Scorn looked at him. “And how do you propose we do that? Are you going to use your longstanding friendship with him to delay his killing stroke while you make your case? Oh, no, that’s right. You don’t have a longstanding friendship with him, do you? No one does. We may have fought alongside him during the war, but that was a long time ago. We don’t know where his loyalties lie.”

“We know it’s not with the Necromancers,” Gallow said. “That’s something, at least.”

“China,” Scorn said, “what do you think?”

“I think approaching Lord Vile is a wonderful idea,” China answered, smiling. “I think the pair of you should go and talk to him. I’m sure he’d love that.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were trying to get me killed before I have a chance to upstage you at the Requiem Ball.”

“You’re attending?”

“Why, yes. And why shouldn’t I? We’re celebrating the end of the war, aren’t we?”

“Indeed we are,” said China. “But I doubt there will be many guests there who fought on the losing side.”

Scorn shrugged. “Winning side, losing side, it’s all a matter of degree. And then there’s you, of course. You don’t have a side, do you? You abandoned your side. Turned your back on your—”

“If you’re going to describe what a traitor I am, I feel I have to tell you that I’ve heard it all before, and if you’re finished with me, I have a library to get back to.”

“Finished with you?” Scorn laughed. “China, my darling, I haven’t even started.”

She met Gallow later that night, under the moon and the stars.

“That list of twelve people,” she said, “the important and influential sorcerers Eliza was talking about. They’re going to be at the Requiem Ball.”

Gallow frowned. “You’re sure? She’d meet with them right under everyone’s noses? It’s far too dangerous.”

“Not for Eliza. It’s the perfect excuse to talk to them. We’re going to need that list if we want to shut this down before it starts.”

Gallow smiled. “You want to assassinate them, don’t you?”

She shrugged her left shoulder. “It is one option.”

“The first person we’ll have to take care of is Scorn herself. Once we have the list, we won’t need her any more.”

“No,” said China. “We take them all out at the same time.”

“That may not be possible.”

“Let me worry about that. Once they’re dead, the Church will crumble, once and for all.” She looked at Gallow. “Do you think you can retrieve it without her knowing?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. You think you can organise the assassination of Scorn and twelve others?”

China smiled. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Chapter 23 - The Homecoming

Chapter 23
The Homecoming