Embolden

by Syrie James

  They both laughed. Alec was relieved that the tension between all of them was finally dissolving.

  thirty-five

  Backstage in the wings on opening night, Claire was all jitters as she paced back and forth, decked out in her Guinevere costume, hair, and makeup. On the other side of the curtain, she could hear the three-piece band that served as their orchestra warming up, and the buzz of the audience as they took their seats.

  She wasn’t nervous just because of the play. Ever since her meeting with Malcolm, she’d been wracked with guilt. Malcolm had been only too happy to meet her terms, giving her the date and location of her father’s upcoming appearance in Taipei as well as agreeing to keep Rico and Javed (and any of the Fallen) from hurting or interfering with Alec.

  If only Claire could be honest with everyone about where she’d gotten her information. She’d had to brainwash her own grandmother, for God’s sake. It had been so hard to lie to Alec’s face, making up all that bullshit about a “vision” of Taipei. But she’d needed to tell him something. The lie was the easiest way to explain how she knew where her father was.

  Of course, making the deal with Malcolm had come with a price. A price she didn’t want to think about.

  Her heart pounding, Claire peeked out from the side of the curtain to survey the audience. She spotted her mother and grandmother sitting front row center. In the light booth high above the back of the theater, she saw Brian among the crew, wearing his headset and busy at the console.

  Drawing back out of sight, Claire felt a lump in her throat. She tried to swallow but started coughing.

  “I warned you not to eat pizza for dinner,” Erica declared, gliding up with a steaming styrofoam cup in her hands. She was ready to go on, dressed as Nimue and sporting sparkles in her hair. “Drink this: it’s hot tea with lemon and honey. It’ll help.”

  Gratefully, Claire accepted the cup and took a gulp. “Thanks.”

  Erica whispered, “But I’m sure your angel DNA will take over when you start singing, and you’ll sound amazing as always.” With that, she disappeared into the wings, her long chiffon gown fluttering behind her.

  Claire took another sip of tea, trying to relax, when she spied Alec, dressed and made up as King Arthur, in the wings on the opposite side of the stage. Alec turned to a stagehand, borrowed his headset, and motioned to Claire to copy him. Stifling a laugh, Claire convinced the prop master to loan her his headphones, and held them to her ears, trying not to mess up her hair.

  Alec’s voice purred quietly over the headset, “I forgot to say this earlier: break a leg.”

  Claire felt all warm inside. “Same to you, my future husband.”

  “Okay, okay, lovebirds,” Brian’s voice complained in her ears, “this channel is for official business only. Please buzz off. And have a great show.”

  Minutes later, Claire watched Alec climb the ladder into the makeshift tree from which he would make his entrance. Just then, the overture began to play. Claire’s heart raced as she shrank farther back into the wings, awaiting her cue. All thoughts and worries of the real world vanished from her mind as she concentrated on the performance that was about to begin.

  “You were fantastic!” Claire’s mom beamed as she thrust a floral bouquet into Claire’s arms in the crowded lobby after the show.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Claire accepted the flowers and warmly returned her mother’s embrace.

  “It truly was a lovely performance,” Helena decreed. “You were almost as good as I was four centuries ago, when I played Beatrice in Much Ado at the Old Globe.”

  As Claire accepted accolades from friends and strangers in the lobby, she couldn’t stop smiling. The play couldn’t have gone more perfectly.

  Neil appeared at her side. “Good job, everyone.”

  “We did it!” Claire hugged Neil. Just then, Alec walked up. Claire stiffened, worried about what Alec might think. But Alec wrapped his arms around both of them and turned it into a group hug.

  “One down, seven to go,” Alec said, chuckling.

  Claire suddenly caught sight of a man standing a few feet away, watching them through the crowd. She froze in horror.

  Zachariah.

  Why was he here? Was he spying on them? It had been over a month since Claire had brainwashed Zachariah. Had it lasted? Or would he recognize Alec and throw handcuffs on him?

