Feargus

  Crew Placement:

  Rhian ? On the move

  Alex ? The estate

  Michael ? Leberecht

  Strauss, Adeline, Sebastian ? Other man-cave, probably

  Zack ? Lawing

  Rhydian ? ???

  Bells, Riz ? Defector’s lair

  Everleigh ? ???

  Things I Didn’t Tell Faust:

  ? That Rhian was pregnant

  ? That my mates knew I was alive

  ? That Alexander had been helping us the whole time

  ? The Vonsinfonie history

  ? That Sebastian Vonsinfonie was alive and in Amalia

  ? That Zacharias Vonsinfonie was my new best friend

  ? Where Zacharias was living now

  ? That Michael knew about Helena

  ? Anything about Everleigh Gloom

  ? Anything about The Writer’s secret life

  ? Anything about the Tragers

  ? Anything about Jakob Adler

  ? Anything about my former food-related problem

  ? Anything about how close I’d become with Captain Kavelin

  ? That I was in love with Ivana Novak and quietly grieving

  ? That V officially but unofficially left me the Widow’s Peak

  ? That I’d been kidnapped by The Florist

  ? Or that we all got kidnapped again

  So, basically: I told her next to nothing. But none of that really mattered. What mattered was: Zacharias was awake, Lidia was gone, many Anima had been slain, and their investments hadn’t turned on each other or gone crazy. We couldn’t be sure yet if anyone had died besides Varis, though, while we waited to find out what happened to Michael.

  I did have to tell her about Marta, how after my sister had delivered Michael to Leberecht, Marta had chosen to return to Oskari with her. There was no way around that one, folks. The second we found ourselves at the Iron Hand headquarters, she’d find out. I told her she’d been helping out at the Widow’s Peak in the aftermath of the fire.

  I slept, or I pretended to sleep as much as I could along the way to Leberecht. We stopped three times along the way, once in Jaska for the night and to stock up on supplies, another at camp, and I must have been sleeping for a while when Faust shook me awake. When I looked out the window to get my bearings, it seemed we were closing in on Istok.

  “It’s been too long,” Faust said. “I should check in.”

  Well, that was no good, was it? Sebastian had recently been in town posing as a miracle-working priest sent from Palisade, and Ursula would probably remember that I’d gone to see that very miracle-working priest the last time I was there.

  “Not to overstep, Councilwoman, but I’m a touch worried about Michael after everything he’s been through. I really would like to see him. Reckon we could stop in on the way back?”

  “Whatever has been done to Commander Reider has no doubt been done, for better or for worse. An hour or two won’t make the difference, Agent Finnegan.”

  At the time, I still didn’t know the extent of what was happening in Leberecht or how much danger Michael was or wasn’t in, but after Faust’s alarming comment, the only thing keeping me from spiralling on the matter was that, on some level, I trusted Matilda and Delilah.

  “Well, I was just in Istok the other day, Councilwoman, and I’ll tell you: happy as clams, the lot of them. Since Rhian, Strauss, and Michael took care of their Anima problem, they’re tickled with Palisade and eager to move on with their lives.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Faust said. “Sounds like we’ll have a far better reception in Istok than we did in Oskari, won’t we?”

  Right, I wasn’t winning that one, mates. And maybe it was because I was still feeling off my game, or because no matter what I said, Faust was stopping in Istok. My efforts might have fallen flat, but I didn’t get the impression she was aware I’d been trying to redirect her.

  The carriage slowed, the carriage stopped, and I mentally prepared myself to stay calm, think on my toes, and react just right for every second that followed.

  Word travelled quickly that the Councilwoman was in town, and it wasn’t long before the crowds gathered around outside the mayor’s office, trying to catch a glimpse. I peered through the window at them all looking hopeful and grateful.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The mayor of Istok was a finely aged woman, I reckoned around Faust’s age. She had black curly hair, styled a lot like Della’s. And like the rest of the townspeople, she was happy to see us. Faust and I took seat on the desk across after the initial introductions were over.

  As expected, she wanted to thank the Councilwoman for sending such a capable group of Partisans to help with the Anima problem. So she knew about the Anima, all right. It had to figure she would, but then again, even Father Belaia didn’t seem to, so who was I assume?

  “The priest especially,” she added.

  “Which priest?” Faust asked. “Andrei Strauss?”

  The mayor wrinkled her nose. “Who?”

  “If not Andrei Strauss, to which priest do you refer, mayor?”

  “Father Lemmon Pious.”

