Page 100 of Prince of the Undying

“I couldn’t sleep. Not after what happened.”

“But how did you know?”

He laughed bleakly. “The Sofiensaal burned for hours. Word travels fast in Vienna.”

“Margareta must know.”

“Obviously.” He toyed with a tassel on the curtain. “Though she doesn’t care about Lord Adler’s blueprints. She has bigger fish to fry, as you Americans say.”

“Bigger fish?”

“The Grandmaster.”

The blood drained from my face. “He’s here?” I whispered.

“He caught the first train from Constantinople to Vienna, after he learned his necromancer was helping with Project Lazarus. Margareta is meeting with him tonight.”

Dread filled my stomach like lead. “What will he do?”

Konstantin looked away. “I don’t know.”

“We have to stop them.”

“Wendel belongs with the Order.”

“Wendel belongstothe Order. Konstantin, he was running from them. He was terrified.”

He frowned. “Terrified?”

“They tortured Wendel when he disobeyed them.” I touched behind my shoulder. “His back is covered with scars. They whipped him when he was sixteen, because he refused to raise his second dead man, after he passed out the first time.”

Konstantin stared at me. “He showed you his scars?”

“Yes.” My voice shook with vehemence. “He wasn’t lying. He has no one else.”

“Ardis…”

“We have to save him.”

He sank onto a chair opposite me. “We can’t.”

“No.” I swung my legs over the edge of the couch. The tattered skirt of my ball gown slid to my ankles. I gritted my teeth. “I need my sword. It’s locked in a hotel room.”

“Ardis! You aren’t in a condition to rescue anyone.”

“I’m not sitting here while they torture him.”

When I moved toward the door, Konstantin blocked me. I glared into his eyes.

“Let me go,” I said.

“I can’t let you do this alone.”

“Konstantin. You—you won’t stop me?”

“On the contrary, I can help you.” He smiled lopsidedly.

“How?”

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