I showed him the letter from Zrakovi. “It was delivered to my hotel room. Mace has obviously told Zrakovi that Jake infected me, and that our bond was a deal so I wouldn’t turn garou and you’d get on the council. I’ll lose my job. I might be arrested, and so might you—all Mace has to do is convince Zrakovi that we conspired to impact the makeup of the Interspecies Council.”
Which is exactly what we’d done, although I’d made the deal before figuring out Rand’s agenda.
“It’s our word against his.” Rand’s voice was tinged with uncertainty.
“Nope. Other people knew. Lily’s dead, of course, and your mom, but Betony was there at the regression.” Which was a nice word for the mental rape and torture they’d put me through, stealing my memories—including that one. “And Alex knew.”
Rand growled in a very Alex-like way. “Will he talk?”
I looked at the wide-planked floor of the gazebo, painted a pristine white. “I don’t want Alex to be forced to lie to Zrakovi.”
“Even to save Jake or to save you?”
“He’ll do what he thinks is right.” And I wasn’t sure what that would be. I didn’t envy Alex the decision, but I couldn’t see a way to keep him out of it.
Rand got up. “You need to leave.”
“What? We need to plan a strategy. At least make sure we’re saying the same things.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have things to take care of. I’ll see you tonight at the council meeting.”
He got up, walked out of the gazebo, and a few seconds later I heard the sound of his boot heels as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.
I had no idea what just happened, but at least he was focused on Mace instead of Eugenie.
Fortunately, I still had a key to Eugenie’s house, so I pulled a thick garden flag from Rand’s inventory, wrapped it over my head babushka-style, and slogged my way across the thick snow that had settled onto Magazine Street. Technically, the street wasn’t closed, but it might as well be. The few vehicles inching along were of the high-riding military type.
When I got to her porch, I looked back to make sure Rand wasn’t watching. Otherwise, he might follow me, and I needed to snoop and see if I could figure out where she went.
I tried the obvious first, calling her cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. I left a message for her to call me and promised I had nothing to do with Rand’s attempt to move her to Elfheim.
After a half hour of poking around the house and finding nothing of help, I sat and tried to clear my mind. Eugenie had a sister in Shreveport; she always went there when we had to evacuate for hurricanes.
I didn’t think she’d go to family, though. There was no way to explain the real details of this pregnancy to anyone, or why she was hiding. Eugenie was a really bad liar; she made me look like a pro. Normally, the person she’d go to was me. If she went to the hotel and I wasn’t there … Well, of course I knew where she was.
I punched speed dial: P-for-pirate.
“Hello, Drusilla. Why did you not share your lovely friend’s delicate condition?”
Well, that answered my question. “Is she okay?”
“Oui. Christof heard her at your hotel door and fetched her. She is quite frightened of your elf.”
God, even I had been calling him my elf, albeit in the way one would say my dog or my car. “Yeah, well, my elf has bigger problems right now, and so does Jake.” I filled Jean in on my summons to the hearing. “You’re probably going to have to bust Jake out of there and get him to Barataria,” I told him. “I can’t see any way they’re going to let him go.” Adrian’s tape would prove his innocence in killing Hoffman, but not in losing control with me.
“This will be done, but my concern is for you, Jolie. Your Elders will know that you lied to them about Jacob and your elf.”
“So did Alex.”
Jean made a rude noise into the phone. “Monsieur Chien is much like a Monsieur Chat. He has many lives and lands on his paws.”
“I’m on my way to talk to him now. Will you keep Eugenie there and make sure no one finds her?”
“But of course, Drusilla. I have already offered her the protection of Jean Lafitte and his men.”
I ended the call and sat for a few minutes, staring into the cold fireplace. It struck me once again that Jean was assembling quite an army of misfits and the disenfranchised—which was exactly what he’d done in his human life. His legion of a thousand pirates, all of whom swore loyalty to him, weren’t formed of whole cloth. He’d collected them, offering them safe haven and potential wealth in exchange for their loyalty and service.
And so it was again.
Time to get busy. I didn’t see any way I’d get a sane cab driver willing to take me out to Lakeview to put together potions, wait for me in the thickening snowfall, and then drive me back here, so I plundered Eugenie’s kitchen and bathroom for ingredients that might be helpful for simple potions.
Sitting at her kitchen table, I put together some basic charms—confusion, smoke, fire, laughing potion, hive inducers. Two ice charms made especially for Mace Banyan. Those I’d enjoy using. I powered them up using the elven staff.
Finally, I loaded everything up and checked the time on my cell phone. I was supposed to meet Rene at City Park at seven, and it was four. That left just enough time to talk to Alex.