bring you to Skyll to kill the witch? Yeah. I can totally understand that.”
Rune and Lex stared at each other until finally, Strad spoke.
“We’ve all done things we need forgiveness for. If Owen lives and regains his strength, he and I will fight again for what he has done. And I may kill him again. Now let’s go find the witch and…” He shrugged. “Then we’ll see.”
Shiv Crow lifted off from the roof, cawing loudly, startling them all.
He was leading the way.
He was leading the way to doom.
Maybe her doom, maybe the witch’s.
“I have a sister,” she said as they walked. She needed to tell them—they’d understand how important it was. She had family, a beginning. She knew who she was.
“A sister,” Lex said. “What? How?”
“The witch was one of my makers. You’ve probably figured that out by now.” She couldn’t for the life of her say she was the witch’s daughter. Not to them. Admitting the witch was her maker was hard enough.
Neither Lex nor Strad said a word.
“The witch has a daughter. Her name is Snow. She’s on our side—the witch doesn’t see her as a threat.”
“You’ve found a sister.” Lex reached over to squeeze her hand. “I’m so happy for you, Rune.”
Rune nodded. It felt good to get it out. “I don’t know where she is now.”
“We’ll find her,” Strad said. “If that’s what you want.”
She sighed, then nodded. “And after the witch, we need to visit Brasque Dray. For one reason, he has Owen’s eyes. Apparently Owen can…reattach them or some shit. It’s fucked up.”
“That is fucked up,” Lex agreed, shuddering.
“What’s the other reason?” Strad shifted his spear from one hand to the other and kept his eye out for threats. If he hadn’t, he would have surely seen the discomfort in her face.
When she didn’t speak for a long minute, he glanced at her. “Rune?”
But she couldn’t tell him. Not then. Knowing Matthew was the hand of Flesh, that he was there, alive, would distract the berserker. And distractions could get him killed.
“We’ll talk about it after the witch,” she decided.
Lex stumbled suddenly, fell to her knees, then struggled to her feet. She knocked the berserker’s hand away when he offered it to her.
“Get away from me, motherfucker.”
“Lex,” Rune said, shocked. “What the fuck?”
The berserker looked shaken.
He did not look surprised.
Rune narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on?”
Lex leaned over, put her hands on her knees, and began to retch.
“Fuck me,” Rune said, going to her. “She’s still sick?”
He gestured helplessly. “I think the rot ate away half her brain cells and they’re trying to regenerate. She changes sometimes. Becomes that.”
Lex straightened slowly and glared at both of them. “That,” she mocked. “That.” And there was the darkest hatred Rune had ever seen in her eyes.
She stepped back and didn’t even try to mask the cold fear clutching her heart. “Lex?”
The berserker took Rune’s arm and pulled her to his side. “She’ll be okay. It takes her a minute.”
And just like that, Lex was back. “Shit,” she said, and began to cry like a child. Noisy, messy sobs that broke Rune’s heart.
“What is it?” Rune wrapped her arms around Lex. “What is it?”
She’d known something was wrong the moment she’d seen Lex. Something terrible.
Lex finally pushed away from Rune and wiped her eyes. “We have to kill the witch. I have to make it that far.”
“You’re…are you saying you’re dying?” Rune noticed her hands were shaking and stuck them in her pockets.
“Maybe,” Lex said, tiredly. “I should have told you something before you left.” She looked at Strad. “And I should have told you before you brought me here.”
Rune shuddered. “Tell us now, Lex.”
Lex continued walking, so they walked with her. There was nothing to do but walk and listen.
The girl was silent for so long that Rune thought maybe she’d changed her mind. Maybe she wasn’t going to say a word.
But at last, Lex began to talk.
“My mother is inside me, fighting to take over. I’m terrified I’m going to lose.” She looked at Rune, finally, taking in Rune’s dismayed, disbelieving expression.
She nodded. “I’m possessed by Karin-fucking-Love.” She laughed, but her laughter was anguished and resigned. “How’s that for fucked up?”
Chapter Forty-Five
Rune was horrified. She had no idea what to say.
There’d be no comforting Lex with Karin Love taking up residence in her body.
Karin had started terrorizing Lex from the moment the little Other had been born, and she had yet to stop.
It was unimaginable.
Strad’s face was like stone, his eyes chips of ice. “We’ll