Page 7 of Secrets of the Six

She motions to a portrait to her right and I gasp. If it wasn’t for the woman’s brown eyes, I could have sworn it was my likeness staring back at me.

My eyes dart to find Otero’s. “What the hell is going on here? Who is that?”

“That is my niece, Elena Lozano. She resides in the countryside.” A smirk lifts one corner of her lips as she says, “When Salvador told me he found a girl who could pass as my niece’s twin, I didn’t believe him. But seeing you before me has changed my mind.”

“What does my resemblance to your niece have to do with anything?”

“I want you to assume her identity.”

“Excuse me–”

“You've come to Orlencia in search of a husband. This would give you the opportunity to move freely amongst the aristocracy and find out where their loyalties lie."

My jaw drops. "You want me to spy on the Dons of the High Council?" I guffaw.

Otero smiles conspiratorially. "I want you to help me bring this corrupt government to its knees."

I throw my head back and laugh hysterically. There's no earthly way the wealthiest and one of the most powerful matriarchs saved me from execution with the expectation I'd be able to aid her in overthrowing an entire government. I must have died in the prison, and this is all a weird dream. Suddenly, a rush of pain zips through my body. I instinctively swat at Salvador's hand where he pinched my arm but then come to the horrific realization that I'm not dead. I'm not dreaming. I'm actually in Doña Otero's home being propositioned to stage a coup.

I swallow hard. "You're serious?"

"The prince survived the attack," she doesn't miss a beat. "He has been in hiding the last fifteen years as we regroup and grow. It's time for the rightful heir to sit on the Throne of Orlencia. And you will help me put him there."

Leaping to my feet, only to have Salvador grab me by the shoulder and throw me back down to my chair, I snarl, "What do you think I was in prison for, Señora!? I'm a thief, not an overthrower of crowns."

"From what I heard, your sentiments involving the Soberano mirror my own."

"If you are insinuating I despise him, you would be correct" – I growl, attempting to wiggle free from Salvador's ironclad grip and failing – "but that doesn't mean I plot to unseat him."

A sudden seriousness washes over the Doña's face and chills me to my core. This is the woman we were taught to fear as youngsters. The shrewd, calculating, and unfeeling madam that would order your throat to be slit and your body dumped in the sea with no remorse. And the way she is staring at me now causes my stomach to drop, thinking I might be her next victim.

"This is what I will offer you, Ines de la Vega. Join us in putting the prince on the throne, and when all is said and done, I will make sure you have an apartment in the Bronze District. You will never be in need or want of anything another day of your life."

I try and fail to hide my surprise at her offer, but true to form, I press my luck. "And if I refuse?"

She slowly leans forward, her fingers gripping the head of her cane. "I will put you on one of my fastest ships headed wherever you want to go to start a new life. You will have your freedom, and our rebellion will remain secret."

I chuckle. "I believe you got that wrong, Señora. Typically, you are supposed to threaten me with death or torture into doing your bidding, not offer me a new life."

"Threats do not guarantee loyalty." Her eyes soften and my heart beats ferociously inside my chest. "If you choose to join our cause, you must understand if you are caught, I won't be able to save you. Our rebellion must remain secret to protect those who matter most."

"In other words, if I'm tortured, you want me to keep my mouth shut."

"You certainly value bluntness, Señorita." She reclines in her seat, a picture of grace and regality. "So, what is your decision?"

There would be no time for me to truly mull over her offer. Bottom line is, I can leave with my freedom and start fresh somewhere else, despite being penniless, and finally escape the misery Orlencia has to offer, or I can be instrumental in bringing the Soberano to his knees and live the life of luxury I've always dreamed of. What do I, an orphan thief from the Brogratto, have to truly offer this woman of means and power?

I tear myself from my thoughts and look her square in her eyes. I see nothing but honesty. No tricks, no pleasant promises without fear of the risks and consequences. Just the ugly, honest truth.

"Why me?" I ask without meaning to.

"Why not you?"

"I'm just a thief from the Brogratto," I shrug, feeling the weight of those words I've never really spoken aloud to hit me. "I'm not wealthy, well connected or influential. I have nothing to offer you."

Otero wags her bony finger with a tsk. "Ah, ah, ah. You do not need any of those things to make a difference, Ines. But your skillset as a thief, hatred of the Soberano, and your likeness to my niece are exactly what I need to move forward."

"What makes you so confident I won't rob you blind and leave?"