Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)(99)
Author: Richelle Mead

Cornelia sounded more impressed than she wanted to be but still couldn’t deny the obvious: “You have no idea how this all ties together.”

“No,” he said in agreement.

“And your tech friend hasn’t found any tampering with the video.”

“No.”

She gave a melodramatic sigh. “Which brings us back to your having one week left and no results.”

“We’re visiting the last land grant tomorrow. The Nordics. It may very well hold the key, especially if Mae’s connections can get us in deeper.” That last part was complete bullshit, but he hoped it sounded convincing.

“Let’s hope so,” said Cornelia. “Stay in touch.” She disconnected.

Justin stared at the ego in dismay and then dragged himself out of bed to become human again. The others had come home from whatever outing they’d been on, and he ended up spending the rest of the day in with them. It earned him a lot of points with Cynthia, though not so many with Tessa when he told her she was the butt of a prætorian joke. She’d apparently spent the day skulking in terror that the authorities were coming for her at any moment, and rather than provide relief, this new information only seemed to enrage her.

Still, the day passed in a relatively ordinary way, and he welcomed this eye in the recent hurricane of his life. When he got up the next morning, however, another phone call made it clear the universe was done cutting him breaks. As soon as the call ended, he headed into the kitchen, where the normal breakfast routine was going on. Mae had just shown up and was accepting Cynthia’s offer of food. She gave Justin a cordial greeting and in no way acted as though she thought he was a deranged religious freak.

“Take the uniform off,” he told Tessa. “You aren’t going to school today.”

She looked up from her eggs. “Why not?”

“Because young budding terrorists apparently get suspended for crimes against the country.”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. “You said it was a joke! That I wasn’t in any trouble!”

“You aren’t,” he said. “But your principal doesn’t feel it’s right to have a girl who’s been carted off by prætorians back in school right away. Sets a bad example, violates the school’s code of conduct…something like that. You’re off for a week.”

Once she accepted she wasn’t being deported, Tessa was okay with it. Cynthia was the outraged one. “What? That’s absurd! They can’t suspend her for personal activities. They’re a public institution, obligated to provide her education.”

“Well, technically, she attacked the public. I’m joking,” he added quickly, seeing Cynthia’s face darken.

“You should’ve sent her to a private school. Surely you’ve got enough money for them to overlook where she’s from.”

“I’ve tried.” Tessa never complained, but he knew that there was still a little friction in her adjustment to the school. She would’ve done better elsewhere, but the places he wanted her in had strict admissions policies. If he’d foreseen that problem, he would’ve worked it into his initial employment agreement. “Look, if you want to go in and fight to get her back sooner, be my guest. I would, but I’ve got to go see the Nordics today.”

Cynthia glowered. “I’ll try. My day’s not much better. The least you can do is take her with you.”

Justin, Mae, and Tessa all turned to her in surprise. “I’m going to work, Cyn,” he said. “It’s not a vacation I can just bring her along on.”

“What are you doing? Renewing some licenses? It’s all formality and paperwork,” said Cynthia, who apparently had little regard for his job. “I’m sure you’ll have downtime.”

“I’m fine here,” said Tessa.

Cynthia was obstinate. “Glued to the living room screen? No. That’s not what Justin brought you here for. You need to live. Go experience how the other half lives. Think of the photo ops for your class.”

Tessa brightened at that, and Justin deliberated. Tessa really had no business going along on SCI’s most important case, but Cynthia was right about how Tessa would spend her day if left behind. He looked at Mae for help.

“The downtown area’s safe,” she said after a moment’s thought. “She’d be fine exploring on her own while we’re out.”

That was good enough for Justin, largely because they were running out of time before they needed to go. He managed to book Tessa a ticket on the way to the airport, and they decided she could just share Mae’s hotel room, lest another expense get back to Cornelia.

To the girl’s credit, Tessa handled this trip much better than her first flight. Sure, she still kept a white-knuckled grip on the seat, but she didn’t look like she was on the verge of passing out. She entertained herself with a reader and made occasional conversation. All in all, she handled it like a pro, even when Justin had to send her off on her own. They’d checked in at a hotel on one side of downtown New Stockholm and then traveled to a police station on the opposite side. Tessa went with them to the station and then prepared to strike out.

Mae pointed out a trolley running up and down the street. “This whole stretch and the adjacent streets are shopping and touristy stuff. Plenty to see and do. You can just work your way back to the hotel.”

Tessa nodded, eyes wide. “Everyone’s so…blond.”

“Yes, they are,” Justin said, glancing at the sea of golden hair. It made everyone look alike, and he could understand how that might actually make her fear of crowds worse. But, just like with everything else on the trip, Tessa mustered her courage and gave a resolved nod. “Here,” he said. “Let me see your ego.” He made a few adjustments on his and then scanned it over hers when she offered it up. “There you go. Walking-around money. Don’t spend it all in one place.”

She grinned and surprised him with a hug, promising she’d call if there was a problem. He watched her disappear into the crowd, hoping an area this tourist-friendly wouldn’t go too hard on a provincial girl.

Their contact among the Nordic police was a woman named Dahlia Johansson, a veteran detective who obviously didn’t like federal involvement but disliked having an open case even more. She escorted them to her office and then leaned against the wall with crossed arms.

“Clara Arnarsson.” Johansson pointed at a screen on her desk, displaying a head shot of a young woman with strawberry blond hair. “Twenty-seven, killed with a silver dagger.”