I thought of the woman I’d seen in my vision. Her image had been blurry, but she might have looked like me. Did I remind him of her? “He might have noticed your glamour wearing off.”
Grey nodded, his brow furrowed. “We just need to finish and get back to our time before he finds us.”
We reached the clearing in front of Grey’s tower a moment later, but he stopped, inspecting the guards out front.
“Do you remember them?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not well. Perhaps not at all. I may be confusing them with others. There have been many over the years.”
It sounded terribly lonely.
“We shouldn’t enter that way.” He pointed toward the side of the tower. “That will be safer. I have a secret entrance. It’d be a shame to run into my former self in front of witnesses, especially with the potion wearing off.”
I looked up at him. He was right. He looked almost normal now, back to his usual self. “Pull your hat down further.”
He did, dipping his face. “Come.”
I followed him around the side of the square, keeping to the front of the restaurants and shops that surrounded his tower. There were trees planted along the city wall, and we were able to stay behind them as we walked, taking advantage of a bit of cover.
The guards looked our way at one point, and Grey waved at them. They inclined their head in recognition, and we continued on.
“They are used to me approaching from this direction,” he said. “As long as my former self doesn’t walk out those doors in the next two minutes, we’ll be fine.”
My heartbeat thundered as we neared the tower. Worry streaked through me.
There were two Greys in this timeline. Would we be able to manage this bit smoothly? So much rested on it.
We reached the side of the tower, which was concealed behind a grove of trees and flowering rosebushes.
“I had these planted,” Grey murmured, “to provide cover for this side entrance.”
“Do you still use it?”
“Not as much, no.” He stopped in front of the stone wall. There was no door, but he pressed his palm to the stones. Magic flared, and the wall disappeared. A wooden door revealed itself, and he pulled it open and looked inside. “Clear.” He stepped into the darkened hallway, and I followed.
The air smelled faintly of candle wax and perfume. Sconces along the hall, lit by magic, glittered gold and green.
Grey gestured to them. “We used that instead of electricity for the longest time.”
“Why did you switch?” I quite liked the magical lamps.
“They aren’t as convenient as modern lights. Nor as bright.”
He was right. The shadows were thick. He started down the hall, gesturing for me to follow. “Come. I spent quite a bit of time in the club during this century. We should check there first.”
“The club?”
“Before it was a bar, my tower was a club for the wealthiest and most powerful in town. A bit like a bar, but staider.”
I crossed my fingers, hoping we would find the old version of Grey in his flat. It would be easiest to take care of him there.
The noise of the club grew louder as we approached, but we saw no one in the hall. We reached a narrow door, and Grey stopped beside it, whispering, “This hallway is mine alone, but beyond that door is the club.”
He reached for a small painting on the wall and gripped the side of the frame. He pulled, and the painting swung open like a door.
A square piece of murky glass was inset into the wall, and he pressed a hand to it. Suddenly, the smoke in the glass cleared, and an image of the bar on the other side appeared.
“Amazing.” I stepped forward, peering into the club.