“Oh, I see. Well, I always thought it would be potions but I’m really bad at them. It’s definitely not that.”
“You must have some hidden strength then, one we haven’t worked out yet.” And I kiss her nose. Then I kiss her cheek and ear and neck, climbing over her.
“Um, Nathan, I thought we weren’t . . .”
“I’ve realized what your Gift is.” And I’m kissing down her neck and on to her shoulder.
“What?”
“Being irresistible.”
Dresden, Wolfgang, and Marcus
The next day Van wants Annalise to spend time in the library with her and Gabriel. Nesbitt and I are to continue to search the bunker for anything that will be of use to the Alliance. We head for Mercury’s corridor, as we call it.
There are two rooms of “treasure”: jewels and furniture and several paintings, which we assume are either valuable or magical in some way. “But it’s impossible to know what they do, and I can’t see them being bugger-all use to us,” Nesbitt declares and walks out of the room.
The next room is the “blood room.” Shelves of bottles of blood, stolen from Council stores, that Mercury used to sell for potions or to carry out the Giving ceremony for those without parents or grandparents willing or able to do it. There must be one for my mother here: the blood Mercury would have used if she’d performed my Giving. Each bottle has a glass stopper fixed with a wax seal. Through the wax is a ribbon and to that is attached a label giving the name of the blood donor. There are eleven shelves on three walls and each shelf holds thirty or more slim bottles. Except that some bottles are missing—there are gaps. Perhaps where a bottle has been used or sold. The blood will be useful for Half Bloods, such as Ellen, who helped me when I was in London after I escaped. Ellen’s father is a fain, her mother dead, and the Council will only allow her a Giving if she works for them. Her mother’s blood is probably here: we could ensure she had a Giving.
“This stuff is more valuable than all those jewels and paintings. It’ll bring in more Half Bloods to the Alliance than anything else.” Nesbitt grins at me. “Power to the people, eh?”
We move on to the final room in the corridor, which is hard to move around in because it’s so full of jars, packets, and sacks.
Nesbitt says, “It’s like a Californian wholefood salad: packed with natural ingredients.” He passes me a jar and adds, “Not for the strict vegetarians, though.” It’s hard to see through the frosted glass and the light is dim but I can make out two eyeballs floating in clear liquid.
“What use would they be?” I ask.
“None to Mercury now. And, like most of this crap, not much use to the Alliance either.” Nesbitt puts the jar back on the shelf.
We head to the library to find the others. I’m surprised to see Gabriel and Annalise sitting at a table, talking to each other. Before I can join them Van takes me by the arm, saying, “They’re getting on better without you, I think. Leave them to it.” She steers me to the back of the room. “Anyway I want to show you something.”
It’s a tall bookcase filled with absurdly large leather-bound books, each almost a meter high and some as wide as my hand. In the wood of the bookcase is a small brass keyhole. Van takes one of Mercury’s hairpins from her pocket and puts the point into the keyhole. The front of the bookcase opens out to reveal another behind it. This too is filled with leather-bound books but they are all small and flimsy, like school exercise books.
Van pulls one out at random. “They’re Mercury’s diaries. A daily record of all she did and whom she met. I started going through them yesterday, hoping to find details of when and where she made her cuts. I think that’s the way Mercury traveled, and it’s certainly quicker and easier than by car.”
“You’ve not found anything yet?”
“Not about the cuts but Mercury describes everything, including the people she meets. She assesses them, working out who will be of use, how they can be manipulated or controlled, who’s a danger, and who can be trusted—not many in the latter category.”
“Does she say anything about me?” I ask.
“I’m sure she does but I’ve not come to that yet. However, there are other things that might interest you.” She picks up a book that’s lying apart from the others, and I see a page has been marked in it.
She says, “Gabriel found this. Let me read it to you.”