The League of Illusion: Legacy (5 page)

The man rubbed at his neck and eyed Jovan fearfully. Then his gaze moved to Skylar and that fear dissipated. She had been his savior. She smiled at him. And he lit up like a gas lamp.

“I’m only trying to be helpful. Was just trying to tell ’em about the apartment upstairs.”

“He owned the room above the theater?”

The man nodded. “Kept his, ah, lady friend there.”

Jovan glanced at Rhys. “Were you aware of any woman?”

“No, but I was never Sebastian’s keeper.”

“Who was this lady friend?” Skylar asked, “Does she still live upstairs?”

The man scratched at his haggard face. “Can’t quite recall the girl’s name, it’s on the tip of me tongue.” He reached his hand out toward Jovan.

Sighing, Jovan dropped a few shillings into the man’s dirty hand. “There. That should trigger the old memory.”

He closed his fingers around the money. “Evangeline. Pretty girl. Young. Was his assistant on stage.”

Excited, Skylar asked, “Could we speak with her? Is she here now?”

“Nah, sorry to say the girl’s dead. In fact, she died not long before the magician disappeared.”

After some more finagling and a few more shillings, the three of them were able to see the room upstairs. Except there wasn’t much to see. Not long after Sebastian vanished, the man took over the place for his own. It certainly stunk like a man who hadn’t had a decent bath in weeks.

Rhys surveyed the mess from the doorway. ‘Good Lord, how could anyone live like this?”

“I’ve seen worse,” Jovan murmured.

“That wouldn’t surprise me.”

He turned toward his brother. “Are you inferring something?”

“Obviously.”

Jovan rolled his eyes and moved away to watch Skylar survey the room. She’d yet to say anything since they came in. He wondered if she was getting a reading of some sort.

“What I’d like to know is how come you didn’t find any of this out, Jovan. You claimed to have searched for Sebastian for months.”

“I did. But this is the first I’ve heard of any girl named Evangeline. In fact, there wasn’t mention of any woman in Sebastian’s life. Which I found odd.”

“Well, he obviously wasn’t a phi Sasnem">

Jovan made a move toward Rhys. He’d had enough of his condescending tone and underhanded remarks, but Skylar stopped him.

“If you two wish to squabble, take it outside. I have work to do and you’re both interfering with that.”

“I apologize.”

“Yes, yes. That’s all I seem to get from you lately is apologies.”

Rhys snickered at that, but he was not immune to Skylar’s scorn.

“And don’t think you’re innocent in this, Rhys. You constantly provoke him, knowing full well he’ll bite back.”

He went to open his mouth to respond, but Skylar wasn’t having it.

“If you wish to stay, you can both stand over there by the door and be quiet. Otherwise, get out of the room.”

Firmly chastised, Jovan walked over to where Rhys stood by the door. He folded his hands in front of him and set to watching her work.

“Thank you.” She straightened her shoulders and returned her attention to the room. “I can feel something here. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t belong to the man. It feels feminine, and I’d bet a few pounds that he hasn’t been able to persuade any woman to accompany him to this room.”

She walked the room several times. During the fifth turn, she stopped by the bed. She dropped to her knees and looked under the frame. Jovan wanted to search in that filth for her, but she wouldn’t appreciate the offer. She would take it as a slight toward her skills and not an act of chivalry.

Scrambling to her stomach, she reached under the bed, stretching as far as she could go. When she pulled back she had something silver in her hand. She got to her feet and showed them what she found. It was a
silver locket. With a nail, she pried it open. Inside was a small picture of a man. Sebastian.

Chapter Seven

There was a strong hum from the metal as Skylar closed her hand around the locket. It rang of great sorrow. It was almost too sad to hold on to without the feeling leaching into her psyche.

“They must’ve been involved.” Jovan looked at her, watching her face. “What does it tell you?”

“There is great pain here. Grief, and…” She didn’t want to say the other. She didn’t want the implications of what could be the cause of such an emotion. Guilt could mean so many things. It didn’t have to mean the one thing she didn’t want to consider. One of the reasons a man would disappear.

Jovan must’ve seen the thing in her eyes. He moved away from her and shook his head. “No. Sebastian didn’t run away in guilt.”

Rhys’s eyes widened when he realized what they spoke of. “Surely you don’t think…?”

“No, of course I don’t think that. But that doesn’t mean others haven’t thought it.” Skylar turned the locket over and over in her hand. There was more here, the object had more to tell her.

She shut her eyes and concentrated on the waves coming from it. There were sound waves and light waves. Sometimes she could get a word or two, even an image, if she concentrated enough.

“Crossbones,” she murmured, and then opened her eyes.

“What’ VVp width=s that?”

“It’s what the locket told me.”

“What does it mean?” Rhys asked.

Jovan sighed. “It’s where she’s buried.”

“Yes, that would make sense.”

“Cross Bones Graveyard,” Jovan said. “It’s an unconsecrated place for ‘single women’ and the poor.”

