The Intuitives(82)

The gryphon looked up at the sound but soon decided that the spray can had nothing to do with it. Returning its attention to Daniel, it began to experiment with harmonies, creating an impromptu duet between them. Slowly, Daniel moved his hand toward the gryphon and stroked its back. He was careful not to penetrate the surface of the gryphon’s strange form, allowing the paint to run over its side, which made Miller gasp a little when the paint seemed to remain suspended in midair.

The gryphon, however, was not disturbed in the slightest. It looked curiously at the orange swath that dripped down its side and then shimmered slightly, causing the paint to disappear as it continued whistling with Daniel.

“Thank you, Daniel,” Ammu said quietly, acknowledging that they had what they needed.

Daniel stood up and moved toward the portal. The gryphon cub followed him readily, and when Daniel felt that they were close enough, he stopped singing the gryphon’s summoning tune and whistled something else instead—the exact notes the cub had whistled to Rush in the workshop, just before leaving.

The gryphon cocked its head at him, and Daniel repeated the notes carefully. The cub narrowed its eyes a little but then whistled the quick tune back to him, flew up into the air, and dove into the tunnel. Once its tail had completely disappeared, Daniel walked calmly over to the table, picked up the rag, dipped it in the water bowl, and returned to the circle, using the rag to wipe the runes away.





45


Confession



“Workshop,” Mackenzie whispered into Sam’s ear. “Tell the others.”

They were walking through the main lobby, but even in the large, open space, she spoke softly enough that there was no chance of being overheard. Sam looked at her in surprise but wiped the expression from her face immediately, nodding at her once, subtly, to signal that she had understood.

Mackenzie dropped back and fell into step with Ammu, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“Ammu?” Mackenzie asked. “May I speak with you a moment?”

“Of course!” Ammu exclaimed, but then his face fell, sensing that she was not as pleased with their experiment as he was. “Is anything wrong, Mackenzie?”

“No, I just… I’m missing Rush, I guess, and I was hoping to talk with you about it. You have such a way of putting things in perspective.” She had no idea whether any other rooms in the ICIC besides the summoning room were being monitored and recorded, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

“Oh, yes. Yes, certainly. I am very sorry, Mackenzie. I would be more than happy to speak with you, and, of course, to be of any assistance I can.”

“Great,” Mackenzie said, coming to a halt so he wouldn’t walk beyond the main doors. “Could we sit outside for a bit? Would that be OK?”

“Why, I would enjoy some fresh air myself,” he agreed, as she had known he would. He strode to the lodge’s grand front entrance and held the door open for her. “Please. After you.”

“Thanks,” she said, but then she didn’t say another word, not even as they reached the garden path and began to walk amongst the flowers.

“There is a nice bench over here where we could sit,” Ammu suggested, but Mackenzie just glanced at him and shook her head. Ammu gave her a puzzled look but continued to follow her.

When she reached the workshop, she realized suddenly that someone might be using it in the middle of the day, or that it might be locked. Her brain raced, testing and discarding various plans to make it back to the others and warn them away, but when she tried the door, it was open, and the workshop itself proved to be empty. She ushered Ammu inside and closed the door behind them.

He began to look a bit concerned about her behavior, but he sat on one of the stools at the work table nonetheless, waiting patiently for an explanation.

“I’m sorry, Ammu,” Mackenzie said. “The others are coming. They should be here soon.”

“And is this meeting, in fact, about our friend, Rush?”

“No,” Mackenzie admitted.

“I see,” Ammu replied, but he said nothing more, apparently content, at least for the moment, to allow the situation to unfold in its own time.

After several long minutes of silence, the others finally arrived: first Sam and Kaitlyn, followed a short time later by Sketch and Daniel. They all sat around the work table, eyeing Mackenzie and Ammu warily.

“We need to tell him,” Mackenzie began.

“What? Are you crazy? That’s how you ask us? Right in front of him? Oh my God, Grid.” The explosion came from Sam, who could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“I’m not asking,” Mackenzie admitted. “Today was way too close for comfort. He needs to know.”

“You’re gonna get us in trouble,” Sketch said accusingly.

“Ammu,” Mackenzie said, turning to address him directly.

“Here we go,” Sam muttered.

“If I tell you something I did,” Mackenzie continued, ignoring her, “can you promise me that no one else will get in trouble for it? No matter what? Just me?”

“Oh, sure. ’Cause, of course, it was all you,” Sam said, her voice scathing. “As usual. Like nobody else had anything to do with it.”

“Look, I’m trying to take the blame, here!” Mackenzie protested.