There’s shuffling on the other line, a dinging like he’s inside a car, with the engine rumbling in the background. Then he says, “I sat outside Janus’s house all day and didn’t see anything suspicious. Unless you count the insane number of shopping bags Daphne Dyer had on her when she came home this afternoon suspicious.”
I tap my nails on the countertop. “So, there’s nothing to link Janus to Stellan?”
“Not yet, but I did find something that links her to Beatrix Marx.”
My heart skips a beat. “Janus and Beatrix know each other? That seems highly questionable, given Janus’s position as thepresident and Beatrix’s anti-monarchist stance. Is Beatrix here for Janus?”
“She and Janus were friends in Icarus before Janus’s parents died, and she moved here, eventually inheriting her uncle’s Council seat. But until I hear the president speak to Beatrix directly, I can’t say exactly what Beatrix’s intentions are and if they have something to do with Janus.”
“The timing of her arrival is suspicious.”
Pallas sighs, the sound crackling through the speaker. “It is, but she’s the only member of her group here, which rules out a political protest.”
“Do you think Janus invited Beatrix here?”
“For what purpose?”
“Maybe they are more than old friends. Maybe Janus believes in her cause?”
“Now, before you jump to conclusions,” Pallas starts, “let’s wait to see if Janus calls Beatrix back. As I said, there’s no call history showing that Janus reached out to Beatrix first.”
My teeth clench as a thought crosses my mind. “Could she have used Daphne’s phone? Keep looking into it.”
“Leigh,” Pallas says. “Perhaps you should just talk to Janus. Clear the air.”
“That’s like inviting the devil to tea,” I reply. Pallas laughs, but I am not being funny. “Keep an eye on them. Let me know the second Janus makes contact.”
“On it.”
I frown. If Janus, the leader of our democratic nation, is conspiring with known anti-monarchists, where does that leave us? Where does it leave me?
“Oh, and Pallas,” I say. “Maybe see if Beatrix and Stellan are friends.”
“Sure.”
“Be discreet.”
I hear the smile in his voice as he says, “I always am.”
“What have you uncovered about Bennett?” I ask, my mind drifting to his cold and detached person in the other room.
We were once close, so close that I trusted him with my life. But now? I barely recognize the man he’s become.
Pallas’s voice pulls me back to the present. “Nothing much, but I honestly haven’t had a lot of time to conduct a thorough search. Janus has been taking up most of my time.”
“I appreciate all your help, Pallas.”
“I like being useful. It keeps me from dwelling on thoughts of Dad and the others.”
His words have the effect of being hit with several rounds of artillery. Pallas’s confession played a crucial role in the Council’s success in putting away most of the members of Nyx. But Nyx was his home, where he grew up, and now he’s left with no one. His loneliness resonates with me, as familiar as the sound of my own voice. Pallas, Wilder, and I share a common bond—we all have family in Kratos.
Once I leave the bathroom, the door hasn’t even swung shut behind me before I run into Bennett. He looks left and right, his head swiveling on his neck as if it isn’t attached to his body.
“Have you seen Alden?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No.”
“He’s missing.”
