Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files #8) - Jim Butcher Page 0,5
of any vampire who comes here.
Thats a pretty good cover story, I said. Whats the truth?
Ebenezar sighed and held up his hand in a conciliatory gesture. It wasnt my idea.
I looked at him for a minute and then said, The Merlin called the meeting here.
Ebenezar nodded and arched a shaggy grey brow. Which means ...?
I chewed on my lower lip and scrunched up my eyes. It never helped me think any better, but that was no reason not to keep trying it. He wanted to send me a message. Kill two birds with one stone.
Ebenezar nodded. He wanted you stripped of your position as a Warden, but Luccio is still the technical commander of the Wardens, though Morgan commands in the field. She supported you and the rest of the Senior Council overruled him.
Bet he loved that, I said.
Ebenezar chuckled. I thought he was having a stroke.
Joy, I said. I didnt want the job to begin with.
I know, he said. You got rocks and hard places, boy. Not much else.
So the Merlin figures hell show me an execution and scare me into toeing the line. I frowned, thinking. I take it theres no word on the attack last year? No one found with mysterious sums of money dumped into their bank accounts that would incriminate a traitor?
Not yet, Ebenezar said.
Then with the traitor running around loose, all the Merlin has to do is wait for me to screw something up. Then he can call it treason and squish me.
Ebenezar nodded, and I saw the warning in his eyesanother reason to take the job he was offering. He genuinely believes that you are a threat to the Council. If your behavior confirms his belief, hell do whatever is necessary to stop you.
I snorted. There was another guy like that once. Name of McCarthy. If the Merlin wants to find a traitor, hell find one whether or not one actually exists.
Ebenezar scowled, a hint of a Scots burr creeping into his voice, as it did anytime he was angry, and he glanced at the Merlin. Aye. I thought you should know.
I nodded, still without looking up at him. I hated being bullied into anything, but I didnt get the vibe that Ebenezar was making an effort to maneuver me into a corner. He was asking a favor. I might well help myself by doing him the favor, but he wasnt going to bring anything onto my head if I turned him down. It wasnt his style.
I met his eyes and nodded. Okay.
He exhaled slowly and nodded back, silent thanks in his expression. Oh. One other thing, he said, and passed me an envelope.
Whats this?
I dont know, he answered. The Gatekeeper asked me to give it to you. The Gatekeeper. He was the quietest of the wizards on the Senior Council, and even the Merlin showed him plenty of respect. He was taller than me, which is saying something, and he stayed out of most of the partisan politics of the Senior Council, which says even more. He knew things he shouldnt be able to knowmore so than most wizards, I meanand as far as I could tell, hed never been anything but straight with me.
I opened the envelope. A single piece of paper was inside. Letters in a precise, flowing hand read:
Dresden,
In the past ten days there have been repeated acts of black magic in Chicago. As the senior Warden in the region, it falls to you to investigate and find those responsible. In my opinion, it is vital that you do so immediately. To my knowledge, no one else is aware of the situation.
Rashid
I rubbed at my eyes. Great. More black magic in Chicago. If it wasnt some raving, psychotic, black-hatted bad guy, it was probably another kid like the one whod died a few minutes ago. There wasnt a whole lot of in-between.
I was hoping for the murderous madmansorry, political correction; madperson . I could deal with those. Id had practice.
I didnt think I could handle the other.
I put the letter back in the envelope, thinking. This was between the Gatekeeper and me, presumably. He hadnt asked me publicly, or told Ebenezar what was going on, which meant that I was free to decide how to handle this one. If the Merlin knew about this and officially gave me the assignment, hed make damned sure I didnt have much of a choice in how to handle itand Id have to do the whole thing under a microscope.