News

After hearing this account steeped in fate, Neph did not know what to say for a moment. She thought about it, then simply asked a question that worked in any situation:

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Laila shook her head.

And so lunch began. Neph also asked whether they should bring Leomaster something to eat. When Laila said there was no need, she left it at that and asked about something else instead:

"Have you heard of the Bond Garment Factory?"

That was the name of the garment factory Ian had described as though it were the setting of a ghost story. Laila seemed familiar with the name and asked in return:

"Did you read this morning's newspaper too?"

"Newspaper? What newspaper?" Neph paused in surprise.

"You haven't read it?" Laila sounded surprised. "Then how did you hear about this?"

"I heard a little from an information broker-" Neph explained, giving a rough account of the phenomenon Ian had mentioned. "It sounded like some kind of haunting."

"Hmm-" Laila frowned. "In that case, there might be more to this than meets the eye."

She paused, apparently remembering that Neph still did not know what had happened, and added:

"Early this morning, someone arrived for the shift change and found that all the workers on the previous shift had collapsed. Most were already dead, bleeding from all seven orifices. It was horrific-"

"-?" Neph swallowed with difficulty.

"The more I hear, the more it sounds like a ghost story," she remarked.

Laila offered no opinion. Neph left without waiting for Leomaster to come out. She had already asked everything she was curious about, and if she stayed any longer, she had no confidence that she could play a convincing Blessed in front of a fanatic.

Of course, there was another reason: