Page 43 of Serpent and Shadow

Luc nodded, but the furrow didn’t leave his brow.

He opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.

I couldn’t stop my voice from growing harder. “I won’t be long. And I have every intention of meeting the rest of you afterwards. At nine, if that still works for you?”

Luc folded his arms. “Alaric’s got something. Did he tell you? He’s been working on distractions with Darragh. In the event you get inside.” Luc hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was in listening distance. “I think it’s an Earth thing, actually,” he added, quieter. “He and Darragh wanted to run it by you before they tried to acquire any.”

When my eyebrows rose even higher, Luc rolled his eyes.

“Don’t ask me to remember what it’s called,” he said. “Just be there at nine. I think the window’s short on this, so they’ll need your input tonight. Darragh’s got some kind of connection, someone he knows with a permit to go to Earth for a research thing. If we decide to go forward with it, Darragh wants to get the gold to him tomorrow.”

I nodded, still frowning. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

“If you decide to talk to Blackstone…”

I frowned, but Luc cut me off before I could interrupt.

“…I’m just saying, if you do, tell him about the last few tests.” He shoved his glasses up with a knuckle. “Specifics, I mean. Not about you running into walls, but the other things. The incantations we’ve tried, the mental exercises. He’s an Oracle, for crying out loud. He knows how mind things work. I could consult with him too, show him the reference books I’ve been using on dimensional portals, see if he can spot where––”

“No,” I said flatly.

He blinked at me, then his mouth pinched. “Why in Hades not, Leda?”

When I didn’t answer, he prodded, “Didn’t you say he was the one who first hinted you’d be able to do the things Bones can do?”

I bit my lip, shaking my head.

Blackstone had said that, but he knew Bones was a caelum ignis, and what marriage to a caelum ignis meant. None of my project partners had been told that detail.

I hadn’t lied. I just left a few things out.

Luc tossed his head to get the long, red hair out of his eyes, arms folded. His hair had gotten even longer over the past half-year. It suited him, making him look less like the nerdy lab guy and more like one of the royals he refused to identify with, despite his own parentage.

He bent down, and leaned his mouth closer to my ear.

“He’s one of them, right?” he murmured. “Blackstone. You told me he’s Golden Sun.”

I went back to scanning the crowd.

“Yes,” I acknowledged.

“But you still don’t think you can trust him?” Luc asked skeptically. “Is it because he’s an Oracle?”

I thought about that, and slowly shook my head.

“It’s not that.” I gave him another glance. “It just feels like a bad idea.”

“Trusting Blackstone?” Luc pressed. “Blackstone specifically?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” His voice grew frustrated. “Is it because of what Bones said?”

I flinched a little when he used his name aloud, and glanced quickly around. When I saw no one in hearing range paying attention to us, I glanced at Luc.

“It doesn’t worry you?” I asked, quieter. “Even Forsooth says there’s a mole. He was adamant it was someone in Golden Sun.” I lowered my voice. “Bones thought it was Blackstone. Which is why I’m not telling Forsooth what we’re planning, either. They’ve got some kind of mind-link with Blackstone. I’m pretty sure they tell each other everything.”

At Luc’s stony look, I exhaled a breath.