IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT, PLEASE READ:
As you know if you read I Know You Know the first time, the character of Audige is new, and thus this chapter marks the true divergence from the original story. I have been changing things here as there up to this point, but here is where it gets interesting. As a result of this shift, I have added over 5,000 words to this chapter! Considering this, I would really really really like you to comment! I do sincerely appreciate reviews that beg me to update, but the one that give actual feedback are AMAZING AND MOTIVATIONAL. I know I have been criticised for slow updates, but I work hard to bring you these chapters, and getting reviews makes my heart happy and helps me to keep motivated writing new material, so PLEASE review this chapter! I LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS. I need the feedback. For those who review often, you are my favourite people on earth including my parents and my boyfriend. You know who you are and you are angels! Thank you and ENJOY!
Chapter Fourteen: Out of the Frying Pan
Leolin stood in the shadows outside the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, waiting. The sun had long since gone done, and there was only a crescent sliver of moon above. Effie and Sweeney were due any minute, but she wasn't worried; she knew they'd be here in time. She'd been away from Florence for many weeks procuring deals, and it was nice to be home at last. She smiled. How odd that Florence was her home now.
Then again, why shouldn't it have been? She'd lived there almost two and a half years now, and for the first time in a long time, she realized she was happy. Business had been booming, she was once again surrounded by people she loved and trusted, and she finally felt like her old self again. Well, as close to her old self as she would ever be without Draco.
She touched her bare neck, which she still did out of old habit. Despite the time that had passed, Draco's absence still left an acute ache in her chest. She had assumed he would fade in time, just like everything else, but the truth was time had only made her more sure of her love for him. She'd gone on casual dates on several different occasions, generally at Severina's behest, but they'd only served as reminders for her devotion to Draco. She'd (very bitterly) acknowledged that she would never see him again, but in the end she'd also had to acknowledge that she would also never stop loving him either, and this ultimately brought her to the realization that she would probably never marry nor have children.
"Nay!"
Leolin turned around, watching Effie and Sweeney slip quietly into the moonlit cortile. She smiled, opening her arms to them and letting them envelop her.
"Welcome home!" Effie beamed, stroking Leolin's hair.
"Good to be back," Leolin affirmed, smiling more broadly.
"How are we doing schedule-wise?" Sweeney asked as they stepped back.
Leolin glanced down at her watch and beamed.
"Right on schedule. Besides, this place is going to be a breeze. You know the Italians; they don't really believe in security measures," Leolin pointed out.
Sweeney laughed and shrugged.
"I suppose you're right."
"This place doesn't even have silent alarms," Leolin said, accepting her earpiece from Sweeney.
"Are you sure?" Effie said, putting hers in as well.
"Positive," Leolin replied. "I talked to three different people."
Sweeney smirked.
"I bet you did," he said, waggling his eyebrows seductively.
"Shove off, Swish," Leolin said, laughing.
"What about cameras?" Effie asked.
"We have to go old-school and disable them one by one," Leolin said. "There's no central feed."
Sweeney groaned.
"That's bloody primordial," he grumbled.
"It is what it is," Leolin amended. "Now, here's the plan. We're here," she said, laying down a map and making an x. The building was a giant U, and they were currently positioned in the top left corner. "We need to get to this gallery here." She made an X in the bottom right corner.
"Can we just apparate in?" Sweeney asked.
Leolin frowned.
"It's risky," she said. "If we don't end up in exactly the right spot, they will have us just appearing in the room. That's sure to tip off the aurors."
"Right," Effie said, so are you saying we have to creep in through each room individually?"
"I think that'd be best, yeah."
"That's a lot of cameras," Swish said. "We'll be here all night."
"We should have planned this more thoroughly," Effie said. "Why don't we come back tomorrow night?"
"No," Leolin said. "I promised delivery by tomorrow. We can just use the swivel of the cameras to our advantage. We will only worry about disabling the one in the Caravaggio gallery. "
"Sounds good," Sweeney said. "Here we go."
They silently downed their usual polyjuice before slipping on masks and dodging inside the building.
"Right," Leolin whispered. "Let's dance."
She edged artfully around the gallery's perimetre, careful not to bump any of the ancient marbles scattered about. She then darted quickly under the camera, avoiding its sweeping gaze.
Effie and Sweeney followed her path as she snaked in and out of the galleries virtually unseen.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reached the Caravaggio gallery, all three of them staring at the roundel depicting Medusa.
"She's a beaut," Effie commented casually, and Leolin laughed.
"Give us a boost," Leolin said in reply, and Sweeney offered his shoulders.
Leolin quickly sprang up, reaching the camera easily and switching off the stream.
"Male you ways a ton!" Sweeney groaned.
"Alright," Leolin said. "We're good. Take it down, Eff."
She nodded, getting her usual grip.
"How long do we have until the guards show?" Effie asked.
"Once it's down, we have about seven and a half minutes. Yous know the escape route, right?"
"Right," Sweeney said. "Go on, Eff. Let's get this thing and get the hell out of here."
"Eh! Cosa stai facendo?"
All three whipped around as the light of a Muggle torch fell on them. A well-muscled guard was standing in the doorway, blocking their escape and frowning. He swiveled his metal torch and frowning.
"Non si muova!" the man bellowed, barking orders into his radio.
"Fuck!" Sweeney said. "He's calling backup. What do you we do?"
"Ottenere in ginocchio!" the man cried.
"What's he saying?" Effie asked desperately.
"He's telling us to get on our knees," Leolin said.
They heard more boot tread from the outer galleries.
"We're screwed," Sweeney said.
"No we aren't," Leolin said slowly. "We just have to improvise," she muttered. "Eff, on the count of three, I want you to get that thing off the wall."
"What if that bastard shoots me?" she demanded, eying the guard and gun.
"He won't," Leolin said. "Ready?"
Effie nodded.
"One, two—"
Effie leapt up, lunging for the Caravaggio again. She caught the guard by surprise, but after a second he raised his weapon, preparing to fire. However, Leolin had drawn her own.
"Stupefy!" she cried.
The man flew backwards before crumpling unconscious.
"What you doing?" Sweeney screamed. "You just ruined our cover!"
"I didn't have a choice," Leolin said, running a distressed hand through her hair. "We weren't getting out of this without magic. Let's just hope they don't' recognize that he's been stupefied."
The shouts of the other guards were nearly upon them.
"Now what?" Effie said, still clutching the Caravaggio in its frame.
"We don't have a choice," Leolin said frantically. "We have to apparate out. Now!"
"Seven hells," Sweeney said. "Into the frying pan we go."
"How was it?" Gracie asked as they all returned home.
"Tense," Harry replied, sinking down onto the lounger she was sitting on and laying his head in her lap. She stroked his hair soothingly, and some of the tension fell out of his frame.
"Did you lay the tracker?" she asked, and the others trickled onto the back porch as well.
"Lefevre did, yeah," Tieran said.
"How did it go?" Grace asked Leolin, who looked drawn. She couldn't shake the unease Adrian had inspired.
"It was—fine," she said, trying muster the strength for a smile and not quite succeeding. "Adrian's always been easy to manipulate."
"I think this whole thing stinks ," Ieuan admitted. "I can't help but feel like we'll be walking into a trap tomorrow."
"We may well be," Draco admitted. "But that doesn't mean we should give up. Besides, sounds like Leolin convinced Quinn we weren't even going to the funeral, and Adrian has to know that going after Audige is suicide. He won't expect us to be as stupid as he is and do it, too."
Ieuan and Luke exchanged a look.
