“What happened to wait and see? A few hours ago—”
“A few hours ago, I hadn’t heard Tremaine’s evidence. A few hours ago, I hadn’t seen the newspaper. Jonas is correct. Leaking that story is a clear-cut sign of the Circle’s intentions. If Saunders had any plans to work with you, he would be suppressing unfavorable press, not assisting it.”
Yeah. That was the way it looked to me, too. I sighed. “What do you know about Marsden?”
“He led the Circle ably for many
years. He can be hide-bound and intransigent on certain issues, he prefers to keep his own counsel—to the point of being secretive—and he is prickly and difficult at times—”
“In other words, a typical war mage.”
“—but overall, he’s a good man.”
“Can he win?”
Pritkin was silent for a moment. “Had you asked me that question twenty years ago, I would have said yes. But now . . . I don’t know.”
“Your best guess, then.”
“Jonas’ knowledge is certainly greater, and he has more experience. But his power has waned in recent years. Of the two, Saunders is stronger.”
“Then wouldn’t it make more sense for someone else to issue challenge?”
“Only a Council member has the right. Anyone else would be summarily dispatched by Saunders’ bodyguards. And that is assuming anyone could be found willing to take the risk. It is a duel to the death.”
I swallowed. Wonderful. “So it’s a long shot or no shot at all.”
“Essentially.”
I stared at the chimney and wished my head didn’t hurt. “Saunders will be at a reception the Senate is giving tomorrow,” I finally told him.
Pritkin’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”
“Because I’ll be there, too. Mircea arranged it. The Senate has some plan to get me confirmed, only nobody’s telling me what it is. I guess they think Saunders is less likely to try something in front of them.”
“That could work,” he said thoughtfully. “If Jonas challenges there, not only will Saunders’ entourage hear it, the Senate will as well. There will be no way to refuse, and a cover-up will be impossible.”
“Yeah.” The only question was how the Senate would take having me bring a fight into the middle of their big party. Even if by some miracle this all worked out . . . I winced. It wasn’t going to be pretty.
“You think the Senate will object to having us there?” Pritkin asked, watching me.
“Us?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t really think I would let you and Jonas go alone?”
“Afraid you’ll miss out on some of the crazy?” He just looked at me. “I’ll take care of the Senate,” I told him. “They want this finished as badly as we do. You just keep the Circle from trying anything.”
“Ah. The easy job, then.”
“Pritkin, haven’t you figured it out yet? We don’t get the easy jobs.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Marsden was elbow-deep in flour when we went back in, shaping homemade dough with a wooden rolling pin. “I’m making lasagna for lunch,” he told us, “if you’d like to stay?” My borrowed stomach rumbled embarrassingly despite the fact that it had just finished breakfast. I stared down at it in annoyance and Marsden laughed. “I take it that’s a yes?”
Pritkin went back upstairs for his weapons while I sat at the table and listened to Marsden’s stories about Agnes. Highly unlikely stories. “She was messing with you,” I told him. “She did not date Caesar.”
“I admit, I found that one a little hard to swallow—”