The Sorcerer Heir (Heir Chronicles) (26 page)

Emma thought of Ross Childers, how kind he had been. And wondered how he would react once he knew her history and heard what Rowan had to say.

“I want to be left alone,” Emma said, through gritted teeth. “I want to build guitars and forget about all this. I don’t know how I ended up stuck in the middle.” But a voice inside her head whispered,
Your mother was the cause of the Thorn Hill Massacre. Maybe you are right where you deserve to be
.

“I wanted to be left alone, too,” Rowan said. “I never intended to go into the family business. And then someone murdered my father, and now someone’s murdered my sister, and it seems clear to me that someone is going to keep on murdering until I put a stop to it. And I intend to—with or without you. You need to decide which it’s going to be.”

“I don’t get it,” Emma said. “Do you or don’t you think I’m guilty? And if you do think I’m guilty, why would you let me off the hook?”

Rowan thought about this for longer than Emma expected, a muscle working in his jaw. Finally, he said, “Have you ever heard the saying about people in glass houses?” He turned his phone in his hands, over and over, avoiding her eyes. “Maybe it’s a little of that. Maybe I think you’ve gotten a raw deal, and I owe you one.”

“What’s going to keep the police from blaming me anyway?” Emma said. “It’s like you said: I’m the one with the criminal record. It would be my word against Jonah’s.”

“No,” Rowan said, “it would be
our
word against his. That’s why I need your support. Like I said, I don’t intend to take this to the Anaweir authorities. I have no interest in seeing Kinlock twist a jury around his finger. This is better handled by the Interguild Council. They know the history. They’re better able to analyze the risk and determine how the situation should be handled. That’s who I have to convince.”

Whatever happens, it’s a disaster, Emma thought. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the real police or a group of magical vigilantes. When they find out about Jonah’s “gift” he’ll get the blame for every suspicious death in the whole state.

“Well?”
Rowan asked, as if he didn’t want her to think on it too long.

“I just can’t believe that Jonah Kinlock would kill a twelve-year-old girl,” Emma said. “He—he has a younger brother that he’s crazy about, just a little older than Grace was. He had a little sister who died at Thorn Hill.”

“Don’t be naive,” Rowan snapped. “What better reason for Kinlock to target the guilds? Many of the labrats still believe that wizards somehow caused the disaster. Revenge is a powerful motivation, especially for someone with nothing to lose.” He leaned forward. “This is a pivotal time. Somehow we have to have a reconciliation process if we’re to put all this history behind us and go forward. We have to stop the killing. Otherwise, there will never be peace among the Weirguilds. It’s time the Interguild Council decides how it’s going to handle disputes and criminal cases now that the Rules of Engagement no longer apply. Now that wizards are no longer settling disputes. We’ll see how they do.”

“Why talk to me?” she said finally. “Why didn’t you just go straight to the council with this?”

He took a quick breath. “If you help me, I think I can make sure that you’re not implicated.”

A ping of warning sounded in Emma’s head. “What do you mean? Help you how? What would I have to do?”

“You’ll have to testify before the council in support of my account.”

“You want me to lie.”

“No. I’m asking you to use your common sense and see justice done. Tell them what happened in the gazebo, what Kinlock said and did. Tell them what happened the night your father was killed. That’s all.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

“What about the part where you tried to drag me off and Jonah stopped you?”

“What is
wrong
with you?” Rowan growled. “I’m trying to help you. Your cooperation sends a strong signal that you were not involved in all this, and it makes it less likely you’ll change your story later. I need to make a good case in order to convince Burroughs and Hackleford to align with me. They are still scheming to hang it on Madison Moss and her friends.”

“While you’re scheming to hang it on Jonah and the other Thorn Hill survivors.”

“That’s not a problem if they’re guilty,” Rowan said.

No matter how much hand waving you do, Emma thought, you’re still asking me to lie. She thought of what he’d said at the beginning—that he wanted her to make an informed decision. What else did she need to know?

