Feargus

  Mates, I had a plan.

  Now that my immediate obligations had dipped closer to zero, I had the chance to think about a few matters I’d had to put a pin in while I was busy managing everything else. This particular idea was the most dangerous of all the ideas—well, except the one with the trees—but it was also going to be incredibly worth it if I succeeded.

  After leaving the Widow’s Peak, I had a snooze at Alexander’s in the pink and gold room with V’s blanket, and for the first time in a while, I actually slept well. So by the time I arrived in Jaska, I was refreshed and ready to move.

  First stop: Everleigh’s storm drain.

  Even though I could still whistle the song, I didn’t want to just barge in, so I knocked on the reinforced door. She answered pretty quickly, letting me in. I followed her to her desk where she sat in her Strachan-sized ebony chair. I remained standing on the opposite side.

  “I don’t have much time,” I started.

  “No, mere mortal, you really don’t,” Everleigh answered.

  Well, she had a point. “Say, Everleigh: reckon you’ll miss me when I’m dead?”

  Everleigh rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”

  I grinned.

  Obviously, Everleigh didn’t. “Okay. What do you want?”

  “I’m planning a Dangerous Mission. Wanna come?”

  “I’m really busy. Can it wait?”

  “Busy with cleaning?”

  “No.”

  “Busy planning your concert?”

  “Aye.”

  “Everleigh, is there anything I need to know about this concert?”

  “No.”

  “All right, well—”

  “What’s the mission.”

  “Does that mean you’ll come?”

  “No, I’m still busy,” she said. “But I need to know where to find you if you don’t turn back up.”

  “In the Verenian jail cells, probably.”

  “Why are you going to Verena.”

  “Before he was locked up, Sebastian was injected with a substance that knocked him out. I reckon it was designed to work on Partisans, but now we know it works on the Anima, too. Could come in handy, that.”

  “I guess,” Everleigh replied.

  “I knew you’d see it my way,” I said. “I plan to leave tomorrow afternoon so I can be there by nightfall. I don’t have a lot to go on, but I have a source.”

  “Who’s your source.”

  Pulling out the chair, I had a quick sit on the corner. “Alexander. Sebastian told me Rhian was in jail for around a day before Alex showed up to rescue them, so what was he doing all that time? I’m hoping it was gathering intel on the city, because if not, I’m going in blind.”

  “Why can’t this wait.”

  “With Sebastian due back soon, I have no way of knowing how things are going to escalate, and I have to consider that we may have to leave Amalia in a hurry at some point soon. This might be my only chance.”

  Everleigh sighed deeply. “Ugh—I can’t let you go alone.”

  “Look, it’s all right,” I said. “If you’re busy, I’ll ask Zack to tag along.”

  “Okay.”

  I stood and made my way to the velvet curtain behind which Everleigh kept her door. “I’ve really gotta go, though, so—”

  “Wait.” Everleigh turned her head toward me. “Don’t you want to know how the rest of Abby’s date went.”

  “Why would I? I wasn’t spying on her date.”

  “Okay.”

  “We’re all in danger—you know that.”

  “I guess.”

  “…Did she have fun?”

  “Aye, she had fun.”

  “Thanks, Everleigh,” I responded with a smile and two thumbs up.

  Next stop: the Gander.

  I wanted to speak with Quinn before going on my Dangerous Mission. There were still plenty of questions that needed answers, and I wanted to get them so I could tell Adeline everything I’d learned, my ideas, and my theories before I left. You know, just in case I died.

  When I arrived, I expected to find Quinn behind the bar, but it looked like Ben was alone out there serving ale and wine, and there was no one behind the bar.

  I was in a hurry, and as much as I didn’t hate the attention I tended to get at the Gander, I didn’t have time for it. I rushed down the hall as quickly as I could, which is quite quickly actually, and knocked on Tanis’s office door.

  Her rosy cheeks plumped up when she smiled. “Jack, are you here to rescue us?”

  “I really wish I could, but—where’s Quinn?”

  “She asked for a couple days off.”

  I nodded, remembering all the times I’d asked for a day or a week off. Tanis was always understanding. “Fair enough—did she say where she was going? I need to speak with her.”

  “Yeah, actually, she left with your friend.”

  “Which friend? Abby?”

  “No, um—you were in with him one night a little while ago. Spectacles, impossible bone structure. Walks with a limp.”

  “Isaak?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. Isaak.”

  “Thanks, Tanis.”

  After leaving the Gander, I had every intention of traveling to Zack’s man-cave next, but just as I was crossing the market, I ran into company carrying a pair of burlap bags. Other than the brief time I didn’t spy on his date with Adeline, I hadn’t seen much of Kavelin out in the wild. He was still in civilian clothes.

  He smiled when he saw me, and I smiled and waved in return.

  We met halfway for a catchup.

  “Always nice to see you, Jack,” he said.

  “Aye, likewise,” I answered. “You’ve been all right?”

  “Yeah, good. I can’t complain.” The bags he was carrying looked heavy, but the lad barely seemed fazed. He did seem conflicted for a moment, though, and I was in the middle of wondering what that was about when he made it easy for me.