  Claire pulled out of the group hug, darting an anxious, meaningful glance at Alec, who saw the problem and shrank back slightly, his eyes panicked.

  “Zachariah. What brings you here tonight?” asked Helena, her tone guarded.

  “I came to support Claire.” Zachariah stepped closer. “You were wonderful, my dear. You were very good, too,” he added, glancing at Neil.

  “Thanks,” Neil said.

  Claire’s heart was in her throat. Her insides coiled in a knot as she got ready to throw a mental projection at the Watcher, hoping it wasn’t too late to protect Alec.

  But Zachariah held out his hand to Alec with a smile. “You were exceptional, young man. Your British accent was refreshingly perfect.” He gave no indication that he recognized Alec.

  “Thank you.” Alec shook Zachariah’s hand. “We’ve met before, I think? You’re Claire’s cousin?”

  “That’s right,” Zachariah nodded.

  “Well, MacKenzie was cheating,” Neil teased, “since he’s kind of a native.”

  “Oh?” Zachariah glanced down at his theater program now, apparently searching for Alec’s name. “MacKenzie?”

  Claire had another panicked moment as she shot Neil a reproachful glare. Would Zachariah recognize the name if not Alec himself? Neil seemed to catch her drift, and his face went red.

  “I see: Alec MacKenzie.” Zachariah looked back at Alec with a smile. “So you’re English, are you?”

  “Scottish,” Alec replied calmly in his usual brogue.

  The Watcher folded up the program and slipped it into his inner pocket. “Well, you were a wonderful Arthur, and it was a great production. Congratulations to you all.”

  “Thanks for coming, Zachariah,” Claire replied, struggling to keep her voice even.

  The Watcher gave a final nod and departed. When he was out the door, Claire grabbed Alec by the arm and whispered, “Thank God he still doesn’t know you! I didn’t realize I could do anything so long-lasting.”

  “See?” Alec whispered back. “Sometimes you and your powers do get it right.”

  “Sorry if I said the wrong thing,” Neil said, “but why didn’t he recognize your name?”

  “I’m guessing because Grigori don’t have last names?” suggested Lynn quietly.

  Claire looked at her mom in surprise.

  “She’s right. MacKenzie is just a name I made up,” Alec confided in a low voice.

  Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Yeah, your father was the same way,” her mother added. “He took my maiden name when we were living in New York.”

  When Claire returned to the dressing room later, all the joy of her achievements that evening began to fade as she thought about the terrible thing awaiting them on closing night: Alec’s murder.

  Thank God she’d taken steps to prevent it. It felt strange to be beholden to their enemies, to know that she’d have to use her gifts at some future date to repay her debt. Malcolm had been vague about what Claire would be expected to do in return.

  Which wasn’t very reassuring.

  And it filled her with guilt that she had to lie to her friends and family about it. Still, she’d do it all again in a heartbeat. She had her boyfriend and best friend back. Alec would be safe. And when the play was over, they could go rescue her dad.

  “Taipei? The land of my people?” Brian said, his eyes widening.

  It was Sunday evening, their one day off after four successful performances. Explaining t
hat she had something of great importance to talk about, Claire had managed to gather everyone who knew her secret in her living room: her mom, Helena, Alec, Erica, Brian, and Neil.

  Her grandmother had ordered in delicious platters of Middle Eastern appetizers and sweet mint tea. After everyone had eaten, Claire had told them about her “vision,” revealing her father’s upcoming stay in Taipei. For Neil’s and Erica’s benefit, she’d also explained what the Fallen were using her father for.

  Lynn’s voice cracked as she said, “After all this time, you’ve finally pinpointed where and when he’ll be.”

  “I know, it’s so exciting, I can hardly believe it,” Claire agreed, thankful that Helena had promised not to peek inside her head anymore and praying no one would ever guess where that information had come from.

  “So, are we here to help plan a rescue?” Brian said eagerly.

  Claire nodded. “Yeah, but just the planning part. Plus, after all the insanity recently, I didn’t want to be keeping any more secrets.”

