His eyes stayed on me, dark and opaque for a moment.
Miss Valmont, he said quietly. Go back to the entrance. Stand watch there and tell Grey hes free to collect his share.
Valmont hesitated, looking at me.
She was a liability here. If I could get her clear, it would be harder for Nicodemus to use her against me. Also, the more I could spread these artifacts out, the better.
I nodded, and Valmont vanished silently toward the entrance to the vault.
Michael came to stand next to me, and abruptly tilted his head, looking up at the statues. Harry, he asked, does that statue look like Molly to you?
Oh, crap. I so didnt need this kind of thing distracting either of us right now.
Pffffft, I said. What? No. Thats absurd. Maybe a little. Some people might think so. Shes got, uh, one of those faces.
He pursed his lips and eyed me.
Would you get your head in the game? I said. Trapped in the Underworld, possible epic Greek menace all around us? Focus, please.
Michael eyed me.
Dammit, I so didnt need this right now. Anna had, by now, gotten well out of the way. For the next few moments, Grey might be distracted with collecting his share, leaving Nick and the Genoskwa against me and Michael.
Id take that fight.
But where would Hannah Ascher come down? Whichever side she chose would have the advantage, and that was that. Ascher liked me, on the one hand. But on the other, Nicodemus had saved her life against the Salamander, and she had signed on to be a part of his crew, not mine. If she held to Binders mercenary code, shed back Nicks play and not mine. I racked my brains for anything I could do to get her to come down on my side, at this point. But I had nothing.
Man.
Maybe I shouldnt have rejected her advances. Especially not if shed already been feeling the rejection from Binder. Maybe that would have made a serious difference.
On the other hand, who knows? It had been a while for me. Maybe that would have hurt my chances even more.
Something nagged at the back of my brain, an instinct that was attached to Ascher but too vague to make any sense out of.
The moment was passing, when Nicodemus was at the height of his tension and uncertainty. If I didnt hurry, I was going to lose it. Time to start pushing.
Would you hurry it up? I said to Nicodemus. I dont want to get eaten by a three-headed dog or maybe bump into the shade of Medusa because you went into gloat-mode like every Evil Overlord shouldnt. I told you we already checked it.
If you dont mind, Nicodemus said, going back to his examination, Im going to make certain for myself.
Oh, for Petes sake, you cant be serious, I said. Mab is atricksy bitch, but shes good to her word. She gave you her word that I would help you secure the cup and bring it back as long as you didnt get up to any shenanigans, and thats what Im going to do. Its safe. Stick a needle in my eye.
Nicodemus continued in his slow circle.
You get all cautious now? I asked him. And I shifted my staff into the crook of my left arm and plucked up the Grail.
Nicodemuss hand went to his sword, and his eyes narrowed, but I just held it speculatively, bouncing it in my hand. See? No traps. Its not an Indiana Jones movie, man.
Nicodemus remained there, frozenbut his shadow exploded back across the amphitheater stage and climbed halfway up the rear arch of the seating, its edges flaring out wildly, like a monstrous cobra. As tells go, that seemed like a pretty damned big one.
My stomach turned as I began to speak, but I didnt let that show in my voice. This is what you came for, right? I said quietly. What your daughter died to give you. Hey, if I dropped it, do you think it would break?
Dresden, Nicodemus said. There was no silk in his voice nowonly rasp.
Gravity seems a little higher here, I said. You notice? Maybe exactly high enough to break something like this if it fell. And then shed have died for nothing.
Give me the Grail, he said, his voice a whisper. Now.
Sure. Come get it, I said.
He started stalking around the altar toward me, and I casually mirrored him, keeping it between us. Deirdre talked to me about your relationship yesterday, I said. Did you know that?
He swallowed. His shadow shifted, surging toward me, spreading out in a large circle around us. The light from the upraised hands of the two triple statues grew a little dimmer. It was like suddenly being enfolded in enormous, shadowy wings.
She went on about the centuries you two had spent together, I said carelessly. About how there was no word for how close you two had become because no mortal could possibly understand. Hell, I guess thats true. Because you threw her away like she was so much trash. I dont have a word that seems sufficient to cover a father who would do that.
At that, Nicodemus went still again. Give me the Grail, he whispered. And shut your ignorant mouth.
You said she was the only one you trusted, back where you murdered her, I continued in a conversational tone, putting a little emphasis on the verbs. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that its going to be a long, cold, empty place for you for the next few millennia. I mean, talk about having an empty nest. That Coin in your pocket must feel pretty heavy right about now.
