pillbox and took my medications just a little bit early. The last thing I wanted to do was start sniffling in front of a worry wart.
“What do you have there?”
I should have realized he'd ask. Revealing them to him in my palm, I said, “The red one is something for the Bliss aftermath. The white is a general make-the-cold-symptoms-go-away tablet. And the capsule is an antibiotic for 'open wounds'.”
Thaimon frowned. “So you did get a blood vine scratch.”
“It didn't do anything.”
“You were lucky.”
Given what had happened to the witness, Lowe, and to Wraithbane, I had to agree with Thaimon's assessment. I took the pills quickly and said, “I was not intending to take up so much of your time.”
“The sentiment is kindly phrased, but say what you mean. You are impatient for my answer, but I am not so impatient to give it. Besides, you have not yet settled your last debt.”
Thaimon reached under the tablecloth and withdrew a folder in his hand, a little smudged from having been tossed out the car window. Even so, it did not mark the tablecloth when he put it down beside my water glass.
How he had gotten it, I didn't know, and I didn't care enough to waste time asking. This had been the price for Kayla's release from the slavers. Thaimon had bought her and given her to me because she was my friend. The price Thaimon had wanted from me was simple: read what was in the folder.
“As greatly as I enjoy your presence, Brandy, baby, I do have an appointment to keep after I finish my meal.” Thaimon coughed his lifetime smoking habit cough. “And I do not want you to be in any more debt than you are in at the current time.”
I swallowed hard and lowered my eyes to the folder. “I once met with a woman who read cards. She said that if I were to bring up my past, it would change my future. Is this about my past?”
“If you are asking, you already know the answer.”
“I don't know if I can do this, Thaimon.”
“You can, the question is if you will.” Thaimon finished his fruit and studied me. “If you choose not to pay your dues at this meeting, I will not hold it against you, but nor will I be able to give you satisfaction for the purpose of your visit.”
Just this once. For Bane. “You want me to tell you what they're about, right?”
“Correct.”
I set aside the place setting and opened the newspaper clippings. Once more I feared that they would powder away to nothing beneath my fingertips, though they did hold together except for a single small rip. When I was done, I said, “The first one detailed a woman's capture. The next involved her trial and testimonies of the victims. Last came the verdict: guilty, life sentence. There, I've read it.”
Thaimon was half-way done with his main meal. “Read it again. You skimmed through it the first time and didn't understand the material.”
He was going to make this hard, wasn't he? I didn't read it again, but I did say, “The first article is about Charlotte Lovell, known to the papers as Dreamweaver, accused of kidnapping, black magic, and infiltrating the pharmaturgical trade, she was arrested by the White Wizard Council.”
“Good, go on.”
“The second one,” I licked my lips nervously, “is about the people who went missing and their families, how she used them for experiments to make her drug.”
“Read that one again.”
“She kidnapped people by transfiguring them into horses and no one thought twice about seeing her on the road with a young colt. The drug she was working on was Bliss.”
“Hmm.” Thaimon finished chewing. “It didn't say the drug name in the article, but yes, it was Bliss.”
I was struggling to keep calm. “And the third one reiterates all this again, then states that she was found guilty and was sentenced to life in prison, but the victims didn't feel this was fair as she was dying anyway.”
“And their solution was?”
“It doesn't say. Under debate.”
“Ah,” Thaimon said. “That was the article I lost. Nevertheless, I will not hold you to the missing copy. This will do for now. Thank you for being so patient with this old man. Now, what is it that you wanted to ask of me?”
I had intended to blurt out as short of a query as possible, but instead I found myself starting with, “We got a call this evening. The witness had had an encounter with a blood vine, and he went … he went revenant.”
“I'm sorry,” Thaimon said. He seemed genuine.
“That was why you didn't want me scratched by the vines?”
Thaimon nodded. “At times, you can control your own vines, but never another's. They're terribly risky. What happened next?”
“Another man had already been exposed while the first was incubating the revenant. We lost him, too.”
“If the damage is done, why are you here?” Thaimon's eyes narrowed. “You are not harmed, and I know you would not have come to me to save your own skin. However, you would do it for another. Is it Nicholas?”
My lip twitched, my breath hitched, and I didn't say no.
“Brandy, baby,” Thaimon extended a shaking hand and patted my arm. “If I had known, I wouldn't have been an ass.”
My throat was clogged and tight with stress and unshed tears. “How do I help him?”
“Believe me, he was a noble opponent. Though we wished each other dead, he had suitable reasons for wanting me gone, and he made life a challenge. It won't be as interesting without him.”
“Thaimon!” I said. “Please.”
Thaimon held my hand and made eye contact. “I have never known the cure to the blood vines. That was you. You tried to explain, once, but I couldn't understand.”
“What do you mean you couldn't understand?”
“Where I was, am, a hobbyist, you were a scientist. I could understand you well enough in general concepts and a couple subjects, but once you began to get technical and detailed... you never had the patience to explain it all. You still haven't the patience.” He wouldn't let my hand go. “But as you've spent your time here with me instead of with him, I will tell you what I can. You said you needed purple from outside, silver from you, and red from the victim. You said you needed burning oil and sparks. Imp ink. There was another thing, but I do not recall what it was. Never could, you know.”
I slumped back. “So that's it?”
“Brandy...”
“No, just. This isn't right.”
Thaimon sighed. “I can tell you one last thing, but you won't like it. It may help you now.”
“What is it?”
“If you don't want to pry into your past...”
“Tell me.”
“A witch's trial lasts a very long time, particularly one such as Charlotte's. She was incarcerated in 1895.”
I refrained from asking what the point was.
“Her full sentence didn't begin until ninety years after the verdict. At the time of her arrest, her possessions were confiscated and either destroyed or auctioned to pay for the trial. Amongst the items auctioned was a book which I had enchanted to appear like a cookbook. It has other magic, older magic.”
“What are you saying?”
“That a witch's spell-book always finds a way to return to its owner. If you know which book it is, you may find answers.”
I shook my head. “I know the book and there's nothing of use.”
“It wouldn't happen to be the great-granna's cookbook? That wouldn't be it. Oh, it's a
spell-book right enough, but they don't start to migrate towards you until after your magic awakens. You're simply holding it until its real owner comes around.” He paused. “There isn't another book which found its way into your possession soon after Blissing?”
I shook my head. “They're all old books from my move. I'll have to try things until the very end.”
“Take whatever you need,” Thaimon said. “The way out is back the way you came. And don't hesitate to visit me again, for any reason.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“It would be rather rude of me to deny you entry to your own home. Best of luck, and I do mean that. It isn't often I find a person I dare to grow fond of, even if he is sworn to killing me.” Thaimon hesitated long enough that I started to leave. “Brandy, wait. About the other matter. You need to know, you should know, you weren't guilty. They chose you to take the fall.”
Time was ticking, but I couldn't resist. “The fall for what?”
“I fear you'll find out soon enough. Now go.”