  “Got it,” Brian nodded.

  Helena leaned forward, clasping her hands. “To get the ball rolling, Claire and I had a powwow this morning.”

  “Grandma did her neat trick of projecting us into that time and space, and we mind-walked through it.”

  “Mind-walked?” Neil repeated, confused.

  “Her term, not mine,” complained Helena.

  “It’s kind of like virtual reality,” Claire explained. “We can visit a specific place, or a past or future event, in our minds. Grandma can even rewind and fast-forward, it’s awesome.”

  “Oh, like you did in New York,” said Erica.

  Claire nodded. “Exactly. The mind-walk gave us a lot of important info.” Although the mind-walk was sketchy in parts, it confirmed everything Malcolm had told Claire and came close to matching the “vision” she’d invented for Alec. “We saw Dad deliver testimony in a Taipei courthouse, after which he’s escorted back to the L Hotel.”

  “That will be the most reasonable place to rescue him,” Alec interjected. “The courtroom is out of the question, and it would be too tricky to try to nab him in transit.”

  Helena nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “Four Fallen will be guarding him,” Claire explained. “Two of them—a man and a woman—stay in the hotel lobby, on watch. The other pair, who seem to be his usual detail no matter where he’s staying, take him upstairs to his room. All four guards are armed and wearing earbuds.”

  “There’s also a security guard monitoring a bank of video cameras that cover the entire hotel, including the elevators,” Helena added.

  “Grandma and I were able to follow Dad as far as the elevator up to his floor, but no matter how many times we replayed it, the connection always broke right there. We think that’s the time to grab him. Before they lock him in his hotel room.”

  Claire paused to let all that sink in. Everyone in the room appeared to be riveted.

  “Wow,” Erica exclaimed, setting down her glass of tea.

  Neil’s forehead furrowed. “So is this, like … a typical situation for you guys?”

  Brian shook his head. “No way. This is definitely a red alert. We normally exist at yellow or orange.”

  Claire held back a smile. “Like I said, all this happens on March twenty-third, which is the first Monday of spring break, after the play and midterm week are over. We can’t get the Grigori involved because Dad’s still persona non grata to them. So it’s up to us. And this may be our only chance.” Claire turned to her mother. “So, Mom. Obviously, what I want to do, with your permission, is get to Taipei and snatch Dad. I’m hoping … praying, actually … that you’re on board?”

  “Of course I am,” Lynn replied forcefully. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting those sons of bitches keep Tom captive a day longer than necessary.”

  “My sentiments exactly,” Helena chimed in. “Minus the profanity.”

  “Great,” Claire said, relieved. “As for the rest of you—”

  “Hey,” Neil interjected. “I know I’m the new guy here, Brennan. And I can only speak for myself. But this is serious shit. If there’s any way I can be of use, I’m in your corner.”

  “Same here.” Brian nodded. “No way am I going to miss out on this. All I need is a plane ticket.”

  “I think I’m in,” began Erica, “I’ll just have to check with Gabby first.”

  Claire’s jaw started to drop, until Erica held up her hand.

  “Kidding! So kidding. But we’ll need to come up with a plausible story for my parents.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Lynn stood up. “No one said anything about hauling a gaggle of teenagers halfway across the world on some amateur covert ops mission.”

  “It sounds more like a heist to me,” Brian said excitedly, glancing around. “I only have one other condition: I may be the smallest in this group, but I’m not crawling through any air-conditioning ducts.”

  “This isn’t a joke,” Claire’s mother insisted.

  “Trust me, I’m not joking,” Brian deadpanned. “It never ends well for the people who crawl through the ducts.”

  Helena set down her teacup. “They’re not wrong about coming, Lynn. This is a complicated situation involving tight security. We’re going to need every body we can to throw at the problem.”

  Lynn shook her head. “You’re talking about waltzing into a crowded hotel lobby in a foreign country in the middle of the day, to kidnap a man who’s surrounded by armed guards twenty-four/seven, in full view of video surveillance! We can’t risk putting Claire’s friends in a situation like that.”

