powerful the Joneses are and how they would protect Marlowe. He must have understood the risk he was taking.”
“I’m sure that when the truth came out after the wedding, he expected that we would pay him a lot of money to go away and stay away. That’s how it’s usually done when a CM goes badly wrong.”
“Wonder what made Marlowe suspicious?”
“She’s a detective to the core. In addition to her talent, she’s got a detective’s intuition. She followed one of the oldest maxims in the Jones family. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
“We say that a lot in my family, too.”
Chapter 11
“BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HAD A DRINK TOGETHER,” BEN said. He poured a healthy measure of whiskey into his guest’s glass and then filled his own. “When was the last time?”
“Over thirty years ago.” Sam Winters held the glass up to the light to study the amber gold whiskey. “Right after you and Fortner and I took down the LeMasters gang.”
“Back when we were young and thought we could change the world.”
“Or at least change things within the Guilds and Arcane.” Sam tasted the whiskey, lowered the glass, and leaned his head against the back of the big leather easy chair. “We didn’t make a dent in either of the organizations, did we?”
“No.” Ben put the bottle aside, sat down, and picked up his glass. “The Guilds and Arcane are both as hidebound as ever. But that’s what happens when you’ve got a lot of secrets to keep.”
“What you call hidebound, others call tradition.”
“True.” Ben looked out the window to the terrace and watched Adam join Marlowe at the stone railing. “But maybe we laid the groundwork that will allow this generation to make a few changes.”
Sam came to stand beside him. “They’ve made one big change already. Adam told me that today a team of Arcane lab techs went below to work with the Bureau people who are already on site at that maze.”
“That’s a first, all right. Never would have imagined the two organizations sharing that kind of classified information.”
They drank their whiskey in silence for a time.
“Do you really think your daughter can save my little girl?” Sam asked after a while.
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “But when it comes to dealing with dreamlight trauma, Marlowe is the best.”
They drank a little more whiskey and contemplated the couple on the terrace.
“Whatever those two have together, it’s more than a working partnership,” Sam said eventually. “Lot of energy between your daughter and my son. Earlier this evening you could almost hear the snap and crackle in the atmosphere.”
“I noticed. So did Elizabeth.”
“Working together on a joint project is one thing,” Sam said. “But if those two get involved in a serious affair, there could be repercussions throughout both Arcane and the Guild.”
“Your family was Arcane once, at least until the Era of Discord. John Cabot Winters made his choice after the conflict. He could have stuck with the Society. Instead, he embedded his family into the heart of the new Guild organization here in Frequency. He had to know that would cut him off from Arcane.”
“It’s not like they chose different sides during a civil war,” Sam said. “They fought together against Vance’s rebels. Saved each other’s lives more than once, according to the old journals.”
Neither of them spoke for a while. They watched the couple on the terrace.
“Well, one thing’s certain,” Sam said eventually. “It’s a good bet that neither of our ancestors foresaw something like this happening. How the hell can it work, Ben?”
Ben looked at the way Adam was positioned beside Marlowe: close but not quite touching, leaning in a little, the way a man did when he was feeling protective, the way a man did when he wanted to make it clear to other men that this woman was his.
“Damned if I know,” Ben said. “But if it does work, it could accomplish
“I’m sure that when the truth came out after the wedding, he expected that we would pay him a lot of money to go away and stay away. That’s how it’s usually done when a CM goes badly wrong.”
“Wonder what made Marlowe suspicious?”
“She’s a detective to the core. In addition to her talent, she’s got a detective’s intuition. She followed one of the oldest maxims in the Jones family. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
“We say that a lot in my family, too.”
Chapter 11
“BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HAD A DRINK TOGETHER,” BEN said. He poured a healthy measure of whiskey into his guest’s glass and then filled his own. “When was the last time?”
“Over thirty years ago.” Sam Winters held the glass up to the light to study the amber gold whiskey. “Right after you and Fortner and I took down the LeMasters gang.”
“Back when we were young and thought we could change the world.”
“Or at least change things within the Guilds and Arcane.” Sam tasted the whiskey, lowered the glass, and leaned his head against the back of the big leather easy chair. “We didn’t make a dent in either of the organizations, did we?”
“No.” Ben put the bottle aside, sat down, and picked up his glass. “The Guilds and Arcane are both as hidebound as ever. But that’s what happens when you’ve got a lot of secrets to keep.”
“What you call hidebound, others call tradition.”
“True.” Ben looked out the window to the terrace and watched Adam join Marlowe at the stone railing. “But maybe we laid the groundwork that will allow this generation to make a few changes.”
Sam came to stand beside him. “They’ve made one big change already. Adam told me that today a team of Arcane lab techs went below to work with the Bureau people who are already on site at that maze.”
“That’s a first, all right. Never would have imagined the two organizations sharing that kind of classified information.”
They drank their whiskey in silence for a time.
“Do you really think your daughter can save my little girl?” Sam asked after a while.
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “But when it comes to dealing with dreamlight trauma, Marlowe is the best.”
They drank a little more whiskey and contemplated the couple on the terrace.
“Whatever those two have together, it’s more than a working partnership,” Sam said eventually. “Lot of energy between your daughter and my son. Earlier this evening you could almost hear the snap and crackle in the atmosphere.”
“I noticed. So did Elizabeth.”
“Working together on a joint project is one thing,” Sam said. “But if those two get involved in a serious affair, there could be repercussions throughout both Arcane and the Guild.”
“Your family was Arcane once, at least until the Era of Discord. John Cabot Winters made his choice after the conflict. He could have stuck with the Society. Instead, he embedded his family into the heart of the new Guild organization here in Frequency. He had to know that would cut him off from Arcane.”
“It’s not like they chose different sides during a civil war,” Sam said. “They fought together against Vance’s rebels. Saved each other’s lives more than once, according to the old journals.”
Neither of them spoke for a while. They watched the couple on the terrace.
“Well, one thing’s certain,” Sam said eventually. “It’s a good bet that neither of our ancestors foresaw something like this happening. How the hell can it work, Ben?”
Ben looked at the way Adam was positioned beside Marlowe: close but not quite touching, leaning in a little, the way a man did when he was feeling protective, the way a man did when he wanted to make it clear to other men that this woman was his.
“Damned if I know,” Ben said. “But if it does work, it could accomplish
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