view?” Jenks asked, and I flushed, not having heard him drop down. He was sitting on the napkin-wrapped block, eyeing me as if knowing my thoughts. “Sun will be up soon. Do you think Landon timed this so Bis would be asleep?”
“I don’t think he plans that far ahead,” I said. “But Bis has a no-doze amulet. I simply have to tap a line, and he’ll come.”
Jenks’s eyes came back from the honey. “He can find you, but can’t sing you the lines?”
Eyes down, I fiddled with my teacup with the Carew Tower logo. “It’s like the auras we’re parsing out, Jenks,” I said softly. “You can do a lot with just the surface, but for the intimate things, you need a more delicate, finicky touch.”
“I suppose.” He ran a hand behind his neck in unease. “I still say Landon won’t show.”
I followed Jenks’s gaze to Trent and Zack, now headed our way and looking at home in their suits and easy confidence. At least, Trent was confident. Zack looked kind of sick. “Everything okay?” I asked as Zack gingerly took the chair with the best view of the changing cityscape. It also put his back to the elevator, and neither Trent nor I had wanted it.
Trent nodded as he sat across from me. “The manager will let us know when Landon is on his way up.”
“Good.” I smiled at Zack, wondering if he was worried we might give him up in return for Landon backing off on Trent. “We can relax for a second or two.” I took a slice of fruit-laden breakfast bread, knife clinking on the dish as I scraped up some butter. “Have you ever been up here, Zack?”
He jumped at his name, then smiled to hide his surprise. “No. Do you think we’ll be able to see your church when we turn?”
“Maybe,” I said, but I knew we would. I’d checked the first time I’d gotten up here.
The water attendant swung back around, and the table was silent as he topped off the glasses and retreated. Jenks’s wings made a regretful hum as he looked longingly at the honey pot.
“So, Rachel,” Trent said, elbows comfortably on the table, “Quen didn’t find anything in a second perusal of my mother’s journals. Maybe I should let Al look. You said he knew her.”
“You’d let Al look at your mom’s journals?” I said, surprised, and he nodded, clearly discomfited. “Sure, but if he knew a way to capture the baku, he probably wouldn’t be under house arrest.” I set the bread down and surreptitiously cleaned the butter from my fingers on the underside of the tablecloth since Jenks had my napkin.
“He might be able to piece something together.” Eyes pinched, Trent leaned back as if looking for some coffee. “And if not, just letting him look might make him feel better about his daughter dating an elf.” Trent glanced at Zack to see what he thought, but the kid was mowing down the breakfast bread as if it was candy, and probably hadn’t heard.
Daughter? I thought, then smiled slightly. It wasn’t a bad comparison. The mystics made me too erratic for Al to call me a student. Daughter wasn’t right, but I knew that Dali had made Al responsible for me. I’d been told enough times that if I screwed up, Al would take the blame.
Which then begged the question of whether Trent was getting pressure from not only the enclave but Al and Dali as well to end our relationship. Enough pressure that he felt he had to prove himself.
“Ah, Trent,” I said, not sure I wanted to have this conversation in front of Zack, but Trent wasn’t listening, his attention now focused on the manager.
“He’s coming,” Trent said, and Zack stiffened, panic flashing across him as he brushed the crumbs off himself and onto the floor.
“Okay, I’m out of here.” Jenks took flight and, with a shimmering trail of dust, vanished into the restaurant’s decor.
Trent, too, seemed to gather himself, his slim fingers making sure his tie was in place. “Jenks tells me Weast warned you off Landon yesterday,” he said.
“Yep.” I watched Zack, not liking his near fear at the prospect of Landon at our table. “Weast as much as admitted to using him as bait to catch the baku.” And how do you feel about that, Zack? I thought, but the kid looked afraid, not angry.
“I thought as much.” Cool and calm, Trent steepled his fingers. “Jon is trying to dig up some dirt