by Jake Kerr
I waited, but he didn’t add any more to his answer. Naomi shook her head, marched over, and stood in front of him. Her movements were so aggressive that they intimidated me, and she was my friend. The stranger shrank a little bit as she eyed him up and down. “Who are you?” she asked.
“Ignatius Lazarus,” the man replied. “Ig. Iggy. I go by many names. You may pick one that you like the most and use that.”
“You’re a strange one, Lazarus,” Naomi said. I smiled. Of course Naomi used the one name that Iggy hadn’t mentioned.
He didn’t reply, so I repeated my earlier question. “Can I help you?”
“No. Not at all. You cannot help me.”
I closed my eyes and took a breath. As maddening as Naomi could be, this military formality was even worse. “Okay, let me rephrase the question. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to protect the two of you.” Iggy pointed at me and then Naomi. “To keep you from harm. To make sure you don’t do anything foolish or risky.”
“There’s no fun in that,” Naomi said. She turned to me. “I think we’ve met our chaperone.”
“I figured as much.” I looked at Iggy. He stared at me, which wasn’t so much intimidating as it was disconcerting with his pale eyes. I glanced away. “Did Cain send you?”
Iggy looked pained for a moment and then answered, “Cain told me where to find you. He gave me the supplies you need.” Iggy turned and pointed to a small duffel bag that was sitting on the couch that I hadn’t noticed. “He gave me the direction to come here so I could help.”
“Great,” Naomi replied before throwing herself on the couch. “Do you know any magic or are you just going to get in the way?”
“Oh, I will most definitely get in the way. Absolutely. No doubt.” Iggy smiled, and Naomi and I laughed.
“Well, at least you have the right attitude,” I said as I sat on a desk chair. Iggy remained standing. “By the way, stick to that and not the formal language. It’s much better.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Iggy replied.
“You know. Just be honest and don’t bother with the niceties. None of this explaining every last detail as if you were organizing some kind of strategic plan stuff.” Iggy seemed confused, so I turned to Naomi. “This may be a lost cause.”
“Lazarus, what Tommy is saying is that you need to lighten up if you have any hope of remaining with us.”
Iggy shrugged. “I cannot get lighter. I’m afraid I’m stuck with this body.”
“Aren’t we all,” I replied, looking at my own skinny arms.
“Ugh. Boys and their insecurities.” Naomi looked at Iggy. “Your sense of humor is kind of weird. I like it.”
“There you have it, Iggy. Winning over Naomi was the biggest hurdle. You’re part of the team.” Naomi slapped my arm. “Actually, it was the only hurdle.” She hit me again. I turned to Iggy. “So do you know what we’re trying to do?”
“Yep. Sure do. Yes.”
“Do you always repeat your answers?” Naomi said as she walked over to a chair while casting a spell. Iggy turned and looked at her.
“Not always. But it’s good to be understood, so mostly I clarify. So not always but mostly?”
“You’re an odd bird, Iggy,” I said. “Why don’t you sit down?” Iggy bowed his head and sat in a chair that was next to the sofa. “Did Cain have any intelligence on the Angel of St. Petersburg?”
“No,” Iggy said. “I’m afraid not.” He shrugged. “He was more interested in you two.”
“Of course he was,” Naomi replied. She turned to Iggy. “I thought you said you knew what we were trying to do. Do you know where Ana is?”
“Yes. She has crossed into France. She is heading to the Russian community in Northern Paris. They are White Russians and consider her their monarch.”
“How do you know that?” I replied, shocked at his detailed knowledge. Did Cain have spies looking out to help us?
“Friends. Spies. That kind of thing.” He stood up suddenly. “Well, I must be going. I am staying down the hall. Please let me know when you intend on confronting the bearer of the Coat. I am to assist.”
I stood up while Naomi focused on some spell. “I’m not sure we’ll need your help, but thanks for bringing the supplies. We can take it from here.” I reached out to shake his hand.
Iggy stared at me for a moment, and it was the eeriest thing. His eyes held my stare and didn’t blink. As I got lost in the pools of icy blue it felt like he was reading my mind, so I turned away and looked at Naomi, who was focused on casting the light spell. There was the stomp of boots hitting the floor, and as I turned back I watched as Iggy left the room.