  “Jack, I think there’s something you should know.”

  “That sounds serious," I said. “What’s going on?”

  Kavelin shook his head, and his perfect head of hair. “No, nothing like that. It’s about Abby.”

  My stomach inverted. “Is she all right?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. We had a lot of fun, and I’m sure we’ll be friends for a long time to come—just like you and me, right?”

  My eyebrows scrunched against the inside of my hat. “Right, of course.”

  Kavelin nodded a few times slowly. “Yeah, so, I’m telling you this because I know she won’t. She said it would worry you, but that didn’t make any sense. I don’t see how it could.”

  “Mate, now I am getting worried.”

  The Captain adjusted the bag whose handle seemed to be cutting into his hand. “Abby has feelings for you. We were about to kiss—because like I said, we had a great time, but… yeah, she just said she couldn’t. And I’m telling you this because you must not already know, because if you did, you’d be with her, right? And not sending us off on dates.”

  “Right, that’d be completely mad. Who would do that?” Obviously me. “But quite honestly, I’m not really sure what to do with that information.”

  Kavelin shrugged casually. “Well, whatever you do with the information, Jack, I want you to know there’s no hard feelings. I had a really great time getting to know her without any expectations, and I hope we can all still be friends.”

  “Aye, mate, of course,” I said. “But listen, I’ve gotta run. I’m in a bit of a hurry. Thanks, though, for telling me, and I really am sorry it didn’t work out.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Kavelin answered.

  For my third stop, it was off to Zack’s.

  I blew the whistle above his music note, and he answered in thirty-two seconds.

  After closing the hatch, we hugged and held at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Is Quinn with you?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “She will be.”

  “So I guess now’s not a good time to ask her some questions?”

  Zack shook his head. “No, but I will do what I can to get answers for you.”

  “And I suppose now’s not a good time to ask you to come along on a Dangerous Mission?”

  “Can it wait? Stabilizing Quinn is prudent.”

  I really couldn’t argue that, could I? And if anyone could help Quinn, I reckoned it’d be Zack. I don’t know what I’d have done without him when I was spiralling. “It’s all right, mate. I’ll ask Alexander. It’s so good seeing you, though. I miss you all the time.”

  Zack pulled me in for another hug. “You and me both.”

  “Sebastian should be home soon. Have you finished your song?”

  “Almost.”

  “I can’t wait to hear it.”

  “Well, Feargus Finlay, you’ll have to find me a cello first.”

  Back at the base, Alexander opened the hatch, and in the sitting room, Strauss was reading quietly to Jakob and Teeth from one of the books Everleigh had found for him at the library. Evelyn and Adeline were missing in action, though I’d eventually find out they were having a chat in the bedroom. But for now, I asked Alex if he wouldn’t mind joining me in the theatre for a chat of our own.

  We closed the door behind us.

  “Would you be interested in coming along on a Dangerous Mission?” I asked.

  “I can’t leave Evelyn.”

  “We’d only be gone for a day, tops.”

  “No, Feargus, you misunderstand. I cannot leave Evelyn while she’s in territory without Rhydian—not for more than an hour or two before I’m forced to return.”

  “Oh, like you actually can’t?”

  “Correct.”

  “All right,” I said. “That’s no problem. I can ask Everleigh.”

  As you know, I’d already asked Everleigh, but I was running out of Anima friends and I didn’t want Alexander to worry about me or to feel bad he couldn’t come along.

  “Do you remember much about your time in Verena?” I asked.

  “Is that where you’re going?”

  “Aye, I want to steal some of whatever they used on Sebastian to knock him out. Even better if I can get my hands on the formula.”

  “Ambitious.”

  “Aye, that’s me—Feargus Ambitious Finlay.”

  Alexander chuckled. “I suspected there may come a day we’d have to return to Verena. Leave me with the thought for an hour or two, and I’ll draw you a map of what I remember.”

  “Thanks, mate.”

  As we left the theatre room, Evelyn and Adeline emerged from the second master bedroom. Surprised to see me, Adeline squeaked and Evelyn gave me a quick hug before she and Alexander continued down the hallway together.

  I smiled winningly. “Have time for a quick chat?” I asked.

  Adeline nodded, and it wasn’t long before we were alone in the bunk room, standing face to face.

  I shifted my weight, and she shifted hers. I scanned her face, she scanned mine.

  “I’m planning a Dangerous Mission,” I said.

  She smiled brightly. “How exciting! May I come?”

  Actually, I was comforted by the thought of having Adeline with me. But no, she couldn’t come. Not that I was opposed to it specifically, and a telepath always came in handy, but I needed someone who could run fast.

  “I’m expecting to have to make a quick getaway,” I explained. “But I could use your help with the preparations.”

  Adeline scurried to the nearest bunk and set on the edge. I joined her.

  “How can I help?”

  I considered a moment, chewing my lower lip. “I’m going to be infiltrating a city, breaking into various buildings, and probably running for my life. I don’t expect to face Anima or Partisans, but there’s a chance I’ll run into some very angry Barrens.”

