I Should Die

key to send the call to voice mail.
    A second later Vincent’s phone rings. He clicks speakerphone and holds it up for everyone to hear. “ Oui ,” he says.
    “You’ve killed my second and kidnapped my consort,” comes Violette’s furious voice.
    “I plead guilty to one count, but as for the other, Louis came with us of his own free will,” responds Vincent. Louis shudders and crosses his arms protectively around his chest.
    “That is a lie,” Violette spits. “Let me talk to your pitiful excuse for a Champion.”
    “I’m here,” I say.
    “I will give you one hour to meet me at the Arènes de Lutèce. Bring me my consort and I will give you Geneviève’s body in exchange.”
    “Why the arena?” I ask. “Why not come here?”
    “Not enough open space,” she replies. “I will not tolerate any trickery. Meet me in the center of the arena. One hour. Our transaction will be finished by sunup.” There is a click, and then a static silence.
    “It’s a trap,” Arthur says.
    “Of course it’s a trap,” Vincent concedes. “Violette will bring her men. And she knows Kate would never come alone.” He turns his gaze on me, “She wants another chance at you, Kate.”
    “What should we do?” asks Charlotte.
    “We can’t go. We’ll all be killed,” Arthur says.
    “But we have to get Geneviève’s body back,” argues Charlotte.
    “No, actually, you don’t,” comes a voice from above us. Bran makes his way down the stairway, gripping the marble banister as he descends. “At least it’s not what Geneviève would want,” he says.
    “How do you know that?” asks Charlotte, aghast.
    Bran remains silent until he finally stands among us. “Because she told me so,” he says simply.
    “What do you mean, she told you so?” Vincent asks.
    “Geneviève came to me when we returned from New York,” Bran explains. “She said you had explained to her about how we flame-fingers work. And she asked if there was any way for me to disperse her spirit while she was dormant.”
    “Why would she do that?” I ask.
    “She told me that without her husband she didn’t want to exist. That all she desired was to go to whatever afterlife he has passed on to. She felt she had done enough in her time as a revenant.”
    “But . . . ,” Charlotte begins.
    “She was very determined to have her way,” Bran says. “I had not yet decided what to do, but now the decision seems to have been made for us. And I would advise that we let her go.”
    Everyone is silent, processing Bran’s story.
    “We still need to get her body back in order to burn it,” says Vincent finally. “That is, if this isn’t just a ruse and Violette actually brings the body with her. In any case, Kate will not be going.”
    “What do you mean, not going?” I exclaim.
    “I’m not saying that to protect you, Kate. I’m saying it to protect us. Violette’s goal has not changed. She wants to trap you in order to get the Champion’s power. As things stand now, she could defeat us even without that extra strength. Her men at least double our numbers. But for her, the desire for power trumps common sense. She wants you and will risk an on-the-spot, unorganized battle in order to get you. You can’t go.”
    I shake my head, furious. “You can’t make that decision for me,” I say.
    “Could everyone please leave us?” Vincent asks tersely. He is determined to have his way. Too bad I am too.
    The room empties until it is only me and Vincent and Charlotte standing in the dappled light of the crystal chandelier.
    “If we are making a tactical decision, I need to be here,” Charlotte explains apologetically.
    We stand in a solemn triangle, no longer lovers and friends. Our feelings don’t matter anymore. We must be rational; a decision needs to be made—one that will affect everyone we know.
    “I am one of you now,” I begin. “And I will not hide here to protect myself. I became the Champion for a reason. And whatever the prophecy actually means—whether I am to lead the bardia against the numa to my peril or to a victory that I actually survive—I know I am supposed to do this. I have to face Violette. I feel it here,” I say, and place my hand on my chest, inadvertently pressing the signum into my skin. I look into sad blue eyes. “Vincent, I have never felt more certain about anything.”
    He continues to meet my gaze, as if waiting for me to change my mind. And then suddenly his shoulders slump and his head