If it had been the goblin assassin who’d taken that shot at Mychael, why would he want to frame Rache? Rache was an assassin. Why would someone glamour as Rache and try to kill people? Though not just people. Mychael. If Nukpana hired this guy, why would he want him to go after Mychael? Unless the assassin wanted what was happening right now—every law officer on the island was hunting for Rache Kai. If Rache got arrested, the assassin would get rid of his competition. And by killing Chatar, the assassin killed someone who may have been able to identify him. I was seeing a pattern here, sick and twisted, but still a pattern.
I resisted the urge to slide down underneath the water. This was getting way too complicated.
I must have dozed off. You don’t jerk, gasp, and choke on bathwater unless you’d been asleep. I also wasn’t alone. My hands went over the sides of the tub, grabbed the swords, and I came to my feet with much splashing and sloshing.
“Now that’s a vision I haven’t seen lately—last time you had a dagger and a towel.”
Mychael was in uniform. I wasn’t in anything except a tub. After more splashing and sloshing, I’d ditched the swords and jumped into his arms.
His sea blue eyes had a naughty gleam. “But I was about to join you.”
“We have an audience.”
Mychael grinned. “I could fix that.”
“I know you could, but right now goblins are the only people on this island who almost like me.”
“I like you.”
I smiled and shifted against him. “Yeah, I kind of got that feeling.”
I stepped back and looked Mychael up and down. While the scenery was more than nice, that he was wearing his formal uniform was not.
“Let me guess,” I said, switching to mindspeak. “Carnades likes his death warrant signings formal.” I didn’t mind goblins seeing me naked, but I wasn’t about to let them know the rest of my business.
Mychael’s next words echoed with tense fury in my mind. “Justinius has two votes. I have one.”
My heart stopped for a few beats. “Carnades bought all the votes he needed.”
The look on Mychael’s face told me that Carnades had a lot more.
“How many?” I asked.
“The rest of the Seat of Twelve voted unanimously.”
My mouth fell open. “What!” I said out loud. I dropped my voice to a whisper. “All of them? But you and Justinius—”
“Were the only ones who voted against them. It didn’t matter that you saved hundreds of lives. They believe you’re out of control.”
“I only killed firemages.” But that didn’t matter; none of it mattered. The Twelve would see me taken into custody and then they would see me executed.
“They claim it’s for the safety of the citizens and for your own protection.”
“I bet Carnades added that last part.” I stood very still. “Are you here to bring me in?”
“You know I’m not.”
“That’s treason.”
Mychael smiled fiercely. “Yeah, it is.”
“You know how I feel about you putting yourself in danger because of me.”
“I love you and I’ve sworn to do everything in my power to get you out of this, and if that means taking you off this island and running for the rest of our lives, then that’s what I’ll do.” He handed me a towel. “And as much as it pains me to have you cover up, you might want to do it before some of the men behind your walls hyperventilate and pass out.”
I tossed the towel aside. “Let ’em pass out.” I ran my hands up his chest and laced my fingers behind his head, pulling him down to me. I kissed him hard, with a passion born of the fear of losing him—first in the fire and now by choosing sides and choosing me.
In one swift move, Mychael tightened his arms around me and lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, my mouth demanding, taking. Mychael’s breathing had a ragged edge as he held me hard against him with one arm while his other hand ran down my body and back again with some gasp-inducing detours.
Our lips parted and I looked into his eyes as we stood pressed together, breathing fast, our hearts beating faster.
“That’s not helping the poor bastards watching us.” Mychael’s voice was a husky whisper. “But it’s doing wonderful things for me.”
“I’d like to have you do some wonderful things for me right now. Might help curb the terror.”
Mychael’s wandering hand cradled my lower back. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“You might not be able to stop them.”
His smile was that of a man with a secret. “I won’t be alone,” he said in mindspeak. “And you won’t be, either.”
“Meaning?”
“After what the Seat of Twelve just did, Justinius is of a mind to tell them—and the entire Conclave if necessary—to bend over and do something to themselves that I know to be physically impossible.”
I grinned. “I just love that old man.”
“I’m rather fond of him myself.” Pride gleamed in his eyes. “And of every Guardian who said they would stand with us.”
I just hung there in his arms, stunned. “Us? Both of us? Us as in including me?” I managed.
“Yes, to all of the above.”
“Balmorlan will try to flush me out again. Piaras. Phaelan. Carnades has already threatened to—”
“That’s been taken care of. Justinius is personally overseeing Piaras’s security, and your Uncle Ryn is essentially sitting on Phaelan.”
“Sitting on?”
“He wants to find you and get you off of the island now.” Mychael reluctantly set me on my feet. “Quite frankly, I think that’s the best idea your cousin’s ever had.”
I smiled, more like a baring of teeth. “I’m not going anywhere,” I told him. “I have too much unfinished business. Carnades has signed his way into a higher spot on my list. Has Imala filled you in on how and where I spent my evening?”
“She did.”
“Then you know we’re close, so close to bringing down Balmorlan, Carnades and his yes-mages. Close to stopping Rache and that glamouring assassin. I’m not going anywhere as long as there’s a chance to make any of those things happen. It’s not just about me and the rock. It’s about the elves and goblins who will fight a war that no one will win, because they’ve been forced to fight, or to swallow the lies that men like Taltek Balmorlan or Sarad Nukpana feed them. I can run, but thousands of innocent people won’t be able to. So I’m not going to, either.”
I reached for the goblin secret service uniform on the bed, my lips curling up at the corners. “So, how do you like skintight black leather?”
“Imala, when Chatar last left the embassy, did he take anything with him?” Mychael asked.
Mychael and I were in Imala’s office with Tam and Mago.
She shook her head. “I’ve had him constantly watched. Everything he brought with him from Regor is still in the room he was assigned.”
“I need access. Now. And so does Raine.”
I agreed completely. “Go through his stuff and see if I get any seeking vibes that match the assassin?”
“It’s a good place to start.” Mychael turned to Imala. “As paladin of the Conclave Guardians, I’m formally requesting full access to the goblin embassy.”
Imala’s lips were thoughtfully pursed, but her eyes were gleaming. “Don’t you need a warrant signed by the archmagus?”