The Immortal Crown

by Richelle Mead

  It happened so quickly that Justin was almost certain he’d misheard. Wait, what did he say?

  Shh, cautioned Magnus. The scenery around them flickered slightly in Justin’s vision, and he forced himself to focus back on the two men in the room.

  “It’s just . . .” Hansen started to continue but stopped.

  “Yes?” asked the Grand Disciple. Again, Justin’s vision flickered. “Even if the country is plunged into as much chaos as you say it will be, can a handful of our best missionaries truly effect change in that godless land?”

  “It’s okay for you to have doubts, Timothy. You can’t even begin to imagine the extent upon which their society rests on their media. It’s not as simple as television here. Everything is wired into one system: entertainment, news, security, identity. Disable that, even for hours, and you’d throw off their world order. If we can keep it down for a few days as planned, it will be like bringing back the Dark Ages. Some will be scared. Some will listen to our people, and the seeds will be planted. In the meantime, the lapse will allow our military to strike and seize back some of our most prized borderlands—lands which may have women even more beautiful than Elaina.” The Grand Disciple gave him a knowing smile. “You might have a greater reward than her ahead of you.”

  “I only want her,” insisted Hansen with a frown. “And I’m dedicated to this mission. You know that. It just seems like if so much is riding on this media stream, it won’t be easy to take down.”

  “That’s why our people have been studying it for so long,” explained the other man. He wavered in Justin’s vision, and the disorienting sensation made it hard to follow the conversation. “Cowlitz and his men know what they’re doing. But they truly need to be within Gemman borders to make their plan work. The president and his advisors support us, if we can only find our opening.”

  The priest started to say more, but Justin couldn’t follow it any longer. What’s happening? he asked Magnus.

  You’ve been out of your body too long, and your control is slipping. The raven lifted up from the window’s edge and flew into the night. Whereas before Justin had felt like he was one with the bird, he now had the sensation of clinging on for dear life.

  No! he insisted. Go back! We need to hear more. They’re talking about taking down the fucking media stream! Do you know how serious that is?

  All I know is how serious getting you back to your body is,

  countered Magnus. If you aren’t rejoined soon, bad things will happen.

  How bad? asked Justin.

  Magnus’s voice was grim. The kind of bad where your soul is permanently severed from your body and wanders the earth forever.

  CHAPTER 16

  Good Provincial Girls

  Tessa got her hair cut just before Dr. Cassidy’s event, much to Daphne’s dismay.

  “You’ve lost your rustic provincial feel,” Daphne exclaimed, as she adjusted the tiny microphone hidden in Tessa’s collar. “That’s half your appeal.”

  “Thanks,” said Tessa dryly. Her hair was still long by Gemman standards, reaching her shoulder blades. She’d gotten it edged and layered in a more modern way that helped lighten some of the weight. In Panama, most girls her age wore their hair elaborately up or braided, so length and blunt edges were the goals there. “And I actually think it’s going to help me. Dr. Cassidy wants to show me off as some kind of poster child for Gemman assimilation. Looking the part—and not like I just came in from the provinces—will convince them how great the RUNA’s been for me.”

  Daphne made a noncommittal grunt and stepped back to survey Tessa. “Maybe,” was all Daphne would acknowledge. “But you don’t want to come off as too worldly and sophisticated. If you get caught doing something you shouldn’t be, you’ll want to play up that provincial naiveté.”

  “I’m not going to do anything except what I’m asked,” Tessa told her, for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’m not cracking safes or hacking encrypted files.”

  And Daphne responded with the same refrain she’d been giving Tessa for the last couple of days. “You’re going to be in the man’s house! This is a golden opportunity, better than we could have hoped for. You’ve got to maximize that. You might end up being president of the YCC and never get a chance like this again.”

  Tessa shook her head. “No. I’m not doing anything like that. I’ll try to stick around the donors as much as possible so you can get some good sound bites, but that’s it. Besides, if Dr. Cassidy really does have some involvement with a religion, and if he is consequently getting the rest of the Citizens Party involved, it’s not like there’s going to be one document I can seize that’s got it all laid out for you to exploit.”

