I searched the room lit only by candles and moonlight, taking note of the people I knew but not finding anyone I cared to talk to.The dim surroundings created a ghostly atmosphere that amplified the mystery of it all.
I threw a longing look at the pastry tray that passed me but didn’t dare take any.
Uncle Wylan had busied himself determining whether anyone else knew our prisoner, but he had yet to discover anything of interest.He was convinced she hadn’t acted alone and was only one part of a larger operation.
I was convinced she had ventured too far into the realm of stupidity.Slipping alovepotion into the glass of a royal family member?Everyone knew those didn’t work.They were a waste of coin scammed off desperate souls.I had never found myself in that predicament, but from what I had heard, they were little more than water with added coloring.
My smile froze on my face.
They were little more than water with added coloring.
If she had tried to slip him a fraudulent love potion, he wouldn’t have been able to detect it.Color had no odor and would mix in with the punch or wine, and an extra few drops of water wouldn’t draw attention.
But my uncle could tell someone had tampered with his drink.Which meant—
Which meant more than a love potion had been inside his glass.
I scanned the packed room, looking for my uncle but not finding him.There was one other person I hadn’t seen here tonight.Odd.I maneuvered my way to the outer hall and approached the palace entrance where they kept the list of attendees.
“Sir,” I said to the scribe on duty, “has an Analleia Kallistar entered the ball tonight?”
He frowned, bushy gray eyebrows drawing together as he flipped through the thick list of names on his pad.
“Ana—” His finger rifled through the names, stopping about halfway down.“No, she brought no invitation for the ball tonight.”
I dipped my head in thanks then slipped out into the front courtyard, ghosting across the lawn to the gates.
“Where are you going?”Howland’s footsteps were near silent.
“I need to check on something.You’re free to join me.”
Sometimes I liked to pretend he had a choice.
Analleia should’ve been there tonight.We had a bargain, and I had bet she was cunning enough to make a picture out of our puzzle even with several pieces missing.
Silence greeted me as I stepped into the Ferris Way Inn, most of its guests attending the ball.The clerk jerked as he recognized me, dipping into a bow as I flew past him.I groaned at the sight of the stairs, remembering how many floors I would have to climb.
“You shouldn’t be out in the city without a proper security detail, Valeris,” Howland said.
I shrugged.“Everyone thinks I’m at the ball.Why would anyone look for me here?”
He didn’t argue, and I smirked.Strings of wretched words barreled through my mind as I neared the sixth floor, winded from the quick climb.Annoyingly, Howland showed no signs of exertion.
“How do you stay in better shape than me?”I asked.
“It’s my job, Your Highness.”
I frowned back at him before knocking on Analleia’s door.
Silence.
I knocked again, louder this time.
Nothing.
I pressed my ear against the wood and listened for sounds of movement within but heard nothing.All remained quiet.
“Do you have a pair of lock pins?”I asked.