"I don't know what worries me more," Ieuan said. "Being killed by Audige or getting jammed up with Adrian. It feels like he's holding all the cards these days."
"That's why we have to take some back," Blaise pointed out. "If we can get to Audige first, we can get Adrian on his heels and gain back some ground."
"Speaking of which, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Ginny asked.
Tieran and Draco exchanged a look.
"We split up," Tieran said. "First we peel Adrian's crew away, then we double back for Audige."
"How do we know where Audige will be?" Leolin asked.
Max gave a grim smile.
"Finding him is easy. Everyone knows where he holds court."
"I thought you said going after him on his own turf was exactly what we shouldn't do!" Ieaun pointed out.
Max shrugged.
"We might not have a choice. He'll be nearly impossible to get to during the funeral itself, and we'll have Pucey to deal with."
"This is mad," Ieaun said. "We need to call this off."
"No," Leolin said, thinking. "This might work. In fact, it might actually be better."
"How do you figure?" Harry said, frowning as well as he sat up.
"We've already agreed how dangerous Audige is, and it's going to be almost impossible to catch him off guard and get the upper hand. If we try that and we fail, he could kill us."
"What other option do we have, then?" Gen said, a subtle snideness in her tone.
"Diplomacy," Leolin explained.
"Diplomacy?" Tieran repeated incredulously. "Honestly, Lefevre, this isn't the time for jokes."
"It's not a joke," she said in a stern voice. "Listen, I've had a lot of experience dealing with blokes like this. We have a much better chance getting what we want by bargaining with him then we do trying to bloody kidnap him in his own backyard."
Draco looked at Leolin intently, eyes shimmering. She couldn't decide if he was imagining her as La Genie's dealer and judging her or silently praising her more prudent plan.
"Leolin's right. Adrian's going to go after Audige while he's still out and about in the streets. If we spend that time running interference, we can go to Audige directly."
"From what I've heard," Max pointed out. "Audige isn't exactly a goodwill ambassador. More likely than not, he's going to kill us."
Tieran grit his teeth before looking at Leolin.
"Do you really think you can get something out of this guy?"
"Yes," she said evenly. "I've met my share of monsters over the years, and I speak French. That can't hurt."
"Then I say we have to do it," Tieran said. "We split up, pick off Adrian's crew, and head for Audige."
Everyone look at Max for specifications.
"It's an old mausoleum in the Wizarding graveyard. You enter through the Muggle cemetery just off the bank. It's called St. Louis, I think. Walk in, take a right, there is a small mausoleum guarded by hooded angels. That's the Wizarding entrance. Just go through and you're on Magical ground. I don't know exactly where Audige's court is, but I think we'll know it when we see it."
"Alright," Blaise said nodding. "But first things first. Who's going after who?"
"We should go in pairs," Tieran said. "There are nine of us, including Troy. We focus on Pucey, Thivierge, Dolohov, and Scabior. If Montague is really running point, he won't be moving. Still, he could be reporting our position, so we ought to take him out first. That will get Pucey's attention and take him out of play."
"There are ten including Troy," Gen amended.
"No," Draco said at once, looking at her. "I want you here."
"What?" she demanded. "Why?"
"Because I don't want you involved," Draco said. "You're staying here with Grace. We'll run communications through you."
"Why can't Grace do that?" Gen demanded.
"Because it's a two person job," Draco said.
"So what," Gen said. "Now I'm the babysitter? That's not fair!"
"Gee," Grace said venomously. "Thanks."
"This isn't up for discussion," Draco said, nonplussed. "You aren't going."
"Why me, though?" she demanded. "All the other women get to go play spy in the field. Why do I have to stay home?"
Leolin and Ginny exchanged an annoyed look. Leolin was still feeling shaken up; she didn't have the time or the energy to listen to Gen's stupid whinging.
"Don't be petulant, Genevieve," Draco said, beginning to grow annoyed himself. Leolin knew he hated airing dirty laundry. "This is for your own good. You're the only one who didn't fight in the war, and I don't want you getting hurt or worse."
"Fine," Gen said, folding her arms across her chest. "Then why doesn't Leolin stay with me?" she said peevishly. "We'll run comm. together."
"Weren't you listening?" Tieran snapped, reminding Leolin once again of the Hogwarts professor who detested students. "She's the lead negotiator."
"Tieran's right, Genevieve," Draco said tersely. "We need her."
"We need her?" Gen sneered at Draco. "Or you need her?"
"Wherever you're going with this," Draco sneered. "I suggest you don't."
"You're unbelievable!" Gen snapped back. "You aren't even going to deny it?"
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Deny what? That I need Lefevre to keep Audige from murdering all of us? No, I'm not."
"That's not what you need her for," Gen muttered nastily, and Draco had her by the arm at once.
"What was that, darling?" he snarled. "Why don't you repeat that a little louder?"
The group had begun to grow agitated at the scene, none more so than Leolin. It should have made her happy to see them fight, but after everything that had transpired with Adrian, she just wished they would stop.
"I said I know what you think you need her for," She sneered, brushing off his hand.
"Genevieve, I swear to Merlin—"
crack! She was gone.
"For fuck's sake!" Draco seethed, and his cold gaze fell on Leolin.
She folded her arms across her chest, a throbbing beginning to build in her temples. She was exhausted; she just wanted to sleep.
"Don't even look at me like that," Leolin said firmly. "I haven't done a thing to her all night."
"Like hell," Draco murmured, running his hand through his hair again.
Ginny scowled.
"Drake, that's not fair and you know it. Stop being so inconsistent. That's what's causing all this."
"So this is my fault?" Draco demanded. "Great."
Ieuan wrinkled his nose.
"Why are you even with her?" Ieuan said. "She's a fucking menace."
"Ieuan!" Luke admonished, but Ieuan ignored the protests.
"No! She's bloody awful," Ieuan sneered. "I'm not going to pretend she's not anymore."
"Shut the hell up, Bird," Max demanded, giving Leolin a hard look as well. "You don't know her."
"Stop it, all of you," Tieran demanded. "We don't time for any of this."
"You should go after her," Blaise said to Draco, though he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about the prospect. "We can't afford for this to bleed into tomorrow."
"No, don't," Pansy replied. "That's what she wants. Don't reward her for acting like a spoiled brat. Let Brankovitch go if that's what he wants."
"Stay out of this, Pans," Tieran warned.
Pansy only sneered in response.
"I'll go in an hour," Draco said in veiled irritation. "That gives her plenty of time to cry to Benson about what a horrible bastard I am. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it."
"Jesus, Malfoy," Max snapped. "You really are a shitty fianceé."
"What fight did you just witness?" Ginny demanded. "Gen's being a little brat."
"Well maybe you guys could try not ganging up on her all the time!"
He glanced at Leolin.
"Don't even," she growled. "All she ever does is tell me what a slag I am! Then again, that worked out for you in the end, didn't it?"
"I didn't ask you to sleep with me," he shot back.
"Didn't you?" Blaise said in irritation.
"Drake is just looking out for her," Pansy interjected. "He's right, you know; Gen isn't prepared for a fire fight. I'm not sure you are either. Don't remember seeing you at the Battle of Hogwarts."
"Don't you worry about me, sweetheart," he said in a nasty tone. "I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself."
"This is madness," Harry said. "Seriously, all of you knock it off. And Malfoy, for Merlin's sake, get your fucking personal life together."
Draco shrugged, massaging his temples.
"What can I say? I have a weakness for impossible women."
