The Book of Betrayal by Melissa McShane

Author:Melissa McShane [McShane, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

12

“He’s not a traitor,” Viv insisted for at least the hundredth time. She sat perched on the stool behind the cash register and twisted her skirt in her hands. “He can’t possibly be.”

“What worries me are the ones who turn up dead,” Judy said. Viv turned a stricken look on her. “Sorry. That was insensitive. I just mean, if he’s not a traitor, his life could be in danger.”

It was twelve-thirty, and the Nicollien morning rush was over, but none of us felt much like lunch. “We should find him,” Viv said. “He needs to prove he’s innocent. Couldn’t you get the Kellers to find him? Or Harriet, I guess.”

“Harriet’s still in custody. And even if she found him, he’d have moved on before we could get there,” Judy said. “Jeremiah’s a wood magus and a front-line fighter. They’re all good at staying concealed, even here in the city. And there are places as overgrown as the countryside here, too.”

“What about his phone?” I said. “He’d have that on him, right?”

“Unless he ditched it to keep from being tracked.”

“Oh. Good point.” I paced from the counter to the front door and back. “Viv’s right. We have to do something.”

“I’m not saying I disagree,” Judy said, “but what can we do?”

“What about his familiar?” I said.

“What about it?”

“We could track its harness, right? I mean, Jeremiah said it had to be attached to him, and that sounds to me like it has to be unique to him. If we had some way to follow that attunement…”

Judy was silent. “It would work,” she said, “but I’ve never heard of anyone doing it before. And I bet Lucia would tell us to mind our own business if we asked for her help.”

“Do we need her help?” Viv asked. “We could just ask whoever’s in charge of…of familiar binding, or whatever it’s called.”

“I don’t know,” Judy said. “We should probably leave this to the professionals. If Jeremiah’s a traitor—”

“Which he isn’t.”

“If he’s a traitor, and we find him, he might try to kill us. He could turn his familiar on us if he wanted. None of us are fighters, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“I can’t imagine Jeremiah turning on us, even if he is a traitor,” I said.

“Helena, you’ve only known a fraction of the people who turned out to be part of the shadow cabal,” Judy said, her voice bleak. “I had close friends who failed the tests. The woman who tried to kill my father the other day was a trusted ally. These people have spent years hiding in plain sight and they’re really good liars because of it. Their lives are at stake if they’re found out. If Jeremiah’s a traitor, he will probably think his life is more important than ours.”

“I’d know if Jeremiah believed the invaders are right,” Viv declared. “I think he didn’t disappear on his own. I think he’s being held captive somewhere and he needs our help. Come on. We have to do this.”

I looked at Judy. “His life could be in danger.

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