“Of course.” My father sat back in his chair. He looked like a king now, about to make a pronouncement. “Avery, as new as this is for you, you’re one of us. Family. And I want you to feel like family, but that means being realistic. It would be wonderful if your clues did lead to the tomb. Miraculous. But there’s more for us to consider.”
My stomach knotted. The family reunion I thought was going so well had suddenly taken a turn I didn’t like at all. “I still find it hard to believe my marrying someone would do anything,” I said.
Lydia held up a hand. “We know marrying you into another family won’t open a portal to an Order-killing death ray in Alexander the Great’s tomb.”
“She’s right.” My father signaled for a refill of his wineglass. “But the union has been a cornerstone of Circle philosophy for centuries. Logically we know nothing magical will happen when a marriage occurs, but there’s more to it. As much as the mandate is about finding the tomb, it’s also about politics. And power. It’s about a united Circle, defeating all its enemies, including the Order.”
“But finding the tomb would be at least as good,” I argued again.
“Maybe.” My father leaned back in his chair. He suddenly looked taller. “But I assume you know about the Order’s attacks on Circle members. Thanks to Dauphin’s little stunt, the Circle knows you exist. We would appear both weak and cruel if we didn’t try to stop the assassination campaign now that the girl we’ve been all waiting for has turned up.”
A server set a plate of some fancy-looking chicken dish in front of me, and I pushed it away. I had to admit I understood his points: to the Circle, fulfilling the mandate was absolutely the right thing to do, and of course I didn’t want anyone else to die. But asking for me to get married wasn’t a small favor.
And then there was the fact that I knew perfectly well who was destined to fulfill the mandate with me, and it was not a son of the twelve. That was the second thing we weren’t telling them.
Lydia and my father were watching me intently, but Cole had procured a pen and started sketching on his cloth napkin.
I shifted, suddenly uncomfortable in the hard chair. Next they’d forbid me to leave the house. I thought of the Order’s text. 13 days. “It’s a lot to think about,” I said. Even if they did actually care about me, to them, this wasn’t strange or wrong. Was coming here a huge mistake after all?
My father must have seen my hesitation, because for just a second, the business look dropped off his face, and his small, sympathetic smile was very father. I tried my best not to let it sway me. “I have a proposition,” he said gently. “I know this is odd for you, and I don’t want you to feel forced into a union with someone you don’t care for. But there are loads of good candidates. I’m confident you could find one you wouldn’t be opposed to.”
Spoken from a place where forcing your daughter to marry someone she doesn’t know is normal.
“There are ten heirs, from ten families,” my father continued.
That made me look up from my plate. “Only ten?”
“The Dauphins had their chance, and they’ve proven they’re not worthy of our trust.”
Oh. Right.
“Order-killing death ray,” Cole interjected, holding up his napkin like it was a canvas in a fine museum. I had to admit, he had talent. The sheer number of dismembered bodies he’d drawn in the past few minutes was impressive.
Lydia batted the napkin down, and Cole smirked. I felt a little bad thinking of my brother as creepy, but there it was.
My father ignored him and went on. The more he talked, the more I realized this was not a plan he’d made up on the spot. “We’ll try to meet one family every day, but some of the traveling will take longer.”
“Traveling? So we’ll go to each family’s city?” That was the first spark of good news I’d heard. I glanced up at Jack and remembered the conversation we’d had last night. Napoleon would have hidden clues in places important to the Circle.
My father nodded. “If we start tomorrow, visiting all ten families should take somewhere around—”
“Two weeks,” I said. The same amount of time the Order had given us.
“Around two weeks,” my father agreed. He’d been ignoring his dinner, but now he dug in. “That sounds about right. During that time, you’re welcome to keep researching your bracelet. I would be thrilled if your theory were true, so feel free to use our databases, our history books, whatever you need.” Like an afterthought, he added, “And I’ll assign troops to search any leads you have in the field.”
“Wait,” I said. “No. I have to look myself—”
He stopped me. “The Order may claim they’re leaving you to find the tomb, but I will never believe they’re not dangerous to any Circle member, let alone a very important one.”
I looked down at my untouched food. That was inconvenient. I wondered whether he cared about my safety because I was his daughter or because I was a new possession. The thought stung more than I wanted it to.
“While you’re under our protection,” my father went on, “you’ll stay under guard, and we’ll do the searching. If we find the tomb before we’ve decided on a family to unite with, we can reevaluate the union. But in the absence of that, you’ll agree that it makes the most sense for our family, for the Circle, and for your mother, for you to marry.”
I pressed my lips together. It did make sense, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, but I was sure it wouldn’t come to that. “Okay. But you have to promise me you’ll make saving my mom a first priority.”
My father inclined his head in agreement.
“She has demands.” Lydia smiled at me, almost proudly. “Sister’s learning to be one of us.”