The Stargazers Read Online Free PDF Page A

morning tea that had just escaped a drop of Oleander's finest belladonna tonic. It was as if some tattered vestige of her better half was capable enough to make a feeble plea to have mercy.
    But there was none of that now , n o pathetic mewling to show grace and fortitude, to spare them. She could have killed them all as they gaped at the green goo dripping off her face. Even Holly had been holding back laughter. Dahlia had see med almost surprised by what happened, but no matter. If the bitch couldn't control herself, she should be put down like any rabid animal.
    However, it wasn't mercy that had s taid her hand this time. There was a much larger plan at work, one that would yield a much more satisfactory long - term result. Provided she could avoid snapping all of their pathetic necks before tomorrow.
    The important thing was to make sure the insolent young bitch made it through the Door tomorrow night . Once t hat happened, all of Oleander’s options would spread open before her, like legs of a virgin whose pink pearl was ripe for the plucking.
    Oleander stormed into the barn, startling a few moos out of the dairy cows tha t had been casually chewing grass . She dragged Holly up the stairs to the loft.
    “You're hurting my arm, Oly.”
    Ole ander rolled her eyes and yanked harder. Her heart warmed at the sound of the wretch's moaning. “Shut your trap. You don't know what real hurt is, but I 'll be happy to show you if you keep dawdling .” They reached the top of the stairs, and Oleander flung her burden toward the battered armchair in the corner. “Sit. And don't you even think of moving. As you can see, I've some cleaning up to do.”
    She stalked over to the wash basin in the corner of the room and began splashing water on her face. The gelatin came off easily enough, but the cloying rose perfume remained. She gritted her teeth against it and set about making some coffee. They would both need it tonight, but Holly especially. There was work to be done. When Oleander brought her a mug of the strong brew, Holly took it and wrinkled her nose. “What’s this for?”
    “To help you sober up.”
    “What for?”
    “Because I need to dig into your brain. You have some information I want, and I intend to get it.”
    Fear flickered in Holly’s dark eyes. It warmed Oleander more than any hearth possibly could. “W-what kind of information, Oly?”
    “That’s of no concern to you. You don’t know you know it. Now drink your coffee.”
    Holly took a timid sip of her drink and grimaced. “How do you know I don’t know?”
    Oleander sighed and stilled her fists at her sides so that they wouldn’t fly out and begin punching the stupid waif. “Just shut up and drink!”
    The younger sister shrank back against her chair and said no more as she gulped down the hot drink, and this was a good thing. Oleander got up and began preparing her instruments. It wouldn’t take much. Just a simple procedure really, and she’d practiced it on several pigs, all of whom were still enjoying their daily slop down below. Well, all but one. Oleander had dug a little too deeply on that one, but at least they’d had good pork to eat for two weeks afterward.
    Oleander looked over her shoulder at Holly, who had just set the mug down on the table beside her. It sounded empty. “All finished?”
    Holly nodded. Her eyes looked a little less cloudy. This was good. Holly’s brain would never be right again, but it might do well enough for Oleander’s purposes now. She picked up her tray of instruments and bottle s and placed them on the table next to Holly’s empty cup. Holly looked at them and then up at Oleander with a mask of panic on her face. “What are those things for?”
    Oleander picked up the long, silver needle with the pointed end. It was quite thin and hollow through the center, and had taken her some time to procure from Dennigan Hambry, the local blacksmith. He wasn’ t used to doing such delicate craft work , but he owed