“There is another advantage you haven’t mentioned.” All eyes turned toward Stefan Kasprzyk, the Kurgan trove keeper. “The Nephilim want to destroy the Arkana, but they won’t dare to raise a hand against us until after the treasure has been found.” He chuckled sardonically. “That will give us time to prepare a defense since we can be sure they will attack us immediately afterward.”
“Just to be clear,” Grace piped up, directing her comment to Cassie. “You are planning on double-crossing the Nephilim after you find the Sage Stone, right?”
“Oh, absolutely.” Cassie nodded vigorously, returning to her seat.
The Circle grew still as its members individually evaluated the proposal.
“Does anyone have any objections?” Jun asked. He waited a few moments, but no one spoke up. “Very well then.” He shifted slightly in his chair to address Cassie and Griffin. “It would appear that you have the full support of the Arkana in implementing this plan. What can we do to help?”
“We’ll need to get Maddie onboard to make this work,” Cassie suggested tentatively.
“At the moment, Cassie and I are personae non gratae in her eyes,” Griffin added dryly. “I doubt our chatelaine is in a mood to hear us out.”
“The Circle will intercede on your behalf,” Michel offered. “We will convince her of the necessity of cooperation.”
“As daunting as Maddie may be, I believe you have a bigger obstacle to consider,” Aydin cautioned. “How will you offer your flag of truce to the enemy? Surely you don’t intend to march up to the Nephilim compound and ask to speak to their diviner.”
“Oh, that part’s easy,” Cassie waved her hand airily. “We know somebody who has Metcalf’s ear.”
“He can usually be found at the Chicago Public Library,” Griffin said. “Sundays excepted, of course.”
Chapter 3—Hear, Say
Hannah twisted the edge of her apron anxiously around her fingers as she studied her new surroundings. Earlier that day, without any advance warning, she’d been moved to a different room in a neglected corridor at the back of the compound. The wing had originally been designed to house visiting archwardens and other important dignitaries. Since guests rarely came to the Nephilim world headquarters and almost never stayed overnight, this suite of rooms remained vacant. Ironically, the chamber which she now occupied was bigger than her old quarters and included a more spacious private bath.
While Hannah’s living area had expanded, her view had diminished. There were no windows. Half a dozen rectangular slits near the ceiling let in feeble shafts of sunlight. They were barred, but their dimensions were too small to allow escape even without the grillwork. The girl’s attention wandered to the door. Below the doorknob was an old-fashioned keyhole which was presumably fitted with an old-fashioned key. This room had never been intended to house a prisoner, so the lock was hardly state-of-the-art. Whether low-tech or high-tech, the lock was irrelevant. Hannah didn’t possess the means to open it.
The girl couldn’t help but speculate about the reason for her relocation. She was sure it had to do with her attempted escape a week earlier. She flashed back to that horrible night. She and Daniel had dodged the surveillance cameras inside the building and made their way clear to the outer entrance. There they waited for a man named Erik to guide Hannah through the camera blind spots along the fence line and onward to safety. While she watched anxiously for Erik’s arrival, she’d glimpsed her boyfriend Zach perched on a ladder peering over the top of the fence. Without thinking, she’d taken one step toward him. A single step but it was enough to destroy all their hopes. Hannah had been caught on the security cameras. It took only moments for sentries to come charging down the stairs from the guard shack. Daniel immediately dragged her back inside before anyone realized she was missing.
For the past seven days, Hannah hadn’t drawn a free breath as she waited for the axe to fall. Even though she’d been disguised on the night of her escape, she feared that someone had recognized her. She listened avidly for snippets of conversation from the women who brought her meals. They made their usual mind-numbing small talk without any hint that something out of the ordinary had transpired. The diviner too paid his periodic calls, coaxing her to speak, but otherwise giving no indication that anything was amiss. When Daniel made his daily visits, Hannah pressed him eagerly for news, but there was nothing to report—no gossip about an escape attempt or rumors of intruders on the grounds. The pair speculated endlessly about what had become of Erik and Zach. Had they been captured? Killed? The uncertainty was excruciating.
Hannah broke out of her reverie and walked toward the dresser. She pulled open a drawer and began to rearrange her clothes in an attempt to distract herself. With no books or access to information from the outside world, there was absolutely nothing else to do. At that moment, she heard a key slide into the lock. She spun around and braced herself for what was coming next. Per the diviner’s recent instructions, all her usual visitors now knocked before entering. The only person who refused Hannah the courtesy of announcing his presence was Joshua. No doubt he hoped to unnerve her with his unexpected intrusions. While the rest of the congregation attributed the girl’s muteness to trauma, Joshua gave her silence a darker interpretation. He rightly suspected she had something to hide and he was determined to ferret out her secrets. As she always did before an encounter with Daniel’s brother, Hannah assumed an attitude of bland indifference.
The spymaster entered, treating her to a thin smile. “Hello, Sister Hannah. You look well today.” He seemed unnaturally cheerful. As usual, he drew up a chair and sat without being invited to do so.
Hannah continued to stand with her back
