Barely a minute later and I’ve absorbed it. I guess we’ll have to test out the effects later. First, though, I need to quit with the cloak and dagger routine and tell both these guys what I’ve been mulling over in my head.
I snap the door shut and take a seat beside Zeph and opposite Dante. It feels a bit like we’re inside a sauna or something—not that I’ve ever been to a sauna, but I’d imagine it’s a little awkward... and kind of sexy.
“So as long as we’re with you and you have the nulling shield over us, we should be able to do and think whatever we want?” Dante asks.
“That’s the idea.” I twist my fingers in front of me. “I figured the alternative is that we do any important meetings inside Second Circle. That way, if Ember’s listening in, he’ll be distracted by the sexy thoughts going through our heads and he’ll dip out again.”
“Weird plan, but okay,” Zeph replies.
“Is that why it’s just the three of us?” Dante asks, leaning back against the wall and focusing his intense amber gaze on me. “To make it less likely to spread by being in fewer people’s heads?”
“Uh, no.” I choke out a laugh. “You’re giving me too much credit there. Fabian’s swamped right now and Ro shouldn’t be wandering around the city. And what I’m planning will involve us needing to actually leave the house. Plus, now the cafe’s burned down, Hanna and Rook need to find new jobs and I just know it wouldn’t be Luna’s thing at all.”
“It sounds like you’re saying we’re the best of a bad bunch,” Dante replies drily.
“People with nothing better to do,” Zeph adds.
“Available and willing.”
Zeph’s lips twitch in an almost smirk.
Glory of glories, it’s a miracle! They’re not actively winding each other up and are actually riffing off each other.
I take a deep breath. “So there are two parts to my plan. The first part involves the city’s ghosts—”
They both look at me and then at one another—Dante raises an eyebrow and Zeph gestures for me to continue.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before when we were trying to track Simpson down. But I figure, who knows more about what’s going on in the city? The ghosts, right? They’reeverywhere, all the time. And what we could really do with is a head’s up the next time the Bad Vamps are planning to drain a club full of people and then create zombies.”
“Or the Archarcans are planning to lock you in a quiet cell somewhere,” Zeph adds.
“Exactly.” I nod enthusiastically. “I figure, I offer them something they want and we can create our own invisible spy network.”
“Anddoyou have anything that all the ghosts in this city might want?” Dante asks.
“I think so. I figured... most of them are bored, right? Cursed to observe life going on around them while they’re stuck without being able to engage with it. We give them a job to do and it gives them a purpose. And I dunno, maybe I could help them pass over if they needed a nudge? I have necromancy magic, right? It means I can talk to them, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t mean I can’t do more. I’m going to look into it.”
That second part is pretty pie in the sky. I won’t go around claiming I’m a ghost whisperer or whatever, but I figure I can work out those specifics later.
“You killed all those zombies with the snap of your fingers,” Dante replies.
They both seem to accept this, which has me feeling hopeful for the second part of the plan.
“Right, exactly.” I nod a few times for good measure. “So, uh, for the second part, it seems pretty obvious that the Archarcans are suppressing all news of what happened on the Solstice. Keeping people ignorant to maintain control.”
Dante nods, leaning forward. “Not surprising. They’ll no doubt flip the narrative their own way.”
“Yeah, exactly. I figure we should keep bombarding the forums, let people really know what’s going on. Keep it in people’s heads so they don’t convince themselves that theSolstice was a weird fever dream.” I’m planning on leaving that part up to Seb, since he seems the most tech-savvy of us all.
“And what happens when Simpson or the Archarcans find out that’s what you’re doing?” Zeph grunts.
“I’m pretty sure that’s bound to happen.” I shrug. “But if the alternative is a choice between doing nothing or siding with one of them, I'm not willing to do either.”
“What’s the second part of your plan, Little Witch?”
This is where things get kind of dicey. I turn to Dante and keep my attention on him as I answer. “I think we need to find a way of taking out Simpson and his cronies. There must be something we can use against them. I can’t imagine they’re the first set of power-hungry vamps in the past to have suped themselves up.”
“You want to find an off switch for them or something?” Zeph frowns. “Pretty sure there isn’t one, or it’d be common knowledge.”
