Page 88 of The Mask Falling

I pictured the floor plan. The Winter Garden was on the ground floor, attached to the Salle des Fêtes.

“The cook I bribe, Claudine, is the last to leave at night. She’ll let you into the grounds through the kitchen. Don’t get there later than eight thirty, or she’ll have clocked off for—”

“Come with me.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Join the Mime Order. You don’t have to stay here, Cade,” I said. “Sooner or later, Ménard will decide that you’re more of a danger than an asset, or find out about the affair. He’ll kill you.” I held his gaze. “There are other ways to fight.”

His brows knitted tighter.

“I want to see the baby. If I can,” he said, a little hoarsely. “Just once, so I remember.”

I couldn’t deny him that. “This is goodbye, then. For now.”

His face softened. “Yes.”

To my surprise, he wrapped me into a tight embrace. As our auras flashed together, I had the sudden sense of falling, like I had missed a step. It was a sensation that both comforted and disconcerted me.

Whatever it was, it faded in the time it took for me to dip into his pocket and slide out his key to the cellar. I gave Cade a brief pat on the back, and after a long moment, he let go of me. The hairs on my arms stood on end.

“Take care of yourself,” Cade said. “It was good to see you again, Paige.”

“And you.”

He offered a final smile before he knocked on the door and was summarily let out. I walked to the window and risked a look between the curtains. Arcturus was out there somewhere.

Tonight.I tried to weave a picture in my mind of my position. I have a way out, but be ready to run.

The softest tremor answered me. As I rolled the stolen key between my fingers, I savored the brief sensation of his presence. It would give me the strength to take this final risk.

****

Another small meal arrived. I drank every drop in the tureen of soup, ate every last crumb of bread. If I was going to get out of here without being shot, I would need enough strength to run, and to dreamwalk. After that, I lay still, the cellar key tucked into my blouse pocket, the shape of it concealed by my sweater.

Cade had told me to make my escape around eight. Before that, I was going to visit Kornephoros Sheratan.

When dusk mantled the citadel in shadow, I rose from the daybed and knocked on the door. A day Vigile unlocked and opened it, visor lowered, so I could only see his mouth. He was clad in full body armor, as if that would help against the only weapon I could presently use on him.

“What do you want?” he said.

“Water.” I tried to look faint. “Please, Vigile.”

His hand curled around the baton in his utility belt. “Fine,” he said. “Get back inside, anormale. Now.”

I took a meek step back. He slammed the door in my face. Before long, I sensed one of the other Vigiles heading downstairs. Three to go. I slid into the æther.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the world as if through stained glass. I had possessed the Vigile—the squadron leader—who stood outside my door. Out of sight, I removed the key from the lock and slipped it into a pocket on his utility belt.

The other two Vigiles were smoking next to an open window. I checked my host for weapons. All I had at my disposal were a baton and a flux gun. The gun would be too slow—flux took a while to work on amaurotics.

I had a transceiver. So did the pair by the window. Either of them would call for backup at the first sign of trouble. Ideally, I would sneak past and escape through the secret door without having to knock them all out. I needed to save my strength for life-or-death situations.

“You two should take a break,” I said. After listening to my guards through the door all day, I could mimic the way this one spoke. “I’ll watch the unnatural.”

“I wish we could accept.” One of them blew smoke out of the window. “But I’m not in the mood for another lecture from Kotzia.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” I tried to sound bored. “Half an hour. You can owe me a favor.”

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