Bogo nodded and did not argue. In truth, the young wizard, "Boygo" to his older associates, could sympathize with Rufo's dilemma.
"Well, have you a task for me, or are you merely wasting my time?" Rufo asked. "Not that my time is such a precious thing."
"Nothing," Bogo replied. Immediately, the angular man spun away, heading back for the stairs. "As of yet," Bogo remarked after him, stealing some of the ire-filled thunder from Rufo's determined steps. The priest looked back one final time.
"You will be informed when you are needed," Bogo said evenly, his visage stern and unyielding. The young wizard might sympathize with Rufo, but that would offer the priest little reprieve from the duties Bogo would eventually require of him.
"You met with the priest again this day," Ghost said to Bogo when the young wizard entered his room later that afternoon. He really wasn't surprised to find the sneaky assassin waiting for him, or by the fact that Ghost knew of his meeting with Rufo.
"I have warned you once of your meddling," Ghost went on. Bogo's face twisted curiously, and Ghost realized that he had made a mistake. He hadn't warned Bogo of any such thing; the innkeeper's son had done that, at least as far as Bogo was concerned.
"You?" Bogo questioned, his lips turning up in a smile. "I have not seen young Brennan today," he remarked cryptically. "Actually, his father is quite worried about him."
Ghost settled back on the bed and nodded silent congratulations to the observant wizard. "Let us just say that the young man outlived his usefulness," he explained. "A very dangerous thing to do."
Neither man spoke for a very long while, but there remained little tension between them. Ghost studied Bogo long and hard, and the young wizard seemed to sense that the assassin was forming some plans - plans that Bogo could only hope would include him.
"The time is close then," Bogo remarked. "The disappearance of young Brennan is a question that you cannot let hang unanswered for a very long time."
Again, Ghost nodded his silent appreciation of Bogo's reasoning powers. "The time is nearly upon us," he confirmed, "but it would seem that some things have changed."
"The arrival of the priests and Danica?" Bogo asked.
"Complications," Ghost replied.
"And what else has changed?"
"Your role," Ghost answered immediately. Bogo initially took a cautious step back, fearing that he, too, might have outlived his usefulness.
"I had said you were only an observer," the assassin explained, "and, so, by Aballister's measure, you were meant to be. But you never believed that, did you, Rath? You never planned to sit back and watch while the Night Masks had all the fun of killing this young Cadderly."
Bogo cocked his head curiously at the assassin, obviously unsure of what that plain fact might mean.
"And you have proven to me," Ghost continued, "both by your astute conclusions and your ability to get close to our enemies, that your value extends beyond your assigned role."
"I thought you did not want me talking with Rufo," Bogo replied, still a safe distance from the dangerous man.
"I just explained to you that things have changed," Ghost retorted. 'We have a headmaster from the library to deal with and a formidable young woman, it would seem. I intend to handle the latter problem personally, and for that I will need to borrow your stooge."
Bogo moved over to the bed, now more curious than afraid.
"A simple matter," Ghost explained. "A simple, innocuous task for Kierkan Rufo that will allow me to get at the Lady Maupoissant."
"You will kill her?"
"In a manner," Ghost replied. "First I will use her so that when the Night Masks come for Cadderly, the one he believes is his closest ally will, in truth, be his enemy."
Bogo's smile widened, mimicking Ghost's devious expression. The assassin's plan was beautifully simple, with Bogo, and more particularly, Rufo, being the only potential trouble areas that he could foresee. To that end, the assassin then delivered a secure hook.
His smile abruptly disappeared, causing Bogo's visage to assume a similarly grim tone.
"I offer you a part in this execution," Ghost explained, "something you have craved since before we left Castle Trinity. I assure you that your role will be well-received by Aballister.
"But," Ghost continued slyly, and this was the real hook, "my pay will be as originally agreed."
"Of course . . ." Bogo started, but Ghost didn't pause long enough to let him continue.