A Book of Spirits and Thieves

She knew she had a lousy poker face. She’d have to snap out of her stunned fog and start really playing this game if she were to have any chance of winning.

“You mean the thing about how you’re an immortal god? Um . . . yeah, you could say I’m a little stunned. I’ve never met anyone like . . .” She cleared her throat, finding it tightening by the second. “. . . Like you.”

“I’m sure you have many questions, just as I have questions for you. I’d like to go first, if you don’t mind.”

She nodded, trying to keep her stare steady.

“How did you learn about the Hawkspear Society?”

Crys was a terrible liar, so it was her policy to go with the truth whenever possible. Plus, despite Markus’s innocent, youthful appearance, there was something in his intense, wizened gaze that hinted that he was a pro at detecting cons.

“I overheard my mother and aunt on the phone talking about Dad and why he left us. I’d never known the truth before. Or anything about their separation, really.”

“Your mother and your aunt. Julia and . . . Jackie Kendall.”

“Yes.” Of course he’d know their names. He probably knew everything about his members’ families.

“And once you overheard this conversation, you immediately decided you wanted to join a society you knew nothing about?”

“Well, no. What I originally wanted was to have a relationship with my father again. But the more I learned about your society, the more interested I became in it.”

“What exactly did Daniel tell you about Hawkspear?” His tone was even and pleasant, but Crys was not about to mistake this conversation for a friendly chat over tea and cookies. She knew that Markus was only gently grilling her to determine if she was worthy.

She needed to prove herself worthy. She needed to know more about the Bronze Codex, and to do that, she needed to gain Markus’s trust.

“He didn’t tell me much,” she admitted. “He even made me wear a blindfold on the way here. But I do know he’s committed to you. He chose this society over his family. My father never would have made a decision like that lightly. He believes in you. He believes in your mission. And if my father believes in you, then I know I can, too.”

He sat there, silently assessing her. His narrow-eyed gaze moved over her slowly. “You look quite a bit like Daniel, especially your eyes. But I see a great deal of Julia in you, too. Both your appearance and your demeanor. She and her sister always used humor to help lighten difficult discussions.”

This comment surprised her. “You’ve met my mother and Jackie?”

“Yes. I am quite acquainted with them both. They were once two of my most valued members.”

Time skidded to a halt, and Crys had to clutch the sides of her armchair to steady herself in the moment.

She must have heard him wrong.

“I take it that this is news to you.” A smile pulled at Markus’s lips again as he regarded her unshielded shock. “I’m not surprised.”

“You’re saying that my mother and . . . and Jackie . . . were part of your society,” Crys managed to repeat, her voice strained.

“They certainly were. Have they told you anything about your family history, Ms. Hatcher? Anything at all?”

Any confidence she’d walked into this room with was now slipping through her grasp. She tried very hard to hold on to the small measure of composure she had left.

“I guess they haven’t,” she admitted quietly. “I know the bookshop has been in the family for a long time.”

“Yes. Your great-grandfather, Jonathan Kendall, purchased the building as a gift for his wife, Rebecca. She adored books, so she turned it into a bookshop. And now it’s all that remains of the Kendall fortune.”

“Yes, that’s pretty much the only story I know about him.”

“So I take it that you’re not aware that Jonathan Kendall also cofounded the Hawkspear Society with me.”

She tried to keep the fresh wash of shock off her face but knew she’d failed. “No, can’t say that’s ever come up at the family dinner table.”

“When I first came to Toronto, Jonathan invited me to stay with his family, for as long as I liked. Eventually he confided in me that he’d had a powerful vision. Of me. Before I’d arrived and before we’d ever met. He told me he’d known for some time that we were destined to start an organization together, that we’d be dedicated to protecting the citizens of this city from those who’d want to harm them. And so the Hawkspear Society came into being. Generations later, your mother—when she was still a Kendall—and your aunt were inducted. Julia was the one who nominated Daniel for membership after they met and fell in love. The rest, as they say, is history.”