When the Crown Princess had warned her to be careful with her inventions, Maya had been ready to dismiss it as royal paranoia. Now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
She began to pace back and forth, her mind racing with thoughts of who could have done this. Was it one of Luka’s guests? Or was it someone closer to her, someone who knew about her work and had access to her lab?
Maya took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She knew she had to act quickly before whoever was trying to steal her inventions could succeed. She needed a plan. But first, she needed to tell Luka.
As she walked to Luka’s study, Maya couldn't help but feel a sense of violation. Her lab was her sanctuary, her safe haven where she could pursue her passion for invention. But now, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone had invaded that space and taken something that was rightfully hers.
She found Luka in his study, as expected, sipping at a cup of coffee and working on the treaty that the Elves had proposed. He looked up when Maya walked in, and dismissed Stoffel so they could talk in private.
“Luka, we have a problem,” she said, and he sighed.
“What now?” he said irritably. “One of the lords wants wine, while the other will drink only tea, and objects to sharing an estate with someone who drinks alcohol?”
His sarcastic retort made her laugh, before she remembered why she had wanted to speak to Luka. If only it was something so lighthearted as all that.
“Remember when the Crown Princess warned me to keep my inventions safe?”
“Yes,” Luka blinked, narrowing his eyes.
“Well, someone’s been sneaking into my lab. I found traces of it this morning.”
“You mean aspy?” Luka’s eyes narrowed. “Someone among the foreigners here?”
“Most likely.”
“Well, there’s nothing for it, then.” Luka nodded. “We need to catch them.”
“Exactly,” Maya said, smiling. “We need to set a trap that forces them to reveal themselves. And for that, I have just the thing.”
~
Maya entered the grand hall with a sense of nervous excitement. The room was filled with their guests, all of whom had gathered to witness the unveiling of her latest invention. Luka had announced it that morning at breakfast, when all the lords had been present.
“In the spirit of cooperation, and in the interest of sharing our knowledge with our allies, Lady von Rakhmonov has asked me to arrange a demonstration of her invention tonight.”
Prince Ilya had raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest. “You’ve been working on something else, then? I thought the mage-powered crossbows were your latest.”
“Magical crossbows?” Baron de Montefort said, frowning. “I’ve seen those before.” He turned a narrowed stare on her. “So,youare responsible for them?”
Maya had shrugged. “They are simply crossbows that help archers without talent find better aim. Nothing too impressive.”
The Baron had looked like he wanted to disagree, but Luka had cleared his throat then. “You were telling us about your latest invention, Maya?"
"Oh, yes," she’d said, pretending to be an absentminded, flighty sort of person who had her head in the clouds. “I nearly forgot. Tonight, I hope to demonstrate my latest device. I hope to see you all in the ballroom at seven o’clock sharp!”
The lords had nodded, some of them looking curious, while others had looked like they were only humoring her.
Notably, the Sunvaarans had looked interested, while the Meroivans looked wary. Only the Elves had smiled at her as if she were a performing poodle showing off a new trick.
Well, let them underestimate her. The Elves hadn’t stepped out of their island kingdoms in decades. They had no idea what had been happening in the Middle Kingdoms while they had isolated themselves.
When evening rolled around, Maya had strolled into the ballroom, which had been set up with a single long table surrounded by several comfortable chairs. The lords were all seated and waiting for her as she strode in, Vennela at her side.
As she took her place at the head of the room, Luka nodded at her encouragingly. They had planned this entire evening as part of their gambit to catch the spy—it would be easier to catch the spy if they gave them an enticing target to go after. What better target than her communication device? It was small enough to be an attractive target to a thief, and as long as she played up its importance to the military, the spy would be hooked. Each of the kingdoms would be eyeing her inventions for its military value, so she had to make sure it looked attractive.
Maya knew she had to impress them if she was to attract the right kind of attention, the kind that would catch the spy who had been trying to steal her inventions—or at least, their designs.
The room fell silent as Maya began to speak. “Good evening, my lords. I am honored to be here today to present my latest invention. It is a magical communication device that will change the way we communicate forever.”
