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She'd never been asked to accompany her anywhere, but this was the city after all, not the country, or the mansion. "Sure, and maybe mom and Lev can come, too. It would be good for us all to get some-"
"No," Marianne spoke suddenly. "Let's let them sleep for now. Lord knows they need it."
Caitlin smiled at the servant, remaining neutral to her sudden change in demeanor. Something was different about Marianne, she was sure of it now. "Of course," she said slowly. "I'll just get a change of clothes and will be right up."
A doughy smile came over the matron's face, but there was something missing in her eyes. A twinkle of sincerity, perhaps. Under the circumstances, it made sense. They couldn't get ahold of the mansion and, at any moment, Eamon could come knocking. Maybe Marianne just had an incredibly delayed reaction to the situation. Maybe. "Very good, dear. I'll meet you at the elevator."
Caitlin watched the woman go. If the clocks were correct, it wasn't even three in the morning, which meant they could bring Sara along with them.
Something about him always made her feel safe.
She contented herself with the plan and got dressed, trying not to wake her mother in her rustlings. The maternity bra gave her the most trouble, snagging on her light sweater and refusing to catch when she finagled with it. Finally, it fell into place and she sighed, adjusting the sweater over herself.
Her heart sank as she thought about Kalen, worrying over her last memory of him. Until we meet again, he'd said, as if he thought he wouldn't succeed. Caitlin leaned against the doorframe, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead to it for a moment, trying to hold back the tears. She would see him again, she was certain of it.
Janice shifted on the bed, feeling around for Caitlin, who wasn't there anymore. "Honey?" she murmured in a gravelly voice, not opening her eyes. "Where are you going? It's only three."
"I'm just going to take a walk with Marianne." Caitlin grabbed the jacket that she'd arrived in, feeling much better about having the obsidian knife on her persons. "We'll bring Sara along." She sat on the bed, pulling the blanket up around Janice before leaning over and kissing her mother on the cheek. "Be back before you know it, mom."
Her mother smiled in her direction, her eyes still closed. "Have fun."
Caitlin struggled to imagine how a trip to the store could be 'fun', but she wasn't going to rouse her mother by arguing. "Sure."
When Janice's breathing slowed to a steady rhythm, Caitlin left the room, trying not to make a sound as she shut the door.
Lev's cot was empty and it seemed someone was in the bathroom running the water. Edmund hadn't roused yet and neither Zakari or Sara had moved from their positions upstairs, it seemed. Marianne, however, was by the elevator doors ready to go. She'd tucked her hair into a hooded shawl and carried a large bag at her side. She caught Caitlin's eye and glanced away quickly. Marianne turned before Caitlin could read her emotions. "Let's go, then."
She followed after and stood beside the frazzled matron, wondering what had gotten under her skin to make her behave so uncharacteristically nervous. Caitlin stood to Marianne's left, glancing over at the aging matron. "What are we getting?"
"Just a few things, dear." The servant's voice was strained as she punched the button for the first floor with a swift click.
The doors closed smoothly, silently.
"What's wrong, Marianne?" Caitlin asked, then her heart dropped as the elevator ascended, but that wasn't the only reason. She felt a deep sense of dread, possibly due to the fresh tears that sprang from Marianne, or the mounting waves of... this is wrong, she thought, it feels so very wrong.
The servant smothered her face in her hands, still wet from the dishes. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I couldn't-"
Caitlin's attention was turned to the door. Something was just beyond, a roiling mass of shadow energy she'd not yet had the misfortune of knowing. It wasn't Kalen, she could be certain. And she hadn't felt it in the sub-basement of the building either. All other energies were dwarfed by it, so she couldn't feel Sara or Zakari any longer, if they'd even been there to begin with. Waves of visible blackness pulsed into the closed elevator, their uninvited guest waiting patiently on the other side.
Caitlin reached to hold down the 'close door' button when Marianne's hand caught her wrist.
She yanked away from the matron just as the doors opened, then she felt that seeping black energy nearly knock the wind out of her.
"And here we are again," a very familiar voice said.
She turned slowly back to the open doors. A thick hand held the frame of the elevator so it could not be shut. Caitlin's eyes roved slowly over a figure she never wanted to see again. She saw the arm first, steaming with darkened energy, then looked up slowly into the eyes of King Eamon. His grin was eager, hungry as he assessed her, pinning her to the spot as the child kicked at her insides. Her limbs trembled and she felt deadened inevitability wash over her, making her lips go numb and her hands go cold.
"Well done, Marianne," he said, his gaze didn't stray from Caitlin's. "You played your part well enough to serve my purposes. Going against your own must have been very difficult for you, but I believe I gave you the proper motivation to comply-" His gaze finally broke from Caitlin's as he stared straight at the servant. "Didn't I?"
