“Lia sent me,” I whispered, hoping I was right.
She clamped a hand over my mouth. “Careful,” she hissed. “Some of Vael’s acolytes are sensors. They’ll hear you.”
My stomach dropped.
Sensors. The bastards with hyper senses—hearing that could stretch across floors, maybe entire wings if they were strong enough. One wrong word could blow the whole thing.
“Who else is here?” I asked.
“King Ivan is here with a small force. He’s been staying here. Plus Vael, his men and a man I don’t know – a guard named Thorne.”
“Thorne’s here?” I whispered, dread crawling up my spine.
Claire narrowed her eyes. “You know him?”
“Well enough,” I muttered. “What about the girl?”
“I delivered the package. I told her to be ready at 8pm.”
I checked the clock. It was only 7:15. “So she is still here.”
“I think so.”
“How is she?” I asked. Claire gave a short, incredulous laugh.
“What?” I whispered.
“She just threatened to stab Vael in front of King Ivan in the dining room.”
I muffled a laugh. “That’s my girl. How many guards does she have?”
“Other than Thorne at least 6. She has also been locked in the master’s bedroom.”
“Are they magicborn?”
“Just Thorne.”
“Great,” I muttered. “He’s a nightmare all on his own.” I said, my voice glum. “How can I get to her?”
“There is a servant’s stairwell, I’ll take you.”
She led me by hand out of the room, gesturing to keep my head down, which I did. As we walked we past a gathering of monks.
All of them were male, dressed in white robes with blue markings painted across their cheeks. Their eyes were dark—not vacant, not glazed. Just... disconnected. Like the lights were on, but something else was home.
Worse was the energy clinging to them—malevolent, sticky, like tar on skin.
And then there were the instruments.
Blades—curved and gleaming.
Ornate bowls etched with unfamiliar symbols.
One of them carried a jug, thick with some kind of oil that shimmered in the torchlight.
It was almost like they were planning a big ritual of some kind. And with Elle somewhere in the building, there was no way this was a good thing.
We hurried past, keeping our eyes down. But out of the corner of my eye I watched them walk to an ornate wooden door and walk down into a dark, lonely staircase. It seemed to go on forever.
