Tales of the Djinn: The Double (22 page)

“Never,” Cade said. “Except when a little corner of you has.”

The other him pretended to ignore that. He found his trousers and pulled them on.

“What if we need you?” Elyse said. “For planning or suppose there’s an attack? Wouldn’t it be better if you were close by?”

Arcadius shook wrinkles from his tunic. “I’d sense if Cade were alarmed. I could smoke here in an instant.”

“Could you?”

“Yes.” He met her gaze with a crooked smile. “Being your guinea pig all day seems to have fixed that problem.”

Elyse frowned, probably not realizing how adorable the scowl was on her. More or less dressed, Arcadius cupped the side of her face. Seeing the connection between them made Cade feel . . . not displeasure but off balance. Elyse felt things for Arcadius that were separate and different from what she felt for him.

This also seemed true for Arcadius. His emotions for Elyse weren’t the same as Cade’s. His expression was that of a fond uncle—as if he were more comfortable regarding her as a young person who wasn’t his equal. Cade knew better. He’d experienced firsthand how brave and capable Elyse was.

“I’m fine,” Arcadius said. “You and Cade need your privacy.”

Her mouth twisted out of shape. Cade suspected she wanted to argue. In the end, she let Arcadius have his way. “You’ll come back first thing tomorrow?”

“First thing,” he promised.

~

Arcadius paused outside the doors to Iksander’s chambers and looked back. Now that he was alone, he allowed himself second thoughts. He could change his mind about spending the night with them. Elyse had invited him, and Cade hadn’t protested.

He wondered at that.
Was
the other him a better person? More generous and less territorial? As to that, maybe Arcadius was changing. He’d never put himself in a woman’s power the way he’d put himself in Elyse’s. He wasn’t sure, but he thought his double’s presence had made it easier.

Cade hadn’t seemed like a rival in those moments. Arcadius had trusted his double to have his back.

Was it strange or simply horribly narcissistic to consider a version of yourself a potential friend?

He wagged his head and forced himself to walk off. He was a soldier, not a philosopher. He’d think about these questions when there weren’t more pressing issues to consider.

Chapter Eight

THE
following morning, Elyse, Joseph, and the two commanders met up with Vizier Murat in his office in the main palace. As might be expected for a space that entertained dignitaries, the decor exhibited the djinn’s love for excessive furnishings.

Elyse couldn’t help goggling at an odd globe on the corner of Murat’s desk. Its shape wasn’t a ball but a wide circular ribbon. The usual brown bumps stood for mountain ranges with green swaths for fertile plains. What really caught her eye was that the various landmasses were animated, seeming to float on an ocean of realistically swirling clouds.

Cade had warned her the lands of djinn didn’t have the sort of geographical locations she was used to.

Understandably, the vizier’s attention was on the commanders. The dignified white-haired man leaned back in his tall desk chair. “I assume we’re meeting because you’ve decided you kept me in the dark long enough.”

“We didn’t mean to insult you,” Cade said. “You had plenty on your plate already.”

Murat waved the words away. “Never mind that. Just tell me what you’ve been dealing with.”

They told him about the missing young people and the plan to catch Yasmin’s brother in Victory Park.

“Myself, Cade, and Joseph are taking part,” Arcadius said. “If worse comes to worse and something happens to all of us, you need to be prepared to take the reins.”

The calmness with which Arcadius mentioned this potential catastrophe caused Murat’s brows to shoot up. “You’re too kind,” he returned. “If the three of you do die, I’m sure having the hours between now and midnight to ‘prepare’ will make all the difference.”

“We need to handle this ourselves,” Arcadius said. “The threat Ramis and the human sorcerer pose to our city might seem slight, but it’s significant. We cannot allow our people, however humble their origins, to be nabbed for unknown nefarious purposes. This plot needs to be stopped before it grows larger.”

“And no one can be trusted to stop it but the city’s three most irreplaceable personnel?”

“Not really,” Cade said.

“Not really,” Arcadius agreed.

The vizier laughed wearily. “Very well. If you want to get to the park unnoticed, you should use the underground waterways.”

The two commanders stiffened. “What underground waterways?” they demanded in unison.

