Samuel scowled. “Most certainly not. I won’t suggest they be ordered to do this, and I’ll highlight the extreme danger, but they can’t know the particulars. At this point, however, I’m ready to order you to go forward with the plan.”
“It was my plan to begin with.” Lyssa snickered.
“If we get the necessary support, it will happen.” Samuel gave a firm nod. “I’ll drive you back home now. I’d suggest you keep a low profile until I can bring in additional people to help you, but I suppose your home is the safest place for the moment. That said, I’ll continue having people keep an eye on it.”
“Oh, great,” Lyssa said. “In other words, blowing my house up is still on the table.”
Chapter Six
After three days camping at home twenty-four seven in her regalia and sleeping with Jofi, Lyssa received a message from Samuel to show up at the same park and exact parking spot they’d spoken at before with her regalia concealed. There was no mention of leaving Jofi at home.
She was ready to find the rogue and take them out. Lying to Jofi was something she did every day, but it was harder now that the latest case pointed to him being the real target. Stressing that someone was targeting her and leaving out key details was stalling him, but not being human didn’t mean he was an idiot.
While she’d told him the high-level truth that multiple Illuminated were being targeted, including her, she’d left out the reason. Oddly enough, he’d not pressed, making her wonder if he suspected the truth on some level.
There wasn’t anything she could do about the situation other than take out whoever was targeting her. That would require whatever help Samuel had been able to scrape together on short notice.
Lyssa pulled her Ducati into the parking lot. It was pitch-black, all the lights on the poles conspicuously off. Her regalia was disguised as street clothes, and she didn’t have her mask on, so she took a moment to concentrate on a vision spell to allow her to look around instead of relying on the bike’s lights.
Sorcery radiated from the empty parking spot that was her target. Lyssa parked her bike about twenty yards away before walking to it, unsure of what was going on. She wasn’t worried about an ambush given Samuel’s specificity about the location, but she couldn’t tamp down her annoyance at him for not making anything else clear. A little detail could go a long way toward fighting paranoia.
Lyssa slowed her pace as she moved closer. She was now just two spots over.
When she stepped into the adjacent parking spot, Samuel and Aisha appeared, with a small bright ball of light floating above them. Both wore their undisguised regalia. A man stood next to them in a hood and dark clothes that covered every inch of his body except for his forearms. He carried a small hatchet tucked into a sheath on one side and a long, curved knife in another sheath on the other.
“No sound will leave this area,” Samuel said, sounding proud of himself. “You may speak freely.”
“I’m surprised,” Lyssa replied. “I thought you’d want to meet in the Traveling Club if not at my house.”
“Reducing risk for this plan means reducing exposure to Sorcerers who can’t be trusted.” Samuel motioned to Aisha. “You already know Miss Khatri.”
“What’s with picking the same location?” Lyssa looked around. There was no visual indication they were in a spell. The rest of the park remained visible.
Samuel hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat. “I thought it would facilitate things in terms of luring out our target, and I didn’t believe it would be as much of a risk with two Torches, an Eclipse, and an Elder present.”
Lyssa laughed. “Trying to get someone after me already, huh? That’s cold, but I volunteered, so I’m not going to bitch.” She nodded at the hooded man. “He’s an Eclipse.” She looked him up and down. “I’ve got an idea who you are.”
He stepped forward. “What do you think, Corti?” he asked in a low voice.
“You’re Alexander Lubon.” She gestured at his clothes. “Bearer of the Inescapable Hangman. Your essence is weakness.”
“You’re well-informed.” Alexander stepped back. “And a brave woman to suggest such a dangerous plan. Lee’s not an easy man to kill, but this bastard pulled it off with his Shadow friends.”
Lyssa shrugged. “I know I’m the bait, but I don’t know any of the other details of the plan.”
Samuel held up his hand. An image of old, worn wooden buildings separated by a narrow dirt road appeared. She didn’t recognize the buildings, though they had a frontier feel. The look of the mountains and cacti in the background suggested Arizona.
“An assistant of mine located a useful site, an Arizona ghost town that is not currently a tourist attraction,” Samuel said. “I’ve begun circulating information that there are concerns about another potential monster incident in or near the town. You’ll spend a few days there, feigning investigation of the buildings and the area. We’ll see if anyone comes to kill you.”
“And then we kill them.” Lyssa slammed her fist into her gloved palm. “That’s my favorite part.”
“Preferably, Mr. Lubon will disable the assassin.” Samuel inclined his head toward the Eclipse. “You and Miss Khatri will serve as distractions and eliminate any secondary targets. We’ll need to take the rogue alive to establish that our mastermind isn’t linked to more widespread disruptive activity.”
Aisha snickered. “Need my help again so soon, Corti?”
“Something like that.” Lyssa shrugged. She wasn’t in the mood for verbal sparring, and the truth was she did need Aisha’s help. “When I need someone to burn bad guys to a crisp, you’re a good choice.”
Aisha snorted and looked away.
Alexander pointed at the image of the ghost town. “I don’t like the
