Rules for Spies

19

Gwyn has not known Lucien Vanserra for very long, but she's starting to think that he only really smiles when Elain is present.

"I can open the box," he is saying to their group, Gwyn and Azriel and Rhys and Feyre and Elain, and such a statement should be a victorious one, but instead the emissary sounds concerned, a little beleaguered, his lips pressed into a thin line. "But I still think it's a bad idea."

"Is there another way to find out what's inside?" Azriel asks.

"I thought Elain and Gwyn had found the answer." Though Lucien stares at the box as though he is curious himself. "There's a trip-wire in the magic. Koschei will know when we open it."

"Does he know if the box is moved?" Gwyn is envisioning their plan, each woman holding tight to the box that contains her soul, her essence, her death -- that mysterious something that binds these women to Koschei -- wondering whether Koschei will find them too quickly.

"Didn't he send Vassa after you?" Lucien's metal eye whirrs in her direction.

"No one has shown up here, have they? You've been moving the box around for weeks." Azriel's voice is tense, and Gwyn puts her hand on his shoulder, her fingers grazing the gleaming cobalt Siphon.

"I tried my magic on the box in the library," she says. "Could that have alerted Koschei?"

"It's possible," Lucien says. "It's also possible that the wards around this place have blunted his ability to detect its motion. And forgive me for casting aspersions on your respective abilities, but I believe these magics are too complex to be placed in the course of your retrieval."

"Then he might not know you've opened the box," Feyre points out, sounding a little smug. Gwyn doesn't miss the appreciative smirk that Rhys aims at her before he turns back to Lucien.

"If you insist on making yourself targets," Lucien begins, but Rhys cuts him off.

"We're aware of the threat. If my spymaster believes this knowledge is vital, then we're willing to take the risk."

Azriel's eyes are on her, and Gwyn says, "We need to know as much as possible. I'm not sure why the legends are unclear on this word, but it might be vital."

Lucien only nods and with a sigh, begins a complicated series of movements with his hands, his power a new presence in the room. Within seconds, Gwyn realizes that it will be too complicated to break the binding spell in the field, that they will have to remove the boxes and the women, still bound to Koschei.

"We'll need to blindfold them," she murmurs to Azriel, and he squeezes her hand, intent on the box.

She follows his gaze, but very little seems to be happening, other than the increasing resonance of Lucien's power, and then a flickering reddish glow like firelight around the box.

Then, finally, there is a click, and she sees the lines for a lid materialize in the onyx.

The box is still shut, and still Gwyn feels as if Merrill is in the room, the way she did when the priestess loomed over her shoulder, when Gwyn had no idea if her presence was benign or threatening.

"Don't open the box," she says, and her voice echoes in the room. Lucien whirls toward her.

"What happened, Gwyn?" Azriel says, his voice too calm.

"Merrill is inside. Her essence, her soul, it feels like her. We need to open the box with Merrill present. It might bring her back."

"I'll take you to her," Azriel says, already rising from the couch. Rhys raises a hand to stop him.