“She’s going to mask my face,” I said feverishly, “it’s an old family custom.”
“Is she?” Arym laid her gloves and bag down on the table. She took off her hat with deliberation. “Not so long as I’m standing on my two feet,” she said.
“Get Out “Lydia said furiously, “you’ve no business being in here. Go upstairs and wait for Peppi. He wants me to do this.”
“He’s mine,” Arym said, moving towards Lydia. “No one touches him but me.”
Lydia went for her with the knife.
I yelled a warning, but it wasn’t necessary. Arym was quite capable of taking care of herself. She simply vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Lydia stopped in her rush with a startled scream. She looked around the room, her knife held ready and her eyes wild.
Just behind her a large vase containing flowers suddenly floated off the table. It shot high into the air and descended on Lydia’s head. She flattened out on the floor and the vase flew in a hundred pieces.
“And that’s that,” said Arym’s voice.
Invisible hands gathered the flowers into a bunch and laid them on Lydia’s chest.