life's work to eliminate our kind."
My heart was stil pounding, but my stomach was no longer threatening mutiny. Next to me, Archer had resumed slouching, so I guess he was feeling better too.
Mrs. Casnoff waved her hand again, and like before, images sprang up behind her, only this time they were stil pictures instead of movies from hel. "There's a group that cals themselves the Aliance," she said, sounding almost bored as she gestured to a group of bland-looking men and women in suits. I thought her tone was awfuly dismissive for a lady who worked for a council caled
"the Council," but I had to agree that "the Aliance" was pretty lame.
"The Aliance is made up of agents from several different government agencies from several different governments. Luckily, they stay so bogged down with paperwork that they're rarely an actual threat."
That picture faded as a trio of women with the brightest red hair I'd ever seen appeared. "And, of course, the Brannicks, an ancient family from Ireland who have been fighting 'monsters,' as they cal us, since the time of Saint Patrick. These are the current keepers of the flame, Aislinn Brannick, and her two daughters, Finley and Isolde. They tend to be a little more dangerous, as their ancestor was Maeve Brannick, an incredibly powerful white witch who renounced her race to join with the church. They're therefore imbued with more power than your regular human."
She waved her hand again, and the women disappeared.
"And then there is our most forceful enemy," Mrs. Casnoff continued. As she spoke, a black image formed over her head. It took me a minute to figure out that it was an eye. But not an actual eye--more like a realy stylized tattoo sketched al in black, except for the iris, which was deep gold.
" L'Occhio di Dio . The Eye of God," she said. I heard the room draw in a colective breath.
"What's that?" I whispered to Archer.
He turned. That sarcastic smile was hovering around his lips again, so I figured our earlier camaraderie was pretty much over. He confirmed it, saying, "You can't do a blocking spel, and you've never heard of L'Occhio? Man, what kind of witch are you?"
I had an incredibly nasty retort ready that involved his mother and the U.S. Navy, but before I could get it out, Mrs.
Casnoff said, "L'Occhio di Dio is the greatest threat to any Prodigium. They are a group based in Rome, and their express purpose is wiping our kind off the face of the earth. They see themselves as holy knights, while we are the evil that must be purged. Last year this group alone was responsible for the deaths of more than one thousand Prodigium."
I stared up at The Eye and felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Now I remembered why it looked so familiar. I'd seen it once in one of Mom's books. I'd been about thirteen, just idly flipping through the pages, admiring the glossy pictures of famous witches. And then I'd turned to a painting of a witch's execution in Scotland, maybe around 1600 or so. The picture was so gruesome that I hadn't been able to stop staring at it. I could stil see the witch lying on her back, strapped to a wooden plank. Her blond hair streamed to the ground, a look of sheer terror on her face. Standing over her was a dark-haired man holding a silver knife. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and just above his heart was a tattoo--a black eye with a golden iris.
"In the past we've more than held our own against these three groups, but that's when they were separate and at odds. Now we've received word that they may be forging a sort of peace. If this happens . . ." She sighed. "Wel, let's just say we can't let that happen."
The Eye faded, and Mrs. Casnoff clapped her hands together. "Now. Enough of that. You al have a very big morning tomorrow, so you are dismissed. Lights out in half an hour."
She sounded so bright and businesslike that I wondered if I had halucinated the part where she basicaly told us we were al going to die. But one look around the room and I
My heart was stil pounding, but my stomach was no longer threatening mutiny. Next to me, Archer had resumed slouching, so I guess he was feeling better too.
Mrs. Casnoff waved her hand again, and like before, images sprang up behind her, only this time they were stil pictures instead of movies from hel. "There's a group that cals themselves the Aliance," she said, sounding almost bored as she gestured to a group of bland-looking men and women in suits. I thought her tone was awfuly dismissive for a lady who worked for a council caled
"the Council," but I had to agree that "the Aliance" was pretty lame.
"The Aliance is made up of agents from several different government agencies from several different governments. Luckily, they stay so bogged down with paperwork that they're rarely an actual threat."
That picture faded as a trio of women with the brightest red hair I'd ever seen appeared. "And, of course, the Brannicks, an ancient family from Ireland who have been fighting 'monsters,' as they cal us, since the time of Saint Patrick. These are the current keepers of the flame, Aislinn Brannick, and her two daughters, Finley and Isolde. They tend to be a little more dangerous, as their ancestor was Maeve Brannick, an incredibly powerful white witch who renounced her race to join with the church. They're therefore imbued with more power than your regular human."
She waved her hand again, and the women disappeared.
"And then there is our most forceful enemy," Mrs. Casnoff continued. As she spoke, a black image formed over her head. It took me a minute to figure out that it was an eye. But not an actual eye--more like a realy stylized tattoo sketched al in black, except for the iris, which was deep gold.
" L'Occhio di Dio . The Eye of God," she said. I heard the room draw in a colective breath.
"What's that?" I whispered to Archer.
He turned. That sarcastic smile was hovering around his lips again, so I figured our earlier camaraderie was pretty much over. He confirmed it, saying, "You can't do a blocking spel, and you've never heard of L'Occhio? Man, what kind of witch are you?"
I had an incredibly nasty retort ready that involved his mother and the U.S. Navy, but before I could get it out, Mrs.
Casnoff said, "L'Occhio di Dio is the greatest threat to any Prodigium. They are a group based in Rome, and their express purpose is wiping our kind off the face of the earth. They see themselves as holy knights, while we are the evil that must be purged. Last year this group alone was responsible for the deaths of more than one thousand Prodigium."
I stared up at The Eye and felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Now I remembered why it looked so familiar. I'd seen it once in one of Mom's books. I'd been about thirteen, just idly flipping through the pages, admiring the glossy pictures of famous witches. And then I'd turned to a painting of a witch's execution in Scotland, maybe around 1600 or so. The picture was so gruesome that I hadn't been able to stop staring at it. I could stil see the witch lying on her back, strapped to a wooden plank. Her blond hair streamed to the ground, a look of sheer terror on her face. Standing over her was a dark-haired man holding a silver knife. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and just above his heart was a tattoo--a black eye with a golden iris.
"In the past we've more than held our own against these three groups, but that's when they were separate and at odds. Now we've received word that they may be forging a sort of peace. If this happens . . ." She sighed. "Wel, let's just say we can't let that happen."
The Eye faded, and Mrs. Casnoff clapped her hands together. "Now. Enough of that. You al have a very big morning tomorrow, so you are dismissed. Lights out in half an hour."
She sounded so bright and businesslike that I wondered if I had halucinated the part where she basicaly told us we were al going to die. But one look around the room and I
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