Strange Attractors - Kim Falconer [98]
‘Sit!’ Kreshkali said. ‘Both of you.’ She motioned Rosette and Grayson to the table. They sat at opposite ends. ‘Rosette, your temple cat may be tearing heads off but he’s on his way here. You said you felt so yourself. Once he gets into a portal, the Entity will not detain him, I promise. No one in their right mind would try to keep you two apart.’ She took a sip of tea. ‘Grayson, there has to be an electron microscope here at Los Loma.’
‘Why does there have to be?’ An’ Lawrence asked.
‘Because Janis carried on years of research after she left ASSIST.’ She gazed around the library. ‘I feel like it’s right under our noses.’
‘Maybe she hid that technology in me as well,’ Rosette said, her sarcasm increasing the tension in the room.
Kreshkali slowly turned her head around. ‘That’s it,’ she whispered.
‘What’s it?’ Rosette kicked the chair opposite her. ‘An electron microscope tucked behind my heart? Or maybe it’s under my fingernail? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘There are worlds within worlds there,’ An’ Lawrence said. ‘But I don’t think that’s what Kali means.’
‘It’s not.’ Kreshkali filled her daughter’s cup and pushed it towards her.
‘What then?’ Rosette struggled to stand, the bulk of her pregnancy and the recent calling experience making her less than graceful.
Kreshkali tapped the rim of the saucer. ‘Drink.’
Rosette sat back down and held the cup in her hands. They shook slightly as she sipped the herbal brew. She screwed up her face. ‘This is disgusting.’
‘It’s good for you,’ Kreshkali said. She topped the cup up again and turned to Grayson. ‘It’s possible that we don’t need an electron microscope after all.’
‘Kali…’ He started to answer but she waved him silent.
‘Janis was working with nanotechnology and we know that she and Luka had nano-devices embedded in the pi stacks of their DNA—the spell that’s been handed down our family line.’
‘And continues to do so,’ Rosette added, patting her swollen belly.
‘Indeed. We also know the nano-level devices, the spell, contain vast amounts of information.’
Grayson looked at the bookshelves that covered all four walls of the library. ‘You mean this was just a front? Like a permanent glamour? Something to throw ASSIST off the track while they merrily stored the real findings in their blood?’
‘Bingo,’ Kreshkali said.
‘It’s more than a glamour!’ Hotha entered the room, Fynn trotting behind him. The dog made a beeline for Rosette and she tussled his head.
‘More than a glamour?’ she said, her eyes bright as she studied Hotha’s face.
‘It’s a legacy, and a beautiful one—tangible and priceless.’ He paused, letting his eyes turn to Kreshkali. ‘But the High Priestess is right.’ He came closer, standing in front of her chair. ‘What we seek is here in front of us.’
Grayson shook his head. ‘I still need an electron microscope to view it.’
‘Maybe not,’ Hotha said.
Everyone turned to Kreshkali. She was smiling at the Lupin.
‘Explain,’ An’ Lawrence said, the corners of his mouth downturned.
‘The microscope is just a tool,’ Kreshkali said.
Grayson coughed. ‘Hardly a hammer or a rake, Kali.’
‘But still, it is a tool, an aid to consciousness.’
‘You can’t build a gate without a hammer and you can’t sweep a path without a broom,’ Grayson said.
‘Maybe you can’t, but I can.’ Kreshkali smiled.
‘I can too,’ Rosette added, her eyes widening.
‘All fine for you witches but I need an electron microscope to get at those notes, and anything else buried in your DNA.’ He looked at each in turn and raised his hands, palms up.
‘You can move mountains with a single thought,’ Kreshkali said, as Rosette rose to stand behind her mother’s chair. ‘Magic leaves the tools behind, even those of the most complex technology.’
‘It’s the thought that counts,’ Rosette said, tapping her finger on Kreshkali’s back. ‘But we have to be able to visualise what you need to see. We have to know what to think about, for the magic to work.’
‘And that’s where the books come in.’ Kreshkali got out of her chair. ‘What am I looking for, Grayson? Describe it to us.’ She headed