message mute. This same ignorance would slay all wisdom, if it could.” She paused and looked at the crowd, holding Forensia’s gaze for a fraction of a second.
The young woman began to weep as she recalled the details of the crime. According to the sheriff’s account, reported in the local newspaper, the murder was committed—slowly—by someone close to her. “This kind of violence,” the sheriff added, “is almost always personal.”
Sang-mi also cried quietly. She squeezed Forensia’s hand harder and pulled her close, whispering urgently, “I have to tell you something. It’s very dangerous.” Her fear made the words sound like they’d been slashed with the same blade that had tortured and claimed GreenSpirit.
After the older witch paid homage to GreenSpirit, she said that anyone who wanted to speak in honor of their leader was encouraged to address the crowd. Forensia listened as many of the older witches offered thoughts and remembrances.
When Forensia herself walked forward, she gently patted Dafoe and Jasper Fricke on the arm as she eased past them. Seconds later, Forensia felt the hot camera lights on her back. She turned toward them and squinted, but her words flowed easily:
“I was here with so many of you forty-eight hours ago, when we held a sacred ceremony.” When her gaze landed on Suze Walker, the sheriff’s daughter again looked away. “We were so honored that GreenSpirit came to conduct our initiation. I will never forget that night. Right there,” Forensia pointed to the ground about twenty feet away, “was the circle of power that we shared with her, and with many of you.”
Forensia’s voice gained force. “She instilled in all of us a powerful sense of possibilities. I can feel that right now, and that’s why I know she’s with us. But on that night, which should have been wholly and beautifully sacred, she had to stand up to anger and hatred and bullying. And she did stand up to it. She did not back down, and she never would have backed down from her killer. We can take great heart in knowing that we die as we live, and for GreenSpirit that meant she passed with grace and dignity.”
Forensia hoped and prayed that she spoke the truth, but the newspaper article once again filled her mind. GreenSpirit’s death had been terrible. Who could have faced such torture with grace and dignity?
* * *
Dignity? That old witch? He could have spit. She died like everyone else—crying, screaming, begging me to stop. “Please—please, oh, God, don’t do that. Don’t.” Dignity? A run-over dog has more dignity than her. She didn’t have one ounce of it left. I took it all away. It’s the first thing that goes, once you get them down.
He watches Forensia’s friends—Sang-mi; that creep, Richtor; the rest of them—listening to everything she says like they’re getting paid by the word. If Forensia keeps this up, there’s going to be another memorial service real soon. He’ll see to that. Just have to wait for the rain to come again. Need it to wash away his tracks. A drought can’t last forever.
Rain and blood. You get the two of them together … and you can hardly tell them apart.
* * *
“Possibilities, that’s what GreenSpirit gave us.” Forensia took a breath, tried to smile as the last of the light leaked from the sky. “That’s what she gave the world. We must let belief in the highest possibilities fill our souls. We have to do everything that we can to make those possibilities real. The best way to honor GreenSpirit is to use everything she taught us to bring out the best that’s inside each of us. That’s how we creatures of flesh and blood can give GreenSpirit immortality.”
After Forensia slipped back to her place beside Sang-mi and Richtor, the first witch to speak stepped up once again and this time asked for a minute of silence. The crowd bowed their heads, then slowly began to disperse.
Sheriff Walker moved over to Forensia, who eased away from her friends. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you,” he said. “We’ve been very busy, but I want to assure you that we’re looking into every lead. Now, all of you,” Sheriff Walker’s eyes included his daughters, “should know that we can’t realistically protect everyone. The person who killed your friend might be living right here in town. He could have been here tonight.” Suze shuddered. “I know, it’s real creepy, but we just don’t know. Or