Page 25 of Bloodlines and Birthright

“Then help me. It’ll be faster.”

I huffed in frustration, when I realized he wasn’t leaving without the spell, I searched through the scattered papers, too. They were mostly unpaid bills, both money owed by the boatbuilder and money owed to him, from what I could tell. Most interesting of all were plans drawn up for a large factory. The address for the facility was in Milan. It seemed Signore Scala was right—Giovanni Colombo wanted to expand his business. A wood magician speaking a strengthening spell would be of great use to him, as would the spell itself.

Oscar went to move the chair out of the way so he could access a set of drawers under the bench, but a soft gasp from the depths of the boatshed made him freeze. Oscar quickly picked up the lantern, intending to turn the flame down or off, but it was too late. The person who’d gasped emerged from the darkness.

“Miss Wheeler!” I wasn’t sure if I was more shocked to discover that she’d followed us, or that she wore men’s clothing. Like us, her outfit was all black, even the neckerchief at her throat.

She shushed me with a finger to her lips. “There’s a dead body back there!”

Oscar moved around the bench to join her. “We know. Are you all right?”

“Of course I am. Mr. Barratt, we have to get out of here now. If we’re caught⁠—”

“We didn’t kill him,” I said.

“It doesn’t matter, Professor. We are foreigners with an interest in magic.”

“What does magic have to do with the murder?” Oscar asked.

“Perhaps nothing, but it is here. I brushed one of the boat hulls near the door and felt magic heat.”

“Why would our interest in magic make us more likely suspects?”

“It may not, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the magicians’ recent fight for freedom here in Italy has spilled over to the current anarchist movement. The two are inextricably linked.” The usually composed Miss Wheeler sounded worried, and that worried me.

I grabbed Oscar’s arm and urged him toward the exit. “Let’s go.”

Thankfully, he didn’t resist. Indeed, he led the way, lantern held at arm’s length in front of him.

The sound of voices outside stopped us dead in our tracks.

My heart pounded. My mouth went dry. The voices were so close to the door now that I could make out there were two men, both speaking Italian.

Oscar had extinguished the lantern’s flame as soon as he heard them. He gently set it down, out of the way, and removed a knife from his jacket pocket. The metal of a blade also flashed in Miss Wheeler’s hand, but I didn’t know where she’d kept it hidden. I was glad I hadn’t thought to bring a weapon. I doubted I could stab someone, no matter how much danger I was in.

In the darkness, I could just make out Oscar signaling for us to join him beside the door. “Get ready to run,” he whispered.

The moment it opened, we barged past the two men, knocking the first one off his feet. He careened into the second man, which made him lose his balance, too. It gave us precious seconds in which to escape.

But not before I recognized the second man. He was the thickset, thuggish looking fellow we’d seen among the trees on our return from the abbey the day before, the one exchanging a package with another fellow. He’d not followed us then, but we couldn’t risk him not following us this time.

We kept running, taking the steep, more direct path we’d used on our way into the village instead of the winding road. It was a long way up. I would never make it.

Chapter 9

Oscar didn’t leave my side. One hand gripping my arm, he wordlessly urged me forward, ever upward. In his other hand, he clutched the knife. He could have left me behind, but he kept pace with my slower steps. Miss Wheeler’s long, athletic strides widened the gap between us. Thank God she would get away if our pursuers caught up.

At about halfway, she stopped and waited. I wanted to urge her to keep going, but I had no breath to spare. Sweat dripped from my brow and dampened my clothes, and the veins in my neck throbbed in time to my pounding heart.

“Keep going!” Whether Oscar spoke to Miss Wheeler or me, since I’d also stopped, I wasn’t sure.

Miss Wheeler tilted her head to the side, listening. “No one’s following.”

I closed my eyes in relief.

Oscar released me only to give me a little push in the back. “You can do it, Gavin. It’s not far.”

It bloody well was. Not that I told him so. I needed to save all my breath for the rest of the journey.