“Do you want to enlighten me?”
“Never mind,” he said. “Your godfather is walking over, and he looks unhappy.”
At least unhappy was an improvement over homicidal.
Linus marched toward us. “Come with me.” It didn’t sound like a request.
“Do you want me to bring the food to the kitchen?”
“Leave it, please.”
We followed him into the study, a place of floor-to-ceiling mahogany shelves, leather chairs, and original art on the walls. The air smelled of aromatic cigars. Linus shut the doors. A metallic click announced the lock engaging. Great. Now we were locked in.
Next to me, Alessandro was still, but ready, his magic coiled like a python about to strike.
Linus strode to his desk and placed a palm on the glass plate within it. A drawer slid open from the wall. Linus walked to it and retrieved a wooden box about a foot long and half as wide. He set the box on the desk.
“Do you want to find Halle?”
What kind of question was that? “Yes.”
“And you, do you want to find Sigourney’s killer?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Alessandro said.
“You two have stumbled onto a uniquely dangerous secret. There are three types of people who have this knowledge: the soon-to-be-dead, the criminals, and the Wardens. The only way for you to avoid the first two categories is to accept my authority.”
Alessandro bared his teeth.
“I’m trying to keep you alive, you young idiot,” Linus snapped.
He picked up the box and opened it. Inside on black velvet lay a simple dagger with a wooden grip and a wooden crest with a staff carved in its surface. A tiny clear jewel marked the top of the staff. Above it, a banner reading In ministerium hominis curled along the edge. In the service of man. And that wasn’t ominous. Not at all.
“Catalina, place your hand on the seal,” Linus ordered.
I hesitated. He was about to swear me in, and I had no idea to what. I wanted to call Rogan, or Arrosa, or someone to ask them for advice. If I asked him for a lifeline, he would probably explode.
“Catalina,” Linus said, “I have your best interests at heart.”
I met his gaze. “And if I don’t do this, will I walk out of this house?”
“Of course. But if you don’t do this, I cannot protect you from what follows.”
“Protect me from what?”
“The combined might of the National Assembly.”
Cold shot through me. Nobody could take on the entire National Assembly, not Rogan, not Linus, no one.
What do I do?
“Your safety is very important to me,” Linus said. “I’ll do everything in my power to shield you; however, my power has limits.”
“He really does have your best interests at heart,” Alessandro said. “He’s invested in your survival.”
“Be quiet,” Linus told him.
“I’m trying to help.”
Things were moving way too fast and there was no time to acclimate. There was no opportunity to make an informed decision. I just had to do the best I could and hope I didn’t screw it up.
“If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t be in this mess,” Linus said.
Alessandro raised his eyebrows. “I’m curious, have you ever attempted to prevent her from doing what she wanted to do? I’d be delighted to hear how it went.”
“If you had kept Sigourney from dying, none of this would be necessary,” Linus growled.
“She died while I was in the air over the ocean. Perhaps, if you had been a better friend, she wouldn’t feel the need to hire—”
“Enough.” I put my hand on the seal. I didn’t really have a choice.
“By the power vested in me by the National Assembly of the United States, I, Linus Duncan of House Duncan, Warden of the State of Texas, hereby appoint you, Catalina Baylor, to the office and responsibilities of Deputy Warden of the State of Texas. Do you swear to give your loyalty to and obey the orders of the National Assembly and its appointed representatives?”
He paused.
“Yes.” That seemed like the only reasonable answer.
“Do you swear to faithfully and honestly fulfill your duties to the best of your ability?”
“Yes. I swear.” To fulfill the “I don’t know what duties” by “I have no idea which means.”
“Do you swear to never directly or indirectly reveal matters pertaining to the Office of the Warden and any investigation or inquiry undertaken by it unless questioned by a Warden or testifying before the National Assembly?”
“What if I’m subpoenaed by a court of law?”
“You’ll have to plead the Fifth.”
“I could lose my license.”
“You could lose your life.”
“Would the National Assembly provide me with legal representation?”
Linus smiled. “In the two hundred years the Office of the Warden has existed, no Warden or Deputy has ever been called to testify about matters of the office in a civil court. But, should such a thing occur, yes, the Assembly will provide you with defense and you can be assured it will be vigorous.”
“I swear.”
Linus took the dagger out and held it to me. “Cut the thumb of your right hand. Not a deep cut. We just need a drop of blood.”
I took the dagger and pricked my thumb. A drop of blood swelled.
“Place it on the gem.”
I put my bloody thumb onto the jewel crowning the staff. Magic swirled from the seal. The wood cracked and a glowing gold tendril slipped out of the gap, curling and growing like a grapevine. It hovered over my forearm, spiraling. So beautiful.
The vine dived at my forearm and pierced the skin. I yelped and dropped the dagger. Agony gripped my arm, scorching me. The world went dark, and against that midnight blackness the glowing vine burned in a fiery ring . . .
My eyes snapped open. I blinked away the tears.
I tried to stand. The floor wasn’t there. Also, there was a metal robot arm clutching me. Was I still passed out and hallucinating?
“There, she’s awake,” Linus said. “I told you.”
I twisted to look over my right shoulder. Alessandro wore a reinforced exosuit. The power armor towered above me, bristling with weapons. He was holding me with one armored arm and pointing the other at Linus. Four laser sights lit up Linus’ chest with a raspberry glow.
“Are you all right?” Alessandro asked, his voice deepened by the armor.
“Yes. How?”
“He won’t tell me how, but this is one of my suits,” Linus said. “They’re stored fifty feet under us in an armored vault and taken out only for special occasions. Quite remarkable, really.”
Alessandro gently set me down. The power armor whirred, split along the seams, and hydraulics lowered Alessandro to the floor. He stepped out and brushed imaginary dust off his suit sleeve.
He’d tried to save me from Linus. I was unconscious for barely a minute, maybe two, and the two of them had nearly murdered each other.
“It’s not polite to play with other people’s toys,” Linus told him. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or amused. Either way, it wasn’t good.
Alessandro shrugged. “Sometimes it’s necessary.”
“This wasn’t one of those times.”
“I’ll make that determination for myself.”
My arm hurt like hell. I rubbed it, expecting a brand or a burn, but no blemishes marked my skin.
“Normally you would undergo weeks of training, but there’s no time.” Linus stood next to me and raised his arm. “Think of your magic as a bubbling fountain and use it to push the vine to the surface.”
A double circle appeared on his forearm, formed by a vine with tiny leaves. In the middle of the ring a five-point star glowed, outlined with vine shoots.