[

mood

|

pissed off

]

If he wants to go to Hell, I'm not stopping him this time. All that ever happens is I end up following him down there and every time we're almost out, somebody has to turn around and look back. I'm done with that.

Julian needs me. Julian and his sister Augustina and her husband and Jadis Goyle are riding up to the Academy to deal with what they didn't let us handle at the proper time.

Julian needs me. And I can't go with him, because I have to go with Vince. Not that Julian would ever let me consider leaving Séverine to whatever is after her now, but why did I spend the whole afternoon before we part to go rush in where angels fear to tread talking to Ercole?

Esteban can have the idiot.

At least he understands at last that his is not the only heart she broke. And that our hearts are hers to break and temper as she will.

Julian says his niece--Juliana--is exactly like her mother. Bella loves her just like a sister. I hope that doesn't mean Rosenthal's just like her father. I never paid much attention to Vince's baby brother. It's not like I can understand one word in ten he says. Domitian wasn't so bad when he was a boy; we were friends once, but that was a very long time ago. He was a bastard and I might as well have been; we stood our common ground a time or two when we were younger in Brocéliande.

[

mood

|

gloomy

]

Idiots. All of them. But especially you, Ercole. I should have gone to him yesterday, except I couldn't. Julian couldn't even have his date. We were too busy dealing with Amadeo Luna and Esteban Garcia and all the information they brought back. Now I've had firecalls from Priscilla and Nico within an hour of each other and I've been summoned elected drafted to go and find Ercole before he does anything else stupid. He's managed, since dawn, to nearly kill Dracaena and her unborn children (either of whom could easily be his, or mine) and to successfully kill Marcus Weasley and mount the head on a pike outside of the Manor. Nico is lathered about the head and is convinced it will make the papers, but that's the least of our worries.

I suppose it is true that I am the best suited for this. I know it is true that I'm the only one who has any idea what Ercole is going through. That does not mean that I really want to confront that today. Esteban offered to go with me but I'm not sure that it's a good idea, particularly since Esteban may trigger him and certainly can't fight him.

Julian quite rightly says I need backup with this one. I just wish in this case that it didn't have to be him.

[

mood

|

infuriated

]

We didn't get to kill any Nazis in Calais.

Dracaena got Carmela. Ficino got Ignacio.

Enrique Rodriguez is in custody.

There is nothing left here for us to do except make reports. And we have done that, too.

The old man has turned the clerks and cryptographers loose on everything we've found. Even he doesn't really need to be here any more, but he's enjoying this.

I want to see Ercole.

Calais is full of Nazis. The stench of them is everywhere, and I see things that infuriate me everywhere we go. I know Julian would like nothing more than to put on his golden cloak and draw his flaming sword (admittedly, it is a lovely trick, but too showy for this sort of work) and clean this place up, but we'd need more people than we've got with us to pull that off. Which is a shame, because it would be exhilarating.

Our local agents have arranged to make sure Grindelwald's people are kept distracted tonight so Yann and Urielle and Claudien can get out of the house. Rosethorn won't be able to do anything until sundown, because he'd like to stay undead, but he's sending the king of cats our way with a Portkey.

I shouldn't, but I almost hope there's trouble. Emilie is one of the few relations I have had on Maman's side who acknowledges acknowledged us, and I want blood for blood as much as anyone. But the most important thing is to get Claudien and Urielle out safely; Julian says (and he's the one who understands that madness) that whatever's done to them is done to the land, and so to the port of Calais, and that as bad as it is for them both to be away from the land, it's worse if they're taken.

[

mood

|

worried

]

Bloody fucking hell, is Julian going to hate this. Stefan heard from Séverine. I should tell Vince, but she won’t leave Armorica. She’s still punishing herself for Juliana’s suicide, and none of that was her fault, it was all Domitian. If I ever get my hands on that bastard… I’m going to Huldre Island tonight; Stefan is bringing Claudien across. I don’t know why he isn’t bringing Urielle. He’s got to know that she’ll end up just like Liane did if he doesn’t.

I have a dozen cousins in Armorica that I don’t give a good god’s damn about. But of course they were never in danger—they’ve all been kissing von Thorwald’s jackboots for ages now.

Julian is going to want to go with me. I suppose that’s fine, as long as Carmela shows up on Saturday afternoon in Trevena. I can’t decide if I look forward to that or not.

[

mood

|

uncomfortable

]

I hate it when Lavinia and Alexandra fight. Women fight dirty. Alexandra is in the right of it somewhat--Melina should never have been allowed to do what she was allowed to do--but she has said things to Lavinia that I cannot believe she took. And I can't say anything to either of them; it's like listening to my mother and grandmother fight all over again.

Lavinia and I... It was very odd, to feel so unmanned with her, and not, I suspect, solely because she was so upset; some other time it might have sent her right into my arms.

He can have her, if that's how it all falls out--but then Julian is mine.

I hope that Julian had a better time at his mother's than I had last night.

[

mood

|

gleeful

]

There's nothing more fun than braiding Julian to the bedposts (I shall have to do that again sometime, and soon) but excoriating cousine Gabrielle is not poor sport, either. Especially not when I'm right.

I'm rather looking forward to seeing the old man and the queen of tarts today. As well as Goyle and Jade.