Toby tossed his shirt on the bed after his doublet. He tipped water into the basin. It was hot. There was real soap!
So the tutelary had been testing him? It had not been as mistaken as it was making out, because it had sent Jacques to meet him and show him what exorcism could do. It was not being completely honest with him even now. It wanted something of him, but what? What would be written on the bill?
If it read his doubts, it did not comment on them. "The results were surprising. You did not invoke your demon. In fact you were prepared to die rather than try to use gramarye, so you had not yet lost your humanity, and that meant there was still hope for you. This was a complication, because you would lose that chance if the Inquisition got its hands on you, and of course von Münster and his troop were also after you by then. Consequently we offered you an exorcism. Our real intention was to give you sanctuary and our guidance in dealing with the hob. The exorcism itself would have been a last resort, only to be applied if we could not help you come to terms with—"
"If you had said so—"
"If we had said so, there would have been violent objections from the Inquisition and Captain Diaz and Hauptmann von Münster. But you amazed us again. In the end you chose the Inquisition! We regret the ordeal you have been through, Tobias, but you did make your own choice."
He did not believe any of this, not for a moment. Montserrat had manipulated them all, and especially him. It was still doing so. Then the glowing embers under the logs on the hearth reminded him of the braziers in the crypt, and he shivered.
"You did very well to defang Baron Oreste," the spirit said.
It did not say that it was surprised, though.
"That was all the don's doing."
"Oh, was it really?"
"Yes. I am grateful to you for sending him."
"Thank his mother," the spirit said with amusement. "A most valiant lady! Not that Ramon needed much persuasion once she suggested it."
But who or what had put the idea in Doña Francisca's head? "Holiness, can you help him?"
"The don? Help him in what way?"
Toby stared across the room at the boy's blank face. Conversations with mystic voices were very frustrating. "Well... Untangle his wits."
"Ah. You mean he does not draw the line between fantasy and reality in the same place you do?"
"Yes."
"Who is to say which of you is right? If you gave him the choice, would not he choose to have his reality made more like his fantasies, rather than the reverse?"
"I suppose so. But..."
"Have you ever seen him attacking a windmill, Tobias?"
"Attacking a windmill, Holiness? Why would anyone... No, I haven't."
"Then he is not as mad as he might be. Does he not always behave as if he knows a windmill is a windmill, however he may choose to describe it? Ask not what we can do for Don Ramon, but rather what will you do for him!"
"Me? I'm just a big stupid—"
Again the spirit chuckled. "You're not at all stupid when you think no one is watching. We are giving you answers, but soon we shall demand answers from you. You see that silver box on the table? Go to it."
Tossing down the towel, Toby walked over to the table. The box was finely crafted but small enough to fit in his fist. He had disregarded it, assuming it was only a tinderbox, but when he opened it now he found it to be empty. He turned to frown uneasily at the incarnation.
"This would hold a ring, perhaps? It is warded?"
"Very good! Yes. The demon that controlled Baron Oreste is named Avernus, and it is immured in a beryl. He describes it as a square, greenish stone held by eight claws in a gold setting."
Toby began to untie the binding around the ivory casket. "How dangerous will this be?"
"There is some danger," the spirit admitted. "You must be as quick as you can. We can keep the demon from Oreste, but we may not be able to prevent it from striking at you. You may see strange visions or feel the building shake. It may even hurt you. Try not to let these things distract you."
He undid the last knot and took hold of the lid. "Hurt me how badly?"
"Perhaps quite badly. The pain may be severe."
Oh, it must be nice to be an immortal and order people around like that! Toby opened the casket and nothing terrible happened. He fingered quickly through the glittering hoard inside until he found a gold ring with a square, greenish stone. He put that in the silver box and shut both of them. Then he turned around to glare at the paralyzed Alfonso.
"Well, did I pass that test? That's all it was, wasn't it? You were testing me again!"
"Partly. And yes, you passed. Your heartbeat never changed."
Upstart, overgrown elemental! "Blast you and your sleazy tricks!"
Alfonso suddenly turned his head to look straight at him. "Not all trickery, Tobias. The demon was loose, but we were able to contain it. Now we can put it where it will do no more harm."
"Then let's talk about the amethyst. Who stole it?" He took off the locket and opened it. A purple gem rolled out into his palm. He stared at the incarnation in bewilderment.
"The locket has been hexed, Tobias. If anyone but you opens it, they just find a black pebble—a very subtle piece of gramarye!"
"You did that!"
"It was none of our doing."
"Then who? The hob isn't capable of subtlety. It doesn't care about the stone anyway. Not Oreste. Some other spirit in Barcelona?"
"No. Oreste has subverted all of them."
Toby waited for more and nothing came. He hung the locket around his neck and stalked over to the bed, where garments lay waiting. They looked large enough, plain but well cut. He began to dress. The choirboy was still frozen in place, so the audience was not over yet.
"What happens next? Will you defend me from the Inquisition?"
"We will," the spirit said. "But we think you are safe from the Black Friars now. Having lost you twice, Vespianaso will be in deep disgrace—under suspicion of collusion, even. He may well learn something about the rack himself."
"That poor old man? Dear, dear!"
"We shall assign you a penance for that remark," the spirit said, "but not a very hard one. His brethren will hesitate to meddle with you. When you leave us we can certify that you have been cleansed of your demon."
"That's assuming I can learn to keep the hob suppressed?"
"Of course. We shall help you as much as we can, but you must not remain very long with us. We cannot defend you against Nevil, whether he brings his army or sends his legions of demons. A solitary assassin may evade our attention. You must leave soon. Now, we grant you one more question and then it will be our turn to ask."
Toby took a hard look at Alfonso's face, but of course it revealed nothing. What question was he supposed to ask? And what questions was he going to be asked?
"The locket, then. Who hexed it?"
"You did. We don't know when, but it doesn't matter. The fences are falling, Tobias. You and the hob are becoming dangerously close. You must not use it like that! If you were not aware that you were doing so, that merely shows the extent of your peril. Even an innocent little enchantment like that one may offer it an opportunity to take you over completely."
"And I must stay away from women, and danger, and try to be a saint like Brother Bernat!"
"Women, yes. Danger maybe—you are remarkably resistant to fear. Most of all stay away from demons, for they rouse the hob as nothing else does. Now we have three questions for you. First, what you are going to do about the demons in that casket?"
"Me? I give them to you! I have no need for demons."