I want to laugh. Prima Alicia is no pushover. I admire her thoroughness.
Benedito answers, relief in his voice. “You will have it by tomorrow evening.”
I duck into an alcove to stay hidden while I wait for Benedito to exit the office. Not long after, he stalks right past me. Dark hair, brown skin, slight build. He’s right-handed and the dagger at his belt is all but ceremonial. I easily haul him into the alcove, and before he can do more than grab my wrist and reach for his own weapon, I slip my knife between his ribs, puncturing his lung. He tenses, then sags in my arms, gasping for air. I twist theblade as I press my lips against his ear. “For Kas.” As the words leave my lips, I withdraw my dagger, plunging it into him again, puncturing his other lung for good measure. I let go, dumping his body on the floor. “May your spirit rot in the void between worlds.” I wipe my blade on his sleeve and resheathe it, then pull my hood low over my face and step over the body, careful not to walk through the seeping blood. Glancing into the now empty casting room, I hurry toward the altar, silently leaving the way I came.
Seven more to go.
Not long after, Prima Alicia discovers the body of Benedito Sousa in the alcove where I left him. After an investigation by the Protectors, his death is blamed on an unknown assailant. It doesn’t stop the rumors that claim he was killed by a rival within House Vitorio. Still others have joined those blaming The Revenant. I’m happy to let some unknown person or spirit take the credit for his death. For now.
Three days later, Elanil makes contact again. As before, her image appears, and she speaks. “Change in pattern for Rhys Bowen. Opening procedures start in two days for his case proposing to send the non-magical back to Earth. He will be staying in town for the next few days.” The mirror goes blank, and I rub my temple.
For the next few days. That doesn’t give me much time. Should I take advantage of the change in routine or wait for it to return to the usual pattern? My gut tells me I should strike now, when he’s preoccupied with the trial. And I have the perfect lure.
I am sorry, but I could not help myself. I had to write this note to say how stunning you are. So incredibly handsome and intelligent. You probably are complimented frequently and have your pick of suitors. But I need to tell you that your commanding presence in court took my breath away. I would love to meet you privately and hear more of your ideas. I will be in the Panah City bathhouse steam room tomorrow night at midnight. I hope you will join me.
I send the note via a courier, arranged by House Durov. Rhys’s reputation for fucking anything willing, and thinking with his cock, makes his appearance likely. A midnight meeting should ensure the baths are empty. Occasionally, innocents die during assassinations of primary targets, but if I can avoid unnecessary deaths, I will. Though I’m not going to miss an opportunity because of it.
Prior to meeting Nico, I might have shown up myself and indulged in a bit of fun with Rhys before killing him. But that holds no interest for me anymore. Instead, I gatherwhat I need to kill him in a most uniquely painful way and hole up in my ramshackle room at the inn, waiting for the designated time.
Close to midnight of the next evening, I make my way to the bathhouse. As I approach the marble-pillared entrance, a few stragglers exit the building. I wait in the shadows for another few minutes before going in. This late, all of the attendants are gone, and the usually boisterous place is quiet. Moving silently, I check the bathing room, the showers, and the heated pool before continuing to the cold pool room, ensuring each is empty. Finally, I move to the steam room, and after checking that no one is there, I sprinkle a concoction of dried herbs on the currently cold stones. When Rhys casts a heating spell on them and adds water to create steam, the mixture will become an aerosol that will melt the skin and lungs of anyone who inhales it. The herbs will burn off quickly and the vapor will dissipate within half an hour. Hopefully no one else is planning a late night assignation in the bathhouse.
Reinforcing my cloaking spell, I exit the baths and retreat to a hiding spot to wait. A few minutes later, Rhys approaches. Brown hair, average build, light skin. Left-handed. Unarmed. Idiot. He enters the building grinning, and as much as I’d love to, I don’t wait around. Instead, I use the time to get as far away as I can from what will hopefully be a death scene. It doesn’t stop me from imagining Rhys checking through the bathhouse to see if anyone is there, hopefully assuming he’s arrived first, disrobing, and entering the steam room. At some point, he’ll add water to the hot stones. I just need to be patient.
