Page 23 of The Shadows Beyond
“Julien?Julien?”
“I’m sorry. Do you want to have an actual conversation now?”
His father emitted an exasperated huff. “I suppose my energy is best spent on the terrorists who claimed the lives of three of our own last night. All of my sources indicate that none of theseArcane Purifiershad the audacity to reveal themselves at the scene of the crime and take responsibility for their actions?”
“Correct,Père, none of them were walking around with a giant sign on their backs that said ‘I did it’. Not that I saw anyway.”
“Well, they’ve truly outdone themselves this time. There’s no conceivable way the consortium will close their eyes to this. Shooting themselves in the foot is an understatement. If this is their idea of promoting their cause, they’ve just orchestrated their own downfall.”
The temptation to openly support the Purifiers just to piss off his father was strong, but Julien resisted.
“Anyway, shifting our focus to other matters, Eleanor relayed the news that she has successfully secured the proven shadowslipper from London and placed him under your guardianship.”
“That would be correct.”
“And? What is your assessment? Do you believe his skills are sufficiently honed to be a valuable asset against the umbraphages?”
Not even in the slightest,but getting him to communicate with Béatrice is a much higher priority for me, as it should be for you, dear Père.
“My role is only to make sure he stays put in Talwacht,” said Julien. “I’m sure Eleanor will be given all the information you want.”
“Right, right. How did your MEET application fare in the end?” Before Julien could reply, he continued, “And how is the charming Darcy Beaumont? Now, there’s a blossoming young woman destined for success. I crossed paths with her father a few weeks ago, and he regaled me with tales of her accomplishments.”
“I bet he did.”
“Will you bring her to my birthday soiree again?”
The mention of his father’s annual party sent a visceral shiver down his spine. Every muscle in his body tensed as Julien glanced at his wall calendar. The event was marked with a small illustration of a penis with a jewelled crown on it.
“I was actually planning on bringing someone else home for your birthday party weekend.”
He grimaced at his own words, surprised by them. He knew why he’d said it—bringing someone else along to act as armour between himself and his father would make the experience ten times better. Now he’d have to follow through, however.
A beanie-hat-shaped possibility floated through his mind.
His father hummed. “Truly? Someone you’re courting? We would be delighted to extend our hospitality to her. Carrie in particular is dying to dote on a daughter-in-law.”
Julien’s mouth parted in the silent scream he frequently made at any mention of his father’s second wife acting like his mother.
“Regardless, the delightful Darcy Beaumont is more than welcome as well. I’ve already extended an invitation to her family.”
“I have to go now.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you’re very busy. See you soon.”
And with that, his father hung up on him.
Julien flung the receiver across his coffee table, then watched the cord rebound it back towards him. His hands tore through his hair infrustration. That had been one of their more pleasant phone calls, yet it had still reduced him to this.
The unpublished article he was required to review, a proposal for mote-powered steam engines for cargo ships, still sat on his table expectantly, but Julien pushed it away.
There was only one thing he could do to placate himself when he was in this mood. Julien walked over to his piano, sat down, and soothed himself with the jazz-infused melodies of Miles Davis.
Although it was tempting to knock on Cinn’s door to glimpse the interior of his house, it was cold, and the door was far. Three short beeps of Maz’s horn and Cinn emerged seconds later, traipsing down his path while still pulling on his coat.
After Cinn left them yesterday, Elliot had launched into a spiel about not trusting him, not liking him, and then—surprisingly—started questioning their entire plan of getting Cinn involved in their quest to contact Béatrice. Julien had stayed silent—a useful strategy when dealing with Elliot’s outbursts—but his words planted seeds of doubt in his mind. Should they really be messing around with shadowslipping? The practice was largely unknown, and Cinn obviously had no idea what he was doing.
Cinn slid into the car, closing Maz’s door gently behind him, earning him a point.
