Theodora laughed again. “You’re delightful. You remind me so much of Aisha.”
Lyssa wasn’t sure if she should be insulted. She decided to ignore the comment and turned to Samuel. “Can we get back to talking about Last Remnant?”
“Your recent success in the mine has been noted by other Elders and the Tribunal, along with your other successful contracts,” Samuel replied. “It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to keep the news of the mine incident contained, but that wasn’t your fault. I’ve made strong recommendations that you be allowed to visit Last Remnant.” He nodded at his companion. “As has Theodora.”
“Really?” Lyssa turned to Theodora. “But I haven’t even done any work for you. Why do you care?”
“You’ve served the Society well in recent months and worked closely with one of my best Torches,” Theodora replied. “I have no reason not to support you in this matter.”
“Regardless of her reasons, two Elders unified concerning a reasonable request are hard to refuse,” Samuel said. “You’ve been approved for travel to Last Remnant in two weeks. Given the current number of Torches in my region of responsibility, I fail to see a reason you can’t go.”
“Thanks.” Lyssa pumped her fist. “Merry early Christmas to me.”
“Please note you might not find what you seek,” Samuel said. “I hope you keep that in mind. There might only be pain waiting for you, but you deserve your chance.”
“At least I’ll be able to move forward.” Lyssa shrugged. She nodded at Theodora. “I appreciate your support in this.”
“I’m glad to offer it, darling.” Theodora gave her a coy smile. “I’m sure Aisha has spoken about me to you.”
“A little.” Lyssa shrugged. “I can’t say it was a lot. She mostly focuses on the job and related details. That and insulting and threatening me.”
“Then let me make my case,” Theodora replied. “I value talent, and I also understand Torches need great autonomy to do what they do. I respect that autonomy.”
“Good to hear. What’s that have to do with me?”
Samuel scowled at Theodora and cleared his throat. “What are you doing?”
“I believe you are underutilizing Lyssa,” Theodora said with an easy smile. “Since her move, she’s demonstrated impressive skill at completing extraordinarily difficult jobs. I’m suggesting that she might be of more use to the Society in a different region.”
“That’s why you wanted to come along?” Samuel snorted. “This is inappropriate, especially with her here. You didn’t inform me this was your plan.”
Lyssa glanced between the two, unsure of what to say. She felt like a kid watching Mommy and Daddy fight.
“Why would I tell you beforehand?” Theodora put a hand to her mouth and laughed.
Lyssa felt a little bad for Samuel, getting blindsided. He didn’t seem as ambitious as other Elders she had dealt with, but every Elder, on some level, had ascension to the Tribunal in the back of their mind. Decades of jockeying with other Illuminated meant betrayals were inevitable, major and minor.
It was time to steer things back on track. She hadn’t driven to the club to watch Elders play politics.
“I’m still here,” Lyssa said with a shrug. “Remember?”
“Think about it,” Theodora said. “That’s all I ask. There are Torches in my region who intend to leave soon. We could use a Sorceress of your skill to ensure our depth of coverage.”
As much as Lyssa enjoyed the glare Samuel gave Theodora, she didn’t want to get wrapped up in Elder politics. He’d requested she move to Arizona, but if she’d outright refused, he wouldn’t have punished or harassed her. She couldn’t say that about every Elder.
Lyssa had her issues with Samuel, but he was a known quantity. It was good to know other people held positive opinions of her, even though she still harbored lingering suspicions about Theodora’s potential corruption.
“I’m flattered,” Lyssa said, “but I’m comfortable where I am for now. I don’t anticipate moving for at least a few years.”
Theodora let out a melodramatic sigh. “Oh, well. I had to try.”
Samuel looked relieved for a split second, then his face shifted to schooled blandness. The shift made Lyssa laugh to herself.
“Now that the matter is settled for the moment,” Samuel said, “I’d encourage you not to make any unnecessary scenes in the next couple of weeks. The monster incident has made the Tribunal more concerned about the safety and reputation of the Society. Anything that disrupts that might be used as an excuse to keep you from going to Last Remnant.”
Lyssa saluted with a grin. “I can stay out of trouble, and I’ll keep it easy and breezy unless you need me to shoot someone. This is one time I’d be happy if you benched me.”
“I can only limit your deployment as the regional situation allows,” Samuel replied. After shooting Theodora a dirty look, he added, “I will, however, do my best to facilitate a small reprieve. Note, Miss Corti, that I do this not out of friendship but as a reward for services rendered to the Society. You’ve earned it as a Torch.”
“Understood. I don’t have any problem with that.” Lyssa turned to the door. “And now I think I’ll go see how good the club’s ice cream is.”
Chapter Three
Lyssa sliced into her steak with gleeful abandon and a huge smile on her face. Two days had passed without incident, and there was nothing on the news from her region that suggested the other Torches were getting injured and couldn’t handle their jobs and contracts. Samuel and the EAA hadn’t sent her any messages, either.
The robust flavor of the steak heightened her already great mood. She’d been all but bouncing around her house since returning from the meeting with Samuel and Theodora and now had to resist the urge to do something stupid in the restaurant.
It was an odd reaction, being happy about traveling to Last Remnant to hunt the truth. She expected to either find proof of a conspiracy or the death of her brother, but hope had gobbled up her tension. More pain might