“What will they do to him? If they decide he’s guilty?”

Rowan’s tawny eyes met hers, flat and hard as agates. “I know how it would have been handled in the past,” he said.

“You’re going to kill him,” Emma said flatly. “Do you have a plan for that?”

“If the council elects to proceed against him, you’ll persuade Jonah to come to Trinity so he can be...” Here he stumbled a bit. “So he can be taken into custody.”

“You want me to lead him into a trap?”

“Kinlock has shown how dangerous he can be. Remember, he took down seven wizards at once at your father’s house. I’d like to handle this with as little bloodshed as possible.”

Good luck with that, Emma thought. “What about the others? At the Anchorage, I mean?”

“That remains to be seen,” Rowan said, “depending on what the evidence shows about their involvement. As I said, it stands to reason that Mandrake is involved in some way.”

“What about after? Do I just disappear?”

“I know you’re worried about where you’ll end up when this is all over. That won’t be a problem. I have considerable resources—I can offer you protection and a place to settle. I can hire tutors, send you to a private school, or set you up in business if that’s what you want.”

“Why would you
do
that?” Emma blurted.

“You’ll be taking a risk,” Rowan said. “If Kinlock and the others find out what you’re doing, you’ll be a target. Anyway, I don’t have a family. Not anymore. I don’t have anyone else to spend it on.”

“What—you’re going to
adopt
me?” Emma rolled her eyes. “Anyone who looked at us could tell we don’t belong together.”

“You’re welcome to decline my help if you don’t want it,” he said stiffly. “I just wanted you to know what’s on the table.” He pulled out his phone, scanning the screen as if the conversation was almost over.

Rowan DeVries was smart—smart enough to figure out what Emma really wanted. More than anything, she wished none of this had ever happened. If not that, then she wished that she could forget about all this and build guitars.

What was the argument Jonah had used to persuade her to stay on at the Anchorage? Self-interest. Act in your self-interest. If she had any sense, there was no question which way to go. She could share the blame for murders she didn’t commit. Or she could leave all this behind and start a new life, doing what she was meant to do. And put all this trouble in the place where the bad dreams go.

But bad dreams have a habit of coming back to haunt you. And maybe Rowan DeVries wasn’t as smart as he thought he was.

She needed to warn Jonah. And that meant she had to persuade DeVries to let her go.

“All right,” she said, avoiding his eyes. “I’ll speak to the council. I’ll testify.”

“Good,” Rowan said, gripping her hands, sending a bit of a buzz through her. “You’re doing the right thing.” Letting go of her hands, Rowan continued, his voice brisk and businesslike. “I’ve scheduled a closed hearing in Trinity for Saturday. It’s best if you stay here until then—that’s the safest option.” It was like he was trying to rush through that part, so maybe she wouldn’t notice.

“No, thanks,” Emma said. She stood. “Can I go now?”

Rowan growled in frustration. “Not a good idea. If Kinlock gets wind of what you’re planning, you’ll be in real danger.”

“I’m not stupid,” Emma said. “I know how to take care of myself. And if you have any plans to hold me prisoner until the hearing, the deal’s off. If you keep me here against my will, there’s no telling what I’ll say when I get in front of the council.”

“Please, Emma,” Rowan said. “If you see him—if you even talk to him, it could ruin everything. This is someone who can charm the skin right off your bones.”

“Are y’all finished?” Emma said, trying to project more confidence than she was feeling. “I’ve got places to be.”

“Fine!” Rowan stood himself. “Just remember—it goes forward with or without you. And if you’re thinking of running, I suggest you think again. Like I said, you’re not very good at covering your tracks.”

Maybe, Emma thought, I just need a little more practice.

“
A
re you sure it’s even safe to go in there?” Alison asked, as she geared up for the planned ambush of Lilith Greaves. “From the outside, it looks like a dump. It might collapse while you’re in there.”

