Lukas still looks skeptical, but I can tell he’s thinking it through. He always processes things faster than I do, but he likes certainty, facts. The idea of basing a rescue plan on something as flimsy as a possible loophole doesn’t sit well with him. It doesn’t sit well with me either, honestly.
“But what if there isn’t a mistake in Wren’s deal? What if Solem covered all his bases?” I ask, voicing my worries. Richard shrugs.
“Then you look for another way. Like I said, demons play by the rules, but the rules can be bent. You just have to be clever about it.” He says encouragingly.
“And, if you can’t bend the rules, sometimes you can break them. But that could get messy.” Rina adds. Messy. Great. I don’t exactly love the sound of that, but if it’s between ‘messy’ and leaving Wren stuck under Solem’s thumb, there’s really no choice, is there? Lukas sighs, rubbing a hand down his face.
“I’d feel a lot better if we could know the exact terms of his contract.” He announces.
“You could try asking him.” Torin points out dryly. Lukas rolls his eyes.
“Yeah, I’ll just call up Solem and say, ‘Hey, mind emailing me a copy of that deal you made with the necromancer kid? I’d like to go over the fine print.’ I’m sure that’ll go over great.” Lukas grumbles. Richard smirks.
“I mean, if you can pull that off, I’d be impressed.” He says sounding entirely to amused. Lukas doesn’t dignify that with a response.
“Well, if you want my advice,you should start looking at people around Solem. He’s been doing this for a long time, someone has to have made a deal they regret. Someone who might be willing to share information.” Rina says, hopping up to sit on the bar. That idea is actually solid, and I find myself nodding.
“We do have a list of people who work for him, people we suspect are involved.” I say, a little more optimistically.
“Start there. Find someone willing to flip, or at least give you a hint about where to find the kid.” She concludes. Lukas lets out a slow breath, and I can feel his mind shifting gears, running through possibilities. Then, to my surprise, he looks at me.
“What do you think?” He asks.I blink at him.
“Uh… I think it’s our best shot. We don’t exactly have any other plan.” I point out. He nods.
“Then that’s what we do.” He says firmly. Torin pushes away from the bar, looking at Lukas.
“If you do find someone willing to talk, bring them here. I can make sure they stay safe.” He offers, earning a smile and a kiss on the cheek from Rina. Lukas studies him for a moment, then gives a small nod.
“Appreciated.” He says simply. Richard cracks his neck.
“Well, if you do end up in a fight, let me know. I’d love an excuse to punch Solem in the face.” He chimes in. Rina grins.
“Oh, same.” She comments. Lindy holds up a hand like she’s in class, trying to get my attention.
”I don’t really punch people or fight. But if there’s anything I can do to help, I will.” She says gently. She really is so sweet. Richard smiles down at her affectionately. I laugh, but it’s a little shaky. Fighting demons isn’t exactly on my to do list, but if it comes to that… I guess it’s good to know we won’t be alone.
There are several glaring issues with our incredibly vague plan to rescue Wren. First, we don’t ACTUALLY know the exact terms of his deal with Solem, and apparently, the specific wording of a demon contract is far more important than the intent behind it. Second, we have no way to CONTACT Wren. He took my number, but unless he actually messages or calls me, we’re basically just waiting around, hoping he’ll reach out, which isn’t exactly a solid strategy. And then, the biggest problem, we have no idea where Wren is. Any plan we come up with is inevitably going to require his cooperation, or at least his presence. It’s not like we can just burst in, grab him by the scruff of the neck, and drag him away kicking and screaming.
"Now that's an idea." Lukas suddenly remarks. I blink, looking around. Who made a suggestion? Did someone actually come up with a useful plan while I was too busy spiraling in my own thoughts?
"I meant your idea, Clare." Lukas clarifies. That’s when I realise he has a hand resting on my knee and was just casually listening in on my mental rambling. Again.
"My idea… You mean kidnapping him?" I say, incredulous.
"Kidnapping the kid is NOT a solution." I say, my tone firm. Lukas shrugs.
"Don’t think of it as kidnapping. Think of it as a surprise rescue of someone who may or may not want to come with us. I mean, if we tell him we’re getting him away from Solem, I doubt he’d actually fight us. He doesn’t want to be stuck with him either." He reminds me.
"You can’t be serious." My voice is flat, but Lukas just raises an eyebrow, like he thinks I should already be on board with this nonsense. Surprisingly, it’s Torin who speaks up next.
"It’s not a terrible idea." He says, thoughtfully.
"While Solem likely included terms to stop the necromancer from running away, he can’t be held responsible for breaking a deal if he didn’t do so willingly. Just like Solem couldn’t blame Rina for not going with him when I locked her up here. It’s not a permanent fix, but as a temporary measure… Well, we know it works." He concludes. Then, as if realising how it sounds, he glances nervously at Rina, looking for some kind of approval.
"Right?" He asks hesitantly. Rina furrows her brows and crosses her arms, mulling it over.
"I… Suppose. As long as the kid is willing to be forced to stay." She says, which sounds completely contradictory, but I think we all understand what she means. She glances around, waiting for someone to argue. Lindy clears her throat softly.
"It’s not the same, Rina. The child we’re discussing doesn’t want to stay with Solem. He made that clear. That he would leave if he had a way to do so. This is just offering him a way. If he really hates it, we could always let him go. It’s not really kidnapping so much as a rescue and… Protective custody." She finishes gently. Rina exhales sharply, her stiff posture softening.
"Fine. But if I get even the slightest hint that this kid is actually unwilling…" She lets the threat hang in the air, and everyone nods in agreement. Except me. Because I’m still trying to process the fact that we are seriously entertaining the idea of KIDNAPPING someone as an actual solution. I mean, this raises so many more issues.
"What issues?" Lukas asks, clearly intrigued. I rub my temples.
"We still don’t know where he is. We don’t know how to ‘kidnap’ him. We would almost definitely end up with Solem chasing after us and trying to get him back. It would fix one problem and cause a dozen more. Not to mention, how are we even supposed to find him and get him away from Solem?" I point out. That finally makes everyone pause. Because they know I’m right. We don’t have a plan. We have half a plan. Actually, no, we have even less than half a plan. We have an idea. That’s it.
"We need him to contact us." Lukas says bluntly.
"Actually, you need him to tell you where he is. Or even better, come to meet you somewhere. Unless you know somewhere else the kid might turn up." Richard chimes in.
"The park?" Lukas suggests.
"He said he was looking for something." He reminds me. I shake my head.
"The police went over that entire place. If he left something there, then they have it." I point out. Lukas frowns, but then something clicks in my brain.
"If only we knew a cop who would be willing to help us out." I say innocently. Lukas groans, but the rest of the group instantly perks up, clearly catching onto my idea. I pull out my phone. Apparently, we’re just sharing our secrets with everyone tonight. But honestly? Having this many people willing to support us is kind of a relief. Either way, it’s time to call Eli.