“Myla and I simply must visit the Wheeler Institute. Hard evidence is critical at this stage.”
“Can you really afford a jaunt to Earth?” asks Lucas. “Tomorrow is Thursday. Your case closes Friday. Per thrax law, you have only two days to present your evidence and related arguments to the Arbiter.” By the way, the Arbiter is the protector of the thrax court system. She’s like Cryptan, only a chick and a lot more frightening (or so I’ve been told.) Most people spend months planning their two precious days of speeches and arguments. Right now, it looks like Lincoln and I will wing it.
“We are going,” says Lincoln solemnly.
Lucas sighs. “Have you even written an outline of what you’ll say?”
“We said. We’re on it.” Don’t get me wrong. Lucas is a good guy, in general. But he does have a tendency toward mansplaining.
Lucas keeps on going like I haven’t said a thing. “Starting 9 a.m. tomorrow morning—and continuing through Friday at 5 p.m.—the Arbiter listen to your arguments as you highlight evidence from your codex. You have two precious days to make your case. Right now? It’s far too late to be out gathering new findings. At the end of the day on Friday, the Arbiter decides your case. Then on Sunday, your wedding takes place. There’s no room in that schedule for a covert mission to the Earth’s surface.”
“Myla and I have it covered.” Lincoln steps closer to the Earl. “What you need to ask yourself is this: how much do you want to end Acca?”
The Earl shivers so violently with rage, it sets his beads jingling. “That bastard Aldred has blackmailed my people for years. I want him gone. I’ll do anything, My Prince.”
“And I believe you.” Lincoln sets his hand on the elder man’s shoulder. “But I need your help.”
“Tell me. What can I do?”
“We’ll need spells, potions, and charms. All of them must be fine-tuned for only Myla and me. That way, we can investigate more quickly.”
“Agreed.”
“And one more thing…”
“Yes?” asks the Earl.
I worry my lower lip with my teeth. I know Lincoln well enough to guess what he’ll ask next. The Earl is not going to like it.
“Lucas, you must cast a compulsion spell to keep all of this a secret.”
The Earl takes a half step backward. “I would never betray you, Your Highness.”
“I know you wouldn’t wish to, my brother. But we’ve already seen your magic has been breached. Someone got into my study in the first place. Unless you cast an unbreakable compulsion on yourself, they may be able to pull information out of you against your will. Too much is riding on this mission. Myla and I can’t take any chances.”
I step over to Lincoln’s side. We do this double-team-intimidating thing on people sometimes. Our process is simple. Lincoln scowls. My tail swipes threateningly behind me. It works every time. When I speak, I take care to lower my voice. “We need your compliance on this. It’s important.”
“Fine, I’ll do it,” says the Earl as he speeds toward the door. “I’ll need to get some supplies first.”
Lincoln and I exchange a dry look. Compulsion spells can hurt like fuck. No doubt the Earl wants to avoid the pain for as long as possible. We can’t take that risk though. Even if Lucas does hate the Aldred, the Earl of Acca has a way of getting people to do what he wants. “Hey, buddy?” I ask.
The Earl stops and turns around. “Yes, Great Scala?”
Lincoln waves the Earl closer. “How about casting that compulsion spell first?”
The Earl’s face falls. He catches himself quickly though. “Of course.” He starts mumbling more incantations. A bunch of purple light-hoops start swirling around him.
I lean my head on Lincoln’s shoulder. “How long does it take him to cast spells?”
Lincoln bobs his head from side to side. “These will be personalized spells, and Lucas casts with power from Lucifer’s crown, so…” He purses his lips. “About an hour.”
“Huh.” We didn’t have any of this magic stuff in Purgatory. Most of it is new to me. “And he’ll be casting us a bunch of stuff. It’s going to be a long night.”
Lincoln kisses my temple. “At least we’ll spend the evening with questionable pizza and excellent company.”
I wrap my arm around his waist and give him a squeeze. “That we will.”
Chapter Nine