That’s the least of my worries, Jonah thought.

“Couldn’t you have planned this meeting for, say, a coffee shop?” Mike said. “There’s a great one down on West—”

“It has to be on neutral ground,” Jonah said. He knew they were trying to relieve the tension of the moment, but he was not at all in the mood for jokes. Especially since he had a whole different set of reasons to be tense. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want people gawking at us when the knives come out. I don’t want to have to explain to Cleveland’s finest that the person I’m murdering is already dead. Last time I saw Lilith, she was hosted, and she looked pretty much like anybody else.”

“Really? When did you two get together?” Alison asked, strapping a quiver of shivs over her chest. “When we saw her at the bridge, she wasn’t hosted.”

The question caught Jonah by surprise, as it was intended to. It took him a minute to find his footing. “It must’ve been that time the two of us met for breakfast at the Pancake Palace,” he said. “Or was it the weekend in Chicago?” He paused, and when Alison opened her mouth to press him, he hurried on. “The point is, I don’t know if she’ll come hosted or not. If she’s wearing a body, people might start asking questions when I hack her to pieces.”

Gabriel didn’t seem to notice the slip. He studied him critically. “What are you bringing in the way of weapons?” He looked over Jonah’s shoulder, at the place usually occupied by Fragarach’s massive hilt.

“I can’t very well bring a sword to a peace parley,” Jonah said. “That would send the wrong message.” Accessing multiple hidden sheaths in his coat and jeans, he displayed an array of cutting blades, hatchets, and shivs, all of them perfectly hidden when he stowed them back away. “Two of these are giveaways. They’ll find them when they search me. The others, hopefully not.”

Gabriel nodded, his eyes still searching Jonah’s face. Jonah’s mentor wore jeans and a heavy sweater, with a fleece-lined leather bomber jacket over top. He looked more haggard than usual, his eyes muddy with fatigue. Or maybe cluttered with secrets.

“I appreciate your volunteering for this, Jonah,” he said. “I know it’s difficult for you. I hope you realize now that we have no other choice.”

Jonah nodded, not meeting Gabriel’s eyes.

“I’d like this better if we could be hiding inside,” Alison said. “Too many things can go wrong with this plan, and we’ll be too far away to get there in time.”

“If you wanted to do that, you should’ve moved in three days ago,” Jonah said. “If we’re already watching the building, we can assume that they are, too.”

“You’re giving them an awful lot of credit,” Alison said.

“It’s better to overestimate your opponents than to underestimate them.”

“We’d better get moving,” Charlie said. “We’re supposed to be in place in half an hour.”

They took the familiar path down into the Flats. Thérèse waited at the foot of the hill, her cheeks pinked up with excitement and cold. Mike, Charlie, Silkie—there were a dozen of them in all, not counting Gabriel.

It was peculiar, having Gabriel along. Though Gabriel had been intimately involved in the establishment and training of Nightshade operatives, Jonah couldn’t remember that he’d ever come along on a riff.

Let’s see how you like it, Jonah thought.

When they reached their preplanned staging area, Jonah said, “Everybody know where they’re going?” They all nodded. Just to make sure, Jonah said, “Lilith’s shades will be lined up along the same perimeter to keep us honest. They’ll be watching to see who goes into the building. They’re not to be harmed—that’s the agreement. Nobody uses this as an opportunity to build their kill count. Everybody get that?”

Heads nodded all around.

“Once the others are in place, Thérèse and Charlie will search the area around the terminal, and make sure there’s no hidden ambush, it’s not wired up with explosives, etc. Once the area is cleared, you’ll keep watch to make sure it stays that way. Any activity we should know about, anybody tries to approach the building, you’ll hit the alarm.”

“What if there’s a full-scale assault?” Thérèse asked.

“That building is built of stone, and the walls are a foot thick. I think it will hold up long enough to prevent a surprise attack.” Jonah turned to Gabriel. “When we get to the door, I’ll go inside to clear the building. Then we’ll wait inside for Lilith.”

