“Exactly. They’re up to their eyeballs in secrets,” Mac said. “And this cursed tower is one of them.”
“But the tower was cursed before Ubhan was born,” Eve said. “Otherwise, we’d remember it.”
“I don’t know how he is involved, but he is.” Carrow rubbed her arms. “If we want to break the curse on the tower, we need to get into his office and find out what, exactly, is going on.”
Can’t we just blow up the tower if it’s such a problem?
I looked at the little raccoon. “Not advisable.”
She looked at Carrow, clearly hoping to get a different answer.
“What he said.” Carrow looked at me. “It’s midnight. Now would be a good time to break into his office.”
“Ubhan is notorious for working nights,” Eve said. “He’s called the Owl of Black Church because he’s always swooping around in the dark, being creepy at odd hours.”
“So he could be there right now.” Carrow frowned.
“Let me make a call.” I stood. “Perhaps I can find a good time to break in.”
Carrow nodded, and I strode across the room, raising the comms charm on my wrist to my lips. “Miranda?”
“Yes?” She answered immediately.
“Will you check the schedules at Black Church? I need to know a good time to try to get into Councilor Ubhan’s office.”
“Yes, just a moment.”
I waited while she consulted our sources. We had access to private council information, and while we might not know everything that went on in the meetings, we at least knew when those meetings would be held.
She returned a few minutes later. “An official from Glasgow is coming tomorrow morning. They’ll all be in the main meeting room then. Apparently, it’s a big deal.”
“Perfect, thank you.” I cut the connection and returned to the group by the fire.
They seemed exhausted as they sipped their beers. Carrow looked up at me. “Well?”
“Tomorrow morning.” I relayed Miranda’s information.
“It’s for the best,” Eve said. “We need to rest.”
Carrow leaned toward Mac and Seraphia. “How do you feel?”
“A little better, maybe,” Mac said. “But weird, too.”
“Like I’m pulled toward that tower,” Seraphia said.
“Exactly.” Mac nodded emphatically.
“Me, too.” Carrow frowned. “But I’m not cursed like you guys.”
“It’s strange,” Eve said. “But I think I might feel it, too.” She laughed dryly. “Maybe I’m just easily influenced.”
“Why is this all happening now?” Seraphia asked. “I believe the pages were torn out of the book long ago. And that tower was definitely hidden long ago. There’s no way that it was done anytime within the living memory of the residents.” She looked at me. “Begging your pardon.”
I nodded. “Your point is sound, though. Whoever did it could erase my memory, but not that of the whole town.”
“As for why it’s happening now…” Carrow’s face was pale. “Maybe it’s me. I’m the new one here. Maybe I triggered it somehow. Perhaps with Orion’s Stone.”
“There’s no known connection right now,” Quinn said. “This isn’t your fault. More likely, this is something Ubhan has done.”
Carrow opened her mouth to protest, but Mac cut her off. “I agree. You’re going to fix this. It’s not your fault.”
Eve leaned forward. “Tomorrow, we’ll find the answers in Ubhan’s office. There’s got to be something there that tells us how to finish breaking the curse.”
Carrow nodded, worry still in her eyes. I reached out to touch her but pulled my hand back at the last second. We needed to keep our distance. Now, especially.
15
Carrow
The next morning after a night in my own bed—alone—I waited at a café table tucked behind a vine-covered trellis. My coffee sat before me, untouched, and the newspaper I held went unread. The morning sun beat down brightly, and I watched Black Church for any sign of movement.
The massive building sat on the other side of the square, and I’d chosen a table at one of the many cafés that lined the open space. It was perfect for watching the front doors of the church.
Council members had gone inside regularly since I’d arrived, but I’d yet to see Ubhan walk in. Considering he was a night owl, he might not have left last night.
Quinn strolled up, looking casual and perfect for a day out. He grinned when he saw me and sat down. “So glad you could join me for our date.”
I gave him a cheeky smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Quinn, Grey, and I were planning to break into Ubhan’s office this morning while Eve stayed behind care for Mac and Seraphia. Since Grey wasn’t the type to enjoy a morning coffee on the square—it would draw attention if he sat around like a normal person—Quinn and I were pretending to be on a date.