Murat smiled. “They’re part of an old cistern system we don’t use anymore. The sultan who ruled prior to Iksander’s father magically shielded them from discovery. The waterways are how Iksander eluded the tails you put on him when he wanted to temporarily escape his responsibilities.”

“They’re navigable?” Arcadius asked. “And you have a map?”

“Yes and yes,” Murat said. “Iksander was sensible enough to want someone to be able to find him if his adventuring went awry.”

Both commanders appeared annoyed by this reminder.

“If you wish,” Murat said, smoothly ignoring this, “I can arrange for Yasmin to be called away from the harem on a family emergency. The sultana might check her story but probably not right away. You’ll have time to work out the details of your strategy.”

“That would be useful,” Arcadius admitted.

“Thank you for thinking of it,” Cade added.

Joseph cut off a coughing noise that could have been laughter.

“Are
you
ready for this, young lady?” Murat suddenly asked her. “An important part of this plan seems to depend on you.”

Elyse had grown used to being invisible. Was she ready? Her recent experiences with Cade and Arcadius had given her more confidence, but would it be enough?

“She’s ready,” Arcadius answered before she could. “In truth, if she weren’t on our side, we’d have to put her on a watch list right after Mario.”

Elyse gaped at him. Was he trying to buck her up or did he actually think she was dangerous?

“Very well,” Murat said, taking him at his word. “I’ll do my bit to move this scheme forward.”

~

Because so few djinn knew the old waterways existed, it made sense to set their final meet-up in the palace’s main cistern. The antique glow lights were dusty but still functioned. Their blue-tinged illumination revealed an underground chamber that reminded Cade of a pagan temple, with long lines of marble columns, a tall cathedral ceiling, and three feet of surprisingly clear water covering the tiled basin. The former reservoir was grimier than most places in the Glorious City, and the squeaks that occasionally echoed through the shadowy space suggested rats had taken up residence. As in a temple, more than the absence of noise created an atmosphere of quiet.

They probably didn’t need to, but they spoke in hushed voices.

The harem girl, Yasmin, was allowing Joseph to fit her with a listening device disguised as a pearl earring. Because Joseph was being careful not to touch her familiarly, securing the thing was taking a while. Like the rest of their compact group, Yasmin wore muted color robes. In the daytime, this would have made her stand out. At night, it was camouflage.

Cade found himself wondering what was going through her head. In their eagerness to set this trap, they hadn’t asked themselves how reliable she’d be. She seemed nervous but was controlling it. Part of this must be due to being in the company of males who were neither her family nor her consort. She also might be worrying if she could trick her brother. Cade hoped she didn’t have second thoughts while they were underway. Loyalty among siblings wasn’t necessarily logical.

Joseph finished securing the pearls in Yasmin’s ears and stepped back from her. One of her hands went anxiously to the enchanted one.

“You’re sure Ramis won’t sense the eavesdropping spell?” she asked. “I know you shrank it, but my brother has a sharp nose for magic.”

“Elyse is going to help with that,” Joseph said. Elyse jumped and then took the piece of parchment Joseph was holding out to her. “This is a concealment spell. Nothing tricky. Just read the words. I’ve already created a little channel for them to run into.” He turned back to Yasmin. “No matter how adept your brother is, her human power will keep him from spotting what we’ve done.”

Elyse read the words. Cade didn’t sense anything happening, but Joseph nodded as if what
he
sensed had satisfied.

“Perfect,” he said, taking the paper back. He addressed the harem girl. “All you have to do is keep your brother talking long enough for Elyse to suck him into her brass vessel. We won’t be able to speak to you, but we’ll hear everything. Tell Ramis whatever feels natural, whatever you think he wants to hear. We’re not looking for a confession, just sufficient time for Elyse to perform the spell. We’ll have guards posted in hidden places around the park. If you seem to be in danger, they’ll move in.”

“But don’t try to find the guards,” Cade said, aware that this was difficult for civilians to resist.

Yasmin’s anxious hand shifted to her throat. “Just act natural.”

“Don’t worry too much about that either,” Cade advised. “Your brother hasn’t seen you in a long time. You two don’t have a natural mode anymore. He won’t think it’s strange if you’re nervous. You’ll be out alone at night—and not just in your cat form.”

“So don’t be nervous if I’m nervous.”

