“No.” Horror rounded Ankou’s eyes. “You wouldn’t dare…” He rubbed harder. “Youoweme, Bijou. Big time. I did everything I promised and more. Undo this before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late.”
A burst of light blinded me as the god himself materialized in the street, curiosity lining his face at the feast presented to him, a half-forgotten deity. Until he got a look at his offering. And the person responsible for it. Then the storm kicked up in intensity, growing until the Quarter shook with his anger.
Frozen like a deer in headlights, Ankou didn’t breathe for fear of what Dis Pater would do to him.
“Mouthy girl.” He scanned the street around us. “What have you done with my Viduus?”
“Good to see you too.” I plastered on a smile for him. “How about you and I make a deal?”
“You threw my last offer in my face.” He narrowed his eyes. “What changed your mind?”
The best excuse, the one he was most likely to believe, could get Ithas in loads of trouble.
And I was here for it.
“Better the devil you know.” I did my best to appear contrite. “I met my father—creator?—as I’m sure a certain little birdie told you.” A twitch set up camp beneath his left eye. “He wants me to usher in a new era of Alcheyvaha. He’s got big plans for me.” The twitch began contorting his features. “Plans that don’t involve my siblings.”
Hey.
If everyone else was using them as leverage, I might as well too.
A kernel of understanding lightened his features. “I see.”
“He wants me to become this power broker,” I lied through my teeth, feeding his worst fears to him as facts, “awarding Alcheyvaha magic to anyone who pays his fee or meets his conditions or however he plans on charging people. But he won’t protect my siblings from the fallout. He thinks I’ll be more powerful without them holding me back, and I must politely disagree. I don’t want them targeted for access to me.”
“You want to barter your siblings’ safety,” he said carefully, “in exchange for granting me access to the burial grounds.”
“I’ve spoken to Anunit. She understands the importance of family. She’s willing to bargain this one time. But only with you, and only if you swear to me you’ll keep Matty and Josie safe.”
“I’m not opposed to those terms.” The pinched lines around his eyes eased a fraction more. “I’ll even let Kierce help with security.”
Giddiness bubbled up in me that he got there before I had to nudge him.
“As much as I would love that, I can’t trust Kierce alone with my family. Not after you showed me how quickly he can be turned against us. For this to work, I’m going to need more certainty than that.” I kept my eyes clear, my voice strong. “I want Kierce released from his Viduus duties and his service to you.”
Dis Pater had the gall to laugh in my face, but his amusement was cut short as a black cloud materialized around Ankou in a darting frenzy.
“What is the meaning of this?” its smokey voice demanded of him. “Release my vassal.”
Ithas.
Ithas was here.
But if he was here, then…Lucia…
No. There was no time to dwell. I had to focus if I wanted to stay alive.
“I don’t think I will.” Dis Pater cut his eyes toward me. “Your daughter wants me to release Kierce from my service, so I’ll require a new Viduus. Ankou has been with you for centuries. He’s practically already trained. I can’t ask for a better trade than that.”
“You did this.” Ithas swarmed in my direction. “What do you hope to accomplish?”
“Dis Pater has something I want, and this was a guaranteed way to get his attention.”
Black dots thrummed like angry bees. “What does he have that I can’t give you?”
“Dis Pater will protect my siblings in exchange for exclusive access to the burial grounds.”