“That’s one strange guy,” I said as I turned my attention back to Naomi.
“I think he’s probably a student of Cain’s,” Naomi replied. “He moved like I would expect an illusionist to move. Their more complex spells require very long casting time and movement repetition that lead to moving awkwardly like he did.”
“I don’t think he blinks his eyes,” I noted.
“Well, I’m sure he blinks his eyes, but holding his attention like that would indicate to me that he was perhaps in the midst of casting an illusion.” Naomi sat up suddenly. “Do you think he cast an illusion in our room?” She looked around, and I did, too.
“I don’t see anything out of place or different,” I said.
“Me neither.” She stood up. “Maybe he was just practicing.”
I shook my head. “Not that I could see even a basic illusion.” I wish Mister Ali were here. He’d know.” I glanced at Naomi.
Ever since Mister Ali had died saving her life, just mentioning his name created what seemed like a mixture of deep pain and sadness. Instead of clenching her fists, however, this time she just nodded her head and replied, “Yeah. The old knucklehead was useful for that.”
I loved that Naomi opened the door to talking about Mister Ali. I had wanted to share my feelings with her for days, but with her hurt and anger and my own confusion the time just never seemed right. “You know, when I think back I wonder why he was so important to me. He gave me bad advice about the staff. He was amazing with his knife but ultimately had to rely on others to save him. He knew just enough magic history to help, but not enough to really provide deeper insight. He was just a nice man that always wanted to help others, even if it hurt himself.” I choked up a bit. “Or his relationship with others.”
“Maybe that’s enough,” Naomi said, her voice a whisper.
Naomi broke the awkward silence that followed her comment by slapping her hand on the duffel bag. “Should we just tell Lazarus to leave? I assume we have the stuff we need.”
“I don’t know. You heard what he said about Ana. He seems to have knowledge that we need.”
“I don’t trust him,” Naomi said. “Even Cain called him our chaperone. Do we really want a Cain spy running around with us?”
“Well, we could probably use an illusionist now that Arkady is gone.” Glancing at Naomi, I cursed myself. I just talked about Mister Ali, who had died to save her, and I then mentioned the handsome young man that may have been her boyfriend and had left her for the queen of his motherland, too. I was such an idiot. To move off that topic, I quickly added, “Also, as I said—he had important information for us. We now know Ana is in France and where she is heading. He probably has some inside help from the government, so his intel would be useful.”
Naomi opened her palm and started casting spells. “Okay, assuming that he’s not lying, and assuming he’s an illusionist, I agree. That would be really helpful. Just because we can’t harm Ana doesn’t mean that a strong illusion couldn’t trick her into doing something rash.”
“Okay, good. So let’s keep him around until he is more trouble than he’s worth.”
“So what’s next? We still don’t have a plan.”
“I think our next step is to relocate to Northern Paris and wait. We now have the resources for a hotel room
and a base of operations.”
Naomi nodded and patted the duffelbag with our new supplies. “It will be nice to sleep in a real bed,” she added.
“Well, we should probably enjoy it. I have a feeling things won’t be quite so easy once Ana shows up.” I clutched the staff, and as I thought about what Iggy had said about her being in France, I realized I had missed a subtle change. My connection to the staff was different—it was getting stronger.
Iggy wasn’t lying. The Coat was getting closer.
30
THE REGENT'S GARDEN
We let Iggy know of our plan to leave the next day to be closer to where he thought Ana would settle. He smiled, which he somehow made look formal. “I’ll make preparations,” was all he said before walking down the hall without even a goodbye.
The next morning I was immediately thankful for having Iggy on our side. He brought more than just money. He was waiting outside the front entrance of the school with what looked like a new sedan. He was standing at attention in front of the passenger door.
Naomi was carrying the duffel bag, and I had a large carpetbag with our things, which wasn’t a lot. I looked at Naomi and shook my head as we reached Iggy. She noticed and tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”
“Well, your face is dirty. Your hair is a mess. You’ve worn the same shirt and pants for weeks, and your boots were made for small men intending on marching long distances. You don’t exactly look like someone setting up residence in a northern Paris hotel.”