Draco looked at Leolin again, who in turn looked away. It had been a confusing night on the Draco front, and she was didn't want to turn into his punching bag now that things had gone sour with Gen and he was feeling guilty.
"And on that insulting note," she said, her cheeks flushing. "I'm going to bed. See you lot in the morning."
"Night," they all echoed, and Leolin could feel Draco's eyes on her back as she trailed away. She knew he had something he wanted to say, but in the end he prudently remained silent.
"We leave tomorrow at nine a.m.," he called instead. "Be ready to go by then."
She nodded.
"You know I will be."
As usual, Leolin rose with the sun, and as usual, she was the only one up. She supposed she didn't want to admit it, but she was monstrously nervous about the next day.
An odd pall had been cast over the city, and she could feel it stewing overhead like a storm cloud even as the sun struggled to rise. She wondered if Audige had summoned the thunder and rain to display his discontent with Loziéres murder.
"Do you ever sleep?"
She sat on the porch in her nightgown and silk robe, the stuffy breeze ruffling the ebony silk curtain of her hair. She didn't turn at this utterance. She couldn't decide if Draco was an agitation or a balm in her current state. She decided to wait to hear what he had to say.
"I've always been an early riser," she replied. "The real question is when did you become one?"
"I'm still not," he said, sitting down next to her. "I just couldn't sleep."
"Did you convince Gen to come home last night?" Leolin asked.
He sighed.
"Not that it really matters, but yes, I did."
Leolin heart gave a joyful thump.
"What do you mean?" she asked again, feigning casualness.
Was he trying to tell her he was going to break off the engagement?
"I mean this is going to continue to be a problem until you go back to London," he said solemnly. "She's never going to be happy until you're not in my life."
"Oh," Leolin said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "I see."
"I think she underestimated you," he said bluntly. "She's never met a woman she couldn't beat at this game. Now that she knows she can't, she's pretty put out."
"And you were just going to let her?" Leolin asked, trying to ignore the painful constriction in her chest.
Draco finally looked at her.
"I knew she wouldn't be able to, and I tried to tell her that. I told her that you weren't so easily broken."
Leolin laughed despite herself.
"I bet she wasn't too happy when you said that."
He laughed, too.
"Oh, she wasn't. If I have a knut for every time she's accused me of wanting to sleep with you over the last two weeks, I would have doubled my fortune by know."
Leolin blushed, mostly because she knew that he had thought about it a fair amount.
"Well, I'll be gone by tomorrow," she said softly, willing him to protest.
He only nodded instead.
"That's—" he looked at her then licked his lips. "Probably for the best."
Leolin looked down, Stupid fucking gag.
"Yeah," she said, trying to sound casual. "I reckon so."
"Are you—" he paused before trying again. "Are you coming to the wedding?"
Despite everything, this made Leolin laugh.
"I didn't realize I was invited."
Draco grinned ruefully, too.
"Of course you are. You just have to agree, in writing, that you'll wear a friar's robe and a potato sack over your head."
Leolin blushed, still laughing a little despite everything. Please Merlin let there be no wedding. No wedding but her own.
"Challenge accepted," she said saucily. "I can make anything sexy."
"Don't remind me," he murmured.
Her heart thudded wetly again.
"I'm glad you were able to patch things up," she admitted begrudgingly. "Now isn't really the time for fighting."
"I suppose not," he said. "Though part of me wishes it was."
"What do you mean?" she said too quickly. She countered her eagerness by not looking at him.
"I mean if I could choose between refereeing squabbles between you and Gen and taking on Adrian and Audige, I choose you and Gen."
"Me too," she said, desperately trying to mask her disappointment. Somehow that wasn't what she thought he was going to say.
"Are you ready for today?" he asked, gazing at her.
She finally looked at him, confident that the longing had seeped from her gaze.
"No," she said. "Are you?"
"Not really."
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Kicking the hornet's nest? And not to mention tangling with Audige."
"No," Draco replied. "I'm sure it's a terrible idea. But what choice do we have? Pucey's getting close; I can feel it. If we don't strike now, it could be too late."
"How much damage can he really do without the vessel?"
"You tell me," he said softly.
She shrugged.
"I don't know. That's the problem; I don't know anything for sure. I'm worried we're operating on incomplete information. We could be missing the bigger picture here."
"That may be so," Draco said. "But it's all we have, and after seeing the way Pucey was strutting around last night, I don't think it's a good idea to wait. We'll strike now, and hard. Even if we don't get everything, we still succeed in rattling his cage."
"I think I'll be happy if Audige doesn't kill us. Still, we're on a knife's edge," she said, willing her voice not to shake. "Adrian is going to be furious, and he'll come for revenge. You know he will."
Draco touched her knee unexpectedly and she jerked in surprise.
"Are you worried for your safety? Because I promise I wont let him hurt him."
"I don't think that's really your promise to make," she pointed out.
"I can do whatever I want," he reminded her.
"You really are a gutton for punishment, you know that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you love a hateful woman," she said, trying and failing to mask her bitterness. "Even if you could protect me from Adrian, Gen is going to make your life hell for it. I know you know that. She's petty and controlling."
The mirth faded from his eyes, though he was began to smile.
"A perfect cocktail for the future Lady Malfoy, don't you think?"
She rose from her chair and wondered to the railing, putting her back to him
"Certainly," she said, trying to sound flippant.
"Though, I suppose she's not the first hateful woman to eye the role, is she?"
He was on his feet now too, advancing on her. Leolin gave an unkind smirk back, fighting to keep the hurt from her eyes.
"Not very kind of you to talk about your mother like that," she jibed back.
His cool smile grew, leaning into her so their hips were practically touching.
"Maybe I should teach you a lesson and put that tongue to better use."
Leolin wrinkled her nose in disgust, pushing him back.
"You just can't resist being a misogynistic little prick, can you?"
"Little prick?" He smirked, advancing on her a little. "Don't be revisionist, darling."
"Why do you always have to be such a pig?" she demanded.
"Why do you always start things you can't finish?" Draco replied casually.
"Honestly!" Leolin said. "You've giving me whiplash."
"Oh, I'm giving your whiplash?" he said with a patronising scoff. "It's not my fault that you're jealous."
"Jealous?" Leolin laughed, desparate to hide the fact that he was right. "Jealous that some Yankee slag gets to marry the man I left at the altar? In your dreams, ace."
Draco clenched his jaw. Leolin could feel in her gut that she'd gone too far, though she was too proud to apologise. She left, striding off the deck and into the spacious kitchen. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and stewed for about five minutes before making up her mind. She ought to set things right with Draco. Today was going to be dangerous. She didn't want to go into it fighting with the man she loved.
However, before she could make her move, she watched Gen slide onto the deck instead.
"Drake?"
Draco looked up, and Leolin watched him smile warmly as Gen approached.
"Hey," Draco said, opening his arms in invitation. "How did you sleep?"
"Not well," she admitted, sinking gently into his lap. "But better than you, I'd say."
Draco tipped his head back and Gen dropped her lips to his before raking her fingers through his hair. Her engagement ring glinted as she did so.
"I'm sorry," he whispered against her lips before kissing her again. "I know I was tossing and turning all night."
"It's fine," she affirmed, laying her head in the crook of his neck. "I don't think I could have slept much, anyway."
"What's on your mind?" he asked, laying his head atop hers.
"I'm sorry about last night," she blurted. "I know I was being a terrible pain."
Draco only laughed.
"I just—" she began, swiveling a little so she could look at him. "I don't know. I think I'm just paranoid."
"What do you mean?"
"I—do you—what's going on between you and Leolin?"
