In three weeks, when things have calmed down, we’ll quietly kick him out so he won’t try to be a missionary again.
– All right. But don’t let him out without me. Maybe she’ll tell me something interesting. – Eira turned to the woman in the light-colored suit who had been standing at the school entrance all this time. – Claire, take the kids out. Out the back, so the reporters don’t suspect us of being humane. And where’s Boudicca?
An armored SUV pulled right up to the entrance. Two women in camouflage suits got out of the car and opened the back door. A bare foot stepped onto the concrete steps of the school’s porch. The women immediately parted. From the SUV emerged a skinny, tall female figure in a dirty, tattered dress stained with dried blood all over the surface. A small cloth purse hung from her waistband. With slightly graying long hair, a glassy look in her tarnished eyes, and slightly shaking hands, Boudicca looked around for someone. Eira walked over to her and quietly guided her towards the entrance.
– Everyone’s in there,» the High Witch whispered in her ear.
– My girls,» Boudicca moaned.
– Everyone is in there,» the commander repeated. – Go. It’s all there.
Boudicca opened her purse and took out a gypsy needle with a long thread. She entered the building.
Several news crews had already pulled up to the school and cordoned off the building on all sides. Reporters were snooping around, trying to get someone to interview them, but all the Coven fighters refused to comment. Only Eira was giving out clichés to several television stations at once. The most curious journalist with a young cameraman ran up to Tamura.
– What’s going on there now? – She asked, holding out the microphone to the dark witch. – Why did only one witch go in there? Why does she needle and thread? What is she capable of?
– A very good and valid question! – Tamura replied, exhaling a puff of smoke. – To be honest, I’m not fully aware of it myself. So, I suggest you see for yourself. It’s not dangerous there now, we’ve killed everyone with weapons. Go, go! Exclusive, after all!
– Vitalik, follow me! – shouted the journalist and disappeared behind the school doors. Vitalik obediently followed her.
– Where? – shouted Eira, taking a break from the interview. – Where did you send them? Are you stupid?
– What’s that got to do with me? – The dark witch waved her hands. – I was trying to keep them away. They wanted an exclusive! And I’m wounded, after all. I’m not going to run after them.
And at that moment, wild screams came from the school again.
– You’re hurt in the head, you idiot! – Eira spat.
– Take my boy to me! – Tamura shouted and added quietly: – Please.
Chapter 4
Tamura opened her eyes and saw a white ceiling, with various utilities running across its surface in a complex, intricate pattern. She wiggled her eyes from side to side for half a minute and licked her dry lips.
– It doesn’t seem to hurt,» she whispered. Then she lifted the edge of the sheet and looked at her body. Carefully she pulled off her hospital panties and tossed them on the windowsill. On the rack by the door hung a white medical gown, which the black witch immediately threw on.
– Mitsu,» she called to the spider, which appeared out of her ear a moment later, «give me a quick kiss. – The spider touched Tamura’s cheek with its jaws. – Make mommy a nice full-body stocking,» she said, and the spider disappeared behind the collar of her robe. And the black witch put on her hospital slippers and left the room.
She took the elevator down to the second floor and went from the hospital to Coven through a transitional glass corridor. Here she waited for the elevator, which was already carrying four Special Forces fighters. The young men stretched out along the mirrored walls of the elevator.
– At ease,» the dark witch wheezed and coughed. – Does anyone have a cigarette? – She raised her head hopefully to look into the faces of the guys two heads taller than her. – I see. Nobody smokes. Weren’t you guys at the assault yesterday? – She looked at the lowest of them, so as not to raise her head too much. He nodded. – Where did they put the old priest? – She asked.
– He’s in the interrogation room now. He’s waiting for the investigator,» came a nasally voice from behind her.
– Seven hundred and fourteen?
– Seven hundred and nineteen! They’ve started renovations in the seven hundred and fourteenth.
– Grand merci,» Tamura gave a shallow curtsy and looked at the floor indicator. It was moving to the number seven. – Please press seven,» she added. The elevator stopped. The witch got out and headed down the corridor.
– Hello, Grandpa! – Tamura opened the glass door of the cell, entered to the detained priest. – How are you? Alive?
The old man sat at the table and mumbled something inaudible under his nose. When he saw her, he jerked toward her, but his hands, chained to the table legs, only rattled his handcuffs, restricting his movement.
– You hells, you can’t change anything,» the old man said. He sat down again, resting his temple on the fist of his elbowed hand.
– Change what? – Tamura asked, taking a seat across from him. – I realize you’ll answer «nothing,» and I’ll be unsatisfied with that play on words and ask you, «what do you mean?» And you’ll turn on the religious sacred fool again and repeat the «nothing» answer. But all this verbiage is clearly not going to satisfy me or you. So let’s skip the guesswork and get straight to the clear readings. So, something is clearly threatening something. Right? Now let’s replace pronouns with nouns together, shall we? – she looked to the side and whispered,» Is that how I still remember that?
The old man looked in horror at Tamura’s knee, which was rather quickly being covered by a black stocking.
– To a witch, a witch’s witch! – shouted the old man.
– How hard is it with you? Well, what kind of witch am I, eh? Do I have snakes for hair? Well, look, just an ordinary nurse. There’s your robe. Where do you see a witch? I don’t burn people alive, I don’t pretend to be young. I certainly don’t have spiders coming out of my mouth! Oh, you mean this? – she caught his eye on her ankles. – It’s self-woven liquid tights. Haven’t you seen the commercials on TV? Well, look, grandpa, I’m totally open with you. You should share it with me. I’m not your enemy. I might be your sister. Open up, huh? – she took his hand and pressed it against her chest. – Let me start, okay? «Something» is the first pronoun we’ll replace with a noun. This is the messiah you mentioned in the basement, right?
– You’ve got a tick crawling all over you. – The old man pointed his finger at the girl’s ankle.
– This place is long overdue for disinfestation. – Tamura looked around the room defiantly. – But extermination costs money, and Coven spends all its money on witches. Seven Hundred and Fourteen’s
