Oliver didn’t flinch but offered me a bow. “Miss Fitzwilliam, it’s good to see you well.”
“Not thanks to you.” I didn’t return the greeting.
“Don’t you dare talk to her,” Rennie hissed, taking a menacing step towards him. “The bureau?—”
Oliver held up a hand. “Don’t waste your breath. The bureau isn’t going to punish me. While you were locked up in a fancy cell, I had a hearing with my superiors. They understood I’d acted for the best. Miss Fitzwilliam is safe, and we’re about to catch...” He glanced around and lowered his voice. “A lamia.” His eyes glinted as he produced a document from his pocket. “In fact, I have the order to catch the lamia alive.”
“Alive?” Rennie and I said together.
“It’s such a rare species that the bureau wants to study it. That said”—he grabbed a chair and sat down at the table before taking an oat biscuit from the plate—“how are we going to capture it?”
My mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe they didn’t punish you. You nearly killed me.”
“But you didn’t die.” He winked at me. The scoundrel. “And let’s face it, you wanted your memories back.”
Curse him, but he was right. Still, he shouldn’t be here, but behind bars.
“The lamia killed a woman,” Rennie gritted out. “Dangerous Unnaturals must be stopped, not caught.”
As if he hadn’t spoken, Oliver drummed his fingers on the table. “It must sleep somewhere on the ship. Not much is known about lamiae, but every creature needs sleep. Where would it sleep?”
He was being absurd. How could we catch a creature no one knew anything about? “Even if we find where it nests, how can we capture it?” I asked, my anger still simmering.
Rennie shot me a reproachful glance, as if to say ‘how can you encourage him?’
“Did you know there’s a small island called Murano close to Venice?” Oliver popped another biscuit into his mouth.
I wanted to slap him. “Of course. Murano is famous for its tradition of glass-making. And?”
He nodded. “A cage made of iridescent Murano glass will hold the lamia safely inside.”
It sounded like a pile of horse dung, in my opinion.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “How do you know that? You said the lamiae are the most mysterious and unknown creatures.”
“Well...” He took his time to select another biscuit. I hoped he choked on it. “A glass cage works for two other species similar to the lamia, same genus. It’s worth a try.”
“A try?” Rennie roared. “I won’t risk Monia’s life again. If I find the lamia, I’ll kill it.”
“We have only to search the ship,” Oliver concluded, wiping his mouth. “And we’ll do our duty, which is what the bureau ordered us to do.” He patted a hand over the pocket of his jacket where the document lay. “Delicious biscuits, by the way. They give you the right energy to start a new day.”
Rennie and I groaned. As if we hadn’t searched the darn ship several times.
