I stared through the stone archway into the enormous stacks of books around the room, still in complete awe at this place.
And maybe Finn was right about me getting comfortable here, even if it had only been two days. Because if I was honest, part of me didn’t want all this to end. The longer I stayed here, the harder it would be to go back to the real world where I belonged.
I rose from the bath and grabbed a towel to dry myself off. I’d wear something simple, I thought. With the towel wrapped around me, I crossed to the wardrobe where my clothes were being kept.
Except just as I was about to get dressed, I heard the door slamming opening at the far end of the library. I turned to see Samael walking closer, his cloak pulled up. I held the towel close around me, flustered by this interruption.
“I’m not ready yet.”
He stood in the open archway that divided his room from the rest of the library, his eyes like two bright stars in the darkness. "It seems someone tipped off the Free Men." The sharp edge in his voice raised the hair on the back of my neck.
"Did they? How strange. Is tonight off then?"
The angel’s eyes remained fixed on me. I couldn’t tell if it was because I wasn’t wearing any clothes, or if he was suspicious of something. "The plan has changed. Instead of in the music hall, they will be meeting on a ship moored in the Dark River. I still plan to listen in, and you will be coming with me. I’ll be hiding in a secret room in the galley. But you will be moving around the ship. You will serve them drinks. I’d like you to listen in to their conversations, and read lips. Tell me anything you hear that sounds significant.”
I nodded and waited for him to move away. Except he just kept looking at me, his eyes searching. Was he trying to read betrayal? And why did I feel guilt?
He should be feeling guilt. I wanted to ask him if he’d been ripping out people’s lungs, but it wasn’t like he’d tell me the truth. I clutched the towel. “What do I need to wear?”
“Ernald will have some clothes for you there. There’s a certain style of dress for the women at the secret Free Men parties.”
“Ernald?” Understanding dawned. “Oh. He’s an informant for you, isn’t he?”
“He owns the ship. I understand the activities there are unsavory at times."
Unsavory. That certainly sounded like my boss.
Samael’s pale eyes swept down my neck, and I realized he was following the path of a droplet of water down my throat. I saw his fist clench, then he turned and stalked out of the room as forcefully as he’d entered.
I let out a long breath, then finished toweling off. Whatever happened tonight, I could only hope it didn't lead to the apocalypse that these angels wanted to create.
Whatever the storm was, I wanted to be on the right side of it.
Samael wore his dark cloak as usual. As we walked along the riverside, Sourial walked ahead, wearing a shirt for once, along with his blue star-flecked cape.
A warm, briny wind swept off the river. The setting sun dipped lower in the sky, like a ripe red fruit, and it stained the periwinkle clouds with streaks of orange. Vibrant colors rippled out over the dark water. Sometimes the city could be so beautiful.
As we approached the ship—to the west of the castle—I saw that it was very different from the ones I was used to pilfering. This one was an old-fashioned wooden galleon with enormous sails. It looked like a pirate ship from the old days, and it now functioned as one of Ernald’s many clubs.
Tonight, it wasn’t only the angels I had to worry about. What about the cop who I’d warned earlier today? If he was there, I wondered if he’d keep his mouth shut. His comment about looking out for compromised women disturbed me somewhat.
As we approached the ship, I quietly prayed to the Raven King that nothing terrible would happen.
At the walkway that led up to the ship, I followed behind the two angels. The quarterdeck rose above us to the right, and the old boards creaked as we crossed over to it.
We descended a narrow stairwell, which led us to an expansive captain’s cabin below deck.
And there was Ernald, sitting at one end of a long mahogany table. Normally composed and relaxed, his entire body seemed tense. His three-piece suit looked impeccable as ever, though. “Zahra,” he said, a little too pointedly. “How nice to see you again.”
Sourial dropped into a chair, then crossed his ankles on another chair. He pulled out a flask. “Can we kill these pigs or what?"
Ernald laughed nervously. "I thought you were just here to listen. That was my understanding. No death here tonight on the Merry Cauldron. Wasn’t that the plan?”
Samael cut in, "That's right. We are only here to listen. We're not going to strike right now. There's much information that we still need to gather. I want to know where they meet. What their numbers are. What they have planned. What valuable items they might have in their possession.”
I glanced at Sourial, lounging casually on the chair. It was so hard to reconcile this version of him with the dark-eyed monster I’d seen earlier today. Because when he was standing before those dead women, he’d looked like he was about to burn the world down and tear everyone apart, limb from limb.
29
Lila
Ernald rubbed his hands together. “Well, let’s get down to brass tacks.” He pointed behind me. “There’s a room where you can hide. Built long ago, back when an order of warrior monks were at war with the Albian king. The monks used to hide in secret rooms on these ships to escape the purges, burnings, all that. And now, my guests can pay extra to watch men and women …enjoy themselves …” He cleared his throat. “Well, you get my meaning. And you have certainly paid me handsomely indeed, so you can watch as much as you like.”
Then he looked at me. “Zahra.” Again over-emphasizing the name, as if he was trying to remind himself. “We’re going to need to change. You look lovely, but it's not that sort of place." He waved at my plain black trousers. "The women are wearing a lot less fabric than you are. Like you normally do, in your role as courtesan.”
I sighed. “I understand."
“And you may need to act in uh … accordance to your role. As courtesan.”
Here we go again. I closed my eyes, wishing I could get out of here.
Ernald pointed behind me again, and I turned to see a full-length mirror, framed with ornately carved wood. He sauntered over and pressed a small button on the right side of the frame—a small cherry carved into the wood. The mirror swung open, revealing a small room.
"This room has two entrances and exits," said Ernald. "There's another hidden door to the right just here."
I peered inside. It was only about two-foot square, with a plain bench where Ernald had left my outfit—if you could call the little bits of pale blue silk an outfit. The room had two-way mirrors on either side, giving a view of both the lower cabin and the captain’s cabin.
I supposed I’d better get changed. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me, then pulled off my dark clothes, my trousers. I slid out of my pink underwear, courtesy of Finn.
Because given what I was supposed to wear tonight, the hem would be sticking out. I tried to navigate the ribbons and straps and stockings, though it seemed things were criss-crossing in the wrong way. My thighs were completely bare, and on top I was wearing nothing but a thin camisole made of blue silk. I was in ridiculously tall high heels again.