"Reason." He corrected sternly. "You are the only living witness who has seen what I have. I must keep you alive and close."
Idalia's eyes narrowed.
That was it?
"Why? Are you from the Midline?"
"No. I'm a detective."
"So… you are tracking more of them, and you need someone else on the stand when you give evidence?"
He did not answer; instead, he clicked his mug against the table and slid some documents to her.
"The terms of your employment. Your name and your signature on every page are all that is needed. You will fill in your son's name on page 7."
Idalia eyed the document, although barely seeing any words, her mind being elsewhere as she patted Arik, who was now starting to move around, demanding that she rock him gently so he could sleep.
He had not answered her question.
Would a mere "yes" kill him?
Nevertheless, she was surprised at how straight to the point he was and how he easily gave her answers when she asked. Admittedly, he only gave her the answers he wanted to, but to have even wanted to give those answers when asked, was very surprising to her.
There had to have been a lie in what he had said, or maybe not a lie, but there must have been more to it that he had refused to reveal, because, for one, ordinary detectives did not live in Echelon.
So what exactly was he, and who exactly was he?
She must get her hands on those documents!
Speaking of documents, Idalia focused on the one before her, her eyes catching the address of the house and then his name on the first page.
Mr. Lythoryn.
Well, that answered one of the questions she had failed to ask.
But wait, just Mr. Lythoryn? No first name? If he signed all his documents this way, it certainly must be a little inconvenient for the other Lythoryns.
Or perhaps it was just him. Perhaps he didn't have a family.
"Can I reject this offer?"
"I don't know." Something glinted in his eyes as he pushed back his glasses. "Can you?"
"Ahhhhhh," the raven crawled, and Idalia flinched. "Can you? Can you?" It laughed, making Idalia's grip tighten on the document.
By Argon, she hated this raven!
"I need to read it first." She said quickly, tired of this forceful company she had to endure, and hoping he would grant her permission to leave.
Or maybe he would leave.
Any would be fine, as long as she wouldn't have to deal with these insufferable creatures!
"Please, take your time," he said, folding his arms and looking right at her.
What?! He was going to wait?
The raven, who was still perched on his shoulder, began to watch her intently.
That didn't help the situation.
She yanked the documents off the table and began to take slow walks around the dining area, determined not to succumb to their heavy gazes, the waiting silence, and the building pressure in the air.
She flipped the page, her fingers trembling lightly as the pressure made her throat tighten.
Arik was beginning to squirm against her. He wanted her to carry him in her arms so he could fall asleep. Although sometimes he wouldn't demand it, sometimes he would.
It all depended on his mood.
Arik, please, have mercy on Mummy. Not now.
But the squirming continued, the cracking voice warning of a coming outburst, the pressure of intimidating gazes wearing down her shoulder and burning against her skin, the silence stretching as she began to pace faster around the dining section, her eyes passing over words quicker and quicker, as her fingers flipped through the pages faster and faster.
Till her mind became hazy and all she could do was write.
Julie Summers.
Signature.
Julie Summers.
Signature.
Leonard Summers.
Julie Summers.
Signature.
Till the last page. Then more hastily than she intended, she dropped the document right back on the table, and the raven laughed.
Laughed?
Idalia tensed up at the sound as she made up her mind on one thing.
She would kill that cursed bird!
She had now pulled Arik into her arms, patting his back while he rested against her shoulder. He reached across the table easily and accessed the contract.
"Mr. Lythoryn, if there is nothing else—"
She was interrupted by the entry of one of the men from yesterday.
It wasn't Louie, but the other one - the tattooed one.
Her mind being clearer than yesterday, Idalia was able to assess how terrifying this man looked. The images inked on his head and the visible part of his neck seemed gruesome, although the only one she could clearly make out was the intricately drawn skull. He was a huge man, too. He reminded her of the gangsters in Cider whom she had learnt to avoid and had been successfully able to avoid. The only difference was that he was wearing a suit, and something about him made her feel that he was capable of committing graver crimes than the gangsters of Cider.
She would have to stay away from this man.
There was something about him that she really didn't like, maybe it was the way he eyed both her and Arik with open suspicion, or maybe it was something else, something more.
The inked man rushed over to Mr. Lythoryn, muttered a polite greeting to her, which she almost didn't catch because of how quickly he had said it, like her name burned his tongue, that he wanted to get it out as quickly as possible.
Then he leaned down to say something to him.
Mr. Lythoryn rose up to his feet, calmly, even though it seemed like the message the inked man had relayed required urgency.
What was the message anyway? Why was that tattooed man always whispering things to him?
The raven flapped away and landed on a short, silver, intricately designed rod dangling from the ceiling; it seemed to have been made for the raven.
Mr. Lythoryn collected his coat from the tattooed man and pulled it on, then put on his hat, concealing his striking silver hair completely beneath it.
For how much he stood out, it made sense that he had to conceal himself so much being a detective.
He looked just like he did yesterday, like a figure of cold and concealed death… and that image made Idalia go still.
The loud bang from yesterday rang again in her ears, a memory of him killing the rogue with his gun flashed in her mind.
Her grip tightened around Arik.
Then he turned his gaze to her and started walking towards her, his green eyes - cold, his face rigid.
What? What now?!
What had that tattooed man said to him? Did he find out about their real identity - what they were? Was that it?
By Argon!
In a flash, Mr. Lythoryn was right in front of her, and without warning, he pulled away her hand from Arik.