"Genevieve—"
"No, it's alright. I'm not trying to trap you, I just—please just tell me the truth. If you—with her, then I forgive you. I don't care, as long as anything you had is over now."
Leolin's heart thundered in her chest. She had a feeling that Draco knew she was still listening.
"G, look at me," Draco demanded softly, and Gen obliged.
It was hard to watch them, because Gen was a real person when she was alone with Draco. Leolin could see, could feel, how much she loved Draco, and in that moment it wasn't that difficult to imagine why he might feel the same.
"Listen," Draco continued. "I—you know that I adore you. I always have. From the very first moment I saw you. I know it's been hard having Leolin here, but it doesn't change anything, and it's only one more day."
Leolin knew in that moment she shouldn't have stayed to hear that. None of it mattered anyway; Draco didn't know about the gag yet. That was a game-changer. Still, listening to him spout is affection for Gen wasn't easy.
She heard them kiss again and urged herself to stop listening. She only managed to turn her back.
"Tell me you love me," Gen said greedily against Draco skin.
All the colour drained from Leolin's face.
"You know I do," Draco groaned somewhat breathlessly.
It was obvious what they were getting ready to do. Still, Leolin felt rooted to the spot.
"I know," Gen replied, breathless as well. "But I still want to hear you say it."
"Darling—"
"I tell you all the time," she said, a small whine sharpening her breathy tone. Leolin had a sickening feeling the whine wasn't a result of the conversation. "Please, I just need to hear you say it."
Leolin could hear the swish of their bare flesh, and it was sickening. Still, she had to know if Draco would say it back.
"I love you," Draco groaned, his thrusts increasing. "You know I love you."
Leolin immediately apparated to her own room before picking up glass from last night sitting her nightstand and hurling at the mirror of her vanity. Goddamnit, this was exactly what she didn't need right now. Gen, that manipulative little cunt. She'd probably orchestrated that whole encounter in the hopes of putting Leolin off her game and getting her killed in the mission today.
Leolin repaired the glass and the mirror before hurling the highball again. The worst part of all of this was that she knew that wasn't true. Of course Gen hadn't orchestrated that. Leolin had seen the genuine hunger and distress in her eyes. That was the type of candor Leolin was sure she only reserved for Draco. Leolin supposed that left the better question: had it been genuine on Draco's part? Gen had certainly believed so, though Leolin was less convinced. Had he meant all that, or was he just stinging from Leolin's snide remark?
She knew at some level he had meant it. After all, before Leolin came back, he was happy to marry Gen and move on. But what about what had transpired between her and Draco in London? What about the way they'd treated each other the night before? Had that meant to Draco what it had meant to Leolin?
She shattered the glass again.
Probably not. That didn't matter, though. She needed to remember that. None of this pettiness mattered. She still held the trump card. As soon as she played it, Gen would be a distant memory.
Repairing and shattering the glass a final time, Leolin steeled herself. She had to remember who the real enemy was today. As much as she hated Gen, they were on the same team. It was Adrian she had oversmart today, and Audige she had to convince. She would strike Gen down another day.
"Lai?" Ginny called through the door. "Are you okay? I heard shattered glass."
"Fine," Leolin said. "I just dropped something."
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
Ginny slipped inside and closed the door behind her, perching on the bed instead.
"How'd you sleep?" she asked.
"About as good as could be expected," Leolin replied. "You?"
"Same. Blaise tossed and turned all night, too."
"Good," Leolin said in a dull voice, "So we'll all be exhausted together."
"Seems that way," Ginny said. "You ready?"
"Not really," Leolin admitted. "I don't know what to expect from Audige, and that makes me nervous. Not to mention Adrian. He's capable and dangerous and—"
"And?" Ginny prompted gently.
Leolin bit her lip.
"He scares me," she admitted in a soft voice.
"Why?" Ginny said. "That doesn't sound like you."
Leolin considered if she was ready to admit the whole ordeal. She wasn't, she decided. Still, there were parts she needed to confide.
"The first night I came back," she explained. "The night he arrested me, he was so nasty. Not that I didn't expect that, we never really go on at school and I was always going out of my way to make his life difficult. Still, the way he was acting was..unsettling."
"Did he threaten you?" Ginny asked softly.
Leolin nodded.
"The Adrian I knew it school would have wanted to settle the score, just frustrate all my plans and make me look like an arse. But he's not that boy anymore. At some point he decided that wasn't enough."
"What do you mean?"
Leolin looked at her.
"He wants to fuck me," she said bluntly. "I don't mean rape me, but he's gotten obsessed with this idea of getting me to get into bed. It's like—I don't know—like he's dying to get me to like it. I know that doesn't make sense, but he hates me and Draco so much and he just loves this idea of stripping us of our dignity by sleeping with me and making me love it."
"Ugh," Ginny said. "That's so predictably foul of him."
"He's attractive," Leolin admitted. "I know he knows he is, and I think he loves the idea of making me admit it, and forcing Draco to stomach the idea of him getting between my legs and getting me to scream for him the way I used to for Draco. That bit always drove him mental at Hogwarts, and we never failed to throw it in his face. I admit I—" she paused. "We used to go out of our way to do it on purpose. Not to Blaise or anyone else, just to him. He's been nursing resentment over that for ten years."
"Lai," Ginny said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. That's—ugh, that's so awful. Has he tried to touch you?"
"Yeah," Leolin admitted. "A bit. Obviously nothing I couldn't easy rebuff. But like I said, he doesn't want to force me. He wants to convince me. I know that shouldn't bother me because I loathe him, but it does. In fact, it scares me half to death. What if he slips me amortentia and—"
"He won't," Ginny assured her. "We won't let him. Draco won't let him. Besides, he's met his match in you and he knows it. If he tries something, you're crush him to dust."
Leolin smiled, squeezing Ginny's hand.
"Thanks, Gin. It feels good to let that out."
"Thanks for telling me," Ginny replied. "You know you can always come to me and you can tell me anything."
Leolin thought of the Le Fey draught and the gag and bit her lip.
"Yeah, I do."
"Blaise and I love you so much," Ginny said. "We're always here for you."
Leolin nodded.
"Thank you."
"Let's just focus on today. Are you sure you want to go to Audige's court? You don't have to if you don't want to. None of this is worth dying for."
"No," Leolin said firmly. "I've had a lot of practice with this sort of thing, and if we get it right think of how far we'll be."
"I know," Ginny said. "Still. It feels like the city itself is restless. Like the clouds and the cobblestones are quivering for a fight. Have you looked outside? It 's getting ready to piss rain. As hot as it's been, we're looking at a lot of fog today."
"I think that might be Audige," Leolin admitted. "I think bokors can sometimes control the weather. Or at the very least, call down the thunder and the rain. He's obviously not happy about Loziéres. I don't imagine he's accustomed to trouble in the Quarter that he doesn't orchestrate."
"Merlin," Ginny breathed. "Just when it felt as if things weren't going to get any worse. With all the skeleton masks, we could be sitting ducks. Do we even know what Audige looks like?"
Leolin shook her head.
"No," she admitted. "But he's the king of the Quarter. I have a feeling he'll be easy to pick out."
Leolin stood, going to her chest of drawers and pulling out a pair of pair leggings, and a black long-sleeve t-shirt, and slim running shoes.
"You look very American," Ginny commented, and Leolin gave a mock bow.
"I feel like a spy from a Muggle moving picture."
"So do I," Ginny said, gesturing to her own gear. "So will everyone."
"What am I supposed to do with my wand?"
