Page 78 of The Thief's Mark

Epilogue

Cal

Calleanedbackinhis seat at the Siren’s Call theater, letting his gaze rove over the stage below. The curtain was still drawn, the show not yet ready to begin. He wore his Lord Heneford persona, grateful that it hadn’t been compromised. It really was one of his favorites. Plus, it had its uses—like gaining him access to the Pentarchy’s private balcony.

Griff shifted beside him, and Cal glanced over, fighting the urge to smile. He got that a lot around Griff these days. He supposed that was one downside to using this disguise in public: it cost him the right to hold Griff’s hand. At least without sparking a minor public scandal.

Griff was talking to High Scholar Neddard seated beside him. High Scholar Vesalain’s replacement seemed nice enough—a grumpy old friend of Nathaniel’s with strong ties to the Sunseekers. Cal was seventy percent sure that the man liked him and Griff…though in the vaguely disapproving way of a mildly disappointed father.

Of course, so far as Cal knew, High Scholar Neddard had no idea about Cal’s power or his alter-egos. Cal wasn’t sure if that knowledge would make him go down in the man’s estimation…or up. Cal leaned in, listening in on their conversation.

“—really is a good opportunity,” the High Scholar was saying. “You have the calm, solid temperament to serve as a stellar ambassador. And while tensions may not be quite as high with Nalax as they were a year ago, a talent like yours never hurts when dealing with a people renowned for their backstabbing and deception.”

Sounds like my kind of people,Cal thought with a smirk. Though he might’ve abandoned his thieving ways since his trial last year, that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy a good con now and again. Which came in quite handy when helping with one of Griff’s investigations…or with embarrassing his boyfriend in public.

“Why, I’ve been telling the inspector the same for months!” Cal exclaimed in his Lord Heneford drawl. Griff shot him a look, which he pointedly pretended not to see. “If you ask me, there’s no finer inspector in all of Allaria. Why, after that nasty business with your predecessor, he’s practically a hero! They’d do well to consider him for a spot on the Pentarchy in the future, you mark my words.”

Griff’s cheeks reddened, and Cal fought down a grin. He’d never get tired of watching Griff squirm beneath well-deserved praise. The inspector’s embarrassment only intensified when the High Scholar grunted his agreement.

“Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Just look at what he’s already accomplished. Greatness must run in his family.”

Griff’s eyes flicked between Cal and the High Scholar with something close to panic. He cleared his throat. “Thank you for the generous offer, High Scholar. But as I’ve told the othercouncilors, I am perfectly content with my current position at this time.”

“Such a waste,” High Scholar Neddard sighed, settling back in his seat. “You’re meant for great things, Griffin. Mark my word!”

“There is no greater purpose than serving my country.”

Once, such a declaration would’ve elicited an eyeroll from Cal or a disbelieving snort. Yet he’d spent enough time around Griff by now to know that the inspector was completely serious.

Since his unmasking of the void relic conspiracy, his reputation had only grown. And while the Pentarchy had decided it best to keep most of the details of that little affair away from the general public, there was no shortage of offers from the Pentarchy.

So far though, Griff had turned every single one down. He’d even declined High Commander Pern’s offer to take on Sasha’s old role as his personal liaison. Griff had talked to Cal about it, confessing that he was worried he was letting them all down by refusing. But Cal had assured him it was whathewanted that mattered. No matter what he decided, Cal was proud to have earned a spot by his side.

The theater lights blinked three times in rapid succession: the signal that the show was only minutes away from beginning. Griff and Cal shared a look.

That was his cue.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Cal murmured, rising. “I’m going to go hit the little boy’s room while I can.”

“Of course,” the High Scholar said. “White wine always does seem to go right through you.”

It wasn’t until he was nearly to the exit from the balcony that Cal realized he hadn’t been drinking any wine tonight. That was, however, his usual drink of choice whenever he and Griff joined Nathaniel and High Scholar Neddard for dinner.

Eternal Dark, he knows who I am!

A faint blush colored Cal’s cheeks. But…how?Had he slipped up tonight, said something he shouldn’t? He didn’t think so. Nathaniel must’ve told him. Either that, or the High Scholar had his own subtle form of divination powers.

“Void-cursed sages,” Cal muttered to himself as he exited into the hall.

Shaking his head, he cast the matter from his mind as he weaved through the crowd on their way back to their seats. He smiled and nodded politely at everyone he passed until he reached an inconspicuous door set into the wall.

Slipping through it into the private back room, he channeled his duskflame the instant he was out of sight to swap to the other disguise he’d prepared for tonight: a minor merchant who’d recently confessed to selling state secrets to the highest bidder.

The secrets themselves weren’t all that important. But what had caught Griff and Cal’s interest was the merchant’s contact. That was who Cal was on his way to meet now. He just hoped their careful preparations had worked and the target hadn’t caught wind of the merchant’s arrest earlier that afternoon.

He followed a narrow hall deeper into the bowels of the theater. He’d had plenty of time to become acquainted with this place while preparing for his last heist here—as it turned out, the last heist Blackjack would ever commit. Unless you counted stealing the void orb, though he preferred to think of that as an accidental act of civic duty.

Either way, it was easy enough for him to navigate his way to the agreed-upon meeting spot. He settled in to wait once he arrived in the storeroom, listening to the distant murmur of music marking the start of tonight’s show. He wasn’t sure how long the contact would take to show, but he intended to wait all night if he had to.