“Oh, it’s very pertinent, but don’t worry.” Ezekiel clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll solve that problem for you after we handle the prophecy business.”

What the hell was wrong with this being? “It’s not a problem that requires solving.”

“I disagree, friend. Strongly disagree.”

“With what? No. Never mind. Take me to Skye so I can be finished with this business.”

Ezekiel chuckled. “Unfortunately, I think we’re just getting started.”

Yeah, he doubted that. As soon as he had his information, he’d pass it along to Caro and head home for a long nap. Then he might venture out to procure some decent brandy. Or maybe he would try bourbon.

Ezekiel turned into a vacant alley and stopped several feet inside. “Here is good.” He turned toward him, legs braced. “You mentioned entering wasn’t an issue so much as locating, so I imagine you’ve found a way to circumvent the wards, yes?”

Gabriel folded his arms and nodded. “They are intricate, but I can weasel my way through undetected.”

“Brilliant. So all you need is a location within the compound, which I have, but it will only be good for sixty minutes.” Ezekiel pulled out a piece of paper with a crude drawing of what appeared to be Osiris’s estate. The assassin clearly did not excel at art. “Here are the gardens at the back of the estate. This is a little pond, and beyond it is a bush maze.”

“I remember seeing it.” And wondering about its purpose. Seemed rather fantastical for a mansion in the middle of nowhere.

“Wandering that maze is Skye’s favorite outdoor activity. Osiris grants her one hour a day outside—unaccompanied—and she always ventures there.”

Interesting. “He doesn’t worry that she’ll use that time to try to escape?” Because Gabriel would use it to his advantage in that situation.

“No. She can’t leave.”

“Can’t or won’t?” There was a distinct difference.

“Can’t.”

“Because Osiris has compelled her to stay,” Gabriel inferred. “There has to be a way to break it.”

Ezekiel’s dark eyes held his. “If you know of one, I would give you anything in return for that knowledge.”

“Noted,” Gabriel murmured. Ezekiel could prove useful to him, especially if he wanted to learn more about the CRF. It would be prudent to exchange information, and helping him thwart Osiris wouldn’t be a hardship. “What if someone forces her to leave?” he asked, curious. “Wouldn’t that make her unwilling and thereby trick the compulsion?” From what Gabriel understood, persuasion was specific, not ambiguous.

Ezekiel didn’t appear fazed by the notion. If anything, his gaze glittered with memories. Bad ones.

“Osiris has compelled Skye to take her own life if she ever steps off the property, whether willingly or not.” The words were uttered without emotion, but his nostrils flared at the end.

“You’ve tried to move her.”

“Of course. Alas, no distance sways his hold over us, and his punishments are… creative.”

Gabriel scratched his jaw and nodded. “Still, there has to be a way. I will look into it.” If anything, because it will help him pay the debt of Ezekiel’s assistance in reaching Skye.