The Dark Remains - Mark Anthony [165]
Deirdre frowned. “But all of that sounds hopeful, Marji.”
“You’d be right, shaman girl. Except for this.”
With a crimson fingernail, Marji tapped the third card of the triangle. A hideous, leering face gazed up. The Devil.
“There’s something there,” Marji said in a low voice. “Wherever you’re going. It’s evil. And hungry. And it will destroy anyone who goes near it.”
She looked up at Travis, dark eyes shining.
He laid his hand over hers. “We have to go, Marji—if we can open the way. And that’s why we need your help.”
She smiled: a sweet, sad expression. “I know you have to go, honey. I just had to warn you. That’s all.”
Farr stood. “Marji, there are some things we need. Herbs, oils, I believe.” He looked at Vani.
“I can tell you the things.”
Now Marji shot Farr a blinding smile. “Will that be cash, check, or charge?”
It didn’t take long. Marji’s shelves were well stocked. The main difficulty was that Vani did not know the English names of the herbs she required, but she described them to Grace, who displayed a knowledge of herb lore that surprised and impressed Deirdre; Grace was able to tell Marji what it was Vani needed. It wasn’t a great deal: three bags of herbs, a bottle of pure, scented oil, and five black candles.
“I’d use these things for some kind of purification or preparation ceremony,” Marji said as she handed the bag to Vani. “What kind of ritual is this you’re doing, sugar?”
“One that I hope will take us to a golden city on the sea,” Vani said.
Marji nodded.
Farr cleared his throat. “We should probably be going.”
However, before they could move, Marji stepped in front of them. “Hold it. No one’s going anywhere on an empty stomach. I don’t care what world you’re from, everyone’s got to eat.”
It seemed so unimportant—they had so many things to do, things Deirdre could hardly envision. Yet Marji was right. Even in the midst of incredible events, a person had to eat. Neil Armstrong would have fallen flat on his face on the moon despite the low gravity if he hadn’t had his Tang and Food Sticks up in the orbiter.
They sat around the séance table in the back room while Marji seemed to produce lunch out of thin air. There were small cheese-and-tomato sandwiches, a bowl of hummus with crackers for dipping, green olives, and macadamia nut cookies.
The repast was good for more than just nourishment. Farr pulled out the map of the Duratek complex, and with Vani they refined some of their earlier ideas.
Marji eyed the blueprints as she cleared dishes from the table. “That all sounds like some supersecret spy stuff, babies. Now, it goes without saying that Marji knows how to keep a secret. But I sure hope no one else knows what you’re up to.”
Farr gave Travis a pointed look.
“I haven’t talked to anybody.” He frowned. “Well, that’s not completely true. I did call Davis and Mitchell Burke-Favor, some friends up in Castle City. But I didn’t tell them where we were or what we were doing. And that was before …”
“Your good friends at Duratek Corporation got wind of where you were hiding,” Marji said.
Travis gripped the table. “Wait a minute. You’re not saying Mitchell and Davis—”
“I’m not saying anything,” Marji said, holding up her hands. “Except that loose lips sink ships.”
Farr handed Marji a crisp white business card. “We thank you for your discretion.”
She tucked the card into the pocket of her jacket and winked. “If you want, you could be thanking me for other favors, sugar.”
Farr hastily moved to the door. “We really should be going now.”
“Thank you,” Deirdre said.
Marji gave her a solemn nod.
Grace hesitated, then caught Marji in an embrace. “We’re so lucky we found you.