Levitt sat back in his chair with a sigh. “I trust you, Kit, but… you were gone a long time.” He swept his gaze out over the town. “A small part of me worried that Merrick might be telling the truth, and it’s my job to protect the people of Ashpoint. Our friendship must come second to that responsibility.”
He finally turned back to me, his brows furrowed over pinched eyes. “Once he involved the Sentinels, I couldn't dismiss his accusations without risking my position. He openly accused me of favoritism, which is absurd because it’s clear that he’s doing the opposite and targeting both of you. So, I made a gamble. If I was right about you, then they would find nothing. Your name would be cleared, and they’d move on. Better yet, it would discredit Merrick. If he was right…”
He gestured in the direction of the ritual room several floors below, and I understood his implication. Had weapons been found, I’d have been judged and punished. Most likely I would have been put to death, and possibly Penny along with me.
“Could have at least let me be there while they searched my house,” I grumbled.
Levitt gave a weak smile. “The thing to realize here is that you’ve proven yourself to be trustworthy, and not just to me. You were out for thirteen years and never gave away anything. Since you’ve been back, you’ve done everything we’ve asked. You work hard and don’t cause trouble. You found a recruit who fits in well and has brought in the promise of much-needed resources. You’re an asset here, and maybe now that will be recognized.”
I wanted to believe him, but there were those here who would never trust me and had been around long enough to have the ear of Ashpoint’s influential residents. Harlan and his pair of apprentices came immediately to mind, with Otis seeming to have even more disdain for me than my father’s old friend.
“And,” Levitt continued, “in all of this, Merrick has laid the groundwork for his own undoing.”
“How do you mean?”
“His extreme views made him unpopular with most ofthe Death Watch long before you returned. Now that he’s throwing around false accusations, there are… rumblings.”
“About what?”
His smile grew, and he leaned forward again. “About whether or not he’s fit to remain in his role.” He gestured between us. “If I have my way, we’ll oust him and install you in his place once you’ve completed your Oaths.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Being Shroud Warden would position me perfectly to strip the Bone Men down to nothing and prevent them from completing their Vessel before they could call down a god to cause mass destruction. But doing so would require Levitt’s buy-in. Even if he seemed more reasonable than the rest, there was no telling what he’d do if he found out why I was really here.
That wasn’t the only issue with his plan, either. There was no chance Merrick would step aside graciously, and I wasn’t sure Penny would like our other options.
“What would happen to Merrick?” I asked. “Would you have him executed?”
Levitt shook his head. “I have no stomach for killing. I figured I’d send him home. He may hate me and plot some sort of revenge, but he’s devout enough that I don’t think he would risk exposing Ashpoint just to spite me. Let him work the farm and contribute to our cause that way.”
“That’s not an option,” I replied. “If you send him back to the farm, he’ll turn everyone out. He’ll take it over himself and leave his mother and sister homeless and destitute.”
Levitt waved the stump of his right wrist dismissively. “That’s a family problem, and ultimately not my concern.”
I was still too on edge from the raid of the forge not to bristle at his lack of care.
“Penny’s my recruit,” I retorted. “That’s his family. Which makes itmyproblem, too.”
“Penny liveshere.” Levitt gestured to the town beyond the bank of windows beside us. “If his family needs refuge, they’re welcome here as well.”
It was all I could do to keep my voice even. “You’d lose the farm. I thought Ashpoint needed its resources?” Not to mention, I’d promised Penny we’d be gone long before the Bone Men could get their hands on his home. “It’s an asset that we shouldn’t let go simply because it’s easier to turn Merrick out than to find a better alternative. And what about Violette? She’s his wife.”
“You know as well as I do that she would drop him the moment he was no longer in power.” Levitt’s lips curled in a conspiratorial smirk. “And between you and me, she’s taken with Klaus these days. He’s apparently more…well-endowedthan Merrick. As if that’s a thing I ever needed to know about someone my sister is sleeping with.”
I wasn’t sure whether I should be amused by the fact that Merrick’s wife lacked any sense of fidelity, or disgusted.
“But the issue stands,” Levitt continued. “If I simply demote him, there’s no chance he’ll stay here without causing trouble. From there, the only other real option is turning him over to the militia, and they would surely see him hanged.”
“This is a large building,” I said, “with plenty of holding cells. You put Penny and me in two of those very cells when we first got here. So, lock Merrick up in one and throw away the key. Problem solved.”
Levitt sighed and rubbed his temples. “I’ll come up with something. This will all just take more time than I hoped.” After a moment, he reached out and rested his hand on my arm. “I think you and I share the same visionfor the Bone Men,” he said, “and I’d like your help in making it happen. But this must be approached delicately. Opinions are shifting about Merrick, but there’s still a way to go before I would feel comfortable calling a vote. In the meantime, you keep everything aboveboard, and we’ll give him as much rope as he needs to hang himself.”
It was as good a plan as any. I would just have to be careful not to get caught up in it and end up being the one hung in the end.
38
Penny
Walking into the wrecked cottage was almost more than I could take. I was still reeling from my argument with Merrick and stricken by Kit’s limited rebuttal. He wasn’t half as convincing as I wanted him to be. It happened that way a lot: he was different in public than he was at home. Sometimes I wondered which version, if either, was closer to the real Kit.