"Oh, here," Ginny said, handing Leolin a holster. It went around her hips like a belt before securing around her left thigh.
"Are you mad?" Leolin laughed. "Are we gun-slinging cowboys?"
"It's easy access," Ginny said. "And no one will even notice."
"I feel absurd," Leolin admitted.
"And you haven't even seen this yet," Ginny said, holding up a vest made of what looked black, tightly-woven chain mail.
"What, now I'm a medieval knight?"
"It's charmed to repel simple jinxes and charms."
Leolin put it on. It was oddly weightless. She enchanted a black slim-fitting rain jacket to emit cool air and keep her from sweating from the mail before putting it on.
Leolin sat down at her vanity a last time, winding a small but sharp stiletto knife into her hair.
"What the hell is that?" Ginny demanded.
"It's a stiletto," Leolin replied.
Ginny rolled her eyes.
"What are you doing with that thing?" Ginny demanded. "You're going to trip and kill yourself."
"It's just a precaution," Leolin said, "If case we get jammed up, I'm holding court on the street."
Ginny smiled somewhat dubiously.
"Sometimes you scare me a little, you know that?"
"I'm just trying to be prepared," Leolin said.
Ginny nodded, though she still seemed uneasy.
"Alright, come on, let's go get some breakfast. We have to leave in an hour."
Leolin nodded, trudging down the stairs. Ieuan was the first to see them as they descended, and he smirked.
"You two look like a cat burglarizing duo," he commented. "Maybe if today goes well, you can start working for La Genie du Mal."
Draco, who'd been sitting at the kitchen counter drinking coffee, choked on his sip.
"What?" Ginny said, misinterpreting his gesture for one of distain. "You don't think we could do it?"
"No, I'm sure you could," Draco said pointedly, looking at Leolin.
"I'm surprised they haven't caught him yet," Harry said, coming down the stairs and joining the throng. "It's been years."
"The case has been mishandled," Leolin said flippantly, meeting Draco's gaze with defiance. "They shouldn't have hired that yank to head up the operation."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Yes, we all know how easily manipulated American men can be. Isn't that right, Lefevre?"
Leolin wasn't sure if he was making a barb about La Genie or Brankovitch, but she simply smiled either way.
"I wouldn't know," Leolin said. "All men are easily manipulated to me. As a sex, I find you painfully weak."
"Are you kidding me?" Blaise growled. "Stop already. I can't stand to listen to you bicker anymore."
"Lefevre—''
"If you say 'started it', I will kill you," Blaise snapped at Draco.
It was clear Blaise was tense as well.
"We almost ready?" Tieran asked, holding Pansy's hand on walking down the stairs. Like everyone else, they were both dressed in all black.
"As we'll ever be," Harry said, looking drawn.
"Where's Grace?" Pansy asked.
Harry rubbed his eyes.
"She's still sleeping. The baby was really fussing last night. She's exhausted."
"You alright?" Ginny asked, rubbing his back.
"Fine," Harry replied. "I just—it's been a hard pregnancy, and she still has two months to go."
"It wasn't this hard the last two times?" Pansy asked.
Harry shook his head.
"It was a piece of cake."
"She'll be fine," Ieaun assured Harry. "Don't stress, mate."
"I'll look after her," Gen said, descending the stairs still wearing a silk nightie. Her blonde hair was unbound and styled in soft curls. For someone who'd slept terribly and just gotten up, she was annoyingly put together. "I promise."
"That was meant to be comforting and not sinister, right?" Ginny muttered to Leolin, who gave a small smile.
Harry nodded though, seemingly reassured.
"Thank you," he said.
"Of course," Gen purred, coming to rest her head against Draco's jinx-repelling vest. He looked like dashing secret agent in all black.
He brought an arm around her back, though his eyes found Leolin over Gen's head. What was Leolin supposed to make of that?
"Where's Brank?" Ieaun asked. "We should wait for him before we start."
At that the floo flamed and he stepped out, brushing himself off and smiling at Gen. Leolin, he ignored. Thank Merlin; he'd finally gotten fed up."
"Good morning, all," he said. "Everyone ready to be potentially murdered?"
"Stow it," Blaise sneered. He disliked Max more than the rest of them, clearly annoyed about Max's unsavoury pursuit of Leolin. "You aren't funny."
"Just trying to keep it light."
"Well don't," Draco said flippantly. "We don't have time for clowning around."
"Forgive me, your majesty," Max said with a caustic sarcasm. He was still visibly agitated about what had gone down between Draco and Gen the night before, even though it was obvious they had since made up.
"Alright," Tieran said, tossing a small cannisters to each of them. "Inside here is a map." He clicked his on, and a map of the city appeared.
"When we get close enough to the trackers, they will appear on the map. We're going in pairs, and each pair has a different canister with a different target. The only common dot we all share is Pucey," Tieran explained, "But we have to keep him isolated as much as possible. You need to find your target, let them see you and head away from the funeral parade. Pucey we need to get caught up so he and Thivierge can't get near to Audige."
"Sounds easy enough," Ieaun said sarcastically.
"Once we peel Scabior and Rawle, we take out Montague. That just leaves us Pucey, Dolohov, and Thivierge. They are going after Audige, so we need to keep them occupied until the parade makes it to the graveyard. By that time, Audige will have slithered back into his hole. At that time, Lefevre goes in and does her thing."
"She's not going alone," Draco said.
"Fair enough," Tieran said. "You and I will lose own tail and double back to support her."
"I'll go too," Harry said firmly, giving Grace a reassuring nod. "I killed the Dark Lord. I have the most experience with those kinds of duels."
"Please," Draco growled "That was sheer dumb luck."
"Fine," Harry snapped. "Then look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want me to go because you secretly want to shag Leolin."
"We are not going back there," Tieran said sternly.
Max shook his head in disgust, sneering at Draco even as Gen curled against him and her pressed a protective hand to her back.
"Alright," Blaise said sternly. "Who goes with who?"
"Malfoy and I will take Thivierge," Tieran said. "We have to most combat experience, and she's the ones who is most likely going after Audige."
"Harry and I will go together," Leolin affirmed. "We will start with Adrian. He's probably planning on coming after Drake, but once he sees me he won't be able to resist. Once Audige is back in the graveyard, Harry and I will lose Adrian and head for Audige. Draco and Tieran meet us there. Any more than four and Audige will spook and kill us before we can get a word in."
They all nodded their agreement, but both Draco and Ginny seemed discontented with Leolin handling Adrian.
"Zabini and I will take Dolohov. Thivierge is the brains of that duo, but he's the brute strength. We split those two up and she'll be a sitting duck," Max said.
Blaise seemed annoyed that he of all people had ended up with Max. Max didn't seem overly enthusiastic, either.
"KT, Ieaun, and Luke can take Rawle," Harry said. "Tate and Kelly were in the same year at Hogwarts, and I know they hated each other. I'm sure Rawle would love a change to take Kelly down a peg."
"Where is that twat, by the way?" Draco snapped.
"He'll be here," Max snapped back. "Take a chill pill."
"Who does that leave?" Luke said quietly.
He rarely spoke, and Leolin had to admit she sometimes forgot he was there.
"Me and Ginny," Pansy said. "And Montague and Scabior."
"Right," Tieran said, giving his wife a protective look. "You wait until we make contact with Dolohov, Pucey, and Thivierge. Once we have and they know we're there, take Montague out. He'll be perched up high, and we don't want him reporting our movements. Then go after Scabior. He's a wildcard, but he's easy prey."
