Page 106 of Till Death

“Gresidia Fischer,” I mouthed, shaking my head. “That’s never happened.”

“Do you think…” Hope grew in Thea’s eyes. “Do you think he’s safe, then?”

“I don’t know, but we need to call a meeting.” Hollis rushed out the door as the rest of us stood in shock. Within minutes, he’d returned. “I’m sorry to say it, Little Dove, but you’re going to have to hustle with that death.”

“Why?”

He pulled a roll of parchment from behind his back, the black ribbons long enough to touch the floor. “Looks like the boss got the stage fixed. We have to report by nightfall.”

Chapter 41

“This feels like a violation because I know how my power makes you feel, Paesha.”

“Gresidia Fischer is bonded to Alec Fischer, who used to run deals with my father ages ago. Think about it, Dey. What happens if the Maestro finds out you’ve got a name? What if he already knows what happens if you’re locked up with one? Do you think he won’t use that against you to bind you to him? Besides, there are posters everywhere across Requiem. If you get captured by Icharius, you can’t show up to perform, and again, we’re fucked.”

“Okay, you’re right.”

“I’m not saying I love this,” she said, pushing a final pin into her hair. “But this isn’t your choice either, and that has to count for something.”

I swallowed the guilt of accepting her help as her power rippled. We sat in a room I’d hardly ventured to, the one where the meetings had once been held, before Orin called everything off that day he’d been furious with me. She smoothed her hands over the intricate map of Requiem, far more updated than the tapestry hanging in Drexel’s office.

I held my breath, listening to her fingernails slide over the grooves of the fabric, while I waited.

Within minutes, she’d tapped the icon for the Gambler’s Quarter in Silbath. “At least it’s not too far from Misery’s End. If it takes a while, you can go directly to the theater. There’s an opium den right around here, and I’d bet my death she’s headed that way.”

I didn’t want to admit that I knew exactly the one she’d spoken of. That I’d been in that hell hole once or twice.

“I hate rushing this.”

She ignored my hesitation and jutted her chin toward the parchment in my hand. “Problem number two, now. Let’s hear it.”

I let the paper unroll across the map as Hollis and Althea stepped in to get a better look.

Maiden,

Whispers of fate, a deadly embrace,

Destiny bound in a dangerous chase.

He stands by your side, a phantom so near,

Near a god, a shadow to revere.

With weapons in hand, a dance they partake,

A tango of souls, eternity and pain at stake.

The stage is their battlefield, passion their cry,

Entangled in a waltz where truths and lies vie.

Ever yours,

DV

“Do you think he’s found a way to make you kill someone?” Thea asked, pointing to the word deadly.

“The deal was clear,” I said, beginning to pace. “He cannot ask me to do anything more than the rest of his performers do, nor can he ask me to kill anyone.”