“Prostitutes, you mean?” Rhys said.

Jovan nodded.

“You don’t think Sebastian would house a prostitute?”

Jovan shook his head. “No, but if she had no family, no money, that would be the only place she would’ve been buried.”

“Jovan is right. We must go there. I can scry by her grave. If Sebastian was there, I should be able to discover where he went afterward.”

“We’ll have to wait until evening,” Jovan said, “We don’t want people to take an interest in what we’re doing.”

“What people are you talking about?” Rhys asked.

“The Hawthornes. You know Lord Hawthorne will be watching us like a hawk to make sure we don’t find Sebastian, so his weasel son can take Blake’s place on the League.”

Rhys nodded. “You have the right of it. Darin Hawthorne is not a man we’d want running things.”

Jovan must’ve noticed the way Skylar shivered when the Hawthorne name was mentioned because he asked, “Do you know the Hawthornes?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

He seemed to want to know more about that, but he didn’t press her for more details. In the past, she would’ve told him everything, trusting him completely. But those days were gone, the trust shattered.

“Is there somewhere we can go until nightfall?” Skylar asked.

Rhys nodded. “Yes, the family owns a house on Holburn Street. We can go there.”

“Excellent, it will give me a chance to contact the council as well and let them know how we are faring with our search.”

* * *

Outside, Skylar watched as dark gray clouds skulked across the sky. She shivered, trying to suppress the feelings of doom that had consumed her since stepping into the apartment. She knew something terrible had happened there but she didn’t want to tell Jovan or Rhys quite yet. It might just have been something recent but she didn’t think so. The locket had an old sense of entitlement to it.

The knowledge of the girl’s death was a shock to them all, especially the fact that Sebastian had disappeared shortly afterward. That alone was great cause for alarm and for suspicion. She hadn’t known the oldest Davenport brother well, or at all quite frankly, but she would certainly never think that he could be capable of killing someone. Especially not a woman. And certainly not one he obviously cared for. Skylar suspected that Sebastian had had strong feelings for the girl, assumed prostitute or not.

“Are you well?”

Jovan’s voice startled her from her dismal thoughts. She regarded him in surprise. “Yes. Thank you. Why do you ask?”

“You look like you’d seen a ghost or something.”

“Seen one? No. Sensed one? Possibly.”

“Is that how it works for you?”

She shrugged. “Sometimes.” She gestured toward the carriage. “Shall we go?”

Rhys held the door to the carriage open for her, so she slid in. She didn’t really want to explain to Jovan how her sensing ability worked. Actually, she preferred not to have a conversation with him at all. The less interaction with him the better. The man had an uncanny ability to worm his way into places with his devilish good looks and golden-tipped tongue. A tongue she’d delighted in a time or two. She just wanted to concentrate on the job at hand, and not on a distraction like Jovan.

The ride across London to the Davenports’ town house should have seemed quick, but with Jovan sitting across from her it seemed an eternity. She’d been relieved when he’d chosen to ride up top on the journey into the city so she didn’t have to deal with him. This time she wasn’t so lucky.

“What do you expect to find in the graveyard?” he asked her.

“Evangeline’s grave, hopefully.”

“And then what?”

“Then I can scry to see where Sebastian had gone after visiting her.”

“But what if he hasn’t visited her grave? We can’t assume he has.”

“We can’t assume anything at this point,” Rhys said, “but we have to try something.”

“I agree, but what if we try something else.” There was a glint in Jovan’s eye that Skylar disliked.

“What do you suggest?” she asked, afraid of his answer. Jovan was never one for following the rules. When they’d been courting, he’d often call on her and take her riding without a chaperone. Those afternoons always ended with long passionate kisses.

“Let’s say Sebastian never visited Evangeline’s grave, but we can safely assume that she may have been the last person to see him before he disappeared.”

“Yes,” Rhys mocked, “but we very well can’t speak with her now, can we?”

There was that glint again. And Skylar knew what it meant.

“Absolutely not, Jovan.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “You can’t think to do such a thing.”

Rhys looked at them both. “What are you talking about?”

“Jovan thinks to perform a necromancy spell on Evangeline’s dead body so we could speak with her.”

“You can’t be serious, Jovan. That spell’s prohibited.”

“Yes, brother. I know.”

Rhys snorted. “Yes of course you do. I imagine you know and have mastered all the prohibited spells. It’s just like you to do everything you’re not supposed to do. If Father or the council ever found out—”

“They won’t.” He stared right at Skylar. “If no one tells them about it.”

She bristled in her seat. “I won’t be part of your scheme. I am honor-bound to report anything of importance to the council.”

“The Skylar I used to know would have gladly balked authority.”

“Yes, well, that Skylar was a foolish immature girl. Since then, I’ve grown up and gained some honor. Maybe you should try it.”

The carriage lurched to a stop, and she had to put her [d t honhand out to stop herself from flying into Jovan’s lap.