Miss Valmont, he said quietly. Go back to the entrance. Stand watch there and tell Grey hes free to collect his share.
Valmont hesitated, looking at me.
She was a liability here. If I could get her clear, it would be harder for Nicodemus to use her against me. Also, the more I could spread these artifacts out, the better.
I nodded, and Valmont vanished silently toward the entrance to the vault.
Michael came to stand next to me, and abruptly tilted his head, looking up at the statues. Harry, he asked, does that statue look like Molly to you?
Oh, crap. I so didnt need this kind of thing distracting either of us right now.
Pffffft, I said. What? No. Thats absurd. Maybe a little. Some people might think so. Shes got, uh, one of those faces.
He pursed his lips and eyed me.
Would you get your head in the game? I said. Trapped in the Underworld, possible epic Greek menace all around us? Focus, please.
Michael eyed me.
Dammit, I so didnt need this right now. Anna had, by now, gotten well out of the way. For the next few moments, Grey might be distracted with collecting his share, leaving Nick and the Genoskwa against me and Michael.
Id take that fight.
But where would Hannah Ascher come down? Whichever side she chose would have the advantage, and that was that. Ascher liked me, on the one hand. But on the other, Nicodemus had saved her life against the Salamander, and she had signed on to be a part of his crew, not mine. If she held to Binders mercenary code, shed back Nicks play and not mine. I racked my brains for anything I could do to get her to come down on my side, at this point. But I had nothing.
Man.
Maybe I shouldnt have rejected her advances. Especially not if shed already been feeling the rejection from Binder. Maybe that would have made a serious difference.
On the other hand, who knows? It had been a while for me. Maybe that would have hurt my chances even more.
Something nagged at the back of my brain, an instinct that was attached to Ascher but too vague to make any sense out of.
The moment was passing, when Nicodemus was at the height of his tension and uncertainty. If I didnt hurry, I was going to lose it. Time to start pushing.
Would you hurry it up? I said to Nicodemus. I dont want to get eaten by a three-headed dog or maybe bump into the shade of Medusa because you went into gloat-mode like every Evil Overlord shouldnt. I told you we already checked it.
If you dont mind, Nicodemus said, going back to his examination, Im going to make certain for myself.
Oh, for Petes sake, you cant be serious, I said. Mab is atricksy bitch, but shes good to her word. She gave you her word that I would help you secure the cup and bring it back as long as you didnt get up to any shenanigans, and thats what Im going to do. Its safe. Stick a needle in my eye.
Nicodemus continued in his slow circle.
You get all cautious now? I asked him. And I shifted my staff into the crook of my left arm and plucked up the Grail.
Nicodemuss hand went to his sword, and his eyes narrowed, but I just held it speculatively, bouncing it in my hand. See? No traps. Its not an Indiana Jones movie, man.
Nicodemus remained there, frozenbut his shadow exploded back across the amphitheater stage and climbed halfway up the rear arch of the seating, its edges flaring out wildly, like a monstrous cobra. As tells go, that seemed like a pretty damned big one.
My stomach turned as I began to speak, but I didnt let that show in my voice. This is what you came for, right? I said quietly. What your daughter died to give you. Hey, if I dropped it, do you think it would break?
Dresden, Nicodemus said. There was no silk in his voice nowonly rasp.
Gravity seems a little higher here, I said. You notice? Maybe exactly high enough to break something like this if it fell. And then shed have died for nothing.
Give me the Grail, he said, his voice a whisper. Now.
Sure. Come get it, I said.
He started stalking around the altar toward me, and I casually mirrored him, keeping it between us. Deirdre talked to me about your relationship yesterday, I said. Did you know that?
He swallowed. His shadow shifted, surging toward me, spreading out in a large circle around us. The light from the upraised hands of the two triple statues grew a little dimmer. It was like suddenly being enfolded in enormous, shadowy wings.
She went on about the centuries you two had spent together, I said carelessly. About how there was no word for how close you two had become because no mortal could possibly understand. Hell, I guess thats true. Because you threw her away like she was so much trash. I dont have a word that seems sufficient to cover a father who would do that.
At that, Nicodemus went still again. Give me the Grail, he whispered. And shut your ignorant mouth.
You said she was the only one you trusted, back where you murdered her, I continued in a conversational tone, putting a little emphasis on the verbs. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that its going to be a long, cold, empty place for you for the next few millennia. I mean, talk about having an empty nest. That Coin in your pocket must feel pretty heavy right about now.
