Vigil: Verity Fassbinder Book 1 Read Free Page B

Normals; its tightly twined roof of leaves and vines was enough to keep
     off the sun and rain, but not quite enough to hide the snakes that lurked there. Through the wide archway I could see the
     space was packed, everyone swaying along contentedly to a man with a sitar accompanied by another playing a theremin. Two
     emo-Weyrd waitresses, managing to look both bored and alert, sloped between tables delivering drinks and finger food. Both
     had Lilliputian horns on their foreheads, just along the hairline; in the Normal world they’d probably be written off as body
     mods.They might even have had vestigial tails to match, but Weyrd blood ran wild and it was almost impossible to predict how offspring
     would turn out.
    When I needed information, this was where I generally started. Gossip washed through Little Venice like a river, the three
     Sisters who ran the place judiciously deciding what stayed behind and what got carried away. They were equally picky about
     what they shared. But even when I wasn’t looking for anything, I still came here, because they did good coffee and amazing
     cakes: fat moist chocolate, rich bitter citrus, and a caramel marshmallow log that could stop your heart.
    In addition to the business of hospitality, the Misses Norn – possibly not their real name – took turns reading palms, cards
     and tealeaves, each having her preferred method. For twenty bucks you’d get a traditional fortune-telling; fork out a heftier
     sum and you could see your future in runes, entrails or crimson spatter – in short, the more you paid, the nastier it would
     get. Maybe the latter were more accurate, but it was hard to know because each choice you made changed something else, shifting
     Fate like unruly chess pieces. The very willingness to spill blood might be the thing that knocked your destiny out of true.
    But one thing remained constant – or constantly inconsistent: no matter which
modus operandi
, one Sister genuinely laid out your choices, one
made
your fate with her words and the third simply lied. Problem was, you couldn’t really tell which did which. They weren’t malicious,
     just Weyrd. It was their thing.
    I’d been hoping for Theodosia because we got on better, but Aspasia was working the counter, so I kept Ziggi’s advice in mind.
     Behind her was a mirror that looked like lace made of snowflakes. She gave me a cool smile as I limped in. This Sister was
     all darkserpentine curls, obsidian eyes, occasional prickly personality and red, red smile. When her lips opened I could see how sharp
     her teeth were.
    ‘Fassbinder. Come to have your fortune told?’ Her smile widened and she gave a shimmy and gracefully extended her hand, a
     belled bracelet making a gentle chime. ‘Cross my palm with silver, girly.’
    I shook my head. ‘My answer’s the same as it’s always been – surely you could’ve seen that coming? But I will take a long
     black, some information and a slice of that caramel marshmallow log. And a super-sweet latte and a piece of mud cake to go.’
    She pursed her lips. ‘You got a new boyfriend?’
    ‘Hardly.’ I considered the idea of Ziggi-as-boyfriend, gave a little follow-up shudder and sat carefully on one of the tall
     stools, letting my sore leg dangle. Elbows resting on the countertop of fossilised stone, I grinned. I have a good grin, nice
     and bright, disarming. ‘It’s lovely to see you again, but this isn’t a social call.’
    ‘Colour me shocked.’ Of course she wasn’t going to make it easy. We might manage to be civil to each other but she’s always
     held a torch for Bela and she’s never quite forgiven me for dating him as long as I had. Or at all.
    ‘Kids are going missing.’
    ‘So sad,’ Aspasia said lightly, and began caressing the coffee machine – which looked like the console of a spaceship – into
     doing her bidding. It started bubbling and spitting, a comforting sound that made conversation impossible for a little while.
     I