  “No,” Daphne agreed. “And it’s also unlikely we’ll be lucky enough that this group of donors is made up of cult leaders giving us the story we need. All the sound bites in the world will be pointless if there’s nothing in them.”

  “Because maybe there’s nothing here at all in the first place.” Again, it was an argument Tessa had made many times. Daphne was familiar with it and shook her head with a mix of what seemed like amusement and exasperation.

  “Go,” she said, pointing at the door. “Find me something good.” They were at North Prime’s offices downtown, in order to make sure the surveillance equipment was working. Tessa had already dressed at home before coming out, in a black skirt and white blouse as requested, and had only a short trip to make back to the YCC’s building. There, she met up with Acacia and three other lucky chosen members who were helping out at the event tonight. Dag was her bodyguard of the day and accompanied them on the car ride out to Dr. Cassidy’s house, per arrangements Tessa had made earlier. At first, Acacia and Dr. Cassidy had been uncertain how to deal with Tessa’s protective arrangements, but upon learning she might have a praetorian in tow, they’d been quite charmed with the idea and asked that Dag come in uniform. Tessa would still go about her tasks at the party while he stayed stationed at the door, adding further gravitas to the affair. Dag had had no problem being on display, so long as he could be sure Tessa was safe and that he would be given dinner.

  Being a political party’s therapist must have paid pretty well, judging from the size of Dr. Cassidy’s house and lawn. Although it was dinnertime, the summer evening still offered plenty of light and warmth so that he was able to host his guests out on an expansive patio and terrace area. There were about twenty couples invited, spread out among small round tables set with perfect linens and crystal. Hired wait staff and caterers handled the most intense labor, while Tessa and her student colleagues ran errands and took on small tasks. Tessa herself was on champagne duty, going from table to table to check on glasses, after Acacia had assured her that tipsy donors were generous donors. “Tessa,” Dr. Cassidy called, as she passed by him at one point.

  “Come here a moment.”

  He’d hardly sat down all night and had instead flitted around to interact with his tables of guests. He stood over one such table now, and Tessa hurried over to him, her champagne bottle poised for refills.

  “Set that down for a moment,” he told her amiably. “I’d like to introduce you to some people.”

  She and the other YCC students had already been introduced to various guests throughout the night, so this was something she was prepared for. She and the others, under Acacia’s tutelage, had perfected their roles as upstanding youth greatly benefitting from the Citizens Party’s guidance. Tessa expected more of the same here, but when Dr. Cassidy highlighted one of his guests specifically, she suddenly knew why she’d been invited tonight.

  “And this is Adora Zimmer,” he said, indicating a middle aged woman sitting to his right. “CEO of Garnet Industries. That’s not even the most interesting thing about her. Adora has a background much like yours, having coming to the RUNA in her youth and earning citizenship. Adora, Tessa’s with us from Panama and attends Creative Minds—when not helping me pour champagne.”

  “That’s wonderful,” said
Adora. She bore no trace of an accent, and Tessa could only guess at some European ancestry, based on her surname and appearance. “I love success stories of other provincials finding greatness in our country—and clearly you have! I have a colleague whose daughter goes to your school. It’s not easy to get into.”

  ”Tessa’s quite an exceptional student,” Dr. Cassidy quickly said. “That, and she’s fortunate to have a benefactor who’s an old friend of Senator Darling’s. And you all know how concerned the senator is about seeing young people develop their full potential. His aid’s helped Tessa in her Gemman journey.”

  That wasn’t exactly true. Tessa’s student visa and enrollment at Creative Minds had been Justin’s finagling, but she knew better than to ruin Dr. Cassidy’s performance and simply skirted the subject of who could claim credit for her. “I’m so lucky to be here,” she said. “In Panama, all my education came from home tutors, and the subjects were pretty limited. It was nothing compared to what I’ve been able to learn here.” She gave Adora a shy smile. “It’s especially inspiring to meet someone like you, Ms. Zimmer, knowing that no matter where I was born, I can succeed if I make use of all the Gemman opportunities being offered to me.”

