Resha startled as if he had dozed off. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. We could even bring representatives from the other Guildhouses to broaden the perspective.”
She didn’t love the idea, but getting the other Guildmas ters to participate would drive Resha to distraction, which Laura wouldn’t mind. She infused her face with animated excitement. “I like that. It would be a great opportunity to move beyond the problems and look to the future.”
“I agree,” said Hornbeck, “And the ceremony will be a perfect moment to announce the idea.” He gathered his papers. “Send my office a revised schedule, Laura. I will defer to Orrin Rhys’s decision as to when on the program Blume will speak.”
Laura clenched her jaw. “I’ll have to coordinate this with the committee, Senator. At such short notice…”
He cut her off. “At such short notice, I’m sure Blume will have a speech written and prepared. I suggest the planning committee move quickly, too. It was a pleasure speaking with you as always, Laura.”
Without waiting for a response, he lifted his briefcase and walked away. Laura retained her composure. “This is a problem, Resha.”
“I don’t understand your resistance,” he said.
“It’s not just me, Resha. Rhys doesn’t want him there. Hornbeck would like nothing better than to hijack the ceremony for his own agenda. Don’t think it’s a coincidence that a U.S. senator is supporting a highly connected elven businessman. The U.S. wants to keep the Consortium as happy as the Guild.”
“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing, playing them against each other?” he asked.
She glared at him. “Of course, Resha. And a Guild director shouldn’t be trying to level the playing field for the other side.”
Her tone wounded him more than she intended. Resha remained popular among the solitary fey because of his desire to treat everyone fairly, which was why they voted for him as their director on the Guild board so often. That attribute, though, often made him a lousy politician in Washington. Laura took a deep breath and placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Resha. I know that sounded cynical, but I’m trying to honor Rhys’s wishes. I’ll talk to him.”
Resha nodded. “Yes, well, I didn’t think offering to let Blume speak would be such a problem. I suppose the Guildmaster will have a real reason to be angry with me now.”
Curious, Laura tilted her head. “Rhys is angry with you?”
He sighed. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard. I admired the humidor in his office not long ago. Apparently, it went missing, and Orrin thinks I took it.”
The idea was so absurd, Laura chuckled. “Did you?”
Equally amused, Resha shook his head. “No. He’s embarrassed me terribly. I hope my little faux pas here won’t make things uncomfortable for him.”
Laura’s jaw dropped. The emotional resonance in his voice was clear. “Resha! You did this on purpose.”
He grinned, for once the natural predatory appearance of a merrow conveying his intent. “Oh, let’s not speak of this anymore. I think Hornbeck has wasted enough of our time. I have a car waiting. Do you need a lift?”
Laura gave his arm a quick squeeze. “I’m all set, thanks. Nicely played, Resha. You’ve given me a headache, but nicely played.”
She shook her head as he sauntered down the aisle. She caught sight of Hornbeck talking to Tylo Blume at the side of the room. As Laura Blackstone, she had not met Blume in person and had no desire to. She casually mingled with the crowd leaving the room to avoid being seen.
Simultaneously, she watched in her peripheral vision as Sinclair angled along the side of the room toward the door. They made eye contact, and a small smile slipped onto his face before he nonchalantly looked away. She smiled when he wasn’t looking. The man was flirting with her and, if she wasn’t mistaken, he was timing his exit to coincide with hers. It had been a long time since someone whom she didn’t find annoying acted like that around her. She slowed her pace to see if he intended to say anything.
She wanted to kick herself when she sensed the elven essence coming up behind her. By letting Sinclair distract her, she had fumbled her escape from the room.
“Ms. Blackstone?” Tylo Blume said to her back.
She turned nonchalantly. “Mr. Blume, it’s nice to finally meet you. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation with the senator.”
Blume’s eyes glittered like sapphire crystals. “I wanted to introduce myself and tell you how honored I am that the Guild chose Triad for the Archives project.”
She shook his hand without enthusiasm. “I can’t tell you how pleased everyone is, Mr. Blume.
He nodded modestly. “I understand from the senator that I’ve been asked to say a few words at the ceremony. I am flattered by the opportunity.”
Laura didn’t know whom she wanted to strangle more, Hornbeck or Resha Dunne. She keep her tone civil. “Yes, well, the logistics will need to be worked out.”
“If there’s anything my people can do to help, let me know. And do call me Tylo,” he said.
Laura smiled with a pleasure she didn’t feel. “It’s Laura, then. Regardless, I look forward to seeing you at the ceremony.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Blume said, and continued out the door.
Laura watched him leave, trying to figure his intentions. His power didn’t intimidate her in the least. She had worked with Terryn and other fey with formidable abilities so long and often that physical power didn’t impress her. Blume wanted to speak in public and needed to ingratiate himself with Laura-and the Guild-for the opportunity. Words had a power of their own, and the only thing more powerful than words was deciding who got to speak. The realization struck her that through circumstances, that made her more powerful than Tylo Blume at the moment.
Sinclair left the room with Foyle. Laura paused on the threshold and spotted them in the hallway with Hornbeck. Sinclair nodded as Foyle spoke, but his attention was focused on the door to the hearing room. As they made eye contact again, Sinclair gave the slightest shrug, as if to say he couldn’t help the missed chance to speak with her. Laura made sure he saw her smile as she walked toward the elevator. A little innocent flirting couldn’t hurt.
She called her brownie driver to pick her up. As much as the often servile nature of brownies disturbed her sometimes, it had its advantages. The driver would make every effort to do as she asked without requiring details or explanations.
She waited across the street from the building, trying to come up with a plan to disappoint Blume. Foyle and Sinclair exited the building. Sinclair gave no indication this time that he saw her as they walked in the opposite direction. Fine, she thought. While the flirting was fun, she didn’t want any more distractions.
A few minutes later, Tylo Blume left the building and stood at the curb. As he waited for his own transportation, a male Inverni fairy walked up to him. They exchanged words that became increasingly heated. Blume looked angry. They were too far away for her to read their lips. Nonchalantly, Laura snapped a picture with her cell phone. Incredibly, right in front of the Senate building, Blume called up a spark of deep green essence. He thrust his hand out toward the Inverni, who raised his own hands and backed away. Security guards from the building ran toward them with guns drawn, but the Inverni shot into the air and flew out of sight.
The security guards swarmed Blume, and he extinguished the essence. As he talked to the guards, he gestured up the street in one direction, then into the air where the Inverni had fled. Moments later, a black car arrived. Blume slipped into the backseat, and the car drove off.
As his car drove away, she zoomed in on the picture on her cell. A chill went through her. She recognized the Inverni as the one who had escaped during the drug raid. She rushed into the street, searching the sky. A car horn wailed, and she jumped back, swearing under her breath. Her car arrived. Frustrated, she settled in the back and sent the picture to Terryn. Given his other life, he knew most of the Inverni fairies in the city. Maybe he knew the one who had tried to kill her.