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“Our royal captain here visited one summer with his parents. How old were we, twelve?” she continues, glee melting off of her every word.
“Thirteen,” Roan corrects, the lines on his forehead deepening.
“Thirteen.” Tess nods a couple times, looking up at the ceiling as if overcome with nostalgia. “We decided, the three of us, that we were going to sneak into Sir Crane’s orchard and search for the orange tree. Roan was the only one who had tasted one before. Which, I suppose, is what happens when you grow up in a palace.” She winks at him, earning her a scowl in return. He grew up in the palace?
“The way he spoke of its perfectly sweet, sharp taste, and its bright flesh and fragrance as you peel that top layer away—as if it were touched by the heavens and given its taste by angels themselves. Well, it sealed the decision for me. We would steal an orange from Sir Crane’s secret orange tree.” Tess clasps her hands out in front of her, resting them on the table as she leans into its side.
“We planned for days, hitting every angle and avenue a bunch of thirteen-year-olds could possibly imagine. The only thing we didn’t plan for was what to do if we were caught.” Tess laughs at this, as if the whole experience was some big joke between the three of them. But Liam’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and Captain Montgomery is as still as a statue, his eyes never wavering from Tess and her reminiscing.I wonder if I pushed him off his chair if he would shatter into a million pices?
“It’s not hard to guess what happened next. Caught red-handed by the surly Sir Crane himself,” continues Tess.
“I would be surly too if a bunch of kids broke into my estate,” I mutter, unacknowledged as Tess seems to still be caught up in the memory.
“You know, I’m fairly certain that was the first time my dashing good looks didn’t work on a man,” she says.
“Yes, but your name did,” Liam remarks. Tess is so proud of wherever this is going that she hasn’t stopped beaming through the entire story. I shift in my seat, for once stumped at the finale this cavalier woman has in store for the four of us.
“Once he learned who we were, he didn’t dare take it to the Guard, knowing they’d drop the charges immediately— being under the command of my father. But he still demanded payment. Lucky for us, at only thirteen, we didn’t carry much around with us in the name of valuables. So, he took whatever we had on us, thinking it was worth enough to us that it would at least hurt a little.” She stops, turning her sights to her brother. “What did he take from you, Liam?” Tess asks.
“The queen from my chess board. I’d just won my first game against Father the night before. I carved my initials into the bottom. L.E.S. Liam Elias Santana.”
She doesn’t waste any time. “And you, Roan?”
The captain hesitates, taking a deep breath before gracing her with his answer. “A leather cuff, studded with brass buttons. My sister had given it to me for my birthday the previous winter.”
“Mine was a ring,” Tess says, continuing the revelations. “Beautiful white stone carved into a perfect circle. A Jadeyan tradesmen had just made his way through Fort Lowsan a couple weeks before. It was the most magical piece of jewelry I’d ever seen.”
“It’s been great going down memory lane, but what does this have to do with us?” Aiden speaks up, the allure of Tess beginning to wane as the night goes on.
“I’m so glad you asked.” She places a kiss on the side of Aiden’s face, bringing back a sliver of his previous captivation. “Ari is going to steal back our things from Sir Crane.”
My eyes shoot to meet her own as she claps her hands together in satisfaction. Her bright, scintillating smile after this final announcement is the only proof we need of her delight toward thistestshe’s conjured.
“No,” the captain says, immediately following her last words.
“You really are no fun anymore, Roan,” she replies, turning her attention back to me. “But I think this one is up to Ari. If she really is the grand thief and spy she says, this will be nothing more than an evening stroll for her.”
“And what does it prove besides that?” Captain Montgomery stands up, his chair groaning loudly as it’s pushed out behind him from the sudden movement. “There’s still no proof we aren’t here under ominous orders. It will take more time than we have to spare. Tess, listen to yourself. Why are you doing this? What is going on?”
“Maybe I want my ring back.”
“Then go take it back.”
“I’m a spiteful woman, Captain. If he’s going to embarrass me, then I will embarrass him in return.” Roan is taken back by her response, searching her face for more than she’s saying. There’s more to this story, but our limited time doesn’t leave much space to flush it out.
“I’ll do it,” I say, earning the stares of everyone in the room, including the once sleeping Otto.
“You aren’t. We are walking out of here right now, and no one is going to stop us.” The captain steps around his chair, pushing it in before buttoning up his jacket.
“The sun is almost set, Captain. We couldn’t leave now even if we wanted to. Besides, what’s wrong with a little good faith opportunity to unite old friends, and new,” I reply. Maybe I can play the pawn of intrigue after all.
I will play the cards she’s laid bare while searching for the ones she’s hidden deep up her sleeve. It could very well be a trap, but it’s nothing I’m not used to. The last seven years have been spent searching around corners and watching my back. Why would this be any different? People are devious and unreliable by nature. And friend or not, Tess is as conniving as they come.
My smile now matches Tess’s. “I have a couple conditions.”
“Name them,” the delighted woman says.
“When I bring you back these knickknacks we are free to go, no questions asked.”