Not that anyone was looking that closely at us. But Grey could hear us through our comms charms, and I had a feeling that Quinn would flirt with me just to annoy him. He didn’t realize the truth of our dire situation, and I wasn’t about to tell him.
“The coffee is excellent,” I said to him as the waitress approached. “My cappuccino is the best I’ve had in town.”
It was a lie, but the waitress smiled, as I’d hoped she would. Better to have her on our side. Quinn placed his order for the same. After she’d left, I gave him a quick update of what I’d seen.
As soon as the visitor from Glasgow arrived—in a kilt, according to Miranda’s sources—we were going to make our move.
The waitress returned with Quinn’s coffee, and he thanked her before she left. Instead of drinking it, however, he pressed his fingertips to his comms charm to turn it off and nodded for me to do the same.
I frowned at him, knowing that Grey wouldn’t be able to hear us, but did as he asked. “What is it?”
“Are you sure about this thing with the Devil you have going?” His voice was pitched low enough that no one else could hear.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and Carrow—he’s dangerous. Too dangerous.”
“I know he is. But he’s not a threat to me.” To himself, maybe, because I had a feeling that he would walk right into hell to spare me, but he was not dangerous to me.
Quinn frowned. “I don’t like it.”
I scowled at him.
He raised his hands in apology. “But it’s not my place to have an opinion on it, I get it. I like you, Carrow, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
A bit of warmth pushed aside most of the annoyance. “I get it, Quinn. And thank you for caring. I understand that Grey has a certain…reputation around town. But I’m fine.”
He nodded and turned to the church. “Let’s keep a lookout.”
“Great.” I uncovered my comms charm.
Grey’s voice drifted out, quiet yet concerned. “Is everything all right? The line died.”
“Everything is fine,” I said.
A slight frown tightened Quinn’s lips, but he said nothing as he gazed at the fire-darkened exterior of Black Church. The structure looked ominous against the bright blue sky.
I spotted a man wearing a kilt striding toward the front doors. “He’s here,” I murmured, but loudly enough for Grey to hear. “Meet you soon.”
Quinn paid for our coffees, and I stood, grabbing the bag full of potion bombs that Eve had given me. We left holding hands for good measure. I assumed no one gave a damn about Quinn or me, but you never knew who might be watching.
We strolled along the edge of the square, and I gazed into shop windows as if interested in the wares. Slowly, we made our way closer to Black Church and ducked into a narrow side street. I tried to make it look like I was pulling Quinn in to make out with him, but I had no idea if the effect worked.
From the scowl on Grey’s face, it was at least somewhat effective. The vampire stood in the shadows of a small intersecting alley, still as a statue and dressed in simple black tactical wear that would make running and fighting easy.
Quinn removed three small vials from his pocket and handed them around. “Drink these. Eve made them. They’ll make it so that it’s difficult for anyone who sees us to remember our faces. But it only works for short encounters, so if you have a conversation, it won’t work.”
“Thanks.” I swigged it back, appreciatively. It would be a big help with any admin staff or guards that we came across in the halls.
“Come,” Grey said. “My contact is waiting.”
Though we’d broken into Black Church through the dwarves’ underground tunnels last time, we didn’t have that option now. The Council had blocked off that secret entrance into their dungeons.
We followed Grey down the side streets, working our way to the back of Black Church. He’d said he had a contact in the kitchens, and they were going to let us in the back.
A young man stood outside, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the brick wall. His apron was scattered with flour, and his face was sullen.
“This guy?” I asked skeptically.
“He wants out,” Grey said.
“Out?”
“Out of Guild City. After he does this for us, he’s going to make himself scarce for a while.”
“The perfect candidate, then.” It made sense. If the Council found out that he’d sneaked us in, he’d end up in jail.
The back street was empty, so we hurried toward the kid. He gave the Devil a look, then turned and pressed his hand to the door. Magic sparked around his palm, and he pulled it open, the cigarette hanging from his mouth as he held out his free hand to Grey.
As Grey strode through the door, he passed the kid a thick envelope—cash, no doubt—and our accomplice grinned.