I wrinkled my nose. It'd be my luck that white ash would do jack squat and I'd be left wishing I had silver. I studied the body for a moment, then frowned. "There's one thing I don't get. I can understand the Rakshasa going after the vampires who caused the deaths of those in the large feeding room, but why now? These deaths have been happening for years."
He shrugged. "I can't answer that because I do not know enough about the Rakshasa. But it is possible the anger and need for revenge were not strong enough to be a serious draw to dark energies until now."
An unsettling thought stirred. I studied him for a moment, then said, "So does that mean you and I could be serious draws for darker energies? I mean, you've tasted revenge, and I'm currently chasing it."
He hesitated. "Darker energies, no. Darker fates, perhaps."
Trepidation tripped through me. "Meaning what?"
"Meaning, my fate was decided the moment I was assigned this task. Yours, however, is not so clear."
"I thought your becoming a Mijai was the end result of your revenge. Are you suggesting there's more to it?"
Again he hesitated. "I will never be as I was, thanks to my actions on this plane."
For some odd reason, I had the feeling he was talking about a future action rather than a past one, but his expression—or lack of it—told me I wasn't about to get any more information out of him.
"Then why is my fate so unclear? And does it mean I might or might not be punished, even if I do get my revenge?"
"It means I do not always have the answers you need. This is one of those times, simply because there are still too many variables."
And that, I thought, might not have been a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either. He knew far more than he was letting on when it came to my fate.
Something flickered in his eyes—surprise or acknowledgment; I wasn't sure which. It was frustrating, to say the least, but it was also pointless to challenge him. He'd tell me more when he was ready, not before.
I sighed and glanced at my watch. If I didn't leave soon, I'd be late for work. "I don't think there's anything else we can do here."
I said it more for the benefit of the hovering crime scene recorder than Azriel, but he nodded anyway. "You go to work now?"