“You have to fight Le Poing Fermé. Brigette is powerful, I’ll give you that, but she has a fatal weakness. She’ll fail you when you need her most.”
“So, I should hire you instead?”
Before he could answer, an attendant knocked at the door. Niffin rose, took the room service cart, and paid the tip before closing the door. Nonchalantly, as if this were a casual affair among close friends, he ignored Taviano and poured glasses of cold, bubbly lemon drinks for himself and Malita. I bit my lip, trying not to snicker. Diplomat indeed. He’d picked up my lead, feigning a calm indifference to Taviano’s presence and threat. “Come, my darling,” he said to Malita in an over-honeyed voice I’d never heard him use before. “Join me on the balcony. I would love to watch the lightning with you.”
After they’d retreated, I stood and poured drinks for Brigette, then Gideon, and finally for our not-so-welcome guest. I set a plate of bread, salumi, and cheese before Brigette. Taviano sneered at his bubbly drink and removed a flask from his coat pocket. “Since the moment I learned the truth about you, I have been debating what to do with the information.”
I snorted. “Well, use it to extort me, obviously.”
“But to what gain?” He swallowed a huge gulp from his flask before returning it to his pocket. “Yes, I could manipulate you into hiring me. Or I could expose your plan and gain recognition and acclaim from my peers.”
“Is there a third option?” I asked.
“I could take you to the basilica, help you free Jonathan Faercourt, and make sure you get him safely out of the city.”
I furrowed my brow, my pulse dancing with anticipation. “Why would you do that?”
“DeLaguna is in charge of prison security. Losing a prisoner would make him look like the useless lout he is. I will be poised to replace him on the Council when they surely oust him for losing a prize specimen like Faercourt. In addition to gaining a position on the Council, I’ll also have an elemental goddess and future queen of Inselgrau in my debt.”
I turned to Gideon and rolled my eyes, groaning. “Good gods, my kingdom will crumble under the weight of all the favors I owe.” Pushing back my chair, I stood and growled. Two thunderheads clashed hard enough to make the lamp lights gutter. A bolt of lightning sizzled over the hotel, coming close enough to leave a taste of ozone on my tongue. “How about I just strike you down now and be done with you?”
Taviano stood so fast his chair fell over with a crash. Gideon jumped up beside me, reaching for his crossbow as a blue-green glow enveloped the Magician and blazed in his eyes. “You could try, Lady Stormbourne.”
Brigette let out a loud sigh and removed her spectacles. Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and raised one hand. Without a word or a bit of dramatic flair, she fluttered her fingers. Taviano’s mystical light died. Astonished, I blinked at her while Taviano shot her a look full of darkness and loathing. “What did that cost you, Brigette? A day of migraines? A week lost in a haze of mordid smoke?”
She peeled open one eye and gave him a bemused look. “You always were a prick, Taviano. A big mouth to make up for what you lacked in ability. Seems nothing has changed.”
She rose, crossed the room, and gathered her purse from a table near the door. From it she withdrew Niffin’s cigarette case. Yet she hesitated to open it, perhaps not wanting to reveal the secret of djageesh to an adversary. “Either help Evie get Jackie Faercourt out of the basilica, or go away and leave us all alone.”
A muscle throbbed in Taviano’s jaw. His flossy hair danced anxiously about his head. “Who do think you—?”
She raised a hand and his words seem to lodge in his throat. “You know who I am and what I can do.” She popped open the case and took out a cigarette. “There’s much for you to gain from helping Evie, and when it’s all said and done, she will not owe you a favor. Is that clear?”
Taviano’s eyes bulged. His throat worked, but he seemed unable to move or do anything until he finally nodded. “Fine,” he croaked. “Tell me what you want me to do.”
Whatever hold she had on him, she released, and he sagged against the table. “Planning is Evie’s job.” She strolled to the balcony with her cigarette still unlit. “I’m just the Magician.”
After Brigette had closed the door behind her, I watched a flame flare at her fingertips. She touched it to her cigarette and inhaled deeply, eyes closed. Whatever Magic she had been working at my behest was powerful stuff, and it wore on her. The confrontation with Taviano hadn’t helped. What would standing against someone like Jackie do to her? Could she truly withstand it?
“How do you know you can trust him?” Gideon stood with his feet spread, back rigid, arms folded over his chest.
“We don’t. I guess he could betray us any minute. He could ‘catch us in the act’ and come out looking like a hero.”
“So, not only will we have to keep our eyes on Jackie, but on this one too?”
“We could tie him up and leave him here. But I think he’s our best chance of getting into that basilica.”
Taviano snorted. “As if ropes would work on me.”
“They would if Brigette tied them.” Gideon’s roaming gaze landed on a box of supplies on the floor near our bedroom doorway. He crouched beside it and reached in, selecting several items, including a tin canister, a paintbrush, and a bundle of black fabric. “If you need me, I’ll be in the garage, disguising our boat.”
“Now that we have Taviano,” I said, “maybe we won’t need the paint after all.”
Lips pursed, nostrils flared, Gideon gave the Magician a skeptical look. “I’d rather not take my chances.” He walked out with his supplies, leaving me alone with Taviano.
The Magician raised an eyebrow and peered down his nose. It was a haughty look that probably worked on many, but not on me. “Put away the attitude,” I said. “I’m not intimidated. If you’re serious about helping us, tell us when and where to meet you on the islet.” I drew out Malita’s drawing of the basilica’s blueprints. “And show me where they’re keeping Faercourt.”
“Why would I not just come with you from here?”
“Because I’m not sure we can tolerate each other’s company that long.”
He huffed. “Fine. We will meet on the south side of the island at midnight.” He tapped Malita’s blueprint to show the general location he meant. “That is when the guard changes. That is the best time to make our move.”
“Are the guards armed?” I asked.
“What kind of guards would they be if they weren’t? But they are not Magical. They rely on mundane defenses. Pistols, rifles, short swords.”
“Where are the prisoners kept?”
He slid his finger to a stairway on the basilica’s ocean facing side. “Those stairs lead to the prison cavern, but that is all I will tell you until we are on the island. Bring this drawing with you.”
He gave the blueprint one last hard look and backed away from the table, heading for the door. “Do not be late, Lady Peacock.”
I grabbed his arm before he could walk out. “Don’t betray us, Taviano. My lightning is fast. Gideon’s crossbow is faster.”
He said nothing, merely gave me an imperious look from the corner of his eye before yanking free and striding away. I closed the door behind him and sighed. Grandfather, I hope we’re not making a huge mistake.
Don’t doubt yourself just when things start to get interesting, he said.
Make a plan and commit to it, right?
Ah, my dear, you are learning.
Chapter 20
While I’d only meant to spend the evening with Gideon and Brigette reconnoitering the Council’s island and assessing their security measures, it now seemed we’d skipped that step and were steaming full speed ahead. The shortened timeline for executing our plan to liberate Jackie made me edgy and nervous. I joined my companions on the balcony, slumped against the railing, and rubbed my eyes. My short interaction with Taviano had worn me out. How would I manage to endure a whole night with him, especially if he might betray us any moment?
So what are you going to do about it? Grandfather asked.
Be as prepared as possible.
A backup plan?
Something like that...
“I have another request, Niffin,” I said.
He glanced up, eyebrow arched. “Your wish is my command, my lady.”
