Days Until Lidia Dies: 2

  Crew Placement:

  Oskari ? Michael, Varis, Strauss, Bells, Adeline, Rhian, Rhydian

  Estate ? Alexander

  ??? ? Everleigh

  It was midday when we arrived in Jaska. Sebastian wouldn’t fit in the storm drain, and believe it or not, the man gave it a whirl. So we had to make a quick stop by Della and Derek’s townhouse, see if one of them could let us into the Jaskar. Sebastian stayed invisible at a distance.

  I knocked three times with the bronze heart, and Della answered shortly after. We hugged, and she told me she was happy to see me, and to take a break from getting the house ready for the kids. They’d been approved for the adoption, which was a nice bit of good news. Derek joined us soon enough, and when we hugged, it was a lot less painful than it had been the last time. In a way, that made me happy. In a way, it made me sad.

  Anyhow, seeing as they had a million things to do and we were in a hurry, instead of accompanying me to the Jaskar, Derek gave me a spare key and said I could keep it. I wasn’t doing too bad in terms of my key collection, mates. So far, I had one for the Widow’s Peak, one for Alexander's estate, one for the Jaskar, one for the Gander, and though they weren’t keys exactly, I knew the song for Everleigh’s office (sort of) and the dance to get into Leberecht. All that said, I was able to let us into the Jaskar.

  Like almost every other establishment in the city, the windows were stained glass, so when we were alone inside, Sebastian came out of hiding.

  I remember what it was like seeing the Jaskar for the first time, with the dizzying, black and white spiral floors, glass tables, fully stocked bars, and curved staircases leading to the upper level. Now that I’d freshly been in one, the layout reminded me of a theatre. The decor was black on black on black, in various textures, tones, and materials, but everything looked expensive.

  Sebastian walked the common lounge area with a soft, crooked smile. “This is hers?”

  “She’s recently partnered with that nice couple you saw. But aye, originally.”

  “It’s breathtaking.” He moved to run his hand along one of the velvety couches. “Does the business do well?”

  “Aye, and even better now that it hosts sex parties.”

  “I see," Sebastian said. "On which nights?”

  I grinned, gesturing him along. “Her office is over here.”

  While we made our way, I explained the Tragers, our history, and how they ended up partnered with Everleigh.

  “All this while everybody thinks you’re dead,” he remarked.

  “Aye, dead, napping, or busy. One or way or another.”

  When we arrived at the locked door, Sebastian had a quick look at each of them. He then sighed, shook his head, and whistled nine consecutive notes with perfect pitch. The locks clicked once for each note in the appropriate section of the Verse of Victory, and then the door itself popped open. Before we descended the stairs, I stopped Sebastian.

  “You sure you want come down straightaway, mate? Just in case—”

  “In case my daughter is a pile of ashes on her office floor? Yes, I’m certain. Lead on, Feargus Finlay.”

  Everleigh’s musty basement looked the same as it always did, and there was no pile of ash on the floor. The velvet curtains that concealed the entrance from the storm drain seemed normal. The furniture was aligned, the paperwork on her desk was organized, and the portrait of Sebastian was covered up by the decoy painting of a dark red rose.

  Sebastian lit the sconces around the room with a snap of his fingers. There were no pretty colours this time. “It smells just like her,” he said.

  Stolen story; please report.

  And by that he meant, it smelled like cold stone, dirt, and flowers.

  I moved to the desk first, but nothing stood out on the surface. Business notes, a reminder for her costume fitting appointment with Vivienne, a reminder for her meeting with Della, the Jaskar’s books for that year, which on quick glance, seemed on the up and up.

  While I looked through everything, Sebastian made his way to the curtain and pulled it back. He nodded knowingly when he spotted the door and moved on.

  The top drawer in Everleigh’s desk opened easily enough with a bit of gentle coercion. Meaning, I had to pick it. Inside, there were two stacks of letters. They all seemed to be in similar envelopes and written on similar paper, but the handwriting varied. In total, there were eighty four letters.

  Here are a few:

  

  E,

  I can’t thank you enough for what you did for my Theo. His suffering was killing him slowly and killing me quickly. I wake up every day with his song in my head.

  Amalia bless your heart.

  J

  

  Thank you.

  P

  

  When I’m alone, I hum her song and it feels like she’s here with me again. I don’t know what you are, I don’t know how you do it, but may my eternal gratitude live on in your merciful light.

  

  Mommy doesn’t cry anymore.

  Love,

  Eli

  “What’s this?” Sebastian swooped in behind me, looking over my shoulder. I shuffled through a few of the letters so he could see.

  But there really wasn’t anything that needed to be said on the matter. He nodded, and I tucked the stacks away. The second drawer was locked as well, but easy enough to bypass. There were five more identical ledgers inside, for each year the Jaskar had been in operation.

  While Sebastian searched the rest of the room, I emptied the drawer out and felt around for a false bottom or anything else hidden in the tracks.

  “Make sure you check the painting,” I said, knowing full well what he’d find.

  He only had to threaten to move it, and the rose toppled to the floor, revealing the portrait of Sebastian I’d stolen from the keyhole in the mountain. He looked over his shoulder.

  “Where did she—?”

  “Long story, and I’m not sure how much of it I can tell.”

  Sebastian nodded, looking back to the portrait. “I haven’t seen this in—well, I don’t like to think how long it’s been, frankly.” He collected the decoy rose and placed it back where it was. Meanwhile, I’d found something trapped in the tracks between the second and third drawer.

  Unfolding the paper on the desk, Sebastian came around to have a look. It was a map of Amalia. On the map, there were six points marked with a single music note. They all looked the same, so I didn’t think it was another song—just points of interest, most likely.

  “Does this mean anything to you?”

  Sebastian picked up the map and began pacing the room. “Yes, actually. I haven’t thought about these in—but how would she know? If Delilah's involved, I’m not ready to see her. Or anyone else—no one except you and your friends, Feargus Finlay, and Everleigh if—do you have access to an elementalist?”

  “Other than you?”

  Sebastian nodded. He’d stopped pacing and was once again examining the map.

  “Aye, I’ve got options. Why?”

  He shook the map. “These are entry points to the underground network.”

  “Like the one beneath the crypts?”

  “No, those were built post-Divide. These are something different entirely. These are from a time when—these are from another time.” Sebastian swept across the room and laid the map in front of me. He tapped on the music note south west of Leberecht. “This was my domain.” And then he tapped the music note closer to Istok. “My brother’s.”

  “Why do I need an elementalist?”

  “Because the doors are mystical things, Feargus Finlay. Built into the ground itself. These were not ordinary times, as if these are ordinary times, but I mean it in the most serious sense.”

  “Reckon I can enlist allied help if you’re worried about running into anyone.”

  “More than that, your friends are counting on my assistance. We have several meetings as well as various other organizational tasks to take care of before the big event.”

  “How long?”

  “Less than two days now. I’d prefer if everything played out without disruption.”

  “All right,” I said. “No worries, mate. I agree. If you can’t stick around, do you want me to send Everleigh your way when I find her?”

  “I appreciate the tactful use of optimism, Feargus Finlay. But no, I’ll find her when I’m ready. For now, regardless to whom you speak, you never saw me.”

  “Only if you never saw me either.”