«Why should Cassandra help you?» Mircea asked, sounding as composed as if he and Tomas were having a polite conversation over tea. «What can you offer her that we cannot?»
Tomas glanced at Rafe. «The life of her old friend, for one.» His eyes turned back to me. «I will guarantee Raphael's safety, Cassie, if you aid us. Otherwise, Tony has requested the right to deal with him personally for acting as Mircea's informant. You are aware what that will mean?»
«I don't get it,» I told him honestly. «We lived together for months. If you were going to betray me, why not do it then? Why now?»
«I did not betray you,» Tomas said intently. «Think about it. Mircea almost let you get killed; why do you trust him? Did he keep you safe? Was he there when you were attacked? I saved you; not him! And I was the one who realized that Rasputin could be the answer for both of us.» He looked at me beseechingly. «Don't you see? Once Louis-Cesar is dead, I can challenge Alejandro again, and this time I will defeat him! As it is, much of my strength has to go into resisting my master's will; it weakens me too much to do what must be done. But that burden will be lifted by the Frenchman's death, and I can then save my people. And afterwards, you will never again have to worry about anyone harming you. As Consul, I can do more than merely promise protection. I can deliver!»
«You contacted Rasputin? When?»
«After your first vision, when I knew for certain what you can do. I called Tony and offered to hand you over, but only to Rasputin. He promised to guarantee your life in exchange for my aid. Since his plans coincided with mine, I agreed.»
«Rafe told you I'd go after Jimmy, and you told Tony.» I said it, but I didn't believe it.
Tomas saw the hurt in my expression, and his softened. «I had to tell him you were going to Dante's, Cassie. If there was no deal and they found you first, you might have died.»
«I almost died because they knew where I'd be, Tomas! They ambushed us.»
He shook his head. «I was there to ensure your safety. You were in no danger—it was Louis-Cesar they wanted. When he is gone, Mei Ling will not be a problem.»
«Tomas!» I wanted to scream at his obtuseness. How could anyone live half a millennium and be that stupid? «Rasputin doesn't need me! Don't you get it? He already has a sybil who does whatever he wants. The only thing he wants me to do is die!»
«Very perceptive, Miss Palmer.» Pritkin entered the room with guns drawn. I had forgotten about him. I guess everyone else had, too. He kept his eyes on Tomas but spoke to me. «It would seem that we are allies—for the moment. I'll keep him here, but I suggest you hurry. There are ten black knights outside. I have constructed a few surprises they do not have advance warning about, but they will not hold for long. They will be here in a matter of minutes.»
«Our wards will hold!» Rafe said proudly. «The traitor could not give them the secrets of the inner wards; he did not know them.»
Pritkin gave his usual sneer. «Believe what you like, vampire, but we have training exercises more difficult than your so-called defenses! If she does not act, the sybil will die and there will be nothing to stop the Senate from being replaced by one allied with the dark.» He kept his eyes and his weapons steady on Tomas, but again he spoke to me. «If you can do anything, do it now.»
«I don't know how!» I ran a hand through my hair, wanting to pull some of it out in frustration, and met up with something solid. My fingers curled around the hair clip Louis-Cesar had given me when tending my cheek. It had somehow managed to hang in there all this time. I concentrated and felt a faint tingle, a distant echo of the disorientation that preceded a vision, but it wasn't enough. It had belonged to him, had been in contact with his body, so it should have worked as a focus the same way he had. But either I wasn't strong enough to make the leap with only an object, or he hadn't owned it very long and the link was weak. Either way, I needed help.
«Billy! I need something called the Tears of Apollo.»
«Okay, and this would be where?»
I looked up at Mircea. «The Tears! What do they look like and where are they?»
«In the inner sanctum, in a small bottle, crystal with a blue stopper. But if we enter the chamber, Tomas will know the way. These four hallways are the last barrier. Three are false and lead only to death. Only one leads to the Consul. Once she is dead, our cause is lost.»
Billy had drifted over as we spoke. «There's only one real passageway, Cass. The others are just good glamourie. I'll be right back.»