The Masked City

Silence fell in the corridor and the Train rattled as it raced on, the shadows of great trees moving beyond the windows. Lord Guantes looked at his wife, then turned back to Irene. ‘Convincing, Miss Winters, but I am hardly about to surrender.’

‘I’m not asking for surrender,’ Irene said, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what she should be demanding. ‘There must be some way that we can both walk away from this. You may already have touched off your war. This dragon’s family,’ she prodded Kai with her foot, ‘they already know that he was kidnapped by you.’

Lord Guantes raised his brows. ‘By me?’

‘And by Lady Guantes, of course,’ Irene said fairly. ‘His uncle showed me pictures of you both. You don’t need Kai any longer: you’ve already made your point.’

Lord Guantes frowned. ‘You say you identified us personally to him?’

‘You’re well known,’ Irene said. ‘He had photos of you. The Library had records on you. I’m hardly the only person who pointed the finger. And even if something does happen to me, you’ll still be on record as the people responsible.’

‘So releasing you would make no difference. And if we let you go, you’ll have even more to report,’ Lord Guantes said pleasantly.

Irene found herself lulled by his speech, and bit her tongue as she felt a wave of his compulsion roll over her. The longer she allowed him to speak, the more opportunity she gave him to use his magic. ‘But he can’t touch you if you stay in high-chaos worlds, can he?’ she pressed.

‘You’d be surprised how far a dragon king can reach—’ Lord Guantes began.

‘My love, let us stay with the essentials,’ Lady Guantes cut him off. ‘Suppose we make a bargain that lets you walk away. What do we get out of it?’

Irene almost sighed in relief. ‘Well, I let you walk away,’ she smiled, gesturing with her knife.

‘That’s all?’ Lady Guantes said.

‘You can spin it however you want,’ Irene said flatly. ‘I’m only interested in getting out of here and putting Kai under his uncle’s protection. I want your oath on our safety. Say we begged, we grovelled, you twisted us round your little finger - say whatever you want to the other Fae, we won’t contradict it. Claim that you got the better of us all the way down the line. I won’t argue. I won’t be there to argue.’

‘That might be worth something,’ Lord Guantes said thoughtfully. ‘Oh, do stop whimpering and tie your hand up, Sterrington. But I’d need more.’

‘You’ve given sufficient provocation for war,’ Irene said bitterly. Unless I can persuade Kai’s family that his safe return is sufficient to keep the peace … ‘You’ve chased me out of Venice. And you exposed a Librarian spy who was trying to infiltrate the Fae, if you want to put it that way. And you can easily say we’re too petty to waste time pursuing, or alternatively take the credit for making us flee. Your choice.’

‘And what vow do you want us to swear?’ Lady Guantes demanded. She took a step towards Irene, both hands empty now, her eyes on the knife in Irene’s hand.

Irene knew it could undo everything she’d worked for if she didn’t get this right. If the wording allowed for any wiggle-room, it was the Fae way to take it. ‘I want you both to swear that you permit us - myself, Vale and Kai -‘ she gestured at them as she spoke, ‘to leave this place here and now, in safety, without let or hindrance by you or others under your command or allied to you, by action or inaction, to return in safety to the world from which Kai was kidnapped.’ At which point she would hustle Kai, and Vale too if necessary, through the nearest Library entrance. They might have to spend the next few years undercover or visiting other worlds, but they’d be alive.

‘That is quite a thorough undertaking, Miss Winters,’ Lord Guantes said. He took a step back to stand beside Sterrington, glancing down at the woman’s ruined hand. ‘Hmm. And what would you pledge in return?’

‘To leave this place without taking any further action against you and yours,’ Irene said. ‘And I and my two allies here would undertake not to seek revenge against you, by action or inaction.’ Kai wouldn’t like it, but he’d owe her. However, what his family did would be their own business. Irene hoped they’d keep the Guantes running scared for the next few centuries.

‘No offers of service?’ Lady Guantes suggested.

‘Absolutely not,’ Irene said. ‘Mr prior oaths to the Library forbid it.’

‘Do you speak for the Library?’ Lord Guantes asked. ‘You seem to be negotiating on your own behalf here, Miss Winters. I’m surprised to hear you make such sweeping suggestions without any real authority. What would your superiors say?’

Irene felt the pressure of his will again, and knew he’d found a weakness. She was here on her own. She had run off to rescue Kai without orders. If she came to a private deal with them, on top of her bargain with the Train, would she be in even further trouble when she returned - if she escaped at all …

She pulled herself back from the brink of self-doubt. ‘Garbage!’ she said crisply. ‘That is complete and utter garbage. I know my superiors don’t want a war, and that’s what it all comes down to. Make all the insinuations you like. But understand that here and now, I speak for the Library.’

The words hummed in the air of the carriage like a high-tension wire in a thunderstorm. And she waited for the Language to punish her for her lies, but the words held true. Both the Guantes flinched, and even Sterrington, distracted by her pain, curled in on herself.