Page 150 of A Thief Among Fae

My face warms. I can’t help but remember how good he felt against me. How right it felt to kiss him.

“That better be it.” Auri gestures at another door at the end of the nobility’s chamber. Rubies the size of dove eggs encircle the doorknob. It’s odd for a door in a tomb to have a knob.

Auri reaches for it.

“Wait! Check for⁠—”

An axe head on a polearm swings from a crevice in the ceiling. I freeze it in place as Auri jumps back. “Traps!” I finish. “Does no one listen to a word I say?”

I drop the axe and am rewarded with a stabbing pain in my head. I wince. No more magic. My mind has had it for today.

“Only humans would surround their material wealth with blades. And maybe goblins. I appreciate your vigilance, regardless,” Auri says.

“You’re welcome.”

She grabs the doorknob and rattles it. “It’s locked.”

“Morons.” Finnian chuckles. “All those wards and traps, and look at this. It’s just a keyhole.”

He’s right. In the center of the knob is a large, gold-inlaid plate bearing a single keyhole.

“That key likely lies in the possession of the Avedoran royal family,” Desmond says. “They may not even know what it is. Likely, the builders of this tomb didn’t imagine anyone would make it this far.”

Finnian slides his glove off. I hold my breath as he touches the keyhole. The lock clicks. With a gentle push, the door opens.

Stale air greets us. Then mage lights flare, and the chamber shines so brightly with gold that for a second, I’m blinded. The floor is an expanse of grandiose black marble, dimmed by a fine layer of dust. Tapestries weave across the walls, scenes from battles and coronations long ago. A tipped vase spills gold coins across the tiles like stars.

Jeweled goblets and silver relics are strewn about, mere discarded baubles amidst the greater splendor. Ornate weapons rest atop pedestals and racks. They gleam as if newly forged. Silken banners embroidered with forgotten royal insignias hang from the vaulted ceiling, untouched by time.

Finnian laughs, scooping his hands through chests of coins. Auri slowly walks the aisles like she’s establishing a perimeter, and Desmond. . . He’s watching me with the bright smile of someone who’s just watched another’s dream come true.

“I’ve done it,” I whisper. “We did it.” This is my way out. My freedom from duty. Then why don’t I feel relieved? Instead, the thought of leaving the guild fills me with regret. We’ve been through so much together. I can truthfully call them my friends.

I take one step into the treasure room, and something within me snaps. It punches my breath out of me, tearing through every bone as though ripping me apart. It hurts so gods-damned much. I cry out, doubling over as stars swarm my vision.

Behind me, Desmond groans and leans against the wall to stay upright. He staggers, his breathing too heavy.

Then the pain stops.

We stare at each other. I can’t feel him. Not a single thread of emotion weaves between us.

The vow has been fulfilled.

Desmond swallows. “You’ve done it. You can return home.” His expression is closed off. Unreadable. Without the bond, I can’t make heads or tails of it.

What if I didn’t return home? What if I stayed with the guild? Except Desmond’s never told me where he plans to go after we leave Olin’s tomb. Our paths might never cross again, and the thought is like a dagger through my gut.

“Bet you Rune has nothing on this!” Finnian calls out, draping himself in jewelry. “Do I look like a king yet, Auri?”

“You better get started,” Desmond says to me. “The treasure awaits.”

Nodding, I take a few more steps, look around, then finally start filling my rucksack. It would take days to empty the chamber.

Desmond examines some engraved tablets, grinning as he whispers forgotten tongues. We cross paths a few times as I move on from pure silver cutlery to a tray of emerald jewelry to a statuette carved from lustrous jade. Then I find a pink sapphire tiara that’s perfect for Evie. It’s maybe the fourth or fifth time Desmond and I meet that I finally notice he’s looking for something. Right, the whole point of this is that he’s after some relic.

“I’ll help,” I tell him. “As soon as I finish grabbing these embroidered cloths. They look like silk napkins. Do you think they’re worth anything? What are you looking for, anyway?”

He paces a bit further, stopping at a weapons rack. Then he moves on, resuming his slow search. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I know where it is.”