With a final swish of his cup, he disappeared, doubling our party from three to six members.
“Okay.” Josie squared off against Ankou, arms still folded, tapping her foot. “Who wants to go first?”
“Ankou is attempting to extort me,” I outed him without mercy, “but negotiating with him, on his terms, sets a bad precedent for the next time he wants a favor.”
“You got your little privacy bubble to chat, Ankou.” Harrow narrowed his eyes. “Why bring her here?”
“She held the home field advantage in New Orleans and would have refused to negotiate with me untilafterKierce was safe. I hoped a glimpse of Abaddon, a visual aid for Kierce’s fate, might spook her into cooperating with me without the haggling.”
That wasn’t the story he told me, but he lied so much, I wasn’t surprised he couldn’t keep them straight.
The others showed as much enthusiasm for his scheming as I had, but a temporary alliance was the best chance I had of accomplishing my goal to topple Dis Pater from his throne. The only reason we held an advantage was because Kierce was incapacitated until he healed enough to be dispatched on another mission. Which meant I had to reach him before Dis Pater ordered him to do what couldn’t be undone. We couldn’t do that without Ankou guiding us.
“Speaking of…” Josie scanned the area below us. “How far are we from Birdfriend?”
With an amused rumble of sound, Anunit abandoned Harrow to stand with me.
“A few more hours.” Ankou worked his jaw. “Not that we have a solution for our most immediate problem.”
“As far as I can tell,” Carter demurred, “youare our most immediate problem.”
Josie cackled, offering her hand for a high-five, but Carter left her hanging.
“Do you ever think ahead?” Ankou repeated his same old argument. “If she frees him now, he’ll kill her.”
“Dowethink ahead? Doyou? You kidnapped Frankie.” Josie scoffed at him. “Have you learned nothing about us Marys? You knew we would come for her.”
Staring down his nose at her, he drawled, “That was kind of the plan, yeah.”
“This ‘plan’ of yours.” Carter brought out an insulated water bottle and took a long sip, delighting in the sourness twistinghis features. “Does it involve you two climbing without a drop to drink?”
“Last one to Abaddon brings the snacks.” He studied his dirty nails. “It is known.”
“Sure, pal.” Carter handed me the bottle, her expression going stern. “I’ve got more if you need it.”
Thirsty as I was, a refill was a strong possibility. “Thanks.”
Tongue darting out to wet his lips, he watched as I gulped noisily. “What about me?”
“Last one to break Josie’s heart dies a slow, painful death. I hadn’t planned on dehydration, but I’m willing to improvise.” She bared her teeth in a sharp grin. “It is known.”
Cartoon hearts filled Josie’s eyes as she gazed at Carter in adoration, and that was all Harrow could take.
“Let’s get this show on the road.” He gave Anunit a wide berth. “Frankie, we brought these too.” He placed a packet in my hand. “Homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were all we could swing in a rush.”
Probably the tart strawberry pepper jelly Vi canned each year with Jean-Claude’s organic peanut butter. I could taste the fresh brioche from the corner bakery, and the reminder of NOLA was a flash of warmth and color in this drab world.
“Thank God.” I ripped open the butcher paper and crammed half in my mouth. “You guys are lifesavers.”
“Now that the anklet is out of commission—” Carter collected the bottle of water from me so I could focus on tearing into my food, “—can you or Anunit teleport to Kierce, jailbreak him, then we crush the bead and call it day?”
“Dis Pater wards his property heavily.” Ankou stuffed his hands into his pockets. “No one can teleport onto his land. You have to walk into the lion’s den.”
No one could teleport into his home in Massachusetts either, but I was an exception to that rule.
“Anunit?” I rubbed her ear between my fingers. “What do you think?”
“His wards accept you in your world.” She angled her head toward me with a pleased rumble in her throat. “I do not see why they would rebuke you in this one.”
