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“And the prince?” Lyra prompted.
Stone stared at her, his blond, bushy eyebrow arched. Even with the man’s grizzled appearance and the lines around his eyes, he had a younger look about him. “I hear he had an interesting fall from a very high turret.”
“What else did you hear?” Callon said as I silently urged them to keep Stone talking.
Stone glared at him. “Is that why you’re here? To talk about a bunch of royals who got their dues?”
“Tell me,” Callon demanded, not an ounce of amicability in his voice.
“There are a ton of speculations. Which one do you want to hear? The one about the princess sleeping with her bodyguard, who got jealous and offed the prince? The one where Alastor was what most princes are—a drunken, spoiled fool who thought he was invincible? Or the rumor that the scheming Sierra Kingdom is up to something nefarious again?” Stone shrugged. “The royals have wronged a lot of people to get the power they cling so desperately to. It’s no surprise someone would murder Alastor,ifthat’s, in fact, what happened.”
He took another puff of his smoke. “None of it matters much. The result is the same: the Sierra Kingdom continues to grow as King Eduart continues to take. Meanwhile, the Corvo Kingdom continues to lose its power little by little.” Stone shrugged. “If the new queen can’t recover—and fast—chaos will ensue. It always does. But as the world crumbles, we’ll all be down here, shoved away like they’ve wanted us to be, watching it all fall.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, and it was all I could do to remind myself I was in a ferret’s head, and my only option was to listen.
“Why so curious about Corvo and the dead queen? You and your people are safe enough in the outerlands. So, what’s it—” Stone’s eyes widened, and he looked at me. “The prophecy,” he realized.
It seemed the drugs hadn’t dulled his senses as much as I’d assumed. With the way Stone looked at Callon then Lyra, I could tell he saw more than he should. More than was safe. Silently, I urged Callon to hurry the conversation along.
“And Maylar?” Lyra urged this time.
“Maylar. I haven’t heard that name in a while.”
Callon’s eyes narrowed. “And bya while, you mean...?”
Stone glanced between them, taking his time to answer. “A few weeks.”
“Tell us then,” Callon pressed. “For Fin. And your debt will be paid.”
Criminal that he was, Stone seemed to like the sound of that—anything to cut ties with someone like me, who knew where the only person Stone loved in the world lived—his only surviving daughter. If we gave her location to the authorities in any of the kingdoms in which he was a wanted man, they could use her to force him out of hiding. Because he would come out, only for her.
Stone cleared his throat. “Last I heard, that rat was slinking his way through Corvo.”
“You’re sure?” Callon deadpanned.
Stone peered down at the purse of coins in Callon’s hand. “That depends. Is that for me?”
Callon gripped the purse tightly. “As you say, itdepends. I want the truth—and don’t skimp on me, Stone. You owe Fin for coming to your aid when you nearly got your thieving mercs slaughtered in Noctem. He has a hefty scar down his side to remind him of that debt every single day.”
“There’s talk Maylar’s been in a few secret meetings, and he’s been traveling through the realm. Last I heard, he was headed to Sierra. Thewhysaren’t exactly clear. He’s been seeing no one of direct importance, but some of the people he’s met with have close ties with Eduart.” Stone narrowed his eyes. “If it’s this prophecy you’re so concerned about, he’s likely the man you want. He’s always been obsessed with them. Then again, I’ve found it’s the nature of intelligent men with too much power and time on their hands to seek ways in which they can twist words to benefit themselves.”
“Then,” Lyra said, “the question is, where is he now?”
Stone shrugged again and took another puff of his laced cigarette. “I could find out, but it will take a few days.”
“Do it,” Callon said without a second’s hesitation. “And this purse, plus more, will be yours.”
Though Stone tried to hide his surprise, he couldn’t help but huff with shock. Callon and I both knew how much gambling Stone could get in with a clutch that heavy.
“You have two days,” Callon amended. “And if you get the information sooner, consider the offer doubled.”
Stone looked at my ferret form. “Fin, you know how long dredging up this stuff takes. Two days isn’t realistic—”
Callon turned to leave.
“But I’ll do my best,” Stone offered. “I have a guy in Noctem who I heard mentioning Maylar last. Something about a Sierra guard he met who had an offhanded comment about the soon-to-be queen.”
I felt Lyra’s body stiffen at the mention of Del, and it was all I could do not to break the bond right now as unease filled me.
