The idea made Ian’s skin crawl. He liked earth the way it was. After all his time in prison, he didn’t want to be released into another hell. Not all gods wanted worshippers to war in their name, but many of the most ancient ones did.
“Which god did you trade it to?” Fiona asked. Fiona looked like she was about to reach across the table and strangle Logan.
“I don’t know,” Logan said.
“How the hell do you no’ know?” Fiona’s jaw was so tense Ian was afraid she’d pull a muscle.
“I made the deal through a broker. Neither the god nor I want anyone to know what we have.”
“Shite,” Fiona said.
“You can assume that whoever is trying to get the book doesn’t just want it for his library,” Logan said.
“So we have to beat the mystery god to the book,” Ian said.
Logan nodded. “Whoever it is has no idea the museum is enchanted, so he’ll likely send an envoy to recover it. Demons or other rogue Mytheans who don’t give a damn about the havoc their actions will wreak. They’ll expect to break in and have the book in no longer than it takes to walk through the museum.”
Ian nodded. It was a good plan. Not foolproof, as his and Logan’s enchantments were no doubt warped after lying fallow and would be difficult even for him to get through, but it was a solid plan. They just had to beat the god’s envoys and get the book first. Then Ian could steal it and threaten to destroy it unless Fiona removed his collar.
He wouldn’t have a chance to speak privately to Logan, but it was clear this was his friend’s way of getting him out of the university prison.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
CHAPTER THREE
Shite, shite, shite. Fiona hurried out of the pub behind Ian, Logan’s pronouncement sending her heart into overdrive.
“There’s a hell of a lot more at stake than I expected,” Ian said as he squeezed into her little car.
Life as we know it. But she couldn’t find her voice as she cranked the key in the ignition. She’d hoped it wouldn’t be so dire. That she could just get into the museum and take it. “I’m going to have to warn the university. Damn it.”
“Why?”
“It’s too damn risky. We’ll do our best to get it, but if we fail, there needs to be backup. But it’ll take them time to put together a team.”
“You really think that’s neccessary?”
“You heard what he said in there. I want that book”—her voice shook—“but no’ enough to risk divine war if I fail. They need to at least know about it.”
“Why do you want it so badly?” Ian asked as they peeled out of the lot and headed down the road back toward the university and Edinburgh beyond.
“Ten years ago, it was prophesied that I would be the one to find the Book of Worlds. It’s been lost for so long, and I was the chosen one. Fated to find the Book of Worlds and bring it back to safe hands at the university. But I never found it. Everywhere I looked, everything I tried—none of it worked. Dead-end after dead-end. It’s unheard of for an Acquirer. It’s been years since I was supposed to find it. I’m a Failte.” One who’d failed her fate. Not only had the failure gotten her blacklisted at her job because she was an Acquirer who couldn’t find things, she carried the same ugly title that her father had carried. They’d once been an illustrious family of Acquirers, until he’d gone mad after failing his fate. She blinked hard to erase the memories of the past and bring the dark road into focus. “This is my only chance to get the book back and prove that I dinna fail my fate. If I doona, I’ll go mad like my father.”
“Shite.”
“Exactly.” Fate was everything in their world. Failing hers meant that she’d eventually go insane, because her subconscious would continually be trying to fulfill her destiny. “My father could no’ find the sword of St. Eidyn, and it eventually drove him mad, as it does to all Failtes. It ruined our family name. He ended up stealing the artifacts he was supposed to be handing over to the university and hoarding them. Eventually they threw him in prison because they could no’ control him. I’m the same. The worst kind of failure.”
“No’ for long.”
She shot him an appraising glance. All of a sudden, she quite liked him. And he was right. This would be her redemption. The university thought her fate was played out. That she’d tried to fulfill it and failed.
They were wrong. The chance she’d been waiting for, searching for, was finally here. She was going to get her old life back. Before she went insane in this one.
“We’re heading into town,” Fiona said. “I’ve rented us a flat across from the museum. Just a holiday place for short-term lets. I expected us to have more time to do this. To plan our entry to the museum.” She’d even hired a cat-sitter for Fluffy Black, her cat. Now it looked like they’d have to go in tonight.
Her phone shrieked, and she jumped. She fished it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen.
Her stomach dropped to her feet. Darrence. Her boss. Had Cerus and Francis told him they’d seen her near the prison? Shite. She could be fired for this if they caught her before she retrieved the book. Retrieving it would give her a get out of jail free card. But not retrieving it? She’d lose the job she was so desperately fighting for. Worse, if they stopped her, she’d lose the opportunity to be the one to find the book and save her sanity.