They all looked around, mutually dreading what was coming next.
"Right," Harry said finally, consulting his wristwatch and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "The funeral starts soon. We ought to head out."
"We're still waiting for Troy," Blaise said in veiled annoyance."
"Let's just go without him," Draco sneered.
"He's here," Max said, and Kelly stepped from the floo.
"Sorry, I'm late," he said almost sheepishly, his eyes finding Leolin for a moment. "Cara and I had a bit of a row. She wasn't too keen on this whole thing."
"She's wasn't wrong not to be," Pansy said. "This is going to be dangerous."
"I don't like this," Gen said, clinging to Draco.
"It will be fine," he said, glancing down at her again. "I promise."
"We should get going," Tieran said. "Here, take these."
He extended earpieces to each of them.
"This way we can communicate," Tieran said. "Gen," he said, handing her a canister. "All the earpieces have trackers as well. You will be able to see all of us on the map, and all the targets. You're running point."
She nodded.
"Right," Draco said, kissing Gen swiftly. "Let's go."
Blaise looked outside and frowned. "Sky's about to burst."
"Audige is almost here," Leolin mused. "I have a feeling the thunder and he are old friends."
"Well better thunder than lightening."
"Better both of them than rain," Ieaun pointed out. "The rain is going to bring fog, and lots of it."
Leolin and Ginny exchanged a look.
"It's not too late to call this whole thing off," Ginny pointed out.
"Yes it is," Pansy amended. "Let's do this and stop Pucey once and for all."
"Now we're talking," Tieran said, bending to kiss her softly.
"Let's go," Draco said, checking his watch. "The parade starts in twenty minutes. We have to stay ahead of it or we'll get choked up in the aftermath."
"Be careful," Gen urged.
Draco nodded, seemingly a little distracted now.
"Always am," he said, and his eyes flitted to Leolin.
She knew better than anyone that he rarely, if ever, was.
"I love you," Gen said, and Leolin's heart thumped audibly at the memory of Draco uttering the words earlier. She wondered if he would say it again.
He didn't.
"You too," he replied. "See you later."
She nodded, giving Leolin an extremely cool look before relinquishing her hold on Draco.
"Let's go," Tieran said, and with that they all apparated to the heart of the city. The sky had only darkened overhead, and Leolin shivered; New Orleans' dark magic felt stronger than ever today. They'd all brought skeleton masks, but nobody put theirs on yet.
Tieran drew a canister and shined it at the ground. Suddenly, there were two dots plodding slowly along the streets, slithering slowly towards the main parade route.
"There go Pucey and Thivierge," Tieran said. "We'll wait until you lot are in position then go after them."
Everyone else shone their maps as well.
"Dolohov hasn't made it to Thivierge yet," Blaise said, pointing. "Let's keep them separated.
Max nodded,and they were gone.
"There's Montague," Ginny said.
He was perched near where the parade route bottlenecked, and he wasn't moving.
"He must already be in position."
"He's probably up high," Tieran told Pansy. "Look for him in a tower or taller building of some sort. Wait for our word, but be ready. This is all going to move fast, but it will get easily once we incapacitate him."
She nodded, giving him a final, lingering kiss.
"Let's go, Gin."
They slid on their masks, took hands, and disappeared.
Ieuan and Luke shined theirs and found Rawle at once. He was moving quickly towards the front of the parade. Leolin assumed Audige would be in the vanguard.
"C'mon," Kelly said to them. "We need to get in front of him and drive him backwards."
"Keep in touch," Blaise said. "And keep out of sight as much as possible."
Ieuan nodded, and they disappeared, already masked.
"Right," Tieran said, looking at Draco, Leolin, and Harry in turn. "Let's stick together until we get eyes on Pucey and Thivierge. "They'll be together, but when they see us they'll split up."
They all nodded grimly, and overhead a booming thunder sounded, a violent fork of lightening following. The storm wasn't more than a half mile away.
"Audige is here," Leolin said quietly.
"Let's go,"
They all apparated away, appearing along the parade route roughly across from where Pucey and Thivierge's dots were. They were clearly waiting for Audige.
They picked their way forward, heads on a swivel.
"Be careful," Tieran warned as they moved.
A haunting jazz melody had begun, and all around them witches and wizards in skeleton masks and painted faces thronged around. Dissonent horn whined and deep rumbling drums have the stones quiver in fear. The king was approaching.
"We won't really be able to apparate in and out," Tieran said. "This storm is throwing off too much magic."
They all nodded. Leolin's keen eyes scanned the opposite bank of people, and finally she caught a flash of Adrian's tawny head.
"There's Adrian," Leolin said, indicating across the way to Harry. "We have to go now. C'mon."
She made the plunge forward and catch his attention, but Draco grabbed her arm.
"Wait, come here."
Tieran groaned and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Let go," she said in irritation.
"Be careful, Leolin."
"Let go!" she said, struggling and embarrassed.
"I mean it," Draco said, pulling her closer and giving her a meaningful look. "You need to give Adrian the credit he's earned. He's clever and his ruthless."
"Why didn't you give anyone else this lecture?" she asked, looking at Harry.
"Because you're the most reckless," Draco said, eyes flicking to Harry, who looked annoyed.
"Take care of her," Draco ordered.
Harry rolled his eyes again.
"Pick a side already, Malfoy," he muttered.
Draco's eyes flashed.
"I'm serious," Draco said to Harry. "I will not hesitate to kill you if this goes sideways, Potter."
Despite everything, Leolin's heart fluttered. She hadn't been sure, but when Draco turned back to her, diamond eyes glinting, she suddenly realized what he was trying to say in his twisted, broken way.
"Come back to me in one piece. I can't lose you now."
"I'll be careful," she promised. "You be careful as well."
She didn't want to lose him, either.
"Good girl," Draco said, dropping his mask into place.
Leolin nodded grimly to Harry, pushing forward so she could get into position before pushing her mask into her hair and catching Adrian's golden gaze. He drank her in as he always did, and she stood rooted in a fear that was not completely contrived. He looked more fierce than she'd even seem him, and she realized for the first time that Audige ought to be afraid, even if he didn't know it. When he began towards hers, she took off.
She and Harry waded through crowds, masks back in place, dodging artfully through. Even few minutes, Leolin looked back sans mask, Adrian was a ways back, but he hadn't lost sight of her. She felt something magical slithering towards her, trying to wrap around her ankle. It was a tracking charm. She quickly repelled it.
"C'mon," she told Harry. "Let's lose him. "When he starts heading back, we'll reappear."
They tucked down, made a few illogical back pedals before darting into the abandoned streets of eighteenth century Wizarding New Orleans. The cobblestones were worn and the buildings hunched together, huddling for protection. She imagined pirates and bokors chasing each other through these streets, each seeking domination over The Quarter. The rain had finally stopped, but now they stood knee deep in the fog which had followed.
"Can I just say I am not eager to meet this Audige bloke?" Harry said, shining the map and watching Adrian spin in circles, desperate to get his hands on Leolin.
She swallowed her sizzling fears, which had crept up from her stomach and begun burning her throat.
"Neither am I," she admitted. "But at least I have The Boy Who Lived on my side."
He smiled.
"What's the story, anyway?" Harry said, as they traipsed down a deserted avenue, wading through the fog. This was no ordinary condensation. It was resisting them ever so slightly. Audige wanted to prove who was boss.
"With Audige?" Leolin asked, looking skyward as a jagged lightening rod lit up the sky. the aforementioned was summoning a second storm. "I'm not exactly sure. He's nasty; that's all i really know."
