"Well, I'm about to do that," I said, straightening my clothing and squaring my shoulders. "I fully intend to get some answers from the local Brotherhood group."
"Brava, sister," Magda said, standing.
"You really shouldn't come with me. I know you want to help, but we don't know how they're going to take my reappearance. If worse came to worst and they went ballistic, I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
She patted me on the arm and gave me a cheerful smile. "I'm not a vampire, am I? So I'm perfectly safe. Lead on, Macduff."
I smiled at her misquotation as we left the library, but my stomach was wadded up into a leaden ball. Magda might not be a vampire, but I was married to one.
Would I be able to get the help I needed without them finding out that fact? "... and so you see, I just needed a little time to myself to sort things out. I wasn't so much running away from Mattias as I was sending out a desperate plea for a little me time." The sentence ended lamely, about as lame as the excuse Magda and I had come up with while we walked to the north end of town, where the Brotherhood's church was located. "But I'm here now, and ready to take on my full Zorya duties. Assuming, that is, you still want me?"
Kristjana looked at me with suspicion. Mattias, behind her, had a similar look on his face, although that was gradually replaced with a relieved smile. The two were joined by a third person, a man of indeterminate years with a soft French accent, who had been introduced simply as Frederic Robert.
"I don't think they're buying it," Magda murmured softly.
Kristjana looked even more suspicious.
I sighed. "All right, that was a big pack of lies. I'm not Anniki, and I didn't run from Mattias because I needed some time to cope with my sister's death and the awesome responsibility of becoming the new Zorya. The truth is that I really am Pia Thomason, a tourist, just like I told you before, only Anniki and I bumped into each other, and I inadvertently got the moonstone thingie that becomes a lamp, although I later returned it to her. She said she was going to see you guys. I take it she didn't?"
Mattias shook his head.
Kristjana's eyes narrowed. Frederic looked faintly bored.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you, but she was discovered dead in my bathroom."
"Dead?" Kristjana looked instantly suspicious.
"Yes. I didn't kill her, and I don't know who did. I promised her I would find out, though, and I mean to do just that." I gave all the Brotherhood people a long look to let them know I meant business.
"But why would someone kill her in your bathroom?" Kristjana asked.
"I don't know that," I admitted. "The only thing I can think of is that she wanted to see me because we'd talked earlier."
Frederic nodded after a moment's thought. "There might be something in that. We will, naturally, wish to conduct our own inquiries."
"I figured you would. I'm trying to stay off the local police's radar, though," I said, hesitant to put myself in their power.
"Naturally. The Brotherhood protects its own... just as it takes responsibility for seeing wrongdoers punished."
There was a warning in his voice, but I simply gave him a quick nod. "Thank you."
"So you took the moonstone from her body?" Kristjana asked, her expression darkening.
"No. She wasn't quite dead, and before she died, she gave me the moonstone and told me I was the next Zorya, and begged me to make everything right. Since then, I've gathered up a few ghosts who want me to take them to Ostri, not that I know where that is, so I figured I'd better come here to get some help and try to do what Anniki wanted. Magda is my friend, and she came along to provide support."
"You really are a tourist?" Mattias asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.
"Yes. I swore to Anniki that I would take over her job, and unless you have someone else to do it, I guess I'm it."
"It does not work that way," Kristjana said, her voice as cold as the icy waters surrounding the island.
"That's what someone else said, but the ghosts seem to think I'm a Zorya. And the moonstone turns into a little glowy moon when I'm around them."
"There must be a blood tie between Zoryas in order for one to succeed another." Her words were clipped and abrupt. I definitely had the feeling she was not happy to see me in place of Anniki. "One cannot simply don the stone and become Zorya."
"Well, I'm not related to her in any way," I said, feeling oddly deflated. For some reason I couldn't pinpoint, I was a bit disappointed at the thought of no longer being Zorya. I was becoming fond of my little pack of ghosts, and looked forward to helping them.
"You will give me the stone," Kristjana snapped, holding out her hand. "I will take charge of it until another Zorya can be found."