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“I’m not helping you, you stupid, moldy carcass, I’m helping her. I don’t like hurting people who don’t deserve it. Made a promise never to do it again. Not after what happened to Ally. Do I want you to fix your phylactery and be a continuous threat to the world? No. Do I think it’s worth killing her over? Absolutely not.”

“I appreciate that,” Maggie muttered. “Gee, does this make us friends, Rinnie?”

The priest snorted. “I guess so.”

I have an odd life. Gideon rubbed his hand over his face with a weary sigh. “Then what do we do, priest? Do we continue this game of tag around the globe?”

“We do. Until Maggie decides what she wants to do with you. If she sides with you, well, then we’re gonna have to revisit this whole ‘not killing her’ thing. But if she sides with us, I’d hate for her to be a casualty here for no reason.”

“No pressure or anything.” Maggie rolled her eyes.

“I want to give you the chance to do the right thing, kid.”

“Thanks. I hate it.”

Gideon would have laughed at her deadpan humor if the situation had been different. “Very well, priest. Now—how do we get out of this particular situation? I assume we are being watched.”

“Close enough they can see us, not close enough they can read lips. Made sure of that.” Rinaldo sniffed dismissively. “Hey, lunkhead, think you can get her out of here safely when the shit starts to fly?”

“I’m not a lunkhead,” Harry growled.

“Answer the question, lunkhead.”

Harry sighed. “Yes.”

“Good. All right, lich.” Rinaldo grinned. “Let’s make an international incident.”

Gideon met the priest’s expression with one of his own. “Gladly.”