Harry shook his head. The menacing storm was almost on them.
"That's not what I meant," Harry continued. "What's going on with you and Malfoy?"
Leolin looked up again. The sky was black, and Leolin shuddered. "He's marrying Gen," she continued. "That's what's going on."
"And yet he's still ordering me to look out of you."
"Well you know Draco," Leolin said, feigning casualness. "He loves giving orders."
"That's really the excuse you're going with?"
"What are you trying to say?" Leolin asked, turning on the map again. She turned around. They needed to find Adrian again.
"I'm saying that you're too good of a person to become the mistress to a married man."
"You think Draco and I are having an affair?" Leolin asked, a little offended.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you aren't," Harry said evenly.
Leolin swiveled, pushing her mask up into her hair so she could look at him.
"I'm not sleeping with Draco," she said truthfully.
"Now tell me neither of you wants to," Harry said, and Leolin fought not to flush.
Luckily, she was spared. The sky finally tore open, and immediately the rain was driving down in steaming sheets.
"We need to go back for Adrian," she cried. "C'mon!"
The rain had dissipated the fog, and they moved quickly and quietly across the worn cobblestones.
Leolin nodded, and they forged ahead, the cobblestones quickly becoming slippery beneath their feet. They caught up to Adrian a minute or so later, but they'd misjudged the distance, and Leolin rounded the corner and nearly crashed into him. His eerie's light eyes glinting in the darkness of the storm, and his tawny hair was plastered to his head. She screamed as he grabbed her, quick as a snake.
"Leolin," he said in a smooth, cool voice. His eyes flashed menacingly. "My angel."
"Let her go, Pucey," Harry said, drawing his wand.
Adrian cast Leolin to the ground with incredible force, drawing his as well. Her head bounced against unyielding stone, and she felt as if she might vomit.
"I see you've brought the cavalry," he said, sneering at Harry. "I'm surprised it's not Malfoy."
Harry glanced at Leolin, still trying to recover on the ground. He threw a hex, which Adrian deflected.
"I'm an Auror-trained wizard, Potter," he sneered, hitting Harry was curse that amounted to a punch to the chest. "You're pathetically out-matched."
Harry groaned but said nothing, firing a second curse as he circled, subtly moving to Leolin. There only chance was the apparate away, dark magic or no.
Leolin had partially risen, still feeling sick. Adrian hazarded a glance at her. Casting a spell Harry deflected.
"You look good on your knees, Lefevre," he goaded, making Harry sneer as he inched closer to her, casting a third hex that missed. "It's like you were meant to be there."
"You're foul," she spat weakly, struggling to stand and ultimately failing to do so.
She wasn't sure she was even strong enough to apparate. This would be a shite time to be spliced. Still, Adrian had that look again that made her feel pathetically afraid.
"Someday soon you'll be on your knees for me," he promised imperiously. "You're going to look so delectable with those cherry lips wrapped around my thick coc—"
Harry hurled a stinging jinx. Adrian was dodged it, but not completely. It nicked it cheek, leaving an angry raised welt. At that moment, Harry grabbed Leolin's wrist and they disappeared in a nasty, jagged crack. The apparation had been painful, as if the magic around them was punishing the use of unauthorized movement within His Majesty's domain.
"Merlin," Harry breathed. "What is wrong with him?"
"He hates me. And he's desperate to humiliate me and Draco by sleeping with me."
"That's fucked up," he said sympathetically.
"Yeah," she agreed sadly. "It is."
They'd ended up mere blocks from the cemetery, and they could hear the din dying down.
"It's over," Leolin said grimly. "It's time."
They crept forward, still on alert for Adrian or other others. Finally they arrived at the stone structure Max had described. They traded a solemn look before passing through. The passage was narrow and short, and though it had been not even midday in the Muggle cemetery, it was the dead of night in the Magical graveyard. She had a feeling it always was. It was also uncharacteristically chilly. They cut a path through the rolling fog. Leolin released the cooling spell she'd placed on her jacket, replacing it with a warming spell instead. The chill cut right through, and her teeth began to chatter.
They looked around, unsure quite where they were going. They weaved in and out of mausoleums of various sizes and degrees of lavishness. Finally, they rounded a corner.
"Malifiscent," she breathed. "That has to be it."
It was an imposing two-story structure. The top part resembled a medieval fortress, and the bottom part was a yawning stretch leading to a pair of unforgiving steel doors.
"Should we wait for Tieran and Malfoy?" Harry asked.
She shook her head.
"I don't think we have that luxury."
He grabbed her hand and squeezed.
"Is this what it felt like the last time?" she asked softly. "On the way to the Forbidden Forest?"
"No," he replied. "I had the resurrection stone. my parents were there."
"I'm sorry they aren't here now," she said.
"Me too," he admitted. "But I'm glad you are."
"I love you," she said breathlessly. "No matter what happens."
"You too," he said, looking down at her. For a moment, he looked like the boy she'd fallen in love with ten years ago. Merlin, they had been so impossibly innocent then.
"It's time," he said. "Let's go."
They started off towards the doors, the structure above swallowing them in its hulking shadow.
"Harry? Harry, can you hear me?"
They both froze in fear, but suddenly Leolin recognized Gen's voice in her ear. It was coming from their communication device.
"Genevieve?" Harry said, voice quaking "What's going on?"
Gen sounded fretful.
"You need to come home! Grace is running a fever and she looks dreadful. I think she may need a healer."
Harry and Leolin exchanged a look.
"She keeps saying she's fine," Gen said. "But I think something might be wrong with the baby. Please, I need you to come back."
Harry seemed at war for a minute, but he made his decision quickly, turning his back to the doors.
"Okay," Harry said. "Tell her not to worry. Tell her I will be there soon."
Harry met Leolin's gaze.
"We have to go. Malfoy and Tieran will have to do this alone."
"No!" Leolin said. "We've come this far! I'm not turning back. Go take care of your wife; I'm going for what we came for."
"Leolin, are you mad? No way!"
"You can't make me go," Leolin said. "And I've been in much tougher places than this, believe me."
"Leolin!"
Before he could stop her, she tore through the door, and it slammed shut behind her. He swore, eying the door dolefully before looking over his shoulder.
"Take care of yourself, Lefevre," he murmured, pressing a hand to the cold iron. With that, he disapparated.
The minute the door slammed, the sconces on the walls blazed to life, illuminating the hundreds of human skulls pressed into the walls of the vault. It reminded Leolin of Catacombs in Paris, an underground quarry built in the eighteenth century to house all the bones the graveyards of Paris could no longer accommodate. She wondered if this similarity was incidental or intentional.
Soon the bones began yielding to cool stone instead, and she knew she was close. She could feel Audige. She arrived several minutes later at a double gate made of iron. She could see nothing but darkness beyond. She steeled her nerves; she was quaking like a leaf. She exhaled a stale breath and pushed the gates open. She remained in darkness for several seconds, audibly panting.
Suddenly the room blazed to life. There was no mistaking it; it was a throne room. The ceiling were high and vaulted, the smooth stone walls covered in brightly-coloured silks. There wasn't a soul in sight. Not but one. In the dead centre was a lavish throne, and perched atop in was Guillarme Audige, King of The Quarter.
He didn't move, and for a moment, neither did she. He wore a solid gold crown that sat tilted forward on his head, and below it was a skeleton mask. His was clearly made of true bone. The skin beneath was beautifully dark, like coffee-coloured silk. Two piercing eyes stared back at her. One was so blue it almost looked white. The other was the colour of his skin, and she could not distinguish the iris from the pupil. He wore a dark suit with a black cravat, and were it not for the mask and the crown, he would not have looked out of place in eighteenth century New Orleans. In his right hand he held a dark septre the length of a cane, and it was adorned with a ruby handle.