“What about snipers?” Charlie asked. “Is there any chance of that?”

“I’ve been over this area four different times. If you all are in your places, I don’t think there’s anyplace somebody can get a clear shot without your seeing them.”

“Besides, their armament is pretty limited,” Alison said contemptuously. “You can only throw a hatchet so far.”

“Charlie has a good point, though,” Jonah said. “We’re a lot easier to kill than hosted shades. One good shot, and Gabriel or I go down. Fill a hosted shade full of holes, and the shade goes hunting for a new host.” He looked around the circle, meeting everyone’s eyes. “That’s why it’s so important that nobody gets trigger-happy and tries to claim the riff early. It’s unlikely to kill Lilith. All it will do is spook her, and this chance will be gone forever.”

“I don’t like it,” Thérèse said. “It seems like we’re taking all the risks.”

“That’s why we get paid the big bucks,” Jonah said. “Anyway, the status quo is unacceptable, at least for me. The trickiest part is after. When Gabriel and I come out of the building without Lilith, things could get ugly real fast. Give us some cover, and let’s all of us get out. Don’t hang around, hoping to put a few more notches in your belt. The numbers don’t work in our favor. We also need to anticipate the possibility of retaliatory attacks on the Anchorage. They’ve had access to inside information, since some of our alumni have crossed over. They know what our vulnerabilities are.”

Jonah could feel the pressure of Gabriel’s gaze on him.

“Any questions?” There were none, so Jonah said, “Let’s do it.”

The others scattered to go to their assigned stations, leaving Gabriel and Jonah alone.

“The adrenaline really kicks in, doesn’t it,” Gabriel said, looking around. “I don’t know why I haven’t gone out with you before.”

“The excitement wears off after a while,” Jonah said. “Are you armed?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”

“If it goes wrong, I just wondered whether you’d be able to protect yourself.”

“It won’t go wrong,” Gabriel said. “I have faith in you.” That comment had all kinds of sharp edges, or maybe it was Jonah’s imagination. It also wasn’t an answer to his question.

Jonah said nothing. Gabriel, however, seemed to feel the need to fill the silence between them. “Jonah, I’m still not convinced that this person we’re meeting is Lilith Greaves. But on the off chance that it is, there’s something you should know: something I haven’t told anyone else.”

Jonah waited.

“I have reason to believe that the woman I knew as Lilith was at least partially responsible for the Thorn Hill Massacre,” Gabriel said. “If there’s anyone who deserves to die, it’s her.”

That echoed what Lilith had said.
He thinks I’m the one responsible for Thorn Hill.

“Really?” Jonah said, thinking, Shouldn’t we be keeping her alive, then? So we could maybe find a way to help the few survivors? But by now he knew that speaking it aloud would do no good. And it might give away the game.

Gabriel gripped Jonah’s shoulder. “I hope that, once this is behind us, we can go back to the way things were. We’ve always been a great team.”

“There’s Charlie,” Jonah said, seeing the slayer wave from atop the lift bridge. “He says it’s clear. Let’s go.”

The old railroad terminal squatted amid parking lots and industrial buildings next to the river. Grass and weeds had broken through the pavement in several places. The terminal was brick and stone, stained by more than a century of industrial smoke and city grit. The windows were boarded over, graffiti-covered, barred.
That
seemed pointless, since it was hard to imagine anyone wanting to get in there that badly. Still, it suited Jonah’s purposes.

Slayers and shades ringed the building, keeping an uneasy distance between them. All of the shades were hosted, and all of them looked relatively fresh.

Putting our best foot forward, are we? Jonah thought.

One of them stepped into their path. Mid-fifties, maybe, stubble-faced, buzzed hair, his muscled arms covered in tattoos.

Hello, Jonah,
he said mind-to-mind.

“Brendan!” Jonah looked him up and down again. “What happened to your old host?”