  “I get that it’s dangerous,” Neil insisted. “I’m still in.”

  “Me too,” Brian and Erica agreed in unison.

  “Claire’s in danger every day,” Alec pointed out.

  “At least this time, there’s a way we can help,” Erica insisted. “And it’s for a really good cause.”

  After feeling alone for so long, Claire was surprised at how deeply touched she felt, having people at her back again. “Thanks, guys.”

  Lynn turned worried eyes on Erica, Neil, and Brian. “If anything were to happen to any of you, how would I ever face your parents?”

  “A successful rescue will take a great deal of planning and coordination,” Helena responded, “but if we work together, I believe we can pull it off, with no one the wiser and without anybody getting hurt.”

  With a reluctant sigh and nod, Lynn sat back down.

  “Okay, people, I’ve got this.” Erica pulled a notebook and pen out of her bag. “Let’s start brainstorming.”

  It was Alec’s turn to stand. “First off, be aware that this won’t be easy. The Fallen have agents everywhere. At the end of this, it’s crucial they don’t know anyone here was involved. Because if you cross them, they never forget.”

  Claire cringed inwardly, knowing that Alec was speaking from personal experience and weighed down by her own guilty conscience. Eager to keep things moving, she said, “So it goes without saying, nobody else can know where we’re going or why, and we pay for everything in cash.”

  “Speaking of which. If everyone goes, this could get really expensive,” Lynn worried.

  “Cost is not an issue,” Helena commented. “I’m happy to finance the operation.”

  “Thank you, Grandma!” Claire cried.

  “Don’t get too excited,” Helena responded. “We won’t be staying at the L Hotel, or anyplace like it. And you’re all flying coach.”

  “Wait, can we really fly a commercial airline?” Alec asked. “When we grab Claire’s dad, I’m guessing alarm bells will go off among the Fallen, not to mention the Taipei police. It may not be a simple matter to get through airport security.”

  “Good point,” Brian commented.

  Everyone fell silent for
a moment.

  “Well,” Neil offered quietly, “my uncle’s a pilot, and he has a private jet.”

  All eyes turned to Neil. “Really?” Claire asked.

  “Yeah,” Neil answered, a little self-consciously. “He’s like a zillionaire. If we offer to pay for the fuel and pilot, I might be able to convince him to give us a ride. He’s a cool guy, and we can trust him to keep a secret. I suggest, though, we leave out all the ‘angel’ stuff.”

  “That’s a good first step,” Helena intoned.

  “The rest will be cake,” Erica exclaimed, glancing at her scribbled notes. “We just have to ace our midterms, blow everyone away with our performances in the play, and plan and stage a rescue worthy of a Hollywood movie.”

  Claire mustered a smile. “So, no pressure.”

  Brian looked around, making a mental count of the people in the room. “This works out perfectly. We’ll be Ocean’s Seven.”

  thirty-six

  The squeak of nails being ripped from wood and the buzz of power tools filled the air.

  “It seems like a waste to take this apart.” Alec wielded his power drill, removing screws from the platform that had served as a throne room set piece.

  “I know. They just built it three weeks ago.” Claire collected the loose screws into a bucket.

  “It’s the way of the theater, folks.” Erica gave a dramatic sigh as she pried nails from a backdrop frame. “Nothing is permanent. But the experience, that lasts forever.”

  “Uh-huh,” Alec agreed. He looked over to Claire with a grin but noticed she wasn’t smiling. She seemed to be deep in thought and kept glancing over her shoulder, as if worried about something. “Claire? You okay?”

  “Yeah, fine.”

  “Your mind seems to be elsewhere.”

  “I’m just thinking about the show,” Claire said quickly. “I’m sad it’s over.”

  “Me, too. It went better than I’d expected,” Alec admitted. “I didn’t think we’d get standing ovations.”

  “They stood because they’re our parents and best friends,” Erica pointed out. “They always stand.”