  My beard had mostly grown back, but it still wasn’t as a thick as I liked. See, the beard helped conceal those subtle expressions that people, whether they knew it or not, were making and subconsciously seeing all the time. It’s also why I kept my hair so shaggy. With all that going on, I hardly had any face. Anyhow, what’s important is: it took everything out of me not to burst out laughing let alone hide the smirk. Sebastian, Sebastian, Sebastian.

  “Father Lemmon Pious?” Faust repeated. “There’s no clergy by this name within our ranks, let alone a Partisan. And what kind of name is Lemmon Pious? For goodness sake, it isn’t even Amali. What did he look like? Did he have an identification tattoo? Papers?”

  “Brown hair, a darker olive complexion, unremarkable features. I saw the identification tattoo—clear as day. APIO1. But the papers, I—I—I had no reason not to believe he’d been sent by you.”

  “Where is he?” Faust asked. “At the clergy house?”

  “He was, of course, but he hasn’t been seen in several days now…”

  I caught a look from Faust, as if to say, “Do you know anything about this?”

  So, I shrugged a shoulder, shook my head, and spun a story that would work even if she decided to question Ursula at the Blessing. “I had heard there was a new priest in town, but when I’d gone to check him out, he wasn’t home.” Concerned and confused face. “Are you saying you didn’t send anyone?”

  Faust shook her head.

  Across the desk, the mayor deflated. “I’m so sorry, Councilwoman. We were all just so grateful, and he was so helpful.”

  “Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now, is there? Please do be more mindful in the future, lady mayor, and though it isn’t every day a defector involves themselves in charity, or in uplifting Palisade, it’s disturbing nonetheless. Should he resurface, detain him.”

  Aye, good luck with that.

  We didn’t stick around in Istok much longer after our chat with the mayor. Though the Councilwoman was alarmed and perplexed by the strange defector priest running amok, she was happy to absorb the gratitude from the people on the way back to our wagon.

  The ride from Istok to Leberecht was relatively short, and on the way, that’s when Faust finally briefed me on what was really going on in the mountain city. Ultimately, the experiment was on her long list of things to see sorted out, but she was under the heel of the Trio. Sure, she was a Councilwoman, but what power did she really have over the three ancient Anima? No more than she had over the Six, frankly.

  “Who are these women?” I asked.

  Faust pressed her forefinger and thumb to her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know, Agent Finnegan. I’m not even permitted in their studio. And it isn’t as though I can use force. Last I met with the Artist, we’d found common ground in wanting to locate Zacharias Vonsinfonie, but I’m unsure of her stake in the game.”

  I won’t lie, I felt sorry for her. For all she thought she knew about the world, it seemed she didn’t know just as much. And there, I was overflowing with answers, but—

  “If I may ask, Councilwoman, why did you want to find Zacharias?”

  “For one, to finally get some answers,” she replied. “The Trio are old, ancient even, but I believe Zacharias Vonsinfonie is older. Second of all, if the stories I’ve heard are to be believed, then you should know Zacharias had unparalleled influence where the Anima were concerned.”

  “No kidding,” I said. “I mean, I hope this isn’t asking too much, but what sort of answers are you looking for? Reckon if I know what to listen for, I could better keep my ears open.”

  The silence was painful. Ten, twenty, thirty-three seconds, and then—

  “Agent Finnegan, there’s something critical I haven’t told you,” she said. “Not for a lack of trust, but timing. You asked why we don’t pack up our ships and incite war, or why we don’t plot with Oranen’s dissidents. The truth is, Erika Oranen is the least of our worries.”

  And that, mates, is when I officially learned about The Six, and that the rebellion against Palisade was the tip of the icicle as to why she and the others had recruited me and my mates. She said the secret to effectively destroying the Six was out there, somewhere, and that she believed Zacharias might have an idea where to start.

  “But they’re just Anima, aren’t they?” I wondered. “There’s really only so much six of them could do against a thousand of us, right?”

  “Correction,” Faust replied. “A thousand of us versus an unknown number of them.”

  “I don’t understand,” I answered. And I really didn’t.

  “What do you think happens to the unsanctioned births—to the babies like Andrei Strauss? To the Partisans, Legacies especially, that suddenly disappear? Some are demanded for their life-force as sacrifice. But the others? Well, for every hundred of us, we have to consider the possibility there could be an equal number of them.”

  “Well, fuck,” I blurted.

  “Yes.” Faust nodded. “Fuck indeed.”

  The carriage slowed and stopped long before we reached the gate to Leberecht as was customary, and the Councilwoman and I walked the rest of the way without talking.