“You’re a real charmer, Streetlight,” she replied. Once again, I wanted to kick myself, but I could tell she was suppressing a smile.
I turned to Iggy to hand him the bag and said over my shoulder. “That was more a statement about both of us. I mean, how do I look?”
“You are dirty but would still be described as handsome by most people. Your hair is unfashionably long, and at first glance you look like an older child.” I turned my head from Naomi to look at Iggy. He was answering my question. “You have what would be called an air of confidence, but the way you move betrays an uncertain step. But you remain calm in a way that makes others have confidence in you.”
“Uh, thanks, Iggy.” I looked back at Naomi, who was on the verge of laughter. “What about her?”
“She is as you described.” I laughed out loud at that, which elicited a firm punch in the arm from Naomi.
We piled into the car with Naomi and me in the back. “So where are we going?” I asked. I was still a little uncertain of having Iggy suddenly in charge of our plans.
“It is most likely that the bearer of the Cup will settle near Parc Monceau,” Iggy replied. “It is not far from the Arc de Triomphe. We will be staying at a new hotel: The Regent’s Garden.”
“New? Ugh. I hope it’s nice, not like those motor hotels that are appearing in America.”
“It is a mansion that was gifted from Napolean III to one of his servants.”
“Well, I guess that’s acceptable,” Naomi replied. She smirked when I looked at her.
We arrived at the hotel, and it was a mansion. Just getting from the street to the front door was a long walk across lush grass. There was a man in a tuxedo who took the keys to Iggy’s sedan from him.
Iggy was carrying both our carpet bag and the duffel bag with what looked like the same amount of effort it would take for him to carry a feather. I glanced at the duffel bag, which we had not examined yet. I hoped it was full of money, as the hotel looked extremely expensive. “Can we afford this?” I asked Iggy.
“No,” he replied.
I stopped, and both Iggy and Naomi turned. Naomi seemed not to care about what Iggy had just said. I was guessing she just wanted a soft bed and a bath. But Iggy was our chaperone, he should be at least planning ahead.
“Then why are we staying here?” Iggy lowered his head and muttered something. “I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”
“We are staying here because this is the most convenient location to attack the Bearer at Parc Monseau and then get out.” He looked like he was going to say something else, but Iggy practically shook as he kept his mouth shut.
“Why here and not somewhere that will give us more time to plan or regroup?”
Iggy sighed, and then answered, “This hotel has magical defenses. It is known to me. We don’t have to worry about time because when the Bearer arrives we will either succeed or fail. It will not take much time to know, and in either case, coming back here will be unnecessary.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Naomi put her hands on her hips. “What do you think it means, Streetlight. We’ll either get the Coat and flee or we’ll die. And if the old hag is going to set up a base of operations then it’s better to go after her before she sets up all her defenses.” She turned and started walking. “Sheesh.” I looked at Iggy, who nodded, turned around, and followed Naomi.
To my shock, Iggy spoke fluent French. He checked us in, turned around, and handed both Naomi and me keys. He had a third key that he slid into his pocket. “Three rooms? Isn’t that a bit of a waste? I could share a room with you.”
“No. I will have my own room.” Iggy picked up the carpet bag and started down the hall. We had three rooms all in a row, and mine was between Iggy’s and Naomi’s. After Iggy entered his room, Naomi and I looked at each other.
“I don’t get that guy at all,” I replied.
“He’s an illusionist for sure. They’re all kind of weird.” Naomi replied.
“Yeah, but Arkady was an illusionist—” I said, not in an attempt to get under Naomi’s skin but rather to figure out what she meant. I was still convinced Arkady was her boyfriend, or was in the past. Did she like weird boys? Did she think I was weird? And did I like that or not?
“Arkady was weird, too,” Naomi replied, a terse tone in her voice. “I’m getting a bath. Let’s meet for dinner downstairs later, say six o’clock?”
“Sure, but what about Iggy?”
