David shot him a withering glare.
“I’m only pointing out the limits of our –your,” he corrected, flexing his wounded hand, “current methodology.”
“The point remains; I have other responsibilities. I’ll need a month, at least.”
“I’ll help, of course,” Sabina put in. “Perrine will not be back for some time.”
“Even so–”
“A week,” Anya countered.
He turned his eyes to the ceiling. “Two,” he offered.
“Deal,” she relented. It pained her to wait so long, but she didn’t want to drain Sabina, and two weeks should be plenty of time for her blood to replenish if they doled it out accordingly. “Meanwhile, to keep anyone from sniffing around in the Lichtenwald again, we’re going to spread around that the phoenix is dead; that it wasn’t magic after all.”
With that, she pulled her final bargaining chip out of her bag.
The phoenix’s dressed corpse, plopped on the floor.
Sabina gasped, and the three of them all covered their noses at the ripening smell.
“We’ll show Edgard himself,” she said, feeling disgust deep in the pit of her stomach at the thought. “Get him to call off the hunt for good.”
“With Preule and the Marchess Empire on his back and the nobles ready to riot, that may not be difficult,” said Sabina, still pinching her nose. “By the skies, it isquitepretty, isn’t it?”
“Put it away,” shuddered David, who had thrust a handkerchief over his nose. Anya did, carefully folding it back into her bag.
“One last thing.” Despite the lingering smell of rot, she took a deep breath; though miles less dangerous, she was far less confident in this part of the plan. “When this is over, I’m going to try to reclaim my inheritance. Some of it, anyway.”
All three of them raised their eyebrows.
“It isn’t that shocking,” she said, pulling her braid over her shoulder, fiddling with the end. “I know I’ll never get back the estate, or the titles, or any of that, and I don’t want it. But I may be able to get some compensation for the loss – if, say, I had one or two respectable figures of Äbender high society to take up my case, and vouch for my impeccable character.”
Bertrand’s eyebrows settled back into place. “I see.”
“I don’t know how much it will be. But it’s something. And I promise you each a portion.”
“You don’t have to do that,” David said softly, clearly offended. “I promised you my aid, and I meant it.”
“And I promised Sy mine,” Sabina said. “I didn’t think I could help him, but if I can, I’ll do whatever you need.”
“I don’t care if he lives or dies,” said Bertrand. “But this is a rare opportunity for interdisciplinary research.”
David pressed the bridge of his nose. “Seven skies, will you leave off the put-upon scholar act?”
“Don’t pretend that isn’t your type.” He turned to Anya, a wry expression on his face. “And clearly David’s principles will never let me hear the end of it if I don’t help. Besides; I would like an opportunity to study that phoenix corpse.”
“David is a fine teacher, and I have a few tricks of my own.” Sabina pressed her hands together, leaning forward conspiratorially. “But whatdoyou need from me?”
Feeling lighter than she had in weeks, Anya grinned. “Here’s what I have planned.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
All things considered, being a bird was not so terribly bad.
For one thing, he wasn’treallya bird. He wasn’t a man, either, quite. As he’d hoped – as he’d willed, made happen, with his spell – he had plucked the phoenix’s soul, its magic, from its body, and now held it in his.
What he hadn’t accounted for was what, exactly, this would make of him.