A blood-curdling scream echoes through the quiet streets before abruptly cutting off. Grinning, I slip down a side alley and disappear into the night.
Only six left.
Chapter 20
A Dagger to the Heart
Two days later, I’m thrust into a waking nightmare. The mirror in my pocket warms, and I glance into it, hoping to see Nico. Instead, I see Emilio’s pale, stricken face. “Come to the Medina city house immediately.” Before I can say anything, the glass goes dark and the mirror returns to a dormant state.
I stare at it, my usually steady hand trembling. The Medina city house. Immediately. In broad daylight. Dread washes over me. It can’t be an issue with Stefano. Nico would have contacted me, not Emilio. In spite of the warm weather, I throw on my cloak, pull up the hood and castCloaking. With my focus on Nico, I’m not sure how well my actions will keep me unnoticed. I’ll definitely need the extra protection the magic provides.
I move through the city as if the Shabah are on my heels, the worst scenarios playing out in my mind. If anything has happened to Nico—. By the time I reach the estate, I want to vault up the front steps, throwing open the large wooden doors, and bellow for Nico. Instead, I force myselfto stop and investigate my surroundings. I don’t detect any negative magic or traps, and I don’t see anyone else in the vicinity. Carefully, I unlock the gate and slip into the grounds, making a full circuit of the house before I’m confident I’m not walking into a trap. Finally I give in to some of the panic and launch myself up the front stairs to the door. Placing my sigil against the heavy wood, I castDetect Traps.There aren’t any and the only spells I do detect are the usual wards. Throwing open the door, I stride into the middle of the entryway. “Emilio!”
He emerges from a room to my left and hurries toward me. “Master Zayd. They have kidnapped him. They believe Stefano is behind the murders. They think he has finally decided to exact retribution for Sofia’s death.”
Does he mean House Vitorio or House Medina? Not that it matters. They’ll all die. My hands shake, and I dig my fingernails into my palms, using the pain to focus. “What proof do you have that they actually have him?” Emilio pulls a folded silk handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to me. With dread squeezing my guts, I control my expression and carefully open the cloth, barely managing not to show my relief when I don’t find a finger or an ear. Or worse.
A ruby stud earring gleams starkly against the white, blood-flecked silk fabric. I stare at the very earring that Nico wore in the market the day I first saw him. I clench my fist, pressing the post of the earring into my palm, once again using the pain as a focus. Closing my eyes, I take a moment to center myself before proceeding. “What do we know?”
“The earring arrived maybe half an hour ago. As soon as we received it, I contacted you. This accompanied it.” Emilio hands me a folded paper.
I carefully open it and read the note, scrawled in messy script.
You should have kept your word. Your son will now follow your wife.
No ransom. No demands. “I’m assuming you’ve already sent Protectors out. What have we learned?”
His brows draw down with worry. “Nothing yet. They only just scattered through the city.”
There are six targets left on my list. Six relatively intelligent people who might have pieced together what I’m doing. They might not know it’smetaking them out, but they’re likely aware they’re being hunted, and any or all of them might be involved in Nico’s kidnapping. Lorenzo isn’t currently in Panah, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t give the order. And if he’s away, he probably wouldn’t condone his properties being used. Which eliminates several prime locations from the list. But even taking him out of consideration, I’m still left with too many possible culprits. And I don’t have time to check all of them myself. We have no idea how long Nico has left. And I refuse to consider that it’s already too late. “I need runners to track the recent movements of six people.”
Emilio glances at the study. “Stefano is in there with Elanil and a few of the remaining Protectors. Are youcomfortable with revealing yourself to them? I can vouch for the Protectors. They are loyal to House Durov and now to you. And I do not believe Stefano would talk. Not with Nico’s life on the line.”
My options are limited. But without a doubt, I will risk everything, including my anonymity, my mission, and my life, for Nico. I nod once, and Emilio motions for me to follow him. We enter a room furnished in dark mahogany, with bookshelves lining the walls. Behind a large ornate desk, Stefano paces. He’s tall, medium build, with the same curly hair and perfect nose as Nico. But that’s where the similarities stop. Stefano is blond, has brown eyes, thin lips, and deep frown lines cutting through his handsome features. He’s right-handed, weaponless, and no threat.
