Witch and Wizard_ The Fire - James Patterson [28]
And now we have to deal with this egomaniacal kid. “At ease, boys,” he says, and they instantly free our arms. Pearce looks like a child next to these seven-foot goons, but they’re clearly afraid of him. I get the feeling he shouldn’t be underestimated.
“So this is the famous healer, the incomparable athlete, the sensitive poet.” Pearce steps forward and peers into my face as if he’s studying an intensely interesting scientific specimen. How does he know all of this about me? We might be in it deeper than I thought.
I stand up straighter, my bulk and height an implied threat. If Pearce thinks I’m going to shrink away from him, he can think again.
“And it’s a shame we don’t have time for you to give us a bit of a show, Wisteria,” he muses, turning to my sister. The way he says it — suggesting things that are much more uncomfortable for an older brother to imagine than just a fire show — makes my hands ball into fists. I take a step in front of Wisty, and Pearce smirks at me. “Dynacompetents are so very rare these days,” he says mildly.
“And so tricky to catch,” one of the giants mutters from behind him.
Pearce’s head whips around to glare at the loudmouth. Touchy subject apparently.
“Did we not discuss this beforehand, Fafner?” he asks the giant, venom dripping from his words. This is obviously a guy who is used to having things done his way. “That you were to be silent while I was interacting with the Allgoods?”
The underling ducks his head and says meekly, “Yes, sir.” A circle widens around him as his buddies move off, condemning the offender.
“Come here,” Pearce says almost inaudibly.
Fafner is shaking now, cowering, and Wisty looks at me sidelong, unsure of what to expect. “But I didn’t mean —”
“I said come here!” Pearce explodes. He wraps his black cloak tightly around him as the wind coming off the water ripples his fair hair, and for the first time I notice the goose bumps on my own arms.
Reluctantly, Fafner slinks toward Pearce like a dog with its tail between its legs. When the man’s close enough, Pearce reaches up and touches the giant’s head, as if he’s blessing him or something.
And then the most insane thing happens: the skin on the giant’s face seems to just … fall away. All that’s left is a naked skull sitting atop this huge body, and when Pearce lets go, the body crumples to the ground.
Its skull rolls to a stop in front of us.
As Wisty and I stand there with our eyes bugging out of our heads and our mouths hanging open in disbelief, a few of the other big boys drag the body toward the bank, and Pearce wipes his hand nonchalantly on a handkerchief.
“Where were we?” he says, turning back to us and smiling brightly as if nothing’s happened. “Ah, yes, you were about to accompany me to visit The One.”
I am scared. I am horrified. I am super freaked out at this guy’s total lack of self-restraint, and a little in awe of his power. But I’m furious, too. Livid. This is not the world we were promised as children, and no one is ever going to make this man pay if I don’t right now.
“What, you can’t handle us yourself?” I taunt. I know the way egos work — you just have to push the right buttons. “You’re probably nothing without that pathetic little trick of yours. I bet I could take you, mano a mano.”
I normally don’t sink to this base level, I swear, but I’m just about at the end of my rope, and there’s no way I’m letting them take me in without a fight. Today, I let Celia slip through my fingers again. Today, I watched a good friend die. Today, I found out Janine — calm, compassionate, serious-eyed Janine, whom I care about more than I want to admit — is probably dead. I’m ready to pound someone into the ground, and if anyone ever deserved it, it’s Pearce.
“Oh, come now, Whitford. Must we always