Free Birthright (Residue Series #2) by Laury Falter Page A

just leave her be.” I followed the words to the dimmest part of the room where a thin man was sitting on an upturned chair, the muted candlelight making him hard to define.
    “Mr. DeVille,” Jameson greeted him , pleasantly.
    He gave Jameson a courteous nod before continuing to coax his wife away from Olivia. “Let the girl try, Love. You’ve been working on it all day without any progress.”
    Mrs. DeVille turned sharply, spitting over her shoulder at him while continuing to hobble along. When she finally reached her patient, she bent down, leaning so close she had to dodge Olivia’s clawed swipe at her.
    As Mrs. DeVille attempted once again to reverse whatever hex Olivia had been cast under, Jameson smoothly traversed the room to stand beside her husband. I remained in place , since my vantage point was better from w here I stood .
    “She said they came back ?” Jameson inquired , quietly, trying not to disturb Olivia.
    Mr. DeVille nodded , pursing his lips , obviously discontent. “That’s right. First time , they did what you see to the store. Olivia was injured. Had some cuts and bruises, but nothing like this. Second time , they did what you see happened to her now.”
    “Mmhmm,” Jameson muttered, encouraging him on.
    “Entered right through the front door even though it was locked to visitors. By the time we could get here, they’d left and poor Olivia…well, this is how we found her.”
    “Any idea why they’d come back?” Jameson asked, dividing his attention between Mr. DeVille and what Mrs. DeVille was doing with Olivia. “Has she… maybe Olivia told you something that might help us understand…” he ventured.
    “Hasn’t told us anything all day. Lots of groaning and lots of screeching, but no speaking.”
    Jameson nodded , thoughtfully. “And it was the same Vires, the same one s who came around the first time?”
    Mr. DeVille shook his head , emphatically . “That was the odd thing. The ones who came back…they had a woman with them. Tall… wearing a floral dress. Heard them call out her name…Gant…Gann…” He sighed, trying to recall the name they’d used.
    “Gaul?” I offered , and from the corner of my eyes I saw them look in my direction.
    “That’s it,” confirmed Mr. DeVille.
    Jameson’s shoulders visibly tensed at hearing this news. “Mrs. Gaul was here.” He mumbled to himself, deeply considering the magnitude of what this meant. “Returning after the damage had already been done… but why?”
    “To do more damage?” Mr. DeVille proposed.
    This was a foregone conclusion , but neither of us mentioned it.
    As if to redirect Mr. DeVille, Jameson asked, “When did she come back? What time?”
    After pondering the question, he lifted a finger in the air , as if pointing out the time on a clock. “Noon. Came back at noon.”
    “After second period class…” Jameson groused.
    “After second what?” Mr. DeVille asked , leaning toward Jameson.
    A shriek suddenly escaped from Olivia , bringing the conversation to a temporary halt so Mr. DeVille could plug his ears . After briefly checking in her direction, the conversation picked back up where it left off. Jameson was intent on getting every detail he could.
    “What was the reason they gave for the first visit? Did they say?”
    Mr. DeVille frowned , and for a moment , I didn’t think he was going to respond. “We got hit, too. Most everyone did… seemed to be looking for two things… a rope…”
    At this announcement , Jameson again glanced in my direction, because we knew which rope Mr. DeVille was referring to.
    “The Rope of The Sevens?” suggested Jameson.
    “That’s the one. Told them it had gone missing in the 4 th Century so it didn’t seem like they’d be finding it any time soon. They didn’t like that very much…”
    Jameson and Mr. DeVille chuckled.
    But then Mr. DeVille continued on, more tenuous. “The other thing they wanted to know was about their missing associates. Fred and