Taste a Thousand Deaths (Marionettes of Myth #3)

Chapter Nineteen

The meeting hall wasn't quite a 'hall'. In fact, from Aemilius' experience, Cassius rather preferred his thinking rooms to be on the smaller, more intimate size. He needed a box to crawl in and out of. He needed walls and barriers when he opened himself up and made himself vulnerable.

Cassius did, however, appreciate windows. At the round table with only Renatus and Xue currently present, Aemilius tilted back in his chair, watching the sun rise behind a barrier of clouds over the city. He hadn't bothered to do a thing with his hair, instead allowing strands to fall around his face in the way that annoyed him most.

Newspaper crinkled as Renatus switched pages and folded the paper in half. A handkerchief rested on the table for his fingers to transfer the smudges of ink onto, as he was wont to rub the strong line of his jaw with his index and forefinger while reading. He also tended to absently rub at his temple, and sharp, deep-set eyes like his didn't do well with eye shadow. He had also put Aemilius to shame, putting forth the effort to neatly tie his hair over his shoulder and iron a shirt that was stylish back in the country's Civil War.

Aemilius had dressed in the dark and might have stuffed his feet into mismatched socks for all he knew.

Xue sat with his elbow on the table, the pad of his index finger following along the subtle wood grain, his milky, slanted eyes aimed straight ahead, although the tangle of his bangs was the usual mask over his face. No matter how many times Aemilius had suggested he trim his hair—and spruce up his wardrobe of silky shirts and loose jeans—he never did.

"They've released new facts about 'the grisly meltdown of the Demon Allegiance'," Renatus said, his voice light and neutral. Aemilius turned his ear to listen. "Seems officials are of the understanding that the homes of the 'representatives' and other such places of stay had been broken into via conventional weapons. Guns, knives, axes even. And how 'highly unlikely it is that any of these bodies will be tracked down.'"

"Yes." Aemilius' gaze drilled into the spires of neighboring towers. "Unlikely."

Renatus paused, the paper still in his hands. He licked his lips and said, "They've only named a few of the 'representatives' here. Five, plus Mazin, on top of Rajnish, to make seven."

"So, half."

"Verily."

Xue's head tilted in contemplation. "No new discoveries. The authorities must have checked every home by now."

Renatus flipped the page, filling the whirring silence with crinkling yet again. "Yes. No new discoveries."

Xue's eyebrows lifted. "He hid the other lords well."

Aemilius traced the line of his jaw with his fingers. "He had to. If even one of them is discovered alive, the purpose of the entire ruse is lost. Mazin wants the world to think the Allegiance is fallen by unsavory hands, and so the world must assume every member of the Allegiance is dead."

"A bigger question exists at hand." Renatus kept his eyes to the newsprint. "What are we to do about our own ruse?"

Aemilius said nothing, which made the matter worse. Renatus and Xue waited for his answer, but he couldn't give one. He couldn't conjure up a single word.

The doors swung open. Cassius cruised inside, his grin brightening the walls in a way that the sun simply could not. "My friends!" He threw himself to the windows with his arms spread wide. "What a beautiful day!"