When Ziva took Cecily's voice, Shannon had guessed the price the former would have to pay for her abilities. The most evident sign was the progressive loss of her voice.
It'd started with her throat before spreading to her eyes, ears, and organs.
If Ziva hadn't recklessly used her power of words from the beginning, things might not have reached such a dire state.
The only thing Shannon found ironic was that Ziva had been squandering the good health Zane had always longed for all this time.
…
"Are you here to make fun of me?" Ziva opened her mouth to speak. Though her voice still sounded like Cecily's, it was noticeably raspier.
Shannon looked at her calmly and uttered, "The jokes you've made of yourself are plenty enough."
Ziva's face flushed with embarrassment and rage. Her frustration boiled over as she pointed at Shannon in a fit of rage. "At least I've never hidden anything, and what about you? You stole my power of words! Give it back to me!"
"I didn't steal your power of words. I couldn't even if I wanted to." Shannon's tone was even as she explained.
Before Ziva could argue in disbelief, she continued, "And even if you do get your power of words back, do you think you'd ever get the chance to use it again?"
Ziva had manipulated others with her power of words, used dark arts to face swap, and attempted a fate-swap. With all these charges, there was no way the National Security Agency would ever let her go.
Ziva knew the consequences she might face, but she refused to accept them. Now that she heard Shannon's words, fear crept into her heart. She'd endured being locked in a dog cage, and was she about to face more time behind bars? Never!
Caleb had doubted that incident for a long time, but every time he began to suspect her, Ziva would use her power of words to regain his trust.
Looking past the influence Ziva had on him and his own feelings of pity and sympathy, Caleb noticed something amiss. Cecily had mysteriously disappeared from his car, only for her eyes and voice to become Ziva's. That was solid proof.
"Did you approach me on purpose?"
Ziva's erratic emotions seemed to calm as she heard Caleb's question. She looked at him and didn't deny it. "I did hit you on the head, and I sent you to the hospital knowing you'd come looking for me afterward."
She pushed briefly, and her gaze shifted to Shannon. Then, she added in a sly tone, "But you were wrong about one thing. It was on purpose, but you were not the person I wanted to approach. It was her."
Ziva pointed at Shannon and delivered a solid blow to Caleb.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Heiress Unmasked: Shaking the World With Geomancy