She approached and took a knee.
"Votre Majesté , je demande une audience avec le roi du quartier français," she said.
She'd requested an audience. He only sneered, leaning forward on the cane.
"Mwen pa pèmèt franse nan tribinal mwen an," he replied in a deep, slow voice.
Apparently in the King's court, French was not permitted . It spoke to the slow-simmering resentment Haitians harboured towards their distant French oppressors.
"I'm sorry," she tried in English. "I don't speak Creole."
"It's English then," he replied. "Speak."
She nodded and rose, half afraid this was the wrong thing to do. However, he allowed this without comment.
"No one comes to my court without an invitation," he told her, dark eye glinting.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm truly desperate."
He leaned farther forward his hands resting atop the cane. She was sure is wand was inside, if he needed one at all.
"Then it is unlikely you have anything of value to trade," he pointed out. "Desperate men are desperate for a reason."
"No!" she said quickly. "I think I do! I'm here to save your life."
He gave a grim sneer.
"You dare come to my court and say such things?"
"I know who killed Loziéres," she said quickly. "And he means to kill you, too."
"Then I'll break his neck and feast on his bones."
"He serves and powerful master. I know you who I'm talking about."
His eyes flashed. He didn't immediately respond. Instead he drew a slim fag from his coat, lighting it with a snap of his long fingers.
"I don't fear the dead. They have no dominion in this world."
However, there was something complex that had begun to churn in his eyes. It suggested she'd stumbled on something she shouldn't have. She followed the hunch.
"And if his servants could find Jean du Bones? What about then?"
His eyes flashed again, smoke escaping from his parted lips.
"They are free to try. However, that search will always be in vain."
Leolin considered this answered as he inhaled again.
"He's your Master," she surmised. "Bones. And you how to summon him."
His silence was telling. He took another drag and smoke the colour of dark blood slither from his thin lips.
"So," he said in a dangerous voice as his mismatched eyes flashed. "You seek Jean du Bones."
"No," she said honestly. "But I know the man who does, and he's coming for you."
He gave an ivory grin, a stark contrast to his midnight skin.
"Let him come, then."
"Please," she pleaded. "He can't find Bones. If he does—"
He interrupted her, clearing growing tired of her pleas.
"And so he won't. My master's secret will die with me."
"You don't know this man. He'll cleave the answer from your flesh and bones."
He gave a cold laugh that bounded again the stone. Overhead, the thunder gave a sharp, jagged crack.
"I have but one Master. I've never feared a man that walked the Earth."
Suddenly the still air because the quiver in fear. He drew his wand on her, but the ground lurched and his hex misfired. Before either could recover, eight figures appeared at once. Two clamped arms on Audige, dragging him from this throne. A third approached, a knife in hand. Audige gave a thunderous yell, and all three were blown back. The knife turned on its wielder, driving in deep just below the collarbone. Victoria screamed in pain as the blood welled up, and she collapsed to the ground, twitching.
Still, it wasn't enough. Two more figures approached, each firing a powerful crucio. Leolin had a feeling that Audige would have allowed him to withstand one, but two brought him to his knees. Leolin winced. Adrian was one of the most powerful casters she knew, and even Audige struggled to handle so many wizards at once.
Scabior, having effectively casted his own crucio, went to Victoria, staunching the bleeding as best he cpuld. Even still, she was fading fast.
Adrian threw off his mask and advanced, kicking Audige in the face with a steel-heeled boot. Leolin heard a sickening crack. She though at first it had been Audige's jaw, but she realized it had been his mask. The bones clattered to the stone floor. Adrian ascended the steps of the throne, Rawle and Dolohov still holding Ausige's arms. Audige wandlessly cast a final spell, but Rawle cast another of equal power in response, and Audige cried in agony.
Adrian sneered, wrenching the crown from Ausige's head and cast it down. The steel of his boot was now glowing white-hot, and when he pressed it the crown, the soft metal quickly lost it shape and because a hot puddle on the ground. Adrian then slapped Audige across the face, more to defile him than wound him. Finally he nodded to Rawle, who knocked Audige out. Rawle and Dolohov let go, and Audige's unconscious body spilled shamefully down the steps. Adrian stepped almost casually over him, eyes finding Torrii first.
"Get her to Ramsey. Now."
Ramsey was Tate's father, and he was the best magical surgeon in Europe. He must have accompanied them to New Orleans for insurance.
Scabior disappeared with an unconscious Torrii in his arms.
In reality, this had all occurred in less than a minute, and Leolin reacted fast. She fired a curse that missed, even knowing it was fruitless. There were three of them and one of her. Adrian immediately flicked a wrist and cast her to the floor. She knew now she had no hope of escape. She only had one hope.
"Gen she cried into earpiece. "Gen please!"
"Leolin?" came the reply.
"Gen!" Leolin repeated, Adrian advancing now.
"Where are you?" Gen cried frantically. "Tell me where you are! Are you with Audige?"
"Adrian," Leolin sobbed. "Gen! Genevieve, please! Help me! Get Dr—"
Adrian wrenched her to her feet , ripping the device from her ear and obliterating it violently. It lay smoking at his feet. He was staring hatefully down at her, and he looked more fearsome than she'd ever seen him. She tried not to shake, but it was hard.
"Dolohov," he called, still sizing her up.
She had truly never been this afraid.
"Take Audige," he commanded, not turning. "Keep him unconscious but don't touch him otherwise."
Radomir disappeared without comment. Now it was just Tate, Adrian, and Leolin. Adrian was still staring at Leolin; he'd never take an eye off her. Her grabbed her wand and tossed it back to Tate. He then took a breath, seeming to consider what he wanted to do next. Finally he reached forward, making her flinch as he pushed the jacket from her shoulders. She didn't want to cry, but in the end she couldn't hold it back. Her lip trembled as several years escaped from behind her closed lids.
Next he drew his wand, and her chainmail felt away in a cascade of severed links. Her chest was rising and falling so rapidly that she felt dizzy. Now it was just her long sleeved shirt. She knew what he was going to do before he did it. She let out a sob and winced as he wrapped two hands on the collar and ripped the garment easily in two.
He raised his wand now, and with a charm, her cotton leggings unraveled and her boots turned to dust until she stood shivering and ashamed in only her bra and knickers. She sobbed and tried to cover herself, but he peeled her arms away easily. He came nose to nose, pushing so close that the stiff protective vest he wore pressed her breasts painfully into her chest.
She turned her head away, crying outright now. He grabbed her wrists, manacles materializing and binding them. This pushed her chest together wantonly, and he ran a gentle finger across the tops of her heaving breasts, which her bra was now struggling to contain.
"Tate," he called still smirking at the pathetic Leolin as his finger traced down her flat abdomen and trailed across the lace band of her black cotton knickers. "Take Lefevre and wait for orders. I'm going after Malfoy."
He gazed longingly at Leolin a final time, tucking some loose hair behind her ear.
"Remember this," he commanded, rubbing the pad of his right thumb over her full lower lip. "Remember how merciful I was."
He then grabbed her by her manacles and tugged her unceremoniously forward, laughing as she tumbled shamefully to the ground. Tate advanced, pulling her to her bare feet.
Adrian nodded and put his mask back on before disappearing in a swirling crack. Tate sneered at Leolin and did the same.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW. PLEASE.