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“And why would I entertain obeying such an order from my coachman?” I laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as weak to him as it did in my head.
“It seems the council—”
“Remind him,” I snapped, “he’s here on my orders.” My time was fast running out. Mention of the council likely meant Danyal had informed them of my ruse. “And remind me, where is the crown?” It didn’t sound as casual as I’d have liked, but the tone suited Razak’s general impatience. There was no time to dally. I needed to make progress.
“The crown?” he asked, eyebrows pinching together in a frown.
“Yes, the crown.”
“Is this a trick?”
I tilted my head, acutely aware that my heart had stopped and tripped my thoughts with it. “A trick?”
“I…” He swallowed again. “It’s just… Well—”
“It’s a simple question. So answer it.”
He appeared to consider his next move carefully. Perhaps he suspected something in my mannerisms, and this was a ploy to get me to out myself, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t be as nervous as his trembling hands suggested. Or was there some other reason for him to hesitate. Did he not know where the crown was?
“Follow me,” he said, before pirouetting and diving deeper into the vault. I strode behind, glancing over racks of items and documents. Everything gleamed, dust-free. Surely, one apprentice didn’t keep all this clean and tidy?
We passed by a rack labeledCourt of War Benefits. Benefits? Benefits to whom? I slowed. The apprentice marched on. There wouldn’t be another opportunity like this. I’d never see the inside of this vault again. Just a quick look?
I flicked open a folder, spotted names listed in order, A through E, and numbers—Wait. My gaze hooked onto one name.Draven. Why would Draven’s name be on a list, in a folder, in the Court of Pain’s vaults?
The next column highlighted gender, and then age: 6.
A different Draven then, there would, of course, be more than one person with such a name.
I stole a few sheets, tucked them against the small of my back, and strode on, without missing a stride. I’d pocket a few gold coins before I left too. Arin and I would need them once we escaped Pain.
The apprentice approached a large, glass display cabinet.
He stopped and stared.
I stopped too. Everything stopped—my heart, my thoughts.
The glass box contained a plump purple cushion, a cushion with a circular indentation. But no crown. I kept my face blank, even as my heart plummeted and all my plans fluttered away like scared birds.
The crown wasn’t here.
The apprentice didn’t appear surprised by the crown’s absence, so I assumed Razak wouldn’t be either. But I was. If the crown wasn’t here, then all of this—our lies, our disguises, returning to Pain with Arin—was for nothing.
Ithadto be here. Where else would Razak keep it?
No, it had to be in this vault. Was this a damned test? Was the apprentice fucking with me? “Assume I don’t know where it is,” I said, keeping the quiver from my voice. “Tell me what you know.”
The man blinked behind his glasses. “I don’t understand.”
I backhanded him, sending his glasses skipping across the floor and knocking him against the display case. “You’re not supposed to understand! Just answer.” Nausea slithered, wetting my tongue and making my ears throb.
He cupped his flushed face. “I don’t know!”
Clearly, a lie. He knew a great deal. His whole world was knowledge. He pottered around this vault with all these files and documents, coins and secrets at his fingertips. “Tell me and I’ll reconsider your punishment.”
“I— The letters!” he blubbered. “It was just the once. You left them out— I saw, I didn’t mean to look.”
Letters? What did they have to do with the crown? “Are you suggesting it’s my fault you snooped through my personal items?”
