The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed through the garage. Brigette, also in black pants, shirt, and mask, had joined us. Hands on her hips, she gave us a wry smile. “Are we ready to go find our destinies?”
Swallowing, I nodded. “Let’s just hope we aren’t readying ourselves to go find our deaths. Or something even worse.”
“What’s worse than death?”
I stepped into the boat, careful to avoid the awning still glistening with wet paint. “Quite a few things, such as being enslaved by Jackie Faercourt.”
***
The boat’s boiler puffed and hissed as we motored into the bay. I drew in clouds to blot out the moon and obscure the stars. The lack of light concealed our approach in the event anyone happened to be watching. The gloom also made it harder for us to see where we were going, but we had a Magician helping us navigate. Already Brigette had expended some of her energy obscuring the sound of our chugging engine—an issue I hadn’t considered when formulating this portion of our plan. I just hope that the other flaws in my plan are so easy to fix.
Other flaws? Grandfather asked.
There’s bound to be mistakes in a scheme that’s basically being made up as we go along.
Aren’t queens supposed to inspire their followers with confidence?
Ask me again after I’m sitting on the throne.
As we drifted closer, the black-shadowed silhouette of the Council’s islet and domed basilica seemed to rise from the waters like a primordial beast surfacing from the deep. Gideon turned the wheel, aiming the prow toward the narrow opening between the Sea Goddess’s promontory and the Council’s islet.
Brigette lit a ball of red light bright enough to illuminate the necklace pooled in her palm.
I squinted at the fragile gold strand. “So this is it? The future of me and my nation woven into one thin strand of gold.”
“I’ve keyed it to react specifically to Faercourt. It should do everything you’ve asked me to make it do.” A pained look crossed her face, and she rubbed her temples. “I hope it’s enough.”
I pinched up the fine chain and hooked it around my neck. “You work fast.”
“I haven’t had much else to do other than play dressmaker to you and tour guide to Malita and Niffin.” She plucked two coins from her pocket and gave one to Gideon and me. “Keep these on you at all times. They should protect you against bullets, but I’m not so sure about swords, so try to stay away from pointy objects. They’ll also allow me to track you if we get separated.”
“When we’re finished with tonight, we should talk about your salary.”
She snorted. “You couldn’t afford me, Stormbourne. I’m here because I want to be, not because of money.”
“Tell that to our purse.”
“Just because I’m not looking to get rich off you doesn’t mean I intend to live like a pauper.”
“We’re almost there,” Gideon said in a harsh whisper. He leaned on the throttle, and the boat’s engine shuddered and growled, struggling against choppier waters and stronger currents.
“Do you see Taviano?” I asked.
“I can’t see a damned thing in this gloom.”
“Hold on.” Brigette closed her eyes, raised her hands, and wiped them across the darkness as though she were rubbing frost from a windowpane. Her gesture created a streak of brightness, and she peered through it. “There’s a figure on the beach. It could be Taviano.” She snapped her fingers, and her windowpane flashed, giving us a closer view, as if we were looking through a telescope. The figure on the beach wore a dark cloak and hood, but his sharp nose and hollow cheeks were unmistakable. “He’s here.”
She swiped her hand again, and the bright streak faded.
Gideon turned the wheel, and our boat swung about, prow pointing at the islet’s southern shoreline. Waves crashed on the beach in a steady bass beat. “I’m going to take us around and beach us on the bay side where the water’s calmer. We’ll meet up with him on foot.”
“He told us to meet him at midnight,” I said.
Gideon nodded. “We have plenty of time.”
After running our boat aground in calmer waters, we disembarked and dragged the cruiser higher on the beach—a pale strip of land that rose sharply into dark, limestone cliffs. Pausing, we waited while Brigette smoked a preemptive dose of djageesh.
“How’s the pain?” I squeezed her shoulder.
“Barely a whisper,” she said, already stubbing out the cigarette’s flaming tip. She tucked it away in her tin.
“Remember, you’re the backup plan when Taviano inevitably betrays us. No matter what, I need you to stay on this beach. If things fall apart, we’ll be depending on you to break the wards and get us out.” Depending on Brigette made me feel as confident as depending on Taviano, but of the two, I thought Brigette would be the least likely to deceive us.
“Let’s go,” Gideon said.
A briny ocean breeze hissed in my ears as we hurried to Taviano’s rendezvous point. He marked his position by igniting a small orb of light that died as quickly as it had appeared. He spoke low and quietly, his voice barely rising above the cacophony of wind and waves. “Let’s get off the beach.”
He led us through loose, boot-sucking sand toward the cliffs. The bluffs were dark, and Taviano steered us to an even darker opening carved in their base. The shallow limestone cavern amplified his voice. “Well, we’re all here. What now?”
Brigette formed a red light ball and floated it above us. I dropped my cloak hood and slid my mask off. “There’s no need to fight if you can stop one before it begins.”
Taviano cocked his head. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I mean it’s my intention to get through this with no violent confrontations.”
“Why, though? Why not use your lightning to blow open the basilica, march in, strike down any opposition, and take Faercourt?”
“I am not a warlord who’s all right with making excuses about collateral damage if people get hurt because of my actions.” Never mind that I had been in such a battle before, and the collateral damage had been me. “I already have enough enemies, and I’d rather not make another one out of the Council of Magic. My intention is to get in and release him without anyone noticing until we’re long gone.”
