“Wait,” Raven called. “If I could, I’d start a war between the Curia and the Roman and watch them destroy each other. They murdered my William.” Her voice broke. “I hate them all.”
“Finally, something we agree on.” Borek faced her once again.
“Will you help me?”
“Help you do what?”
“Start a war.”
Borek laughed. “That’s madness. You’d never get near Rome; Aoibhe has too many spies.”
“Help me. We have common enemies.”
Borek paused, almost as if he were tempted. “I’m not committing suicide for a human’s revenge.”
He stood very tall and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I’ve paid my debt. May fortune smile on you.”
“What will you tell Aoibhe?” Raven asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
“Nothing. She’s a tyrant. I won’t live under her yoke.
“Much as I had reason to dislike the Prince, he gave his life to save Florence when the Roman betrayed us. The Prince died for all of us.” The expression on Borek’s face shifted, as if the realization haunted him. “The entire principality is in his debt. It pleases me to honor his sacrifice. And yours.
“Farewell, Lady Raven.” With a ceremonial bow, Borek melted into the shadows.
Chapter Sixty
WHEN RAVEN ENTERED HER APARTMENT, she didn’t bother calling the number she’d memorized. Instead, she reached for the guidebook Sarah had given her, which provided her with instructions and advice, along with a list of safe houses scattered around the world. Raven didn’t know how wide Sarah’s network was or who precisely it was for, but she knew all its resources were at her disposal, ostensibly because William had paid Sarah for a comprehensive relocation plan.
Raven made note of the guidebook’s instructions on how to escape by train and packed a small carry-on bag. She took the SIM card out of her cell phone, as instructed, and flushed it down the toilet, replacing it with a new, unused SIM card. She left behind most of her clothes but took her passport and all the cash she’d been hiding in a container in her freezer. Once the sun had risen above the horizon, she took a taxi to the central train station.
Using cash, she booked a ticket on the first train to Moscow and sat in one of the busy waiting areas in the station, staying alert to her surroundings.
When it was time, she boarded the train. But just as the train was getting ready to leave the station, she exited, limping as quickly as she could to the train that stood just across the platform. She climbed aboard and found a seat in a crowded second-class compartment, intent on pretending to be a hapless Anglophone tourist who had no idea how to use an automated ticket machine. When the conductor arrived, she played her part and paid for a ticket in cash.
As she endured the four-hour train ride to Vienna, she thought about her encounter with Borek. She thought about Father Kavanaugh quitting the Curia and returning to Florida. She wondered if his actions were a sign that he regretted what happened to William. Mostly, however, Raven meditated on her anger with the Curia and plotted revenge.
The shock of losing William was finally wearing off, and she was no longer content to accept her current fate with passivity.
The Curia had killed William by accident, allegedly. She didn’t remember everything that had transpired after the ambulance came to take William away. But she remembered the shock on everyone’s faces, including Father Kavanaugh’s. She remembered Father whispering to her that it shouldn’t have happened.
But they’d killed him. No matter their intentions, William was dead.
As she watched the scenery flash by her window, she thought about revenge. Her unguarded words to Borek played over and over in her mind. She wondered if she could travel to Rome and start a war.
Borek was right. It was far more likely that Aoibhe’s spies would find her first. Then she’d be dragged back to Florence to face God knew what.
If she wanted to start a war, she needed allies and a plan. She needed relics and weapons. It would cost a great deal of money to fund such an undertaking.
That’s when she remembered the bank. Sarah had told her to present the number stamped on the charm around her neck at the Trivium Bank in Geneva. She was pretty sure the Trivium was the bank William had mentioned.
If she could travel to Geneva, perhaps she could withdraw enough money to finance her revenge. Perhaps Borek would help her if she paid him enough.
Aoibhe had known to look for her in Geneva. That had been some time ago, however—before Borek visited Budapest and Prague. Hopefully any other spies she’d sent would have quit Geneva and begun looking for her elsewhere.
To Geneva she would go.
Chapter Sixty-One
RAVEN ARRIVED IN VIENNA, and after a short layover and a last-minute change from one train to another, she was bound for Geneva.
The trip from Vienna to Geneva was long. She spent the night on the train and arrived at the station just before seven o’clock the next morning. She secured a taxi and asked the driver to take her to the Trivium Bank. He gave her a strange look but pulled away immediately.
She slipped the necklace Sarah had given her over her head and looked at the number stamped on the charm. The numbers were very small.
She took a photo of the charm with her camera and then looped the necklace back over her head.
Using the photo application on her phone, she enlarged the image so the numbers were visible. She withdrew a piece of paper and a pen from her carry-on and quickly copied the digits.