Cosimo nods in agreement, making his pudgy cheeks wobble. “It would be easy. The Amethyst Guild would post the notices, and my Protectors would round up anyone who does not self-deport. We can give them a limited amount of time to comply first, of course.”
Hans swallows his mouthful of food. “Not too long. They are a drain on our resources.”
Lorenzo steeples his long fingers and taps them against his bearded chin. “What about my suggestion to require a sponsorship fee to gain entry into the guilds?”
Hans agrees without hesitation, almost obsequious in his rush to support the idea. “I am all for it.”
Josefa nods but slowly. “What about the less wealthy but talented families?”
Lorenzo snorts. “If they were that talented, they wouldbewealthy.” He glances at Cosimo. “What about the retrievals?”
Cosimo leans back, placing a hand on his formerly flat belly. It was a shock to see how this once physically imposing man has changed. He’s put on quite a bit of weight and his light olive skin has a decidedly unhealthy appearance. “Despite the pressure from the bleeding hearts, we will not start them again. We cannot afford to fill our cities with Earth witches of who-knows-what level of magical talent or competence. Most are not that strong, and it is not our responsibility to give them sanctuary when they are not even aware that we exist prior to their extraction. I believe the Founder would have understood that, with limited amounts of resources, the rescues would need to slow or stop altogether at some point. We are not under any obligation to save people from a different world.”
I blink, stunned by the statement because, in fact, those very ideals are set out in our charter. Amagi came into being to provide sanctuary to a coven of witches who had been trapped in a cave. It had been set on fire by non-magical Earthers, and out of desperate need, the Founder pulled the coven’s magic, somehow creating the first portal toAmagi and saving them all. From that moment, our fundamental purpose has been to survive, but also to save Earth’s witches from persecution by the non-magical. For Cosimo to say that our founding mandate is optional leaves me speechless.
“Agreed.” Lorenzo nods solemnly. “That should be one of the very first things we reinforce. We have already shut down most of the traffic through the portals now that we have control over the Key. We will further limit who can travel between Amagi and Earth.” He turns to Josefa. “Legally we will be able to do that, correct?”
She smiles at him as if he were the Founder herself. “Of course. Laws are open to interpretation. And people do not like to think too hard. That is why there are elected officials. To do the thinking for them.” She winks. “It will be quite easy.”
Alexey leans in, resting his palms on the table. “We must control the information. Assist the population in understanding why we are undertaking these actions. That it is for their own good.”
Lorenzo looks at each of them in turn. “It will be our responsibility to carefully plant the seed of doubt and discontent. Then we will sweep in and rescue our population once again. At that point, they will allow us to undertake whatever solutions we see as necessary.”
A knot of unease settles in my gut. Even as a Specter in the Shabah, I was never part of meetings like this. And while backroom deals happen all the time, hearing the laws of our world brushed aside by such powerful people, as ifthey were inconveniences and not the fundamental tenets of our existence, shakes me to my core.
Lorenzo smiles beguilingly, and it’s easy to see how he’s charmed everyone into believing he’s interested in the welfare of Amagi and its people. “Let us enjoy our lunch before sending Alexey to his meeting with the chancellor.” As they eat, I quietly slip into the kitchen, avoiding the bustling people, and exit through the back door into the alley. My mind is whirling, struggling to truly comprehend what I’ve heard. I’m no idealist. I’m cynical, never fully believing anything anyone tells me, and I don’t accept things at face value. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the powerful people attending that lunch are utterly serious about bringing major change to Amagi, and my gut tells me it’s not the good kind.
I turn the corner and stop as I catch sight of a singularly tall, incredibly handsome, dark-haired man in a ruby red tunic of the Merchant Guild. Nicolas. My already hammering heart skips a few beats as his handsome face breaks into a grin. I frown, noticing that he’s laughing with an equally beautiful man in a dark green kaftan of the Emerald Guild. Marek. I glare at him, though he can’t see me with my cloaking spell in place. There’s something about him that I don’t like. Nicolas scans the crowd until his gaze settles on me, and I would swear he can see me and is about to call out. Marek grabs his arm and tugs him further along the street. I watch them until they disappear into the bustling crowd, then turn down the first alleyway I come to and speed through the city to my nondescript inn. It’s time to lie low and plan my next move. The pasthour has given me one shock after another, and I have a lot to consider. Like the benefit of moving Cosimo to the top of my target list, whether Nicolas hasClear Sight, why I keep running into him, and why he has such an effect on me.
