A Power of Old(16)

“You go in first—make sure there’s no one around,” she hissed at me.

I peered around the partially open door. Only Jenney was standing at the stove, and I remembered that the kids were in one of the abandoned rooms.

“It’s just Jenney,” I replied. “Is that okay?”

Hazel deliberated for a few moments.

“I think so, as long as she keeps her distance. Other than Tejus, sentries don’t seem to make me as hungry.”

That made a little sense to me. If I was to think about it in comparison to vamps, they could drink off one another, but it never appealed the same way human blood did. Not even close.

We entered the kitchen, and Jenney waved at us distractedly from a boiling pot. “You hungry?” she asked us both. I looked at Hazel, who had gone back to clamping her arms around herself.

Well…one of us is.

“Food would be good—whatever you’ve got,” I replied.

“Pitsa, actually.”

What?

“Um…do you mean pizza?” I asked, looking at the boiling pot—it looked more like lumpy sentry stew to me.

“Right,” Jenney agreed, mouthing the word silently. “The kids were explaining to me how to make it. This is for the ministers.” She stirred the pot. “Give me a couple of minutes and the pizza will be right with you.”

“Thanks!” I exclaimed. Hellswan was looking up.

Hazel drew up a chair at a table, as far away from Jenney and me as she could get.

While Jenney’s attention was on the stove, I mouthed at Hazel, “We should tell her.” Hazel looked pained, but after a couple of moments she nodded. She didn’t look pleased by the idea, but I guessed eventually everyone would have to know. It wasn’t like we were going to be able to keep it a secret.

I looked at Hazel expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

She sighed.

“Jenney, have you ever heard of a non-sentry becoming a sentry?” she asked.

Jenney chuckled, and continued stirring the pot.

“No…why? Are you looking to get comfy in Nevertide?” she replied, and then laughed at her own joke. When Hazel and I were silent, she spun around.

“What’s going on?” she asked, all traces of amusement gone.

Between us we told her the whole story—skirting around Hazel and Tejus’s intimacy, but it was implied. I thought that shocked Jenney more than anything else, but I didn’t really know why.

“That’s incredible,” she breathed when we’d finished. Hazel looked uncomfortable, and I imagined it wouldn’t be for the last time over the coming days…

“But you can’t syphon safely right now?” she asked Hazel.

“No. It’s horrible. I almost wiped out Tejus and then hurt Ruby,” Hazel replied, shamefaced.

Jenney was silent for a few moments, looking thoughtful.

“That makes sense. When sentries are first born the kids have little or no control over who they syphon off, so they do it by accident all the time. Obviously, they’re not as strong as an adult, so you hardly notice it. Just a mild headache. As they grow up, they learn. It really doesn’t take that long. And as you’re aware of it already, it will probably take even less time for you. I don’t think this is going to affect you long term…not hugely, anyway.”

As soon as Jenney finished her sentence, the door to the kitchen burst open and one of the kids came running in—the youngest one we had, a Portuguese boy called Carlito.

“Jenney, I hungry!” he cried in broken English. When he saw Hazel and me sitting at the table he smiled and waved, but his face fell when Hazel jerked back and closed her eyes.

“It’s okay, Carlito. Hazel has a headache—head pain?” I checked the boy understood what I was saying. He looked confused, but nodded while heading back toward the door, clearly deciding that he no longer wanted to be in the kitchen.

When he was gone, Jenney and I turned to Hazel.

‘That bad, huh?” I asked softly.

She nodded, looking down at the table.

Maybe we couldn’t wait that long for Hazel to learn to get a grip on this.

“Okay, I think we need to try again,” I announced. Hazel and Jenney both looked at me like I’d gone mad.

“I’m serious—it’s stupid to think you can go around and practice self-will if you’re going out of your mind with hunger. Why don’t you try to give it another go? I can start by pushing my energy out. That might help?”

“Are you sure?” Hazel asked quietly. She must have been desperate.

“I’m sure,” I promised.

“Thank you.”

We turned to face one another, while Jenney stood at the other end of the table, watching. I focused on throwing my energy outward, hoping that Hazel would be intuitively apt enough to grasp hold of it. I felt the flickering sensation around my skull, and for a few moments I could feel Hazel latch onto my mind, slowly taking the energy that I was offering. Then, quickly, it became too much—the searing pain started again, and I gritted my teeth, trying not to call out.