“I’m slated to sit on that Coalition as the Enforcer,” I told him.
“I’m aware.”
I fidgeted on my stool. “I recently killed a powerful supernatural, Ardat Lili, and in doing so, I ended the chance of Bianca, the third Hag, being reborn, which has altered my true path.” I tried not to rush, but it all poured out, words tumbling over my tongue as fast as they could get out. “In order to set things right, one of the Hags, Enid, believes I should die. And another one of the Hags, Juanita, believes I should live. If I were to die, chaos would ensue before the world righted itself again, which could take a thousand years. There would be a huge loss of life. I’ve been told that if I live I would have to sacrifice something dear to me, and if I did, all would be right, and I would assume my seat on the Coalition.” As I spoke, I tried making my expression imploring, hoping that would help my cause. “I can’t give up on that chance. I desperately want to survive, and I want everyone else to keep on living as well. I don’t want innocents to die or the world to dip into chaos. That’s why I need your help. Without you, I believe my chances are slim to none. Jeb said you alone have the capabilities to cloak me from Enid, who sees my every move. Right now, she has the upper hand, and if I follow her missives to the letter, Jeb says all is lost.”
“Are you prepared to make a great sacrifice?” His voice was so intense, it caught me off guard, his brilliant blue eyes boring into me.
I leaned back. Was I?
If he wanted an honest answer, I had to search my soul.
It scared me that I had to go in blind, not knowing what I had to give up ahead of time. I answered with the truth. “If the sacrifice doesn’t involve me killing an innocent, or someone I love, I’m ready. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be able to murder anyone in cold blood, especially someone I care about. Other than that, yes, I’m ready.”
Leo picked up the chisel and twirled it in his hands. Then, looking resigned, he tossed it down with a clatter and stood. “I believe you’re sincere. And if you’re willing to sacrifice something for the greater good, it would be silly for me not to as well. I will help you.”
10
I leaped off the stool, but stopped short of embracing the angel. That would’ve involved getting into his personal space, and neither of us was ready for that. “Thank you!” I gushed, relief flowing through me. My wolf howled her joy. “You’ve given us a chance to succeed, and I’m so grateful.”
Leo walked over to some scaffolding that held a bunch of busts. “This will not be without error. Enid is very powerful. When she finds out, she will resent my help, and there may be damaging consequences. But if you’re willing to pay the price, I believe I should help you.” He reached out to run his fingers over the face of a woman carved into white stone. “I have not encountered an unselfish supernatural in many centuries—if ever. You are willing to risk the unknown, and that is commendable. In my experience, supernaturals are out for themselves, not others.” He turned to face me. “It would also go against my being to let harm come to millions of innocents if you were to die.”
“I appreciate that,” I said. “So where do we go from here? Enid has instructed us to go to the Ponte Vecchio. I believe that’s where we’ll find a note with new instructions. Enid wants me to swap my life for the hostages she’s taken. I’m willing to do it, if that’s the only option we have.”
Leo paced to the worktable. “I have the power to cloak you, but I cannot mask all of you.” He glanced idly around the group. “Three will be enough. You and two others. Go to the bridge when you leave here and pick up what is waiting. I believe you’re right, and she has left instructions. Then meet me in the Piazza della Signoria in front of the statue of David at dawn tomorrow. We will proceed from there.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Enid is a seer,” Marcy said. “Won’t she know we had this little meeting today? And won’t she be able to change things accordingly?” When Leo’s gaze landed on Marcy, she discreetly coughed, muttering, “Hell’s bells.”
“As a precaution to any and all prying eyes, I spelled Accademia long ago. If I was going to be spending a great quantity of time here, I had to make sure it went undetected from those who would scry. Since then, this museum has been off the supernatural radar. So when you entered, Enid could no longer see you. She does not know what went on here today. It would behoove you all to scrub your brains of this meeting. Once you leave through those doors, instead of remembering our conversations, lament about how you were unable to find the supernatural you were searching for as you head to the Ponte Vecchio. Your time outside of her ability to see you should alter some of her earlier plans, and she will not be able to do much in broad daylight with many humans around.”
“Will that be enough to cover our tracks?” I asked. “Scrubbing our brains?”
He shrugged. “It certainly won’t hurt. Enid is savvy, but she will not be able to solve the mystery without more clues. Once I unleash my power, she will know, but not until then. Spend some time in the gallery before you go, look at the art, and admire the statues, and when you leave, think of those things. Think of Michelangelo”—he grinned—“and how beautiful his art continues to be. I will see you tomorrow.”
We made our goodbyes and headed out. Maria came bustling up to us in the hallway, saying, “Pardon me for leaving. I had some pressing business to attend to. If you follow me, I will take you into the main gallery now.” It was hard to know if she was in on it, or had had a mind trick played on her.
It didn’t matter.
We followed her into the gallery, and as we walked among the paintings and statues, admiring the beauty, which wasn’t hard to do, we talked about the next step. “The note just says show up at the Ponte Vecchio,” I said to the group. “Enid has to know we’re coming today. I’m hoping the note will be easy to spot.”
Rourke shook his head. “I don’t care if it’s easy to spot. I don’t think you should go. You can wait on the street while we take a look.”
“I disagree,” I said. “I don’t think Enid will leave the note for anyone but me.”
“I agree with Rourke,” Tyler said. “Jeb said you would die if you followed Enid’s plan. Why not play it safe and wait on the sidelines? We can pick up a note, no problem.”
“Yeah,” Ray chimed in. “I can fly over that bridge in a few minutes and scout it out. There’s no need for you to set one foot on that structure.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “I have a feeling that note is for my eyes only, and it won’t show itself unless I’m there. Enid is crafty, but I don’t think this is a snatch and grab. She wants me to come willingly, to forfeit myself by choice. That will be her coup de grace. Forcing the wolf to come with her tail between her legs. I have to be there.” We were nearing the exit of the museum. “Once we get on the street, everybody has to think we failed this mission. You can allow the name Michelangelo to filter through your head, but nothing else. We have to come off as disgruntled. Got it?”
Everyone nodded.
“If you want,” Marcy said, “I can spell everyone to temporarily forget the last hour until sometime tomorrow. My memory spell is a twenty-four hour thing. I haven’t mastered the quicker version yet, sorry. I’ve been a little preoccupied lately and am behind on my spell mastery list, which is about two miles long.”
“Thanks, but we can’t risk it,” I said. “Twenty-four hours is too long.” I looked around the group. “We’re all adults, as well as talented supernaturals. It shouldn’t be hard to keep this out of our heads. Like Leo said, once he unleashes his power, Enid will know. We just need to keep it under wraps until tomorrow at dawn.”
We filtered out of the gallery onto the street. “The bridge is this way,” Lucas said. “It’s almost a straight shot from here.” We began to walk down the quaint streets. “Man, it’s too bad we couldn’t find who we were looking for. I’m sorry I couldn’t help. Maybe next time?”
“That’s okay,” I answered. “Once we have the note, we can keep looking. There have to be other places with statues around here.”