I leave it on the credenza and instead drop into the chair by my vanity, burying my head in my hands.
I don’t know what Eiswald wants from me. I don’t know how to break this curse. I’ve stolen the signet ring of one of the most powerful people in the Blessed Empire, stripped a room full of his treasures, and gone on a spending spree, but none of it matters. And the moment I unfold that letter, I will begin to pay the price.
For a long moment, I sit there and just breathe.Don’t panichas gotten me through so many crises, and while this is above and beyond any I’ve navigated thus far, it helps.
Think.I have around eight hundred and fiftygildennow. If it gets dire, I can take it and run. It won’t be enough for the life I want to lead, but it’s better than nothing.
Especially if that life only lasts until the full moon.
I have an emergency plan, something to fall back on if all is lost. And I have a little over thirteen days left to figure out how to break the curse, so I can’t waste much more time. I make myself get up and fetch Adalbrecht’s message.
It’s brief and domineering. He says Gisele is not to leave the castle again without his permission. That she is not to give anything to anyone without clearing it with him first. That she will join him for breakfast tomorrow morning and spend the rest of the day with preparations for the wedding.
He does not mention the signet ring, which means either he didn’t notice it was gone or he doesn’t know I took it. I decide to hold on to it until he brings it up.
I blow out a breath and look at the silver sky. It’s half past noon, still light out; this close to winter solstice, I only have another four hours or so before sundown. Gisele may be restricted to the castle, but Marthe is not. I can try to puzzle out some answers with what little daylight I have left.
So long as I stay clear of the Gänslinghaus, I should be fine. And it’s not like being nice to those orphans did anything for me anyway.
Ragne flops onto the hearth. “None of it worked?”
I shake my head, too frustrated for words.
“Why not?”
“Ask your mother,” I snap. “I helped orphans, I tried making amends with Gisele, I gave away money, but I guess none of that wasgood enough.”
Ragne frowns. “Why would giving money help?”
“Because then they can use it to buy things and I . . . can’t . . . hmm.” My anger deflates a bit. Really, I’ve given awayAdalbrecht’smoney, not mine. Gisele can’t claim so much as a penny, never mind even earn one.
I’ve failed breaking the curse as thePrinzessin. Maybe I have to do it as thePfennigeist.
I stow the pearls, change quickly into the servant uniform, and go make excuses to the castle’s chief stewardess: Gisele is feeling sickly and will remain in her chambers for the evening, not to be disturbed. Gisele’s “sensitive stomach” is well known among the servants. I have gone to some truly revolting lengths to convince them that barging in while she’s ill can only end in tragedy and a change of clothes.
Then I snag a stale pretzel and driedwurstfrom the kitchens, change into a plain dress and knit cap in the bedchamber, and slip mouse-Ragne, gently snoring again, and a deck of cards into my satchel. This time I’ve covered the ruby teardrop with not just gauze, but a medicinal paste that won’t budge easily. If anyone asks, I’ll say Gisele made me try a glue for the ruby first, one that left a burn.
I take the servant corridor out of the riverfront wing and hurry down what seems like too many flights of stairs. In reality, Castle Reigenbach is as expansive belowground as it is above, with vaults and ballrooms carved behind the cliffs it’s perched upon. Gisele’s rooms are only two floors above the Yssar River, but by the time I break into the open air, I’ve descended nearly six stories.
Mist blows into my face, a reminder of why I only take this route while the sun’s up. This particular exit lets out at the base of the waterfall. The river itself tumbles off an anvil-shaped shelf, leaving room for a narrow footpath to cut behind the frigid cascade, but it’s slippery and impossible to see by night. At this time of year it’s even deadlier, with thin coats of ice.
I pick my way across the footpath and up the opposite bank, then sally over to the Göttermarkt. It’s chaos by day, the bells and chants of dozens of temples sounding off in no particular order and in frequent conflict; a bonfire roars in the middle, where visitors can write their misfortunes on scraps of paper and cast them into the flames; and supplicants stumble around in various rituals, some with runes painted on hands and faces, others in horned masks or blindfolds. Between lines for thesakretwarenstalls, pilgrims flocking to popular shrines, and a small crowd gathered around a wedding canopy at the House of the High, there’s barely enough room to swing a broom. In one corner, children are being led through a Winterfast pageant by a woman who looks positively exhausted.
It’s unbridled anarchy, and thus, perfect for my needs.
I find a beggar and give him a white penny. I promise him five more if he shills for me.
A few minutes later, I’ve dragged an empty crate over to one of the Göttermarkt’s stone benches. It’ll serve as my dealing table. The playing cards make a pleasantly familiarfliptnoise as they shuffle through my hands, and I begin to lay them onto the crate. Ragne, too, climbs out, perching on the bench beside me as a curious little starling, pitch-black but speckled in white spots.
My beggar shill approaches with his white penny. He wagers a fifth of it on a round of Find the Lady, just as we discussed.
The game begins: He loses the first round, of course, and lets out a shout of dismay. Just as we discussed. I offer him another round and double his wager. He takes it up—and wins. Once again, he’s loud about it. Just as we discussed.
We go back and forth long enough to attract an audience, and then honest gamblers get in on the game. They win when I decide they can, which is only enough to keep them coming back. They lose when I want them to, which is most of the time. I’m careful to palm my winnings into the satchel so no one can see how much coin I’m amassing.
By the time I’ve earned almost agilden, the sun’s touching the horizon. I pack up my cards and wait for the crowd to disperse, then hand off all the winnings to the beggar shill. He takes the money and leaves.
Nothing happens. The ruby and pearl don’t so much as twinge.