Turned out that body had too many enemies
, Brendan said, all brisk and businesslike.
I was tired of getting into fights. Now. I’m going to search both of you.

Jonah turned to Gabriel, who was looking on in confusion and alarm. “This is Brendan Wu,” Jonah said. “He’s going to search us for weapons.” When Gabriel opened his mouth to protest, Jonah met his eyes and mouthed a no.

During Jonah’s pat down, Gabriel stared at Brendan as if transfixed. And a little horrified. Shifting his gaze to Jonah, he muttered, “Are you sure it’s Brendan?”

“I’m sure,” Jonah said.

Brendan surfaced Jonah’s giveaway blades, but nothing else, then turned to Gabriel, who stood, rigid, fists clenched, visibly sweating, during the search.

Finally, Brendan stepped back, satisfied.
Could you tell him I don’t bite?
he said to Jonah. He jabbed a thumb into his chest.
I’m a shade. Not a vampire.

“This does take a little getting used to,” Jonah said with a tight smile. “All set? Are we good?”

Brendan nodded.

“Now let’s go clear the building.”

The three of them crossed the parking lot, Jonah in front, Gabriel in the middle, and Brendan coming behind. Pulling keys from his jacket pocket, Jonah unlocked the metal gate protecting the door.

“You have a key?” Gabriel whispered.

“I had it made,” Jonah said. He didn’t find it necessary to add that he’d installed the gate as well. And bars on the insides of the windows. Jonah Kinlock had created a small fortress, here on neutral ground. He’d already changed the lock on the inside door so he could open it with the same key.

“Wait here,” he said to Gabriel. “We’ll clear the inside.” They were coming up on another risk point. It was possible that Lilith had set a trap, that she was just as clever as Jonah Kinlock, just as clever and twice as desperate. Gabriel’s solution to Lilith’s army was to kill Lilith. Maybe Lilith’s solution to Nightshade was to kill its leader.

But Jonah didn’t think so. He hadn’t read her that way. He was betting a lot on that reading.

The inside was just as he’d left it—nobody lurking in ambush. He’d removed the junk and rats’ nests from one end of the building, piling it all to the right of the door. He’d even set up three chairs in a little triangle. He wondered if anyone would actually sit in them. He wondered if they would actually survive this.

Looks okay to me,
Brendan said. He paused.
How
’d
you find this place?

“I walk by here all the time,” Jonah said.

Brendan still hesitated.
You’re being straight with us, right, Jonah? No double cross?

“No double cross,” Jonah said, thinking,
Double cross
is too honest a word to describe this plan.

I’ll go get Lilith,
Brendan said.

When they emerged into the sallow light of the mercury vapor lamp. Gabriel was waiting, pressed back into the brick and stone of the building as if he could disappear into it, his upper lip beaded with sweat.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gabriel Mandrake sweat before today, Jonah thought.

Brendan walked away, back across the parking lot toward the road.

We’re good. Let’s go in.
He stood aside, letting Gabriel precede him through the door.

Inside, Gabriel said, “You didn’t seem worried he’d find your weapons.”

“Their hands don’t have much sensitivity,” Jonah said. “Brendan told me once that their skin is basically numb. So I counted on that, plus my near-legendary skills of concealment.” He gestured toward the chairs. “Sit,” he said. “I’ll wait for Lilith by the door.”

“Jonah,” Gabriel said. “I don’t really need to—to talk with her. Or see her. Just...finish her, so we can go.”

Oh, no, Jonah thought. It’s important that you participate in the full slayer experience. You’re like the politicians who’re so quick to send other people’s sons and daughters to war.

What he said was, “No worries. You know how efficient I am.”

Gabriel frowned, as if reading something worrisome in Jonah’s attitude.

Jonah crossed to the door, standing a little to one side so that Lilith would step past him before she knew he was there. So that if she’d planned an ambush, he’d have the element of surprise.