“He can get his own dinner.”
I nodded my head and replied, “Okay,” as I opened my door. I had to admit, I was looking forward to a hot bath and a lengthy nap on a soft bed, both things that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
I scrambled down the stairs about fifteen minutes after six. The hotel had a restaurant, and as I ran my hand through my messy hair I looked around for Naomi. I had to do a double take when I saw her. She was in new clothes and had her hair tied back, not in a pony tail but in some kind of fancy braid that fell over her shoulder.
She looked absolutely gorgeous.
What struck me the most was that she was actually in a dress. It was jet black and looked stunning, with long sleeves and a tighter waist that made her look much older. The deep black of the dress also showcased her braided light blonde hair, which rested on her shoulder. I didn’t think I had ever seen her in a dress. She looked like a motion picture actress. I walked over and stood next to her chair.
“Uh, hi.”
She turned, looked up at me, and then quickly lowered her head. “Hi,” she answered, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. Was she blushing?
“You look amazing,” I added.
“Oh, thank you. I just wanted— I wanted to feel human, you know?” She looked back up at me, and I couldn’t help but stare. She was at a table next to a window, and the light was shining on her face. I was speechless. She waved a hand toward the outside of the restaurant. “I mean, I’ve been in a desert with my mom. Then I was in the Scottish highland in a castle surrounded by books and dusty lamps. Now I’m running around hunting a magical artifact while being chased by Nazis and Russians.” She turned away. “So I spent some of our money on a dress and time at a salon.” I slid into the chair opposite her as she looked up at me. “You don’t hate me, do you?”
“Hate you? Why would I hate you?”
“I don’t know. Because I took some of our money for something totally unnecessary like this—” She ran the sleeve of her dress between her finge
rs. “—And this.” She flicked her hair with her fingers. “Argh—” Naomi started to stand up. “You’re going to just think I’m a girl.”
“No! Please. Sit down.” She sat down slowly. “Of course I think you’re a girl. You’re an amazing, talented, powerful girl who drives me crazy with her comments and ability to save the day in the most irresponsible way possible.” Naomi smiled. I paused before saying the words, but I thought the time was right. “And you’re also beautiful, and you deserve clothing and hair like that.”
“You’re a real charmer, Streetlight,” she said, and this time she couldn’t suppress her smile.
Before I could reply, a waiter came over. I couldn’t speak French so I just pointed to something on the menu. He nodded and left. The moment seemed to have passed, but I still wanted to talk. Times like this were rare. We never really thought of anything but the present, so we were always alone even when we were together.
“So what’s next?” I asked.
“That’s a good question. I was thinking we have to restrain Ana without hurting her. Then we can just rip the Coat off her.” I paused, and Naomi rushed onward. “I mean, I know it’s not a great plan, but I was thinking—”
“Naomi—”
“—That if I were her I would never take the Coat off. So any plan of sneaking in or using an illusion to create a coat rack was just wishful thinking.”
“Naomi—”
“I mean, maybe she does take it off for baths. So maybe that’s what we do. We use your invisibility power to sneak in and just steal it while she’s taking a bath.”
“Naomi!”
She looked up at me. “What?”
“I meant what’s next later. What’s next when I have the artifacts and I free Zahhak. I won’t have any powers. I won’t even be a streetlight. And what about you? You’re this amazing magician, but even the army doesn’t care. It’s like you’re doomed to nothing more than a life of study and theory as the world watches magic drift away.”
Naomi’s brow furrowed. I guess I was too harsh, and I could tell she was unhappy with my line of questioning, but I thought it was important to be honest. “First of all, you will always be the streetlight. It’s an honorific at this point.” She smiled, and I knew then she had been pondering the same things. “Beyond that, I don’t know. This is going to sound arrogant, but I have this sense that I’m going to change the world, that all the work I’ve done to preserve magic and re-learn what’s been lost has some kind of higher purpose.” She lowered her head and blushed a bit. “I know it sounds silly, but that’s the case.” She took a nervous drink of water and then added, “The truth is, Tommy, that I don’t know what the future will bring, but I know that I’ll have a place in it.”
