“It doesn’t, actually,” Poppy cuts in.
I put a hand over my heart. “Et tu, Poppé?”
She leans back into the sofa, crossing her arms. “No, for real. How are you going to give us all thisintel?”
“Maybe…” I purse my lips, thinking. “If I can’t bring the intel to you, I can bring you to the intel.”
Ezra squints. “Are you having a stroke?”
I feel a surge of adrenaline, my thoughts coalescing, the plan just out of reach. I’m just missing a few pieces and everything will lock into place. “What if you somehow came to me? Is there some kind of tracker you can put on me? And then you can follow it?”
Poppy’s already shaking her head. “We just established that the only ways in are as a syndicate member or a prisoner. How are we getting to you?”
Ezra perks up. “Ooh, what about teleportation? Can my magic be teleportation?”
“That’s not really how it works, my dude,” Tolliver says.
Rook clears his throat. “I have a solution.” He shifts his weight, not meeting our eyes. “I have…come into possession of…a pair of limen stones.”
The room goes silent. Everyone stares at him in shock.
Limen stones are basically myths. And I know we’re dealing with a lot of things that are myths here, but honestly, I thought the stones were just a plot device in old folklore.
The stories vary, but they all basically follow a couple in love who use the stones to always be connected. When the man dies tragically young, he’s buried with one of the stones and uses it to call his love into the Afterlife. They’re supposed to bridge any distance, even death.
If Rook has a pair of limen stones, he isn’t just dealing in antiques, he’s dealing in ancient mythical artifacts. I quickly revise my hypothesis for how Rook is tied to the Cult of Hades.
“That’s impossible,” Poppy says, expression carefully neutral. “That rune was lost centuries ago.”
Rook nods, considering. “They are quite old. They’ve been in the family for…innumerable generations.”
Poppy’s eyes narrow. “So, you’ve had limen stones just chilling in your attic and didn’t think to share with the world?”
Rook blinks. “Well, it’s not the type of spell I think the general public should use.”
Poppy stands slowly, and though she’s quite a bit shorter than Rook, shelooms. “It’s not about using the spell, it’s about sharing knowledge.”
“To be fair,” I cut in, “I imagine most of Rook’s collection has been passed down to him, and while we can argue the morals of inherited wealth and privately owned antiquities, I think the more important thing to take away from this is that we have a way into Tartarus. I smuggle one of the stones in with me, and I’ll summon one of you when I get there.”
“Oneof us,” CJ points out.
It’s Poppy’s turn to pace. “So your plan is basically to get yourself thrown into hell, and then figure it out once you get there? Dante would never have approved of that.”
I drop onto the couch. “No, he wouldn’t have. But he’s not here.”
Poppy presses on. “Not to mention, no syndicate member, Dead or alive, is going to believe you’re actually Dead unless weliterallykill you, which I’m sure you would have some objections to. In good light, you’re basically transparent with Miracle Max, and that is the closest we can get to mimicking death.”
Tolliver taps his knee, then stills. “That’s not actually true.”
“No,” I say, pointing in his direction, and I notice a slight tremor.
He gives me an apologetic look. “It would make your plan work.”
We stare at each other, gazes hard. It’s the closest we’ve gotten to talking about what happened, and I’m not ready. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.
Ezra clears his throat. “Care to share with the class?”
Tolliver and I are still having our silent conversation, and I know what he’s telling me. That this, ironically enough, might be the only way to save my brother. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? I’d do anything to bring Dante back.
