Page 76 of Heart of Thieves

He nods at his hand. “Any more stipulations?”

“I get to burn the fedora.”

“This one? Good luck. It’s soaking wet.”

I scowl. “All of them.”

“It’s a signature look.”

“It’s silly.”

“It’s iconic.”

“It’s conceited.”

“You’re just sour because you know your illusions will always pale in comparison to the ones at the Liar’s Den.”

“No, I’m sour because you’re an ass.” I stick out my tongue.

“Oh, look, Enzo’s on his way back.” Nic nods toward the refreshment table. “With a platter of at least forty-two pastries, it appears. Your time is running out, little thief.”

I dodge a look over my shoulder and sigh. “Fine.” I grasp his hand so hard his knuckles crack and shake it once, praying this isn’t a huge mistake. “Now go away.”

Nic winks, then grins when I roll my eyes, rippling into invisibility just as Enzo elbows past the last group of people to reach me, holding his overflowing platter like it’s a chest of veritable treasure.

“I got at least two of everything,” Enzo announces.

“You are going to rot your teeth out.” I shake my head, steering him toward the record shop.

“Who needs teeth?”

We slip into the alleyway where onlookers won’t glimpse us vanish through the wall, and I try to ignore the cold of Nic’s watching eyes on the back of my neck.

CHAPTER TWENTY–SEVEN

ENZO

I glance at the clock on the wall for probably the hundredth time, trying not to grind my teeth.

“I’m telling you; it has to be the Aetheran Star Society. They make constellation maps all the time,” Soren argues.

“It’s not the Star Society,” Lola groans, mopping a hand over her face.

We’ve been arguing over the location of Nocturne’s first clue for nearly two hours. At first, I found it practical to consider every option, but now, as our window of time to travel to the enclosure diminishes, trepidation has my throat in a chokehold. We’ve narrowed it down to these two choices, but Soren, in all his stubbornness, will not budge, and we’re approaching eleven thirty and running out of time.

“It is, though. The clue says ‘writing our maps’ and then ‘stars and their gaps.’” He emphasizes each point with a jab of his half-eaten cream-filled pastry. “It’s talking about constellation charts. There’s no other explanation.”

“And, as I’ve said four thousand times,” Lola retorts, “the University of Aethera has a whole astronomy department in its library where they also draw out constellations.”

“But the library is used for other things. The Star Society’s only job is to make the maps.”

“Why does that even matter?” I jump in as I finish off my tenth croissant. “The two hundred laps part of the clue clearly is talking about two hundred laps around the sun. Right? And the university library was built two hundred years ago.”

Soren glowers at me, clearly enraged I’m taking Lola’s side. “The growth and collapse part has to be about the Star Society. It grew wildly for several years, and now its funds are collapsing. They declared bankruptcy last month!”

“No. The growth and collapse part is talking about the documentation of the growth and collapse of stars and galaxies,” Lola snaps, splotches of pink rising in her cheeks. “Which the University of Aethera astronomy department studies at their damn library.”

“We don’t have time,” Jade puts in from where she sits behind the counter. “We could split up. Half of us go to the Star Society, half to the library.”