  “Of course you can, dear,” said Adora, face softening. “People like us have to work extra hard, but if we persevere, we can achieve anything we like. I help fund a group that’s been instrumental in lobbying for more immigration opportunities for provincial youth with outstanding potential. A good provincial girl is exactly the kind of role model I’m always talking about.”

  Dr. Cassidy nodded in agreement. “And you know, Adora, that several members of our party—including Senator Darling—have been very interested in discussing your group’s cause. I look forward to enabling you all to speak more about it.”

  Adora scoffed. “I’d much rather talk to this young lady. Let me borrow her for a few events, and we’d bring a change of heart to all those paranoid people who think letting in more immigrants will lead to another Decline.”

  “I thought that’s what the religious freedom lobbyists were doing,” joked a man across the table. “Haven’t a few of them been courting the CP too?”

  “The Citizens Party has only been talking to those religious lobbyists who have demonstrated responsible, stable groups,” corrected a woman beside him. “Those are exactly the kinds of groups people need to see more of. The only time religion’s ever in the news is when there’s animal sacrifice or arson.”

  This sparked a lively debate amongst the table’s occupants, one put on hold when Dr. Cassidy turned his smile back on Tessa. “Okay, we won’t bore you with all of this. I’ll let you get back to your assignment, and don’t worry—I’ll drive a hard bargain on Adora before she can ‘borrow’ you.”

  Tessa actually wasn’t bored and would’ve liked to see how a religious debate panned out with the Citizens Party’s wealthy supporters. It might also have given her the sound bite she needed. But, standing around and listening was out of the question, especially when it was clear Dr. Cassidy was so pleased with her for charming his immigration-supporting donor. Tessa didn’t want to ruin that rapport, and after a polite farewell, she visited other tables.

  As the night progressed, she tried to pay attention to other conversations and linger near any tables discussing things relevant to Daphne. Not much came of it, though. Religion was rarely brought up. Taxes and the economy were more often than not the big topics, and mostly what she heard were variations of common arguments posted on media stream news channels.

  As dessert was being served, Acacia summoned Tessa for another task. “We’re losing too much light, and the lanterns aren’t doing enough for us. Go inside and grab some candles from the dining room. It’s on the opposite side of the house. Just walk straight, cut right, and you can’t miss it.”

  Tessa obeyed, entering the mostly empty grand estate, with only a few harried waiters and caterers rushing past her. She reached the opposite side of the house and found a Y-shaped hall, with the right hand branch going off to what was obviously a dining room. The left hand branch went off to what appeared to be an office, and Tessa hesitated.

  Here, she knew, was where Daphne would tell her to do some investigating. If people were going to hide incriminating records, an office was a likely candidate. Of course, as Tessa had told Daphne many times, “hide” was the key word. Whatever connections Dr. Cassidy had were going to be well-concealed, and Tessa was in no position—nor did she have the talent—to break into someone’s electronic files. Still, she found herself taking a few steps forward, lingering in the doorway to the office. Its French doors were open, further confirming that nothing untoward was going on. Dr. Cassidy would hardly leave his study exposed while guests were around if it were hiding anything nefarious. And from the looks of it, this wasn’t even a real office that saw much use. It had no screen or computer and was filled with antique paper books and all sorts of artwork.

  “Tessa?”

  She jumped and spun around to find Dr. Cassidy himself. He looked as friendly as ever and only mildly curious. “Can I help you with something?”

  She felt herself flushing and opted for a version of the truth. “Acacia sent me to find candles in the dining room, but it looks like I went the wrong way.” Realizing that didn’t explain why she was standing in the office’s doorway, she hastily added, “I was about to leave but was drawn to that and just had to stop and look at it. Sounds silly, I know. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll go find the candles—”

  “No, no apologies necessary,” he said, strolling into the office, touching the sculpture Tessa had chosen at random. It was one of several varied types on the desk, a statue of a man with robes made of what looked like actual gold. His skin was made of some precious blue rock. “Were you really drawn in by this?”