  “Agent Finlay, are you going to Verena?”

  “Aye, mate.”

  “Then perhaps you should ask Everleigh to join you.”

  “She’s busy.”

  “Zacharias?”

  “Busy.”

  “Alexander?”

  “In love.”

  Adeline giggled. “Could you wait for Enforcer Rhian?”

  “I could, but we really ought to be all together when Sebastian returns, and I reckon nabbing a pregnant Partisan would be striking gold around there. Not to mention, she’s already escaped from their jail. I’d wager she’s kill on sight.”

  “I see the dilemma.”

  I nodded. “So, I don’t know what you have in that mystical trunk of yours, but anything you reckon might help, I’ll take it. Alexander’s drawing me a map of the city as we speak.”

  Adeline held up a finger and dashed across the room to her trunk. She popped it open and when she plopped down in front of it, I joined her on the floor.

  “First of all,” she said, searching for something specific it seemed. “You’ll need this.” After unwrapping it from a thick black cloth, she handed me a pistol embellished with ornate bronze filigree. “It’s my lucky gun.”

  I smirked. “Your lucky gun?”

  “Yes. It never misses.”

  “Are you sure that’s not just your excellent aim?”

  Adeline looked at me sternly. “Lucky. Gun.”

  I held my hands up in concession, and we set the pistol aside for now, along with a pouch of bullets and another of fire powder. For her next trick, Adeline handed me her timepass. Which, in case you’d forgotten, is a compass with a timepiece on the other side, and a pair of compact mirrors on the inside.

  “Remember, we only know what we’re told about Verena,” she reminded me. “I wouldn’t rule out Anima presence.”

  Right—the mirror. Apart from making sure my hair still looked good every step of the way, it’d help spotting anyone lurking invisibly.

  “Now this,” she continued, pulling out a steel lock box which she unlocked with a key she’d stashed between her breasts, apparently. Believe me, mates, I examined the timepass thoroughly while she fished around in there.

  “This is a highly corrosive acid,” she explained of the first vial inside the box. “And by that, Agent Finlay, I mean don’t spill it, and definitely do not drink it. It’ll eat through most metal in a matter of minutes.”

  I nodded.

  “How’s your lock pick collection?”

  “Sufficient,” I said.

  Adeline hummed and dug around her trunk a while longer.

  Red lace, blue lace, pink lace—what kind of lass kept her frilly knickers next to a cluster of cherry bombs? The very best kind, clearly.

  "What about these?" I asked, reaching into the trunk and gingerly holding up the red pair.

  Adeline's face turned about the same shade. "You would look fetching in red, but I don't see how my unmentionables would help you."

  "What, a lad can't have lucky underpants?"

  Adeline laughed and my heart soared. Mission accomplished. I put the knickers back in the trunk.

  Next up, she handed me a lighter, a box of matches, and a handful of the small bombs. Finally, she stood from the floor and wandered over to her nightstand. She grabbed hold of one of two perfume bottles on the surface.

  “Fire-spray,” she reminded me, holding the bottle out at arm’s length. “Aim for the eyes and squeeze the atomizer. And please do not spray yourself.”

  I’d seen the effects of fire-spray firsthand when she was attacked. It’d be a valuable tool, so I scrambled to my feet and accepted the offering. Of course, I then immediately turned the perfume bottle on myself, and pretended I was about to spray.

  Adeline laughed again, shaking her head. “Well, I believe that’s everything,” she said. “I simply don’t have the resources or a proper workspace for anything more complex, and we’re pressed for time furthermore.”

  “Anything’s better than nothing,” I reassured her, bringing my new arsenal over to the desk for consideration later. I’d need some time with everything to look over the map, run over a few vague plans, and come up with a number of contingencies. For now, there we were again, standing face to face.

  She shifted her weight, and I shifted mine. She scanned my face, I scanned hers.

  My heart pounded behind my chest, and I knew she could hear it, because I could hear hers. And now that I knew how she felt about me—not that it was a surprise, actually, but it was something I’d absolutely been refusing to confront—what kind of person would I be if I did something about it right before throwing myself headfirst into a mission I wasn’t convinced I’d survive? Would I trade the joy of loving V to avoid the pain of losing her?

  For a moment our eyes locked again.

  “Addie,” I said.

  “Agent Finlay…?” she answered, uncertain.

  I took a step forward, and she didn’t back away.

  I tried my hand against her cheek, and she leaned into it.

  I snaked my arm around her waist, and she melted into me.

  But why was I so nervous? I’d kissed hundreds of people.

  And then, there it was: her hand on the back of my head, and her lips against mine, and the thousand pounds of relief off my shoulders, and the undeniable knowing of the thing I’d known since the day I'd seen her with my sister, wobbling like a baby deer in her impractical boots, laughing like nothing mattered more than the moment, tapping her spoon against her mug three times before taking a sip. Aye, the kiss was clarity:

  I’d found my person, mates, and my person had found me, too.