Nora felt her phone buzzing. It was Bryan. She had forgotten about him, he probably wondered where she was. She went into the other room to answer it.
"Hi, Bryan, sorry I ran out so quickly. There was a situation with Audrey, and I needed to snap her out of something. She's fine now."
"Are you at the house? Is my wife there?"
"I'm at the house, but I don't know if Rita is here. If so, she's not out with the others. I'll see what I can find out, OK?"
She hung up and went back to the others. They were all watching some woman make a fancy French pastry dish.
"Do any of you know where Rita is?" They all shook their heads.
"I don't think she was left here with us, she isn't safe alone," Audrey said. "She would probably try to kill herself, given the chance."
"Wait, who are we talking about?" one of the others asked.
"Kaneez."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, whatever the wizard did to her wasn't helping. It just made her numb, not cheerful."
"I think his name was Edmund."
"Who?"
"The wizard."
"Isn't that also the name of one of the people in the first Narnia books?"
"Wasn't there an English king that was named Edmund the Confessor?"
"That was Edward."
"Eh, close enough."
Their moment of discussion was interrupted by the FBI. They had some news for everyone to hear and they wanted to get started on the interviews of everyone. The way they all naturally stopped what they were doing to listen to what an authority figure was saying still looked unnatural to Nora but she hoped it would become easier for them as they remembered who they were. Audrey seemed to have found some of her spark again but she had had more time to prepare for this. Nora could only hope that the rest of them would be fine in the long run.
"The good news is, we've analyzed the water and it was mostly natural remedies that made your mind a little foggy, and it is not dangerous." the agent said. He seemed to be a little taken aback by the intense stares he received from the group as well, but managed to keep a friendly face anyway. "I wouldn't recommend using it before driving or doing tasks that require a lot of focus, but it should leave your body without much problem. Some of you may suddenly remember details you thought you had forgotten. If that happens after we've interviewed you and it could help us determine your identity, please let us know. If not, we will also offer therapy, if you want to talk to someone after we've concluded our investigation. They will have almost complete confidentiality, unless there is an ongoing crime taking place. You can talk to them about anything you feel guilty for or anything you have done that isn't relevant to the investigation." The agent paused here, maybe to see if there were any questions. No one said a word. After a few moments, the agent gave a little cough, then continued.
"As for those of you who under orders took part in the abuse that took place in that castle, I would urge you to tell us about it. While we cannot guarantee complete absolution due to the circumstances, many things will probably carry a light sentence, if any at all. While we don't want to encourage you to tell on each other, it is important that we know the role each of you had. If you were assigned to whip someone, and the alternative was to be whipped yourself, that may or may not be seen as an assault. It also depends on whether individuals assign the blame to you or to the leaders. I can also guarantee that anything you say to us in confidence will not be told to any here in the group, unless it is important in a trial. If so, we may ask you to testify. Any questions?"
It was still complete silence. Nora wondered if any of them had understood what the agents said. Maybe she could ask her question first and give them some time to digest what was just said.
"I have one question. Do you know where Rita Coote is? If she's supposed to be here, she hasn't shown herself."
"Ah, yes, Rita Coote was assessed last night and is currently being held at a mental facility. We hope that with the right treatment and some medications, she will overcome her issues with time. We are on the way to inform her husband as we speak."
"Would it help her if we say what happened to her?" Audrey asked. The agent seemed relieved that some of them spoke. "They were extra hard on her, worse than with almost any others."
"If any of you can bear talking about it, then yes, it can help."
"I can tell you," Audrey said. "I had only just been taken myself, so I saw most of it happening."
"Excellent. Would you mind being the first to take the interview then? Or do you need some time to recover from what happened in the night?"
"Better to get it over with. But can Nora be with me?"
"Yes, she can, if she agrees."
Nora wanted to be there even before Audrey asked. And she was glad Audrey still seemed to want to be close to her, despite their disagreements in the last few days.
"What happened with the four that attacked me last night?" Audrey asked as she got up from the floor where she had sat to watch TV. Most of them had sat on the floor, without thinking about it. Only two or three had used the couch, although it could probably fit more.
"They are currently detained until we can determine their roles in all of this, just like the others we arrested." The agent replied. "And I am terribly sorry for that miscalculation. We will take steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again."
"You better," mumbled Leann. She was among the few who had sat on the couch. Nora had noticed that many of the others looked up to her as well. Audrey had mentioned that she had been there the longest, apart from Ædven.
Nora put that at the back of her mind for now. The only thing that mattered was to get through the interview and be there for Audrey. She would have to try not to cry or let her anger show. That wouldn't help Audrey say what she needed to say.