  “Yes,” Tessa lied. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. I . . . I just couldn’t stop looking at it.”

  Dr. Cassidy nodded. “I’m not surprised. Of all the pieces to draw the eye, this one probably has the most power. Do you know who it is?”

  ”No, sir.” She studied the lines of the statue and hazarded a guess.

  “It looks Egyptian.”

  “You’re right,” he said, beaming in approval. “I got this in a very competitive auction. This is Osiris. Does that mean anything to you?”

  She shook her head.

  “He was a powerful god, worshipped in ancient Egypt. According to the myths, his brother killed him—cutting him to pieces—but Osiris’s wife restored him to life and had a son with him. Osiris then went on to become ruler of the underworld, judging souls.” Dr. Cassidy’s gaze rested on the statue, and then he turned back to her with a small laugh. “Forgive me, I get caught up in my folktales. That probably sounds silly to you.”

  Tessa’s heart was pounding heavily. She could feel she was on the edge of something but didn’t know how to properly attain it. Justin teased her that she was his protégée, able to pick up on small observations and details that others missed, just as he did. And Tessa could tell that this statue was more than just a charming myth to Dr. Cassidy. Unfortunately, she hadn’t picked up Justin’s ability to win people over and get what he wanted from them. He could do it with men and women alike, but the means of achieving that were still a mystery to Tessa. She wasn’t antisocial by any means, but she’d never developed that social ease to finesse people.

  “It’s not silly at all,” she said at last. “It’s kind of like the religion I was raised in. There was a god brought back from the dead there too.” Seeing appreciative surprise in Dr. Cassidy’s eyes at the connection, she tried to go further. “Is Osiris kind of the same? Offering release from death to his followers? Or resurrection?”

  Dr. Cassidy hesitated before responding. “In some ways. He and his family do certainly have ties to rebirth, though in a different way from the religion you’re referencing. The Ancient Egyptians believed he ruled in the Underworld. Here, among the living, the king
s—or pharaohs—were linked to his son, Horus. It was very inspiring for them to think of their leader having divine connections in order to make wise judgments on earth.”

  “I can see that,” said Tessa, improvising. “As much as I like learning about the political world, it gets a little wearying, with all the donors and lobbyists. It cheapens things. It’d be nice to know whoever’s in charge is doing so not just because of money . . . but, well, because of some higher calling or power.”

  She thought she’d gone too far when he caught his breath, but a moment later, she knew she’d said exactly the right thing. “I forget how different your background is from the others,” he said at last. “It gives you a more open-minded perspective. But it’s because of your background, I shouldn’t even be telling you these stories.” He laughed again, and this time, there was a forced quality to it. “People will accuse of me corrupting a young girl with religion. You saw the reaction it stirred up out there at dinner. If you do want to apply for citizenship, don’t learn about this kind of thing. Keep avoiding attending the church you were raised in. If you want to return to it after you’re a citizen, well, then by all means go forward. But until then, you need to walk a straight and narrow line, and I’ll do my best to help, not hinder, you. Come on.” He stepped out of the office and shut the doors, his affable persona back. “Let’s go find those candles. Helping with this dinner is the kind of appropriate activity that looks good on a girl’s citizenship record.”

  Tessa followed obligingly, saying little as she pondered what she’d just learned. The dinner soon wound down, and Acacia made sure all the YCC members were taken back to their homes. As Dag walked her inside, Tessa wanted nothing more than to dive into the media stream and start looking up all she could on Osiris. She wished more than ever that Justin was in town because he would’ve probably instantly known what was relevant. All that research had to be put on hold, however, because she’d made plans for Darius to come over. He’d been elated to hear about her opportunity tonight and wanted all the details in person.