ara
lips. This was just the beginning, and I was already tired. But it was a different kind of exhaustion than
the keyboard, a familiar rhythm. I opened an encrypted browser, the sc
iation painted in excruciating detail. Seraphina, with her saccharine smile, had "
urse, a high-
shion blogger who had gleefully exposed me. The laughter, the whispers, Julian's furious, disappointed face-it was all sear
lay would have a
oing to play h
and illicit transactions I'd discovered on Julian's laptop in my first life. He used i
cessing a private, invitation-only marke
For the right price, Nyx could procure anything-extinct artifacts, unrelea
I didn't search for Atelier. I sear
e by Edmond Delacroix. The one that was
you g
rice is
hesitate.
Nyx: "I don't w
Everyone knew Nyx charged fortunes-cryptocurrency, art
Consider it... a debt. I'll c
e screen. "I'm not into k
, "I won't
und very convi
ud. "I'm not sure I bel
you the truth. The Nightingale will be delivered in three days. Biometric lock.
went dark. Nyx
,The first chess pi
ly wrapped box arrived, delivere
id, his face a professional blank. "He said it is a gif
sion. "Please thank Miss Croft for
t life. The Atelier counterfeit. It was a beautiful lie, the fabric and stitching expertly done. I
r it. I would n
eatureless case. "Package for Vance," he grunted. The del
on on his handheld device
nd bolted, I placed the ca
eath
rom Moonlight Thread, a fabric so rare that only three bolts had ever been produced. The embroidery depicted a nightingale in flight, its wings stitched with silver and platinum
er disa
closet, separate from everything el
he party wearing the "genuine" Atelier, believing she had already w
g something she could ne
a new number in my contacts. It belonged to Arthur, Caspian's impeccably polite and e
yself in need of a partner for the Croft's party. Would it be possible for you to help me invite a guest? Specif
would be too overt, too soon. But his power, w
me back in u
loyer gave clear instructions. Any request y
l that's left is
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