Translation: What the fuck, who is this, I did not agree to this, and with a side of, do you evenhavefriends?
I love Ayaka. You can’t get bespoke deniable shade like that just anywhere.
I say quietly, “This is Nariel, a demon prince.”
This is a risk, but unlike with Seamus, I can’t afford for her to spook if she learns this later.
Ayaka’s pleasant expression doesn’t falter as she just continues to look at me.
Then she looks at him.
Nariel takes my announcement and her reaction in stride, bowing lightly and murmuring in Japanese, “Pleased to meet you.”
A waiter chooses that moment to arrive with dishes of matcha ice cream, azuki beans, and mochi. We all manage the social niceties of that interaction, and as he leaves, Ayaka takes a sip of her cold barley tea. She looks over the rim at me and says directly in English, “You need me for something. What do you think is in it for me?”
I withdraw a wand and set it on the table between us. “Power, and opportunity.”
Ayaka carefully sets her cup down and doesn’t look at the wand. “There is no magic in this.”
“There can be if you want it. Low Earth can hold plenty of magic, and I’m bringing it back. I have anchors set up in England and Costa Rica. Tomorrow, Japan. Then the whole world will have as much magic—“
“You are stealing it from High Earth.”
“They stole it from us. I am recovering it.”
“And High Earth approves?” Ayaka looks at me sharply. “You’re stealing it.”
“Fine, yes. I’m stealing itback.”
Ayaka glances at Nariel. “And your part?”
He answers easily, “I am providing cover so Sierra can finish her work unmolested.”
“Oh? How has that been working?”
Nariel smirks at her. “Delightfully.”
“Hmmm.” She draws the sound out speculatively. “And that’s all?”
“That’s enough,” Nariel says smoothly.
I blink, realizing that although he’s been answering my questions directly almost since the beginning, he’s not going to do the same for Ayaka.
That’s smart, don’t get me wrong. It just makes me very aware that he’s been trusting me more than he would another person normally.
I like that he thinks I’m different. And I like that we’re on a team here, even if he doesn’t know what I’m doing.
But frankly, he trusts me more than he probably should. I want to be worth it, but I’m not sure I am.
Ayaka looks back at me. “I am not going to stand between you and the power of High Earth. Not just for a wand.”
That pricks, even if she’s being smart.
Fortunately, I didn’t count on that.
“I don’t want you to stand between us at all,” I tell her. “I want you to tell them exactly where I’ll be in exchange for freedom from punishment. You’ll give them just enough warning that they can assemble enough forces to feel comfortable but not enough to prepare the ground. Make it a magically enforceable bargain. Do you know how?”
Ayaka narrows her eyes. “I do.” Then she leans forward. “You’re setting a trap?”
