Siege of Shadows (Effigies #2)(38)

Dot perked up. “Oh, so you’ve been reading up on me?”

“We heard about it in Morocco. Saul’s powers—living forever, disappearing and appearing at will? It’s like he can bend space-time.”

“Well, it’s just a theory I had. The four of you girls can manipulate different elements. For a time we thought that there were only four of you. But then Saul appeared—a fifth Effigy.”

A fifth. And that dead soldier could be a sixth.

“For centuries,” Dot continued, “scientists have theorized ether as a medium necessary for the very propagation of gravitational and electromagnetic force. The raw essence of all space . . . the mysterious foundation of the universe. Is this Saul’s element? And is the ring tapping into the same force?”

Dot was lost in thought for a moment before heaving her shoulders with a sigh. “We need to learn more about him.” The smoke drifted past Dot’s safety glasses as she continued to solder. “What’s more, we need to find the connection. Among the stone, the phantoms, and the Effigies. Those three very mysterious variables. If we had more information, we could find out where all three came from. Maia, I know you were debriefed after your mission in France, but sometimes we think of things after everything’s settled. Are you sure Saul didn’t tell you anything else about the ring when you faced him last?”

I placed my hands behind my back like a child who’d just been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. I wanted to help. And I could have. The ring controls the phantoms. The ring uses the deaths they cause to magnify its power. That was why Saul had been using the stone and its ability to control phantoms to go on a killing spree. Somehow, when he used the stone to force phantoms to kill, it added to the stone’s ability.

Its ability to grant wishes.

All these facts would surely be of use to Dot and the R & D department. And if the Sect hadn’t been involved in Natalya’s death or Saul’s escape, I would have told them happily.

Dot sighed when I shook my head. “Well, that’s fine, I suppose. But anyway, that’s not really why I called you here. Wait a second.”

She opened one of the drawers at her bench and pulled out a small briefcase. As she unlocked it and lifted the lid, the glint of a silver steel band caught my eye. Using a screwdriver, she pried open a small section on the inside and began fitting in the chip she’d been soldering.

“What is that?” Lake asked.

“Maia, you’ve been having issues with scrying, haven’t you?”

Rhys looked at me.

“Dr. Rachadi at the Marrakesh facility sent over the results of your earlier exam. Because of your encounter with Saul in New York leading to your premature summoning of your weapon,” she said as she tinkered with the chip, “your mind is vulnerable to the consciousness of the other Effigies in your line. More than it should be. Case in point.” Dot set down the bracelet. “You’ve seen Natalya a lot lately, haven’t you?”

The intensity in her gaze froze me to the spot. I nodded before I could stop myself.

Rhys’s back straightened a little. “You’ve seen her?” he asked.

“Well, I told you a long time ago I’d been dreaming of her,” I said. “It’s getting more frequent.”

“Has she said anything?” A short silence followed after Rhys spoke. “Or done anything?”

“Why?”

The nonchalant shrug of his shoulders calmed me for the few seconds I believed it before the doubt began crawling back up my insides. Rhys wasn’t stupid. If he’d really killed Natalya, he would have known that I would find out eventually through Natalya’s memories. Was he really innocent? Or was he just quietly waiting for the other shoe to drop?

Maybe we were both just trying to deny reality.

“I’m just worried about you.” Looking suitably concerned, he folded his arms across his chest. “It’s dangerous enough having past Effigies milling about in your head. You know that, Maia.”

Why not turn him in?

Why not?

If he killed Natalya, he deserved to be punished.

My lips trembled as I thought of him rotting away in a Sect prison for the rest of his life. Or executed. Is that . . . is that what I wanted?

He looked convincing, natural. And why wouldn’t he ask more about my scrying? It was the obvious question to ask considering everything that had happened to me. Right?

What do I do? I thought desperately, turning from him.

“Yes, it is dangerous,” said Dot, picking up on Rhys’s warning. “Hence the necklace.”

Dot was finally finished. Standing, she carried the device in front of her as she approached. “Remember, Sibyl still wants you to scry to find this ‘Marian.’ That’s who Saul is really after, right? But we don’t want to hurt you in the process. This will help regulate your brain chemicals while using your powers to scry so you won’t get any more surprise visits from previous Effigies. Let’s see if this fits: Sweep back your hair for a bit?”

I did. “Ah!” My breath caught in my throat from the stinging cold of the steel. The effect was nearly imperceptible, slight enough for me to ignore it, but if I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could feel the cold vibrating softly through muscle.

“We can also inject her with a primer to help stabilize her cylithium levels,” Mellie said.