The crowd launched into a boisterous rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
By the time they finished, Cassie was blushing from the fuss everyone was making.
Maddie’s tall form strode forward. She bent down to give Cassie a bear hug. “Happy birthday, kiddo. It’s not every day that a pythia turns twenty-one.”
“I guess that’s because pythias usually don’t live that long,” Cassie retorted.
Maddie drew back. “Nonsense. Your sister Sybil was a lot older before she got murdered.”
“Thanks, that’s really comforting.”
By this time, Faye had elbowed her way through the crowd to offer her own congratulations. “Never mind her, my dear. This day is a cause for celebration. You’ve officially come of age.”
The pythia smiled ruefully. “After working for the Arkana for the past two years, I can honestly say I feel like I’m twenty-one going on forty-five.”
“You don’t look a day over forty-four.” Griffin patted her consolingly on the shoulder.
She turned to face him. “So, your story about needing to find your missing journal was just a clever ruse to get me here?”
“That was only part of the ruse. I was charged with detaining you at the vault as late as possible until Maddie rang to tell me that all was ready. Then I was to lure you here at the proper moment.”
“Good job on both counts.” Cassie nodded approvingly.
At that moment, an unexpected guest walked up bearing a tray with several glasses of champagne.
“Oh, my goddess!” Cassie exclaimed. “Rhonda, what are you doing here?”
Her sister’s former business partner handed the tray to Griffin, so she could enfold Cassie in an embrace. “It’s so good to see you again, sweetie,” she murmured, pressing her lips to the pythia’s cheek.
Cassie held the woman at arm’s length to study her. “You’re looking tanned and rested. Last I heard you were on a world cruise courtesy of the Arkana.”
Rhonda gave Maddie a sidelong glance. “I got back a few months ago. That’s when your fearless leader set me up in an antique shop in San Francisco. Presumably, nobody’s going to look for me there.”
The pythia shook her head emphatically. “Absolutely not.” She scowled as a new thought struck her. “Is it safe for you to be in Chicago?”
“Please,” Rhonda protested. “If I were to miss your twenty-first birthday, Sybil’s ghost would haunt me from beyond the grave. Besides, I’m not going anywhere near the city—just back to Midway to catch an early flight tomorrow morning. Don’t you worry about me. I’m the one who should be worrying about my silent partner.”
“You’re still cutting me in on Sybil’s share of the shop?” Cassie asked in surprise.
“The agreement stands,” Rhonda affirmed, “no matter where the shop is located.”
While Cassie gave Rhonda another hug for good measure, Maddie distributed champagne glasses to the group. Handing one to the pythia, she urged, “Your first drink. Take it.”
“Oh, I’ve tasted alcohol before,” Cassie hedged. “But this will be my first legal drink.” She raised her glass. “To the Twenty-First Amendment!”
“To the Twenty-First Amendment,” the others echoed and toasted her.
After a few sips, the pythia turned to survey the food and decorations and the sheer number of well-wishers. Her face must have betrayed her bafflement.
“Something the matter?” the scrivener asked cautiously.
Cassie shook her head in wonder. “No. Not at all. This is awesome. It’s beyond awesome. It’s the biggest birthday party I’ve had in my entire life.” She hesitated. “I don’t remember what birthdays were like while my parents were still alive. Later on, Sybil and I had an offhanded way of celebrating. She’d usually come home late from work, take one look at my face, smack herself on the forehead and say ‘Oh, crap!’ Then she’d rush out to the nearest convenience store and bring back a cupcake. I’d stick a candle in the middle, light it, and she’d sing me ‘Happy Birthday.’”
Her story was met by an uncomfortable silence from her listeners.
Realizing how dismal her prior birthdays must have sounded to them, she tried to repair the damage. “Of course, at the time I didn’t realize the kind of job Sybil was doing for the Arkana. I just thought she was being self-absorbed. Now that I know first-hand the number of knives she was juggling, I have to give her credit for remembering at all.”
“How about we sample that spread,” Maddie suggested, changing the subject. “My crew knocked themselves out to put it together.”
In a loud voice, Cassie called out to the room in general, “I want to thank you all. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Everybody dig in!” Maddie commanded in an even louder voice.
As the crowd moved toward the buffet, the chatelaine grabbed her coat and edged toward the front door.
In response to a quizzical look from Cassie, she explained, “Turns out party planning is even more stressful than running a covert global operation. I’m going to duck outside for a smoke to quiet my nerves.”
***
Half an hour later, everyone was done milling around the table for seconds and thirds. Someone dimmed the lights and Griffin emerged from the kitchen carrying a birthday cake glowing with twenty-one candles.
After another rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday,” Cassie blew them out, not missing a single one.
The scrivener leaned over and whispered, “What did you wish for?”
“I can’t tell you that, or it won’t come true,” she protested. “Let’s just say living long enough to snag the Sage Stone looms large in my plans.”
As Rhonda and Faye busied themselves distributing slices of cake, the doorbell rang.
“Whoever that is, they’re well beyond fashionably late,” Griffin observed.
By the time Cassie reached the door, her visitor had already let himself in.
“Oh, it’s you,” she said in a small voice.
Erik seemed taken aback by the festivities. “What’s going
