“Of course,” he said. “Go on.”
“Well . . . for the last two nights—ever since I saw that statue at your house—I’ve been dreaming of it.” She dropped her voice to nearly a whisper for that last part. “But there was more. It wasn’t just the statue I dreamed of. I saw a falcon too. A golden falcon. Only, sometimes, it seemed like the falcon was Senator Darling. Which doesn’t make any sense. I mean, none of it makes any sense, right? It’s just a dream. I wouldn’t think anything of it, except that I had it twice, and it just felt so . . . so real.”
She held her breath as she studied him and waited to see how her story would sink in. It was a lie, of course. In her research, she’d found that Osiris’s son, Horus, was often depicted as a golden falcon, and she’d mixed that imagery with her own speculation that any divine aspirations of the Citizens Party would involve Lucian. For a small moment, she felt a pang of regret that she was doing something bad in making up a story about a god . . . but then that suggested they were dealing with a real god. Tessa had never given much speculation to the validity of religions outside her own and didn’t have the time to now.
Dr. Cassidy paled. “Tessa, I can’t talk to you about any of this. I’m sorry. It’s for your own good.”
“But it means something to you, doesn’t it?” she insisted. “The falcon . . . Senator Darling . . . you know what it means.”
His face confirmed as much, but as Daphne had said, that wasn’t going to stand as hard proof. Tessa’s gamble had paid off in some ways, but Dr. Cassidy was too smart to admit to anything. She supposed he couldn’t have reached the point he was at now, advising one of the country’s most powerful political parties, if he so easily confessed to his clandestine doings.
“Tessa, remember what I said the other night? About how there are things that could endanger your path to citizenship? These same things could endanger me as well. I simply can’t talk to you about them.”
“But I wouldn’t tell,” she insisted.
His face looked truly pained. “I can’t be involved with this. I’m sorry.”
Tessa felt a bit of desperation at possibly losing this opportunity and hoped it came through in her to add legitimacy to her pleas. “But what if I have the dream again? What am I supposed to do? I know it means something. It’s not the kind of dream that fades away either. It stays with me all day. I can’t stop thinking about it. Please help me.”
She could tell he was on the edge of refusing again, but something finally held him back. “Hold on,” he said at last. “There’s someone I can call, a friend of mine who’s an expert in Egyptian history and mythology if you’re interested in learning more.”
Tessa started to say that wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind but then realized that was as close an admission as he was going to make. He might not know she was recording him, but he was still cautious of saying anything that might be quoted back against him. She gave a small nod. “Thank you.”
He took out his ego and strolled off to one of the small storage rooms adjacent to the main conference area. Although he shut the door, Tessa could still make out occasional snatches of conversation. “. . . don’t know . . . one of the elect . . . young . . . would have to be in public . . . bodyguard.”
Tessa waited as patiently as she could, with panic welling up inside her as she tried to school her face to neutrality. She hoped whatever nervousness she showed about her lies would just be read as anxiety about the recurring dreams. When Dr. Cassidy returned, his face was grim.
“Well, we’ve got a bit of luck, but I don’t think we can take advantage of it. My friend is actually here downtown as we speak, finishing up dinner with another colleague. She says she’d be willing to talk to you, which is nice and provides the convenience of a public place to meet, but she wouldn’t want your bodyguard around. Or even me. It’s really best at this point if you just meet with her, so we’ll have to find a time when you can be on your own to talk to her.”
Tessa could feel the opportunity starting to slip away, and her gaze fell on the adjoining rooms. “Do any of those lead out?”
“One is shared with a neighboring conference room, so—no,” he said with a groan. “No. I’m not going to encourage you to slip away from your bodyguard. Your family has that protection for a reason.”
“It’s my decision to make. Just tell your friend I’ll be there, and tell me where to go.” Seeing his reluctant face, she added, “There’s been no sign of danger, and it’s pretty unlikely tonight’s the night some adversary followed us here and is waiting outside this building—on its very public street—hoping that I’ll just happen to walk out alone.”
Dr. Cassidy wasn’t happy about the plan. Really, when all was said and done, he was a pretty upright person and didn’t want to be involved in the corruption or endangerment of youth. But it was also clear he felt her concerns and “dreams” needed addressing, and he took a chance on what he saw as the greater good, especially since his contact was relatively close and in a safe area. He showed Tessa the storage room that led to another conference room, which in turn was serviced by a corridor and elevator different from the one Rufus was currently waiting for her in. She sent Rufus a message saying she was staying late to help work on a project. He should have no reason to actually come look in the room to check on her, and if all went well, she could return later with him none the wiser.
Dr. Cassidy’s contact was dining in a very upscale establishment, and Tessa was glad she’d followed the YCC’s style of wearing dress clothes to their meeting. She still felt self-conscious as she stepped into the dining room, having to tell the hostess that she didn’t even know the name of who she was looking for. All Dr. Cassidy had told her was to look for a black-haired woman with gold coins in her hair.
Tessa soon found her, dining at a corner table with a man whose back was to Tessa. The cold coins were part of barrettes used to pin the woman’s thick hair into an elaborate updo. Tessa approached, and the woman glanced up. She said something to her companion that must have been a dismissal or farewell because he rose and held out his hand to shake hers goodbye. Tessa reached the table and then froze as he turned to leave.
It was Geraki.
The one time they’d met, he’d been in jeans and a T-shirt, so it was surprising to see him in an expensive suit now, with his shoulder-length hair neatly pulled back. He looked equally astonished and then threw back his head and laughed.
“You, huh?” he said to Tessa. “I should’ve guessed you were the potential protégée Damaris was meeting. Justin seems so reluctant when we meet, and all the while he’s been encouraging your calling. I knew his faith was greater than he let on. Enjoy the evening, ladies.”
He gallantly offered his chair to Tessa who took it nervously, as her stunned mind tried to fully process what he’d just said. The woman across from her had a serene, statuesque kind of beauty and smiled kindly at Tessa. “My name is Danique,” she told Tessa, who silently noted that that wasn’t the name Geraki had called her. “Our mutual friend tells me you’ve been troubled by dreams. I hope I might be able to help you.”
Tessa spun out the same story she’d told Dr. Cassidy, feeling even more anxious than before. If Danique was some kind of expert, then surely she’d see the lie that her colleague had missed. But Danique’s face remained calm and intrigued, showing no trace of disbelief or indignation.