“Possibly, ” Modred agreed, “but I think the odds are very much

against it.”

“Why?”

“Because it would be too obvious. If Kobayashi were her acolyte,

then the moment we met with him, he would be revealed. After the

last time, she would hardly seek such a direct confrontation. She

will pick her time and place very carefully. And she would not

waste her energy in empowering a man like Kobayashi. She would

choose an adept.”

“You can’t be sure of that, ” said Wyrdrune.

“Oh, I think I can, ” said Modred. “I think I understand the way

she thinks. In many ways, she reminds me of someone.”

“Who?” asked Kira, puzzled.

“My mother, ” Modred said softly.

Having the dead woman around made Kanno feel uncomfortable.

Ever since Leila had brought her back to life, she had kept her in

the sanctuary as her servant. Kanno had never known her name.

She was simply one of the whores he had kidnapped to sacrifice in

his rituals. He had thought nothing of her. But now, her presence

preyed on his mind constantly.

There was something wrong with her. Well, what was wrong

with her, thought Kanno, was that she was dead. A reanimated

corpse. She never spoke, and for all Kanno knew, she couldn’t

speak. Her skin had a ghastly pallor and her eyes were extremely

disconcerting. She breathed and perhaps, somewhere deep within

her mind, something resembling thought occurred, but there was

no evidence of it. She was like some sort of automaton, a zombie

moving with abrupt and jerky motions, like a marionette whose

strings were tangled. Beneath her white gown, there was a gaping,

gory hole in her chest where Kanno had torn out her heart. He

didn’t like to think about that nebulous something that now pulsed

in the place where her heart had been, but every time he saw her,

he could not help but think about it. It unnerved him. And that, he

thought, was the sole reason for her existence. To keep him on

edge. She was a constant, walking dead reminder of the extent of

Leila’s power.