Two Birds, No Stone

Kent awoke, a dull throbbing ache taking root in the base of his skull. Everything sounded muted and for some reason his teeth hurt. He was lying on his side. Against his right cheek, the sensation of denim, while soft delicate caresses touched his left. Little by little, it felt like his brain rebooted itself. All except for his hands, which were behind his back and felt like they were asleep.

From somewhere unseen, “Not only is it irresponsible, it is just stupid!” growled a woman’s voice

“You’ve got your little prize pig,” snapped another woman.

“Money? Do you honestly think this is about the money? You’re an imbecile Sabina. We are this close!” retorted the first woman.

“We’re this close, this close,” quipped the woman Kent presumed was Sabina, her tone mocking. “You’ve been singing that song for the past half century Edith, please.”

Forcing his eyes open, Kent squinted against the light stabbing into his brain. After a moment, he recognized where he was, lying on a couch in the sitting room in the Omega Pi house, head in somebody’s lap. Elisha sat in the chesterfield across from him, a concerned expression on her flawless face.

“If what Sersei says is true, you’re childish impulsivity has not only enhanced our risk of exposure, but worse, cost us a weeping stone,” Edith snarled.

“If Sersei is to be believed, then the agent of our misfortune is one directly tied to you daughter, this Stan, so before you start casting aspersions on my decision to indulge, maybe you need to get your own house in order,” Sabina countered angrily.

Shifting his weight, Kent tried bring his arms forward but could not.

Ceasing the motion of her fingers across his face, “He’s awake,” murmured Maeve in a hushed tone.

“Is this,” Kent started, but Maeve covered his mouth with a firm hand.

“You need to be quiet,” she cautioned.

Closing his eyes again, Kent tried to clear the fog from his brain. He was at the mall, Maeve and Elisha were there, pleasant at first, inviting him to join them. When he refused, their demeanor became demanding. Things spiraled out of control in a hurry as Maeve accused him of grabbing her breasts. He had no idea where the two female police officers came from, but they started herding people out of the food court. With everything Stan had told him, he had no doubt the cops were somehow connected to the sorority. Then electricity hit him, shorting out his entire nervous system in a white flash. Someone must have witnessed it, saw it?

Rolling his head to the side, he tried to look up at Maeve then back to Elisha.

Frowning, lines creasing her face, “Be still,” she hissed.

“We stand upon the verge of The Awakening and you stand there like a vapid cow,” Edith growled.

“You’ve been peddling that line for over a century, the goddess will awaken soon, a new age is dawning. You might have all of these little dimwitted twats drinking the Koolaid, but enough already, if there is a goddess she is down for the count and all we are is the residue of whatever it is she was,” Sabina snapped back.

“You truly have no understanding of the magnitude of your stupidity,” Edith chuckled. “You will be held accountable.”

Laughing, “Ooh, I’m trembling,” replied Sabina. “My only regret is that I didn’t get an opportunity to proper address the ache between my thighs.”

There was an audible smack, a hand striking flesh.

Kent tried to move again, but Maeve held him firm.

Sabina laughed anew, “Use Vesper’s stone on the young stud, I really don’t care,” she said, followed by the sound of a door slamming and footsteps receding.

Edith appeared in the portal to the sitting room, a fierce look on her face, “We need to get him prepared,” she directed.

“Wait,” Kent croaked, grimacing at the ache in his jaw.

Edith angled her head to the side, a manufactured emotionless smile on her face, “Something?” she inquired.

“You don’t have to do this,” he assured.

Rolling her eyes, “But I do,” she replied before pausing. “Unless.”

Grasping at straws, “Unless what?” he questioned hopefully.

Crossing the room, she stepped between the coffee table and the chesterfield, placing her hand on Kent’s face and caressing it gently, “You can tell me where Stan might have gone with my purloined stone,” she propositioned.

“But,” Maeve countered, panic tinging her voice before the look on Edith’s face silenced her tongue.

“I,” Kent started then stopped. He had no clue. The plan had gone awry.

Sitting at the edge of the table, Edith smiled, a predatory glint in her eyes, “Tell me what you know,’ she invited.

Even if he did not know where Stan had gone, he did know things, things like the phone call Stan had with the woman he called Sam, things like Deacon and Cady. “I don’t know,” he answered. There was no way he would betray Stan.

Edith’s smile widened, “I’m sure there is something you call tell me,” she suggested.

Whether remnants from the electrical jolt to his brain, the odd tone of her voice, the tingling sensation of her hand on his face, “I, I,” he wanted to please her, tell her everything.

“It’s okay,” she cooed softly.

A strange sensation settled over him, through him. He felt his eyes beginning to well with tears, “I can’t,” he replied, his protest feeble.

Leaning forward, “Of course you can,” she assured tone dulcet and bewitching.

“No,” he mumbled but he could hear the words coming out of his mouth. No matter how hard he tried not to say anything incriminating, he could not help himself, the words rolled off his tongue. All of it.

The smile on Edith’s mouth did not match the ferocity lingering in her eyes. “There now, good boy,” she applauded, patting the boy lightly on the cheek. “Sleep now,” she soothed.

Lids feeling leaden, Kent tried to resist because he knew his very life depended on it, but he could not. Eyes closing, he succumbed to slumber.

Smile evaporating, Edith looked first to Maeve then Elisha, “See that he is made ready for the harvest tonight,” she instructed before rising to her feet.

“Yes sister,” the girls replied in union.

Edith tarried a moment before exiting the room.