“Exactly,” Cade confirmed.

Ever vigilant, Arcadius had been watching their surroundings and not Yasmin. As a result, he heard the muted footsteps first. “The guards are coming,” he announced.

They’d recruited three to serve as additional backup. They emerged from the base of the secret staircase, robed in black and well armed with throwing knives. Yasmin veiled her face hastily. Cade glanced around. Everyone appeared to be ready.

“All right,” he said. “Time to saddle up.”

His double gave him a funny look. “We don’t have saddles.”

Cade had soaked up more human idiom than he realized. “I mean mount our carpets.”

“We’re not wading?” Elyse asked.

“No,” he said. “That wouldn’t be efficient. And as you can see, one of the guards brought a roll of rugs.”

“Good.” She sounded relieved. “I saw fish in that water.”

“They’re minnows.”

“I don’t want them sneaking up on me and nibbling my toes.”

Cade broke into a laugh. Of all the things to make her afraid . . . “You can ride with me if you wish. I’ll protect you.”

She grinned, her face lighting up like a ray of sun. “You’re my hero.”

Affection welled potently inside him. He loved that she could joke at a time like this, loved everything about her actually. The silly reasons seemed as important as the serious.
I’m lucky,
he thought. No matter what they risked, he was glad in that moment that she was there. These shared experiences bound them together, helping each understand what made the other tick. His lingering unease about Arcadius fell away. Elyse was his, no fooling.

Despite the witnesses all around, he couldn’t resist bending down to lightly kiss her cheek. Elyse gave
his
cheek an answering pat. She was still smiling when he pulled back.

Love you
, her lips shaped secretly to him.

Or maybe not so secretly. As he straightened, he caught Yasmin staring at them. Though her face was covered, the expression in her eyes was wistful.

“If you’re done billing and cooing,” Arcadius said dryly, “I’d like to set up in the park
before
our target arrives.”

~

Cade didn’t expect to encounter trouble, and happily this proved true. Their squadron of flying carpets glided through the tunnels without getting lost, ambushed, or eaten by minnows.

The trip was short. Victory Park was in the palace sector, conveniently close to one of the forgotten waterway’s exits. The three guards left first, smoking up a hidden set of steps a block away from the city’s premiere green space. The guards would take up positions on different ministry building roofs, from which they’d survey the meeting place. Arcadius smoked out behind them, returning minutes later to report on conditions.

“Your brother isn’t here yet,” he told Yasmin. “Or not that I can tell. The last of the enchanted statues have been removed, but the landscaping and the monuments might offer hiding spots. Chances are, he’ll watch you approach to ensure you’ve come alone.”

Yasmin nodded, her nervousness apparent even in her concealing clothes.

“You’ll be fine,” Arcadius said, surprising Cade a bit with his warmth. “Go ahead and change into your cat form.”

Yasmin did and immediately bounded up the crumbly steps. Arcadius turned to Cade and Elyse. “You two are ready?”

Cade didn’t waste breath pointing out that his double wasn’t in charge of them.

“We’re ready,” he confirmed. “Joseph will unlock the spells he set on the Arch of Triumph, and Elyse and I will climb to the portal room.”

The Arch of Triumph straddled the Avenue of Palms and overlooked the park. The portal room itself had no windows, but a small gallery behind it would provide him and Elyse a view.

“And you?” Arcadius asked Joseph.

“I circle the park in vapor form and watch for Mario.” His tone was as patient as Cade’s had been. “If the human sorcerer shows up, I notify you or Cade.”

“Good,” Arcadius said. “I’ll be on the roof of the Ministry of Transport.” He thrust one finger toward Cade for emphasis. “Use our link if you need to. I can be with you in an instant.”

“I will,” Cade promised and meant it. When it came to watching out for Elyse, he wouldn’t hesitate to call his original for backup.

~

“Brr,” Elyse said as she and Cade went into the portal room. “This place is creepy.”

The hollow was built into the top of the giant arch. Despite being high in the air, the worn stone floor and cracked tiling reminded her of a derelict subway stop—one where psychotic villains dragged their exsanguinated victims to mummify. She could
almost
see the guttering energy of the portal, the suspended flicker there and then gone at the corner of her eye.