"Not when it comes to the council, I’m afraid. They enjoyed Robert’s passing far too much when they could have—and should have—stopped it."
And how, exactly, did she know that? She couldn’t—not unless she was there, and there was no way she would have been. Whatever else this woman was, right now she was still human. As such, she would never have gotten anywhere near a council meeting.
"So who’s your source on the inside?"
She smiled. It was a cool, calm, and altogether too-collected smile. "And why would you think I’d tell you that?"
"Because you have something planned that you don’t think I’ll survive," I replied evenly, "And therefore you have nothing to lose."
She laughed. It was a warm, rich sound, and the flames seemed to shiver away from it, as if afraid. I eyed the fire curiously. It really did seem alive, but that was ridiculous.
Wasn’t it?
God, I wished I knew more about not only magic, but also the creatures that inhabited the realms beyond my own. I had a bad feeling I might be confronted by one of them soon.
"You could be right," she said, leaving me wondering if she was answering my thoughts or my comment. She studied me for a moment, then added, "but I’ve always hated those movies where the bad guy just blabs about all his plans, and then everything goes to hell and the good guy saves the day. So I don’t think I’ll be saying anything more."
Well crap, I thought, and flexed my fingers. I was going to have to do this the hard way.
"Look, as I said, I’m not here to harm you. But by the same token, I will have to take you back with me."
"And I," she said calmly, "have no intention of going anywhere."
"Please don’t make me force you—"
She gave a cold, humorless laugh. "My dear child, there is no way in heaven or hell you could force me to do anything. Now please, leave this place."
"I can’t—"