That’s a shocker. “You know who I am?”
“I’ve been alive a long time. I’ve met a Scala before. Your energy is unique.” Jeeves pulls the lapels of his blue pea coat more tightly around him. “What can I do for you both?”
“We’re looking for Lucifer’s coin,” says Lincoln.
“Sorry to say, that’s hidden on the island. Even I don’t know exactly where it is.”
Wait, what? “So what are you protecting, exactly?”
“Access to the island. It’s enchanted so this boat’s the only way on or off.”
My bullshit-o-meter is going off in a big way. “And that’s it.”
Lincoln folds his arms over his chest. “He also guards the incantation.”
Jeeves shudders. “That’s right. I guard the parchment that contains the incantation. The coin is no good without it.”
“And where is that incantation, exactly?” asks Lincoln.
I raise my pointer finger. “Good question.”
Jeeves twists his gnarly fingers through his beard. “Let me think, now. I gave the parchment away words out once, a long time ago. Can’t remember the name, actually.”
“Try harder.” Lincoln’s talking about an octave lower than normal. He’s getting pissed.
“Ah, I remember. I gave it to a thrax male many hundreds of years ago. He had a spell.” His face crinkles into a hopeful look. “He didn’t get the coin, though. No one’s found that yet.”
“And the name of the dude you gave it to?” I cross my fingers. Maybe Dad got bad intel. He could have coughed up that parchment to anyone. It didn’t have to be Acca.
Jeeves stares at his hands. “King Archard the Bloody.”
Oh crap.
Bloody Archard. Even I’ve heard of that guy. He was the last Acca king and a real bastard, too. In fact, Bloody Archard was the whole reason Aquila had to haul her archangel cookies down to Antrum in the first place. She defeated Bloody Archard, fell in love with a thrax named Ryder, had some kids, and—BOOM—the House of Rixa was born.
I try to process all this awfulness. Total fail. “Let me get this straight. You definitely gave incantation to a thrax from the House of Acca?”
“I’m afraid so.” Jeeves moans. “He tricked me. Used magic.”
“Does Aquila know?” I ask. “Can she give us a new incantation?”
“I never told her,” says Jeeves.
“You’re kind of a shitty protector, you know that?”
“Why should I upset her? There was nothing to be done, anyway. Once the incantation is set, it cannot be changed. And for hundreds of years after I handed over the parchment, nothing came of it. I figured the knowledge died with Bloody Archard.”
“The House of Acca doesn’t lose knowledge,” says Lincoln. “They pass it down, storing it up for the right time to use it.”
“I’m so sorry.” Jeeves’s voice cracks. “I knew I should have never have even spoken to Bloody Archard, but my work here is so lonesome. Bloody Archard said he wanted to share words, not take the coin. I had no idea I was opening myself up to a compulsion spell.” He leans forward in the boat, and the motion is so dramatic, the little vessel starts wobbling. “Let me make it up to you. There must be something I can do.”
“You can tell us about Prescott,” says Lincoln.
I shoot Lincoln a thumbs-up. “Another good call.” My guy is on a total roll today. “He’s got the hots for this so-called Lady of his. Know anything about her?”
“Ah, yes, the Lady. I rowed her back and forth for a few weeks about, ah, six months ago.”
“What can you tell us about her?” asks Lincoln.
“She is a vision of beauty. I can see why Prescott favored her. They still write dozens of love letters each day.” He reaches into his pea coat. “I have one of them here.” Jeeves pulls out a small, familiar-looking envelope.
“I’ve seen those before. Prescott has an entire drawer of them in his office.” I shiver. “They aren’t great reading.”
Lincoln smirks. “Then I’ll take a look, since you’re so squeamish.” He takes the letter, opens it, and scans the contents. My guys’ face turns a little green. I’m so mature I don’t even tease him about it.
“Enjoying that letter?” Okay, maybe I tease him a little.
“Well, that was way too much information.”
“Yeah, I think all the letters from the Lady are like that.” I return my attention to Jeeves. “Do you have any letters from Prescott?”
“None, Great Scala.”
“How about the Lady?” I ask. “Anything else we should know?”
“She was a lust demon, or partly. Took me a while to figure it out. The Lady was always under a full body enchantment.”
Lincoln folds his arms over his chest. “How can you tell? Those are impossible to see through.”
“I’ve got a good eye, and the Lady was too perfect. I rowed her back and forth every day. Never was there a hair out of place. Never saw a drop of grime on her heels. Too perfect. That’s the sign of a full body enchantment.”
I let out a low whistle. That kind of magick is tricky stuff. It’s also not typical for a lust demon. “How do you know she’s a lust demon?”
“Well…” Jeeves starts squirming again. “You may not like this, miss.”