Chapter 5
Nightmares and Nocturnal Adventures
I jolt awake, my shirt sweat-soaked and my heart pounding furiously. Blinking into the dark room, I gasp for air and fight to separate reality from the cloying nightmare that’s trying to pull me back in. Fuck. It’s been decades since I’ve had one. Not since I was a young boy, new to the Guild. Lots of us had them, and for me, the frequency wasn’t as bad as it was for some of the others. Unfortunately, it seems with my return to Amagi, the nightmares have come back as well, no doubt stirred up by old feelings. Fucking hells, there are days I’m tired of it all. Why couldn’t I just let it go, stay on Earth with Val, and pretend to be ordinary? There was a peacefulness in being mundane. Or at least in pretending to be. In not being owned by the Shabah or expected to carry out assassinations at their behest. The edges of the nightmare try to take hold again. I see Kas’s beautiful face and hear his laughter echoing in my ears.Even after five years, the pain of his loss cuts through my heart like the dagger that stopped his.
I take several calming breaths, carefully sheathing the bare blades gripped tightly in my hands. Wiping the sweat from my face, I kick the blankets aside and swing my legs around to sit on the edge of the bed.
Being inthisroom isn’t helping. Kas had been the one to find the place. We’d used it when we needed somewhere private, away from the Guild, so we could plan or be together. It doesn’t have much to distinguish it from any other inn. It’s truly unremarkable in every way—the Earth equivalent of a roadside motel that’s one step above a rent-by-the-hour place. What limited food it offers is average, and the clientele are mostly hard-working merchants and travelers with enough money to avoid seedier accommodations but not enough to stay in the less run-down areas closer to the city center. The innkeeper is a bit of a prick, but that’s nothing new. He pays his tithe to the government on time and doesn’t call attention to himself or his establishment. And he doesn’t put up with troublemakers. On the whole, the place is bland and forgettable, which was exactly what we needed then and exactly what I need now. That settles a whole new layer of guilt on my shoulders. Here I am, safely hidden from the Guild’s notice because of Kas’s foresight, when he’s dead because of me. Damn, is it any wonder I’m having nightmares?
With a flick of my fingers, I light the bedside lamp, then stand, raising my arms above my head. I stretch, focusing on easing tight muscles and not on the disturbing imagesclawing at the edges of my mind.“Regrets do nothing but cause pain and hinder focus.”It was one of the first lessons we learned as Shadows. Right after“Win your fight or die trying.”That one we understood almost immediately. With the Shabah, you learn from your mistakes or die. It’s brutal but effective training and still serves me well. Even after Kas’s death. Perhaps especially after that. When I realized what I’d done, I could have given up, ended my own life, the two of us together even in that useless act. Instead, I chose to live and make things right. Or die trying.
I drop my arms to my sides and sigh. “Fucking hells.” My voice is loud in the quiet room. “This is unproductive.” I yank off my sweaty nightclothes and toss them onto the lone chair, my feet barely making noise on the smooth wooden planks of the floor as I cross the small space. Iwillavenge Kas’s death by making those truly responsible pay with their lives. When I’m done, the very foundation of the Shabah will be decimated.
I step into the closet of a bathroom, run water into the shallow porcelain basin, and stare at myself in the mirror. My short black hair is damp with sweat, my dark olive skin, usually glowing with health, is pale, and my dark brown eyes are tired. No surprise there. Iamtired. Leaning over the basin, I gently splash my face with water, clearing the last vestiges of the nightmare. The sliver of sky I can see through the room’s small window is black. Dawn is still a few hours off, but I’m too awake to go back to sleep. And I don’t want to risk another nightmare. So I clean my teeth, turn on the shower, and step under the spray. The soap is scented with lavender and rosemary, and I work the barinto a lather, washing and rinsing my hair before using a cloth to scrub away the sweat and stickiness still clinging to my body. The lavender is calming, and the rough square of fabric is invigorating, leaving my skin tingling and my mind focused. I rinse and dry myself with a thin towel, then dress in a fresh shirt and pants. As I sit at the table to pull on my boots, the small, leather-encased mirror in my pocket warms. I extract it and stare into the glass, activating the magic. The face of Kenji Nishiyama, infamous spymaster Uguisu, appears.
“Good day, friend.” Kenji’s dark eyes sparkle with laughter, knowing the time difference and what hour it must be here.
“It’s nighttime here, and I was asleep.”
They grin unrepentantly. “And now you are awake.”
Just to be contrary, I frown at them. “A true friend would have waited for a more reasonable hour to reach out. To what do I owe this middle-of-the-night contact?”
Kenji sobers. “I have information.”
“One moment.” I castSilenceto block any eavesdroppers. “Okay. Go ahead.”
“Your plan will be more dangerous than anticipated. There are more guilds involved, and the treachery goes higher than we thought. It is all I am comfortable saying when we are not in person. Find verification. You know where.” Their shoulders sag and a lock of their black hair slips over their silk-clad shoulder to hang loosely down their chest. “And I am sorry, but I cannot help you with that, no matter how much I wish I could.”
