“I really must insist,” Leon said awkwardly, looking around at the packed guest bedroom, “that we thin the crowd, just a bit.”

“Well, I’m not leaving,” I said, stepping forward and bouncing Rafe in my arms. I looked down at my sister lying on the bed. Cora looked awkward and uncomfortable as she surveyed the collection of investigators: Roger, me, Rafe, and Sinclair, all standing around her. Leon sat primly squeezed into a chair beside her.

“Perhaps…the child?” Leon suggested, and I sighed, realizing he was right. I turned to Sinclair, my eyes pleading.

“Can you leave?” I asked.

Sinclair blanched. “Ella—I have to be here to hear this.”

“Please,” I said, stepping toward him. “Maybe we can… is there a way to set up a video feed or audio feed? So you can hear from another room?”

Leon’s eyebrows rose. “That would work,” he said, looking at Sinclair, who nodded firmly, reaching out for Rafe.

“I owe you,” I whispered, standing on my toes to kiss his cheek and handing him the baby. “I can’t leave her.”

“I understand,” Sinclair murmured. “I’ll send someone up with AV equipment in a few minutes.” He brushed my cheek with his thumb before signaling to the investigators to leave with him. I turned back to my sister, then blinked. Roger was still standing in the corner, arms crossed.

“What are you still doing here?” I asked, surprised.

Roger stared at me, apparently appalled. “I’m the lead investigator on this, Ella!” he exclaimed, frustrated, gesturing emphatically. “I need to be here! To ask questions! To guide the investigation!”

“Okay!” I said placatingly, raising my hands. “I just didn’t know lead investigators were usually so…irritable.”

“Irritable!” Roger gasped, leaning forward, aghast. “Ella, I—”

“Roger,” Leon interrupted, holding up a hand. “We need a calm environment for this to work, and your agitation is…non-conducive.”

Roger stared at Leon, mouth open, shocked to have been so politely reprimanded.

“Yeah,” Cora said, grinning at Roger and wrinkling her nose. “So, in other words, stop being so irritable.”

Roger stared between us, then leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and pressing the bridge of his nose. “Sisters…” he muttered, “I am never again spending any time with…sisters.”

A younger member of Sinclair’s team entered quietly, nodding to me and beginning to set up a computer and microphone on Cora’s far side. He worked quickly while Roger composed himself and Leon prepared the ether injection. I sat on the end of the bed, putting a hand on Cora’s ankle—the only thing near enough to touch—and mouthed, “Thank you.”

She sighed, leaning her head back on the pillow and nodding, accepting her fate.

“Now, Cora,” Leon said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch. I grimaced, knowing how tense she was. “I know you’re aware of Ella’s experiences with hypnosis, but everyone’s journeys are different. I’m going to give you the injection, then I’ll guide you back to your memories of that day. You’ll hear my voice, and then, when you’ve accessed your memories, Roger will join me in asking questions. Is that all right?”

“Can I stop whenever I want?” Cora asked anxiously. “If I get…scared?”

“Yes,” Leon assured her, tightening his grip slightly on her shoulder. “The antidote is right here. We will stop whenever you’d like. And if you’d like to give your sister permission as well, we can stop whenever she gives the word if she sees you’re distressed. Would you like to give your sister permission for that?”

Cora nodded eagerly and looked at me for confirmation. I slowly nodded, letting her know I had her back, as always.

“All right then,” Leon said, smiling at Cora, Roger, and me. “Let’s get started, nice and easy.”

Cora exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She didn’t flinch as Leon administered the injection.

I saw Cora’s eyes flicker behind her eyelids as the ether took effect, and she quickly entered a dreamy, half-awake state. I watched, curious, wondering if I’d looked the same under Leon’s care. His eyes also on Cora, Roger sat next to me on the bed, wanting to be closer. I gave him a warm nudge, both in welcome and apology for teasing him earlier. I was glad he was there.

“Hello, Cora,” Leon said quietly after a few minutes. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m just fine,” she said, a peaceful smile on her face.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at my apartment,” Cora replied, her voice carefree. I blinked, surprised. This was indeed different than my own hypnotic states.

“Ah,” Leon said, nodding and taking a notepad from his bag, beginning to write. “And is this a happy place for you?”

Cora shrugged. “Eh. I’d rather be at work.”

“Do you like work, Cora?”

My sister nodded and smiled. My heart warmed to see her happiness. “I like to be helpful,” she said, her voice breezy. “And busy.”

“That’s lovely, Cora. Why don’t you go to work now, and tell me when you’re there.” There was a pause, then Cora nodded. Leon continued. “What day is it, Cora?” he asked gently.

“It’s today,” she said, as if Leon was foolish for asking. “Duh.” I bit my lip to stifle a laugh.

“Well, today is very dull, isn’t it?” Leon said, his voice peaceful, soothing, and persuasive. “Let’s go back a little bit in time. To that day, a few months ago, when your sister came to you and you helped her conceive her little baby. Can you go there?”

Cora inhaled deeply, then exhaled. “All right,” she said, her voice humming with contentment and ease. “Ella is coming soon. I am excited.”

“Go ahead, Cora,” Leon encouraged, and I shifted my gaze to him, interested in his different approach to my sister’s hypnosis. He’d taken a much more hands-off approach with me. I was pleased Sinclair had brought him onto our team.

“Tell us what is happening,” Leon continued.

“I’m preparing the sample,” Cora reported, a happy smile on her lips. “We keep them onsite frozen in liquid nitrogen. We had several vials of this patient’s sample.” She yawned, relaxing more deeply into the memory. “But I’m just taking out one.”

“And were you quite careful, Cora?” Leon asked, his voice more curious than accusatory. “To ensure it was the sample from the donor that Ella selected?”

“Oh yes,” Cora murmured. “No mistakes there. Donor 284726. I can see it on the vial and the paperwork. It’s the right one.” My eyebrows rose; under hypnosis, she remembered such details.

“What’s next, Cora?” Leon prodded, calmly taking notes.

“I take it into the lab for thawing to room temperature,” she murmured. “Then, I will check it for motility to ensure the specimen is viable.”

“Is that what you’re doing now?” Leon asked.

“No,” Cora replied with a happy sigh. “No, I can’t. Because there’s someone already in the lab,” she said contentedly. My blood ran cold; this was a detail she hadn’t mentioned before.

“Who is it?” Leon said calmly, as if Cora had just described a bird. His voice betrayed none of my shock and anxiety.

“A priest,” she murmured.

“A priest?” Leon continued. “What kind of priest—a Catholic priest? Or a priest of a goddess?”

“No,” she murmured, shaking her head. “No, this one’s robes are like the goddess robes. But they’re all black.”