Ethedra didn’t say anything for a moment. Abigail paced back and forth in front of the slab, head down, one hand behind her back, the other curled under her chin. Ethedra disappeared from above the well, briefly reappeared above the first well, and then was gone. When she came back, she had something tucked under her left arm—a taxidermied fox, positioned alertly on alog. She dipped her right hand into a pocket on her dress, in and out quickly—and then there were silver and black, pointy, thimble-looking things on her thumb and first two fingers. She clicked the points together, then splayed them in front of the mouth of the fox. It opened silently.
“What about this?” she said.
“Perfect.”
Ethedra bent and held the fox out for Abigail. Abigail took it. Electric light zapped and crackled between them for a moment, ending with a loud POP. Abigail put the fox on the ground and inspected it. She pulled its ears, then stuck her fingers into its throat, then probed its belly. Satisfied, she turned to hercaskand reached deep into the mouth of it, feeling around inside, speaking quiet words to herself, then she bent and pressed the mouth of the fox pelt to the mouth of the taxidermied fox. Sixteen bright balls of light and color spilled out of the pelt, collecting in the throat of the taxidermied fox. Last came a small tooth and two rolled-up scraps of fabric or leather. Abigail put the pelt on her shoulders, then tucked the taxidermied fox up under one arm. She shoved the fingers of her other hand deep into the open mouth of the fox, pushing the contents down into the belly of the thing, then she took a moment to make sure everything was to her liking. She twirled a finger in the air around the muzzle of the fox and it closed silently. Satisfied, she lifted the fox over Ethedra’s well, placing it under Ethedra’s feet.
“Ready?” she asked.
Ethedra nodded, holding her arms out and looking up. Abigail dropped the fox in the well and it appeared out of thin air above Ethedra, who caught it clumsily, then disappeared for a second. When she came back her hands were empty.
“All safe,” she said.
Abigail nodded, then hurried back to Boe. She pressed the open mouth of the fox pelt to the scar again, holding it there. With her other hand, she took a shiny object, like a glowing marble, from a pocket of her cloak, then lifted the fox pelt and rubbed the marble-like thing over the scar on Boe’s shoulder.
“Who listens when the atmalaughs? What moves when the atmashifts?” she said in metered tones.
She shoved the marble thing deep into the throat of the pelt, hercask, and then pressed thecask’smouth down on Boe’s shoulder, the little teeth of the thing poking at his skin.
Boe groaned. He shook and one of his arms spasmed into the air.
“You’re hurting him,” Ethedra said.
Abigail dropped the pelt on the slab. “It’s not working. I need more power to draw theatmaout.”
She looked at the well in the middle of the room, then said, “Number Six, turn off the power collector.”
Number Six hurried to a panel set in the wall.
“Oh no you don’t,” Ethedra said darkly. “You aren’t thinking of using theshiftsegen.”
“It’s the most powerful object I’ve got.”
Ethedra slapped a hand to her forehead. “That thing attacked us all last time. We barely got it contained in the well.” She pointed at Number Six. “Sixy lost his ear!”
Number Six looked at the floor and rubbed his right ear.
“He got it back,” Abigail snapped, then she strode toward Ethedra with her hand held out. “One of yourfheargacha, then.”
“Crazy,” Ethedra said. She dipped her hand in her pocket and when it came back out, the three pointy thimbles were gone.
Abigail turned back. “Number Six, do it.”
“Ok, ok,” Ethedra said. “Just so we don’t all die today. Here.” She dipped her hand back in her pocket and came out with onefheargachaon her index finger.
Abigail hurried back to her and stood next to the well, holding her hands out. Ethedra took thefheargachaoff, held it out, and dropped it. Halfway down, it seemed to hit an invisible plane, causing a bright circle of light to flare in the air with an electric zap—and then Abigail had it.
She put it on the index finger of her right hand and returned to the altar. She picked up the pelt with that hand and positioned the pointy tip of thefheargacharight on the top of the head of the pelt, then pressed the teeth of it to Boe’s shoulder again, digging in.
She called out the words louder.“Who listens when the atma laughs? What moves when the atma shifts?”
Boe groaned and tried to move. Abigail pressed the pelt to him harder, holding him in place. He groaned and rolled the other way, his fingers grazing the fox statue. Again, a chime sounded and seemingly in response, the ground shook. Abigail lurched backwards a step, accidentally yanking the pelt hard, scraping the teeth of it across Boe’s back. Light and a high whistling sound erupted from the scrape marks. Boe cried out and flailed, seeming to shrink a little, his features becoming foxlike. His hand hit the golden statue again and this time it was knocked to the ground. Number Six moved in close to hold Abigail up. A resonant booming sound exploded up from the depths of the middle well, and the chain shook back and forth.
“Oh shit,” Number Six grated.
“Now you did it!” Ethedra cried. She dipped her hand into her pocket and came out withfheargachaon her thumb and middle finger, looking ready to bolt.
The chain rose out of the well with unnatural speed, making Ethedra shout in fear, and Number Six shove Abigail behind him. A hundred feet of chain came up in a few seconds, red hot and steaming, piling on the ground next to the well. Another hundred feet came up, and another, the sound a roaring, clanging, cacophony that echoed off the cave walls, making them all cover their ears, and stare disbelievingly at the spectacle.
