Page 36

CHAPTER 36

N icola left, and I dialed Master Adolphus.

“Master, you’re on speaker, and Masters Mikhail and Jonas are with me,” I said. “Nicola just left. She wants me to find Verner, and although she didn’t actually say it, I think she wants my help in extracting him. But I don’t trust her to protect me.”

“A very wise concern,” Adolphus said.

“And that is my concern as well,” Jonas said. “I understand that Verner’s final death would create the kind of chaos none of us wants, but she says the jockeying for position has already started. I think the Church has bitten off more than they can chew.”

Master Mikhail cleared his throat, then said, “I’m not convinced the Church—or at least the head of the Knights—didn’t understand the consequences of choosing to take him instead of killing him. Increased chaos that distracts from what they’re doing might help them to gain a leg up on Müller. The rise in turning new strigoi is just the thing to grab the attention of the Kantonspolizei.”

“Leaving the Knights free to pursue their own goals without having to explain or coordinate with Müller’s forces,” Adolphus said. “Possibly. I have met the Knights’ seneschal only twice, but I got the impression he is more seasoned than our Herr Müller—and possibly more clever.”

“Okay, so we have the strigoi, the Church, the Knights, and Müller all disrupted by this attack and its aftermath,” I said. “We know the downside of it all, and believe me, getting killed by stepping into the mess is as big a downside as I can imagine. But what are the possible upsides? What do we have to gain? Anything?”

That brought thoughtful looks from the men in front of me, and silence from the phone. I certainly wasn’t going to suggest anything.

Adolphus was first to break the silence. “Doing nothing is also an active decision. We have to think about what kind of power—what kind of edge—holding Verner bestows on the Church and the Knights. They are suddenly far more powerful today than they were yesterday.”

Jonas nodded. “They can’t be discounted or shoved aside. Any negotiations or agreements need their involvement.”

“Katy, can you find this strigoi overlord?” Master Mikhail asked.

“Oh, yes, I can find him, alive or dead. Extracting him is another matter. I can’t fight a hundred Knights by myself. And if Nicola is given the choice between rescuing Verner or me—well, that’s a bet I am not willing to take.”

I left the masters to debate things and went inside to help Dominica with dinner, which seemed far more productive.

* * *

N o one discussed Nicola or her proposed rescue operation—at least in my presence—for the rest of the day. But the following morning, I received a call from Master Adolphus.

“What kind of backup would you like to have if you agree to a rescue operation?” he asked.

“A tank battalion with a company of battle mages,” I said, not entirely facetiously.

“How about thirty hand-picked Enforcers and five battle mages,” he replied.

“Hand-picked by whom?”

“Captain Le Pen.”

“You know, I could agree to do her tracking, then go home, and let her figure out her own rescue.”

“That sounds like a wise course of action. Do you think it’s feasible?”

We talked for almost four hours, discussing various scenarios, possible plans, and escape strategies. By the time we were finished, I was exhausted, and I wished we could discuss things in person rather than over the phone. As inscrutable as he often was, I could still read him a little bit. Even a zoom call would have been better, but he didn’t have a computer.

Nicola came for me that evening. I met her on the road outside Master Mikhail’s fence line and got in the back of her limo with her.

“You need to take me to Master Adolphus,” I said. “I need to speak with him and sort out the logistics of my guardians and your security. Did you bring something with Master Verner’s DNA?”

She held out a hand. A real hand.

“He lost this when they took him. It will grow back, of course, but it should work for your purposes.”

I didn’t want to touch it, and fought to hold my dinner down. Rolling down my window, I gulped fresh air.

“Okay. Just put it away. Okay?”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you were squeamish. I heard you were a great strigoi slayer.”

“I defend myself and others, if necessary, but I don’t take trophies.” Thinking of the heads I’d collected bounties for in Queen City, I decided I was being a bit hypocritical. But I really didn’t want Verner’s hand. It was something out of a horror movie.

Her limo was too long to make the turns in the narrow streets near the Master’s house, so we got out and walked. I sort of felt like I had a target on my back, but our route was lined with Enforcers and strigoi who were obviously actively ignoring each other. I noticed the strigoi were all armed with assault rifles. I wasn’t sure if that would help them against Knights who were able to shield themselves magically.

When we reached the house, I entered, and Nicola followed me with two of her bodyguards. In the main dining room, we found Master Adolphus, Captain Le Pen, Hans, Gertrude, and five other people I didn’t recognize. Those people were all mages with incredibly strong auras, each with a different affinity.

We sat, and the Master offered Nicola and her escort cups and a pitcher. Gertrude poured me tea.

“So, here’s the plan,” Master Adolphus said. “Kaitlyn will attempt to track Verner Karlsson as long as Nicola attests that he has not met the final death. If his captors kill him, Kaitlyn will immediately cease her participation in this venture. Are we clear?”

Nicola nodded.

“If she finds him, her participation ends,” he continued. “She and the other Guild personnel are not committed to his rescue. I hope this is also clear.”

Nicola, completely stone-faced, said, “That is clear. But simply waving a hand in the direction she thinks he’s being held is not terribly helpful, Adolphus. We’re fairly certain he’s being kept in the vaults under the Liebfrauenkirche , or other Church buildings in that area. We could spend nights searching—we have spent nights searching—and not stumble onto him.”

“And that may be part of the problem,” I said. “They could be moving him around. I’m not limited to searching at night.”

She turned to me, astonishment clear on her face. “Moving him around? Why would they do that?”

“What makes you think he’s still in the city?” I replied. “Why wouldn’t they move him around. Carrying his box around to different places every day would make it rather difficult for you to find him at night. You don’t recheck the places you searched the night before, do you?”