The Power and the Glory

Book 3 Chapter XVII: No Escape

Warning: contains references to an animal being killed, cannibalism, and zombie-related violence.

I do not really know whether I have survived. My inner self has shut itself up more and more. As though to protect itself, it has become inaccessible even to me. -- Rainer Maria Rilke

Abi had never thought she would be happy to be under house arrest. If she'd thought about it at all she'd have assumed it would be unbearably boring. Now she had only to think of fleeing from the possessed Ilaran. Being bored didn't seem nearly so bad in comparison.

She expected her arrest to last at least a few months. She was wrong. Within a week of confessing everything to her grandmother, her parents ordered her into the main sitting room.

Her parents hadn't said a word about the whole sorry business. Abi would have preferred if they'd yelled and screamed about it. She knew her grandmother had told them. This wasn't the sort of thing she would ever be discreet about. Yet they hadn't raised the subject at all. In fact they had barely spoken to her about anything. It seemed she was being given the silent treatment by her entire family.

She made her way to the sitting room, mentally preparing herself for the yelling to begin. Her parents were waiting for her. Going by the looks on their faces this would be an incredibly unpleasant meeting. Abi sank into a chair and waited. Silence reigned for several minutes. At last Hartanna spoke.

"How in the name of all the gods did you turn out so badly? Of all the brainless things to do, you just had to choose dark magic. You could have killed us all!"

Abi winced. She couldn't defend herself so she said nothing. She continued to say nothing for another ten minutes while her mother told her exactly what she thought of her. The wish to fight back warred with the knowledge she deserved this lecture.

Finally Hartanna ran out of synonyms for "stupid". "It's in everyone's best interests if you are kept out of trouble until you can prove you've become marginally wiser. My mother has the bright idea of sending you to Gengxin with your aunt Jiarlúr. Frankly I think this is a terrible idea and will backfire on us all. I warn you, if you so much as think about meddling with dark magic I'll put you on a spaceship and send you to the nearest black hole."

Gengxin? Abi repeated silently, bemused. Why am I going to Gengxin?

She hadn't heard anything about what was going on there. All she could think of was that she was being exiled under the pretence of going on holiday.

Hartanna continued, "And when you come back, my mother will have made further arrangements to keep you out of trouble. I believe she intends to ship you off to Tananerl."

Abi was more confused than ever. Tananerl? But that's where Ilaran lives. I can't go there! He's furious with me!

She trembled at the idea of having to face Ilaran on a daily basis after she got him killed and then possessed. She still had to apologise to him for all of that. What with the house arrest and everything she hadn't found time to do it yet.

"So," Hartanna finished in a gloomy voice, "you'll pack what you need for the funerals and be ready to leave in three days."

Once more Abi hadn't a clue what she was talking about. Funerals? Whose funerals?

Neither of her parents elaborated. Her father hadn't said a word at all. He seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts and barely paying any attention to what was happening.

~~~~

Mihasrin finally spoke after Abihira had left. "That's the second time one of our children has become obsessed with dark magic."