The scion’s internal conflict must have been written all over his face.
The librarian continued in a softer tone. “You need to trust your own instincts instead of the dogma your father drummed into your head.”
Daniel cast his eyes downward. “In order to trust my own instincts, I need to have a clearer view of what lies ahead. As you said yourself, somebody is going to get hurt no matter where I place my loyalties. I just need to be sure I’ve minimized the damage by choosing the right side.”
“Then I guess you’ll keep dancing til doomsday because what you’re asking is impossible. Nobody can foresee every possible bend in the road that lies ahead of them.”
The scion continued to stare down at the floor.
“Hey, look at me.” Chris tried to capture his friend’s unwilling gaze. “If you don’t take a stand on your own, circumstances will eventually force you to choose. When that day comes, all you can do is make your best guess given what you know at the time.”
Daniel stared off across the river, an ominous vision forming in his mind. “And what if my best guess isn’t good enough?”
“Then you’ll learn the toughest life lesson of all.” Chris finished his wine and murmured somberly, “Que sera, sera, Danny Boy. Que sera, sera.”
Chapter 19—Let It Ride
Cassie climbed into the back seat of the limo while the driver loaded her luggage. Griffin slid in beside her and pulled the door closed.
The driver shut the trunk and took his place behind the wheel. He discretely raised the glass partition separating him from his passengers, so they could speak privately and then pulled the vehicle away from the curb. They were heading to O’Hare Airport to catch a plane bound for Sapporo, Japan.
“Pretty swanky, huh?” The pythia turned to the scrivener for confirmation.
“I must say, Erik’s resurrection has put Maddie in an unusually benevolent mood,” he agreed.
“Ordinarily, she gives me a hard time if I forget to turn in parking receipts for my trips to the airport,” Cassie said. “This time she booked us a limo. What’s up with that?”
“I say we should enjoy the ride, pun intended, while her good mood lasts.”
“True enough but I give it a week before something new sets her off.”
“Oh, surely longer than that,” Griffin protested. “After all, not only is Erik alive, but he’s ideally positioned to give her exactly what she wants—inside information regarding Abraham Metcalf’s ultimate scheme.”
“Looks like she got her miracle after all,” the pythia observed.
“Daniel has proven to be surprisingly accommodating. First, helping to rescue Hannah and now enabling Erik to spy for us.”
“Maybe he finally figured out that his old man is nuts.”
“No doubt he’s known that for some time.”
Cassie shrugged. “As long as he’s helping us, even just a little, I’m not going to question his motives.”
“It isn’t his motives that trouble me.” Griffin’s voice grew somber. “It’s his uncertainty. Daniel strikes me as deeply ambivalent both with respect to the Nephilim and the Arkana. He may be willing to aid us in some respects and not in others. Taking him fully into our confidence would not be in our best interests.”
“You think he might turn on us before this is all over?” Cassie peered at her partner in the dim light.
“It’s a distinct possibility.”
“Okay then. We proceed with caution.” The pythia cast a glance out the side window. Abruptly changing the subject, she asked, “And what about you?”
“In what sense?”
“You haven’t said how you feel about Erik’s return from the dead.”
“Oh, that,” Griffin murmured. “To be perfectly honest, I have mixed emotions.”
The pythia registered surprise. She opened her mouth, about to speak.
Anticipating her question, he hastened to add, “Of course, it goes without saying that I’m enormously relieved he’s alive.”
“But...” she prompted cautiously.
Griffin shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m worried about you.”
“Huh?”
He cleared his throat. “How do you feel about his return?”
“Like I’ve been kicked in the stomach and can’t catch my breath,” she stated flatly. “Mainly I feel disoriented. I already came to grips with him being dead. Accepted it. Mourned it. Moved on. And now that he’s back, all those emotions are churning around again.”
Griffin turned to face her with a troubled look. “Which is precisely my concern. It seems to me that losing someone you care about makes that person all the more precious if he’s been restored to you.” He hesitated. “Perhaps it might make you want to rekindle your romance.”
“What?” Cassie stared at him in disbelief. “There’s no way that’s going to happen. Goddess, no!”
The scrivener seemed thrown. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”
“It’s a two-letter word. Not much room for misinterpretation.”
“But—”
“What is it with you and my love life?” she challenged. “Right after we thought Erik was dead, you were wondering who I’d hook up with next.”
“I—”
“Can’t you just give it a rest? I already told you, it will be a cold day in hell before I get involved again. Being an artifact hunter is stressful enough given the high mortality rate. Do you really think I need to add another layer of drama to that?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“Why does this matter so much to you anyway?” She glared at him fiercely, demanding an answer.
He averted his eyes. “It’s because I couldn’t bear to see you hurt again. That’s why!”
Cassie abruptly suspended her tirade. She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him appraisingly.
He stubbornly refused to meet her gaze
She reached out for his hand and squeezed it gently.
The scrivener finally glanced at her in surprise.
Cassie smiled. “I’m used to toughing things out on my own because that’s the way it’s always been. So, when somebody comes along who actually cares how I feel, I don’t automatically recognize kindness for what it is.
