“What about the thrax who ran away?” asks Lincoln. “They were at the top of the stairs when Adair possessed the rest of the Ballroom. Ghouls chased after them. What happened next?”
I grab Lincoln’s hand and give it a squeeze. Nice thinking, babe. Everyone else may buy a story that I possessed the Knights, but the thrax who escaped the Ballroom would’ve seen the full truth. Maybe they’re in Antrum right now, clearing my name.
“I know all about those thrax from the staircase,” says Connor. “Unfortunately, it seems they bad falls once they left the Crystal Ballroom. They’re all safe now, recovering in the palace infirmary.”
Lincoln’s eyes narrow. “So they were attacked by the ghouls, but now they say they all fell on their own?”
“That’s their story,” says Connor. “A pack of lies, of course. They’re afraid of Acca’s wrath. I’m so sorry, my boy.”
My jaw clenches with held-in rage. Maybe they’re clearing my name? Maybe they’re in Antrum acting like a bunch of pussies. My inner wrath demon flares to life inside me. I slap my palms onto the tabletop.
“So, how much longer will we pretend this isn’t a catastrophe?” I ask. “Some psycho’s gotten my igni. I want all of my powers back, pronto. We have souls to move in less than twenty-four hours.”
“You’ve not enough igni for an iconigration, then?” asks Connor.
How I hate admitting this. “No, I don’t.”
“We’ve news in that front,” says Octavia. “The Earl of Acca visited after you left. He says he speaks for Adair.”
“And you believe him?” Adair doesn’t seem like the type to let anyone speak for her.
“Never,” retorts Octavia. “But in this case, I see no reason why Adair wouldn’t use her father as go-between. The Earl has a message for you. He says Adair can move all your souls tomorrow.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I caution. “Let’s not get hysterical. Sure, I can’t perform an iconigration right this second. But if I can sneak into Antrum, drag Adair out, and get my powers back, then everything will be fine.”
“I’ve some crack angelic troops we can send in as well,” adds Dad. “They’re experts at extracting criminals from sticky situations. We still need to figure out how to restore Myla’s igni, but that’s something we can focus on once we have Adair back in custody.”
My tail gives Dad a high-five. Way to back up your daughter!
For the last two hours, Dad’s been leading the planning side of our special ops mission. At this point, all we really need is some intel on Adair’s location. That’s where Lincoln’s parents come in. If they can say where Miss PsychoPants is hiding out, we can take the rest from there.
“It’s a rock-solid plan,” I declare. “I’d be happy to walk you through it.”
Octavia’s face melts with sympathy. “Whatever operation you have in mind, I see four issues with it. One, Acca has control over every Pulpitum, so we can’t get you into Antrum without their knowledge. Two, even if we could, we’ve no idea where Adair is. Antrum’s huge; it could take weeks to track Adair down, and that’s assuming she didn’t escape into another realm.”
I frown. Okay, the lack of Adair intel is a huge bummer. That definitely throws a monkey wrench into our special ops mission.
“Three,” continues Octavia. “Supposing you do find her and take her back to Purgatory, you didn’t have much luck getting your powers out of Adair when she was in prison before. What makes you think you’ll succeed now? And four, if your mission is discovered, the Earl will back down from his offer to have Adair do the iconigration.”
“Assuming that offer is genuine,” I caution.
“I give it a fifty-fifty chance. Still, those are the best odds you have to move souls in the morning. I don’t see the benefit in jeopardizing that opportunity until we know if they’ll keep their word.”
The tiny hairs at the back of my neck prickle. I can see where Octavia is going with this, and it’s not a nice place. “What are you saying, then? We shouldn’t even try?”
Connor starts to speak, but Octavia raises her hand. “No, I think it’s better if this comes from me.”
“If what comes from you?” asks Lincoln slowly.
Octavia folds her hand neatly on the tabletop. “Trust me, I have no joy in sharing this message, but the Earl of Acca is willing to guarantee that Adair will be compliant, in writing if you like. She’ll move the souls you want, when and where you want them, for as long as she lives. But there’s a price.”
Suddenly, it’s very clear why Connor and Octavia were allowed to come to Purgatory so quickly. Lincoln. My stomach twists with disgust. I didn’t just free Lincoln from Adair’s mind control only to have this happen.
Dad leans back in his chair. “Does this compliance include protection for Myla and Camilla? I’d assumed Adair held nothing but ill will towards my daughter.”
“They’re both explicitly covered,” replies Octavia. “And Myla’s here right now, isn’t she? If Adair wanted to, she could have sent her to Hell already.”