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"Tell me about Morlun's feeding habits," I said.
He paused for a moment, frowning in concentration, gathering his thoughts. "Morlun was never alone when he fed. Sometimes he
would dismiss me for days. But always, when he fed or hunted, I was there. Always."
"I thought they only fed every few years," I said.
"From the source, yes," Dex said. "The pure, primal life energy. Like yours. But others have the same energy, though in lesser quantity,
very diluted. It wasn't very satisfying to him, but it pleased him to snack on such folk from time to time."
"Like popcorn," I said.
Dex smiled at me. His teeth had been stained by cigarettes. Too much of the whites of his eyes showed. "Like popcorn. Normal
humans with some kind of personal association with a totemic source.
Something about their personality brushed on the source, gave them a minuscule amount of the same energy."
"Someone like a lion tamer," I said quietly. "Or someone who worked with and rode and loved horses. Maybe Grizzly Adams."
"Yes," Dex said. "Those, he'd take every few months. And always he made sure I was there."
"Why?"
"To watch for intrusion," Dex said. "To notify him if anyone approached. He was very specific about it. Paranoid, really, even for him.
He would repeat the instructions every single time, in full, every time."
"Do you remember them?" I asked.
Dex shuddered and licked his lips. "I remember everything." He folded his arms and shook his head several times. I gave him a
minute to work himself up to it. Felicia leaned forward and began to speak, but I made a small, discouraging gesture with one hand.
She saw it, and for a second I thought she'd go ahead anyway but then she settled back into her seat and waited.
Dex looked up and spoke. His voice, when it came out, hardly sounded like his own it had gained richness and depth and had taken
on a faint, vaguely British accent. It sounded a lot like Morlun. "Pay attention, Dex."
Then Dex answered in his own voice, toneless and quiet. "Yes, Morlun."
His voice changed back to that echo of the An-cient's. "The usual arrangements are in place? A private suite?"
'Yes, Morton."
"Security has been notified that I wish privacy?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"You are armed?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"You have checked the locks?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"The windows?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"The outer cameras are in place?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"The new locks to my chamber door are installed?"
"Yes, Morlun."
"Give me the keys."
Dex held out his hand, his eyes focused on nothing, as if dropping something. "Yes, Morlun."
"You will remain on guard outside my door."
"Yes, Morlun."
"If the security measures are disturbed, by anything whatsoever, however small, you are to make me aware of it at once. If any
unauthorized persons appear, you are to slay them."
"Yes, Morlun."
Silence fell. Oliver looked more than a little uncomfortable. The bruisers were creeped out. Heck, even Felicia had that narrow-eyed,
casual stare she got when she put her poker face on.
Dex hadn't simply been sharing a memory. He'd been all but reliving it. For him, it had been almost as real in replay as in real life. God,
what torture, to remember every twisted detail experienced under the thumb of a thing like Morlun.
"Eidetic memory," I said quietly. "And then some."
Dex opened his flat, lifeless eyes and shrugged a shoulder. "It's why he chose me. It made me more useful to him."
"I take it he would bring victims back to a prepared location," I said.
"Yes. It wasn't difficult for him. He was charming, when he needed to be."
"Must have been the cravat," I said. "Did he always use additional security forces?"
"Yes. Sometimes hired bodyguards. Sometimes hotel or resort security. Sometimes he would use underworld muscle."
I nodded. "Sounds like he shut even you away."
"Yes. Morlun never wanted to be disturbed while he fed."
While he fed& Blast it, the answer was there. It was in there somewhere, so close I could taste it. I had what I needed, but for the life of
me, I couldn't piece it together. Literally. It was like working out a badly tangled cord if I could just find one end and get it out of the
first stubborn knot, I was sure the rest would be workable.
"Dex," I said quietly. "Thank you."
"Will that help?" he asked, his voice again surging with smoldering rage. The sudden shift in tone made the bruisers tense up. "Will it
help you kill them?"
"It might."
"Don't hesitate," he snarled. "Don't think twice. Kill them."
"Dex," I said. "You need to calm down, man. You don't want to "
"You have no idea!" he shouted. There was spittle collecting at the corners of his mouth as his breathing became labored again. "You
don't know the things I saw. You must kill them. Kill them.
Kill them all!"
He snapped on the last phrase, screaming and thrashing. The bruisers piled onto him, telling him to relax. Dex fought with more
strength than I would have given him credit for, howling up a storm as he did. I felt a little bit sick. Dex had been hanging on by a thread,
and all my questions hadn't done anything to make his situation less precarious.
"He's getting a little worked up," Oliver noted quietly. "Do you have any further need of him?"
"Spidey?" Felicia asked.
"I'm good," I said.
She nodded while the bruisers subdued Dex. They were careful about it, not using any more force than they had to while holding him
down to prevent him from harming himself or others.
"Perhaps we should step outside," Oliver suggested.
"Good idea. Spider?"
I went out first, crouching on the roof of the van as Felicia and Oliver exited and closed the door. The noise from the van cut out at
once, but I knew that inside Dex was still struggling, because the van was rocking back and forth.
I bit my lip beneath the mask, looked at Felicia, and asked, "He going to be okay?"
"Relax. They won't hurt him," Felicia said quietly.
"Unless he forces them to," Oliver contradicted her. "That young man is clearly disturbed and dangerous."
"They won't hurt him," Felicia said again, louder.
Oliver glanced at her, sighed, and then drew a cell phone from a pocket and stepped a few feet away to make a call.
"I'll see to it," Felicia said quietly. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]