Aric slowly shook his head. “Do you truly think I’ll allow you to take her out of my reach? Straight into a meeting with soldiers? You’re deluded in your young age.”
Rodrigo said, “Uh, the conditions of the meet are that you come alone and unarmed, with no Arcana.”
Once the man had left, I told Jack, “I don’t like you going by yourself. Much less with no weapons. Let us follow you.”
“Tonight’s important, peekôn. You got to trust that I know what I’m doing.”
“In other words, the Empress should trust that you know who to trust,” Aric said. “If your co-conspirators betray you, our element of surprise will be gone. Surely Milovníci put a price on your head.”
“He did. I’m the general’s most wanted, and he ain’t dicking around. The bounty’s a woman, free and clear.”
My claws sharpened at the threat to Jack—and at the idea of a woman being passed around like that.
“You bade the Empress flaunt her abilities, but not just to frighten those slavers,” Aric said. “You’re using us to secure power. Once freed, those men will disseminate information—that you shaped.”
Jack nodded. “There’ll come a time when soldiers are more afraid of us than of the general.”
“Wars are won by perception.” Aric stroked his golden stubble. “Again and again, I’ve witnessed this.”
“I let that rumor grow about me and the Bagmen because people want to believe that something like that can actually happen. They need to believe it.” A new story to tell. “Like they need to believe there’s a girl out there who can seed the ground, if they could just ease her wrath enough.”
“You’re turning her into a nature deity. With her own fables.” Aric’s tone wasn’t disapproving, more contemplative.
“Ouais. Right now I want as many people as possible to think I’m riding the countryside with life and death—”
Aric bit out, “You are.”
“—and that the two of them demand order.”
Headlights glared through the windows. Jack glanced past a curtain then back at me. “It’s them. Before I leave out, I’ll get you settled in a room.” He clasped my hand, leading me up the stairs. Over his shoulder, he enunciated to Aric, “Get her settled upstairs in a room—to herself.”
On the second floor, Jack headed toward a back bedroom. Blue walls with race-car wallpaper. “You stay in here with the door locked till I get back. Try to get some rest.”
“This is so important that you’ll let me stay here with Aric?”
“J’ai les mains amarrées.” My hands are tied. “You can’t imagine what’s on the line. Short of this, I’d never leave you. I trust you, but him? I put nothing past that Reaper.”
“I’m nervous about you going alone.”
“Tracasse-toi pas pour moi.” Don’t worry about me. “Are you goan to be safe here with him?”
I removed my pack and coat, tossing them on the bed. “You saw how he fights.”
“No, I mean safe from him. He woan try to steal you away?”
“He can’t, and he won’t. Remember what I did to the plague colony?” How could we ever forget?
Jack exhaled. “Promise me you woan let him guilt you into anything. It’s goan to be you and me, Evie. Just . . . just doan give me anything else to hurt on.”
In other words, don’t get with Aric. “I haven’t made any decisions. And until I do, I’m not doing anything—with anybody.”
“You mean that bastard’s still in the running?” Jack swiped his palm over his face. “I ain’t hearing this.”
“I can’t deny that I have a history with him.” And an Arcana connection.
The truck driver laid on the horn. No concern about attracting Bagmen?
I exhaled a huff of breath. Damn it.
29
Aric waited at the foot of the stairs, broad shoulders back, blond hair drying. The golden stubble on his chiseled jawline glinted in the firelight.
Too gorgeous for his own good.
“We’re in a house with electricity and food. If you don’t take advantage of all its offerings, someone less worthy will.” He had his helmet under one arm and a leather saddlebag slung over a shoulder. His version of a bug-out bag. What would a man like him pack?