Not waiting for the driver, she pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. She took in some much-needed air and smoothed a hand over her hair. Jovan’s suggestion was enough to unfurl her curls. She shouldn’t have been surprised but she had been. Necromancy was a most foul skill. She’d not heard of a sorcerer performing it in a hundred years. Leave it to Jovan to pick the one spell that could get him stripped of his magic. For him to ask her to keep it secret from the council, which she was required by tradition to report to, was incorrigible. He had some nerve.

Rhys and Jovan exited the carriage after her, bickering as per usual. She’d never known the brothers not to be arguing about something or other. They were as conflicted as night and day.

“You’re mad to think I’ll allow you to do such a spell.” Rhys adjusted his hat as he came up to stand beside Skylar.

“Allow me?” Jovan chided. “I’m not asking for permission, brother.”

Skylar put her hand up to stop the argument. “Could we please take this inside? I very much would like some tea. You’re both giving me a headache.” Before she could mount the steps to the front door Jovan blocked her path. “What are you…?”

“We’re being followed.”

“Surely not.” She tried to nudge past him but he held her firm, even leaning into her ear.

“There’s a gray coach across the street. I saw the same one back at the theater.”

She fought the urge to turn her head and look in the miniscule chance Jovan was right. “There are a lot of gray carriages, Jovan, that does not mean…”

“With gold rims over the tires.”

Rhys had come down the step. “Is everything all right?”

Pretending to scratch her shoulder, Skylar looked across the street and spotted the vehicle in question. It indeed had gold rims. She turned back.

“Jovan says we’re being followed.”

“The gray coach, you mean?” Rhys asked. Skylar looked at him in surprise. “I saw it at the theater as well.”

Jovan whirled on him. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“It’s not of importance.”

“Not important, are you daft?”

“We’re bound to be followed, Jovan. I suspect there are several parties interested in our search. Those who wish us well, like the council, and those who do not, like the Hawthornes. The elves probably have an invested party as well. They’re always concerned about what we sorcerers are destroying.”

Jovan nodded. “Who do you reckon sits in the coach?”

“Classical rims? No style?” Rhys said, “I’d say the Hawthornes.”

Jovan stepped off the stairs and onto the sidewalk, gripping his cane tightly. “Let’s go have a little chat, shall we?”

Skylar grabbed his arm. “I’ll go.”

“Pardon? Certainly not.”

“I’ll be much more reasonable, don’t you think?”

“Maybe so, but I don’t like you dealing with that man.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve dealt with him before. He’s harmless [’font><.”

Jovan searched her face, and she thought he was going to argue with her some more. Instead, he nodded and stepped out of the way. “Just be careful, all right? Darin Hawthorne is not an honorable man.”

“I know, I’ll be sure to tread carefully.” She tossed her satchel to Jovan, and in return she snatched the walking stick from his hand. She gave him a sly grin as she gave it a test spin, and then tapped the metal-embossed tip on the ground. “A girl can’t be too careful.”

He chuckled a little as she made her way across the street to the stationary carriage parked adjacently. She suspected Darin had watched the entire exchange between her and Jovan with curiosity and was even now watching her walk toward him. She was aware of a few people staring at her. It was her manner of dress, she supposed. Women were not often garbed in pants, and certainly did not carry walking canes. She paid them no mind.

One curious woman in a blue-and-green plaid dress, matching bonnet and white gloves seemed quite offended by her state of dress. As she passed Skylar in the street, she purposefully opened her parasol to separate the space between them. Skylar had to suppress the urge to nudge the woman into the horse dung deposited on the road nearby. The woman harrumphed in distaste, and Skylar just smiled pleasantly.

When she approached the carriage, a door opened and the metal step was kicked out in invitation. Instead of a welcoming feeling, Skylar was filled with a sense of ominous dread. As if she was walking into the gaping mouth of a hungry lion.

She peered into the coach to see Darin Hawthorne smiling at her over the rim of a teacup. Her stomach rolled over in warning.

“Would you care to join me for a spot of tea, Miss Vanguard?”

“Thank you, no, Mr. Hawthorne. I am not thirsty.”

He took a sip from his cup and then set it on the accompanying saucer “Tea is much more than about thirst, is it not? More about civility I would say.”

“Well, then, my answer is doubly no.”

He lost his smile then and what little warmth there had been about the man vanished.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“It’s a fine day.” He gestured to the gray clouds swirling overhead. “I thought a ride through the city was in order.”

“You’re following us. I want to know why.”

“Are you the Davenports’ trained dog now, is that it?” he sneered.

“I see your ride has stripped you of any manners.”

He bristled at that, and sat back in the seat to adjust his maroon cravat. “Was Jovan too afraid to come speak with me? He had to send you to do his bidding.”

She tapped the walking stick against the side of the carriage. It made him flinch. “You’re lucky I’m the one to address the situation and not Jovan. He wouldn’t be as patient or as civil.”