a satisfied sigh. “And I’m an old friend of the young judge.”
“You know this woman?” Mayor Eilin shrieked, but Demarco remained speechless. Kallia could see the razor blade of tension working in his jaw, the sharp bob of his throat. As if he’d seen a ghost, or something far worse.
“Oh, we go years back.” With a smug, fox-like smile, the woman flipped through the papers on her clipboard to land on a fresh page before settling her gaze on the magician across from her. “Hello, Daron. Long time no see.”
35
This was a disaster.
Daron never thought he’d live to see the day when he agreed with the mayor of Glorian, joining the furious mob of magicians trailing behind him to the Alastor Place. They’d prodded him relentlessly for more information on the way, and his mind had all but blanked.
Lottie de la Rosa.
They’d asked who she was to him, but there were no words to properly describe her or how upside down the world felt now.
“RAYNE!” Mayor Eilin roared, frothing at the mouth as he stormed through the show hall doors. “What exactly have you brought upon us?”
His bulging gaze latched onto the proprietor’s figure casually sitting in the empty second row, feet propped up against the first. “Calm down, Eilin. You make it sound as if I’ve summoned some sort of demon.”
“Close enough. Demarco was practically catatonic at the sight of her,” Mayor Eilin muttered sharply. “Spending her time masquerading as a doctor, and Zarose knows what else!”
“All part of the job, mayor. She didn’t become known as the Poison of the Press from primly sitting at a desk, you know.”
Mayor Eilin grimaced even more. “We all agreed: no press under any circumstances.”
“No, we agreed on no press until the right time.”
“We just lost a couple more players. That is not something to tout around for the rest of Soltair to see.”
“We may not be the picture of success, but we are riding on the wave of a juicy story. Can’t you see it?” That troublesome gleam returned to the proprietor’s eyes as he gestured grandly at some imaginary horizon. “Magicians go missing on performance night, accidents strike between acts, and three mysteriously fall cold?”
The relish with which he said it sickened Daron. “You certainly sound excited about it.”
“We can use this to our advantage—imagine the headlines!” Rayne exclaimed. “Think of it this way, which events are remembered most in history? The well-to-do ships that make it home safely, or the ones that sail into dangerous waters and live to tell the tale?”
“We’re sinking hard, Rayne.” Mayor Eilin’s nostrils flared. “The last thing we need is a damn spotlight.”
“Trust me, mayor, I’ve seen worse ships go down. It may not be too thrilling for those on board, but the ones witnessing it from afar will never look away. And since we’re all stuck here, I invited dear Lottie to help us reach the outside world.”
The logic to his madness was a fearsome thing to behold. Daron had waded through his share of tabloids and papers, journalists who dug and found what others might not. They gloried in the scandalous. And unfortunately, Spectaculore was rife with exciting material for someone with a pen and the ear of society.
That it had to be her was an additional punishment. She’d certainly gloried in Daron’s shock, a predator’s joy right before the kill. After refusing all her interview requests, visits, and letters, he should’ve anticipated this sooner.
He could almost hear Eva chuckling in his ears.
“No one will come here if we’re painted as a bleak tragedy,” Mayor Eilin said.
“Don’t underestimate her way with words. Though I’m sure you all know to be on your guard with what you say in her presence. Lottie de la Rosa always was the prettiest snake I ever met.” Erasmus sighed fondly. “Even when we were married, she never let me forget it.”
The mayor choked. “You two were together?”
“Briefly. It was an explosive marriage, as you can imagine.”
“This is insanity.” Mayor Eilin looked close to ripping his own hair out. “Mark my words, Rayne. The Patrons will catch wind of this and it’ll be over before you can say, ‘showtime.’”
“Then we better act fast.” He smirked before nodding to Daron. “Besides, from what Demarco said, I doubt tabloid gossip will have them running from wherever they’re stationed.”
It didn’t matter; his aunt would come the instant she heard he was among the roster of judges. He could already feel the weight of a letter in his courier case. Lottie, he