Redemption Song (Daniel Faust #2)(87)

“You would do that for me?” she asked. There was something in her eyes I hadn’t seen in a while. It looked like hope.

“In a heartbeat,” I told her.

“We shall see,” Sitri said, “if you can put your mettle where your mouth is. Produce the ring, and I’ll make your little dreams come true, warlock.”

“I need one thing,” I said. “Information. I’ve got a plan, but to make it work I need to get my hands on one of the damned. A human named Gilles de Rais.”

The Conduit went silent. Caitlin edged up to stand beside me. Our fingers entwined.

“Found him,” Sitri said as the Conduit’s body gave a tiny jerk, consciousness surging back in. “Could be trouble. De Rais belongs to a creature called Naavarasi. She’s a rakshasi—not a demon, but one of the elder races, her domain swallowed by hell’s expanding borders. A baron among the Night-Blooming Flowers, but as I understand it she bears the court little love, and little love is given to her in kind.”

“Maybe I can find something to trade her,” I said.

“Or perhaps you can do me a service,” Sitri countered. “We have a spy inside the court. He is on the verge of being discovered. Go to Naavarasi, and convince her that you and I are enemies. Offer to give her this spy’s name, in order to hurt me. Meanwhile, I’ll send the order for my agent to flee after leaving some false information behind. False documents pointing fingers in interesting directions and giving the Flowers something to fight each other over for years to come.”

I nodded. “Brilliant. Naavarasi gets a feather in her cap, you turn a crisis into a victory, and I get leverage.”

“We need to keep up a ruse,” Caitlin told me. “Until you’ve seized the ring, everyone needs to believe that we separated, or they’ll know something’s up. I can help you, but only from the shadows.”

I squeezed her hand.

“Then I’ll count the hours until the job’s done,” I said.

? ? ?

Sullivan clapped his hands together, rolling his eyes.

“Brilliant,” he said sarcastically. “So you weren’t at the banquet to steal the book after all. You were trying to grab the ring off the table. That was your goal all along.”

I nodded. “Like I said, it wasn’t about the book, and it was barely about you. You were just my in. My way to get to the table and up close and personal with Lauren Carmichael.”

“And you failed. Abysmally.”

“How do you figure that?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“Ben,” Sullivan said. “It’s time.”

Ben couldn’t take his eyes off Melanie. He pleaded with her softly, choking back tears. She didn’t even look at him.

“Ben!” Sullivan snapped. “Come here. Now is the time to be strong, to be pure. This is your hour of greatness!”

Ben slunk away from us, head hung like a whipped dog, to stand at Sullivan’s side. His expression changed when Sullivan took Ben’s right hand and slipped the Ring of Solomon onto his finger.

“I know,” Sullivan said, “because I took it. It was the first thing my hand closed upon in the confusion. Your trick with the lights worked on my followers, Mr. Faust, but I can see in the dark quite clearly. I never took my eyes off it.”

Ben clenched his fist, nodding to himself and staring at the gleaming ring. I could see the change in his face, the sudden rush of power as he realized what he’d been given.

Sullivan smiled as he looked at Caitlin.

“As I said, what a pleasure to avenge all the wrongs done to me. You saved me the trouble of hunting you down, my dear. Did you miss me?”

“Like a case of the black plague,” Caitlin said. “And you’ve always been the hero of your own little sob story, Suulivarishisian. Nothing is ever your fault. You’re always the wronged one. The only thing I ever did to you, was refuse to be your victim anymore.”

He waved an irritated hand in the air. “History will remember things differently. Especially when you go before Prince Sitri’s assembled council and confess how you and the prince colluded to steal my estate. Humiliating you both will be a delightful appetizer before I march my armies into hell and take my rightful throne. And you will confess. You’ll say anything I want you to say, once you’re under the ring’s power.”

“Yes,” Ben ranted, almost hyperventilating as he stared at the ring. “Yes, I’m ready. I’m ready for this, just say the word. I’m ready for greatness.”

Sullivan rubbed his chin as he contemplated Caitlin. “I think I’ll have you tear your lover apart while I watch. That seems appropriate. But first, we’ll have a proper reunion. Ben? Use the ring on Caitlin, please. Make her crawl over here and lick the dust from my boots.”

Ben pointed his curled fist at Caitlin, brandishing the ring. “Kneel!” he roared in a voice that echoed off the desert flats.

Emma and I watched with horror as Caitlin’s knees began to buckle. “Can’t…fight it,” she gasped, her voice strained.

Then she grinned.

She was the first to break out into laughter as she rose back to her feet. Emma followed suit. I leaned into Caitlin, snickering into her shoulder as I gave her a tight hug.

“Holy shit,” I said. “One more second of that and I was gonna lose it. I could not keep a straight face.”