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The mood shifted again, just slightly.
This was it.
Egret stretched again, arms behind his head. “What’s the first stop on our thrilling itinerary, Dr. Beckett?”
I sighed, pulling out my papers.
“Upon arrival, hotels first,” I said. “Juliette and you go to the Astoria, Henry and I head to the Gellért. We’ll wait a few hours before making our presence known to the Hungarian authorities. Henry will schedule his diplomatic meetings, while I’ll make inquiries into cryptographic research.”
I was good at the spy game, but getting used to all the new cover names still took effort. But, I supposed, it was better to get some practice in while we were still in friendly territory.
“Ah, yes, the academic hard at work,” Egret mused. “You must be tingling with anticipation.”
“You’re enjoying this too much,” I snapped.
“You’re enjoying this too little,” he countered.
I sighed again, looking to Will for support.
He smirked at me. Utterly useless.
Egret chuckled. “I must say, our esteemed Dr. Beckett is the perfect bureaucrat already. No humor, no joy, only duty.”
“At least one of us is taking this trip seriously,” I said, shaking my head.
“We’re all taking it seriously,” Sparrow said, her voice quiet but firm.
Egret glanced at her, something flickering in his expression, and for a moment, he softened.
“Of course we are,” he said.
I glanced out the window in time to watch the lights of Paris fading behind us.
Budapest waited ahead, a city full of ghosts, full of secrets, full of men who had spent their lives watching for shadows that looked like us.
Egret settled into his seat. “Wake me when we get there or if someone tries to kill us, whichever comes first.”
I glanced at Will, shaking my head.
He just laughed.
It was going to be a long ride.
7
Will
Thetrainrattledoverthe tracks, the rhythmic clatter settling into something almost hypnotic. Outside, the night pressed against the glass, streaked with passing shadows of trees and distant station lights. The cabin was warm and reeked of the unmistakable staleness of train upholstery.
Thomas and Egret had drifted off not long after dinner, both curled into their respective corners of the compartment. Thomas, ever the efficient sleeper, had his arms crossed, head tilted against the window. He looked peaceful. It was unfair, really. I could never sleep while traveling, not in a car or on a plane—and definitely not on a rattly, bouncy train.
Egret, on the other hand, had sprawled across his seat in a way that suggested he had never once struggled with the concept of shame.
Which left just me and Sparrow staring out at the endless dark of Europe rolling past. She shifted beside me, her arms wrapped around her middle, her eyes reflecting the dim glow of the overhead lamp.
“How long do you think before Egret starts snoring?” I murmured.
She smirked, glancing away from the window. “Five minutes, give or take, but he’s a professional. He’ll make sure it’s as obnoxious as possible.”