Okay, exactly that kind of devouring, but from the biscottis point of view.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
It was alarming, the force of it. An StB knockor Stasi, or Gestapo. Pick your secret police. It had a they come for you in the night weight to itand nobody sashays blithely to answer a they come for you in the night knock.
Except that Esther did. Shed been in the bedroom in the back; they hadnt seen much of her since the others left. She came forth now, still barefoot and striding calmly through the living room without a sideward glance. As she vanished down the corridor to the door, dogs flanking her, she said, You should gather your things now, children.
Zuzanas gaze flew to Mik, and his to her. Her heartbeat seemed to lurch to its feet with the same swiftness as the mastiffs had, and then she herself followed suit, jumping up. What? she asked at the same moment Mik said, Jesus.
Jesus what ?
Get your stuff, he said. Pack your bag. And Zuzana still didnt know what was happening, but then there were men coming in, two of them, large and in fine suits, and they had wireless com things hooked onto their big, dumb ears and Zuzanas first thought was Holy, they really are secret police , but then she spotted the crest embroidered on their coat pockets, and her fear transformed to the first simmer of outrage.
Hotel security. Esther was throwing them out.
All right, said one of the men. Lets go. Its time for you to leave.
What do you mean? Zuzana faced them down. Were guests.
Not anymore youre not, said Esther from the doorway. I tolerated you for Karous sake. And now that Karou Well.
Zuzana swung toward her. The old woman was leaning there with her arms crossed and her dogs pacing around her. There was a look of predatory calculation in her eyes, and Zuzanas immediate impression was that a snake had swallowed the downy-haired grandma and somehow become her. The liveried hotel thugs werent a step into the room before the weight of what this meant slammed down on Zuzana.
Karou.
What have you done? she demanded, because if Esther was throwing them out, it meant that she anticipated having no further contact with Karounot just tonight, but ever.
Done? Ive just alerted the management that I find myself overrun with uncouth young people. They knew at once who I meant. It seems you made quite an impression downstairs.
I mean, what have you done to Karou ? She hurled the words and started to hurl herself , and in that moment she could have believed that she was a neek-neek , sting and all, and woe to lion-sized dogs and beefy bullies who stood in her way.
She was a neek-neek that was easily captured in midair, however, the nearest bully hooking her wrist with a practiced grab and holding tight. Let go of me! she snarled at him, and tried to thrash her arm free.
No luck there. His grip was ridiculous, like he spent all his spare time squeezing one of those stupid rubber balls, but then Mik lunged in and grabbed the hand that held her. Let go of her, he demanded, and, in an uneven match of violin player versus brute, he tried to peel back the thick ugly fingers from Zuzanas wrist. No luck there, either; Zuzana was able to register, just barely, through her outrage, how humiliatingly un-samurai-like the pair of them were at this moment. With his free hand, the guard easily shoved Mik down the corridor to the front doorso much for getting their stuffand Zuzana after him. Her wrist throbbed where hed held her, but that was scarcely noteworthy in the tornado of rage and worry that had become her mind.
Refusing to be herded, Zuzana broke aside, darting around the guard to come face-to-face with Traveler and Methuselah, barring the way to their mistress. The dogs regarded her. One of them lifted the lips from his teeth in a bored kind of growl, as if to say, See these here choppers?
Ive seen scarier , she wanted to tell them. Hell, she wanted to bare her teeth right back, but instead, she just held her ground and lifted her eyes to Esther. The look on the old womans facestony apathywas scarcely human. This wasnt a person, Zuzana thought. This was greed wearing skin. What did you do? What did you do, Esther? What. Did. You. Do.
Esther breathed out a sigh. Are you an idiot? What do you think?
I think youre a backstabbing sociopath, thats what I think.
Esther just shook her head, a blaze of scorn displacing her apathy. Do you suppose I wanted it this way? I was happy with the way things were. Its not my fault Brimstone is dead.
What does that have to do with anything? Zuzana demanded.
Come now. I know youre not the little doll you look like. Life is choices, and only fools choose their allies with their heart.
Choose their allies ? What is this, Survivor ? Zuzana was overcome with disgust of her own. Esther had chosen the angels, clearly. Because Brimstone was dead, and she was looking only to her own advantage. In that moment, and knowing what she did about Esthers true age, she had a flash of insight about her. You, she said, and her disgust made a thick coating around the word. I bet you were a Nazi collaborator, werent you?