But then, Rana Singh was the Crown Prince’s aide. Luka remembered the anonymous warning he’d received four weeks ago:Do not trust Crown Prince Sekhar, or his men.
It could be either of them. The only way to be sure was to catch them in the act.
“How were you meant to make the hand-off?”
The maid blinked, and Luka tutted impatiently. “How were you supposed to get Maya’s device to the spy?”
“I was to leave it in this bag on the top of the stairs at midnight tonight.”
Luka took the bag that the maid proffered, running his hands over the cotton. “This is spelled to transport small objects,” he said slowly, pointing out the spellchart on the inside lining of the bag. “Whatever is placed inside is subject to a teleportation spell. It transports the contents immediately to a second location as soon as the drawstring is pulled tight.”
Maya cursed. “Dammit, then the spy could be anywhere. He doesn’t need to behere.” Maya smacked a fist into the palm of her other hand. “We have no way of catching him!”
“Not necessarily,” Luka said. He turned to Maya, leaning close to her so that her maid wouldn’t hear. “Can you modify your decoy device to include a booby trap?”
Maya narrowed her eyes in thought, and then nodded. “I can rejig it with a little pin that will stick whoever picks it up with a sleeping draught.”
“Perfect. But try to see if you have a potion that will cause pain. Something that requires an antidote.”
“And how will this help?”
“I’m going to make sure the teleportation spellchart is damaged,” Luka said with a grin. “That way, as long as our spy is under our roof, he’ll have no choice but to pick it up himself.” He shrugged. “And if the spy is sitting somewhere in Sunvaara—in the Crown Prince’s palace, for example,” he said, making Maya gasp in surprise, “then he’ll have no choice but to make a move himself, instead of depending on his pawns.”
“Luka,” Maya said, her eyes shining, “that’s brilliant!”
Luka grinned. “Well, let’s get started. You only have about ten minutes more before we’re missed. We’ve been away from the feast for too long.”
Maya nodded, already turning away to her workbench.
~
As the last of the guests drifted off to their rooms, Luka and Maya made their way to the top of the landing of the grand staircase. They huddled in the shadows, watching and waiting for any sign of movement. The castle was silent, except for the soft snores and murmurs of the sleeping guests. The only light came from the flickering candles on the walls, casting long shadows across the floor.
Suddenly, they heard a creaking sound, and their hearts skipped a beat. Someone was coming up the stairs.
Luka and Maya tensed, ready to spring into action. They watched as a figure crept up the stairs, its movements furtive and hesitant. Luka recognized the hulking figure at once—Rana Singh.
Luka took Maya’s hand in his, and squeezed once, their signal for her to get ready.
Rana reached the top of the stairs and paused, looking around cautiously. Luka and Maya watched him, their eyes narrowed as they waited.
Rana stopped, and a moment later, he straightened up with something in his hand.
The bag.
As they watched, Rana opened the bag and began to rummage through it. Luka and Maya held their breath, waiting for the spy to make his move.
And then, it happened. A small, unassuming box fell out of the bag in Rana’s hand and hit the ground with a soft thud. The box glowed with a faint blue light, and Rana reached out to pick it up.
But as soon as his fingers touched the box, there was a click, and Rana let out a muffled cry of pain, shaking his hand.
“Now!” Maya hissed and they leaped out of their position, startling their quarry.
“You’re caught, Rana,” Maya said coldly. “Nowhere to run. My booby trap made sure of that.”
Rana said nothing, clutching his hand as he stared at both of them. There was a metallic sound, and Luka instinctively knew that Rana had drawn steel. He pulled his own sword out of its sheath, and beside him, he felt Maya do the same.
Luka’s heart was pounding as he watched Rana step out of the shadows, his sword gleaming in the moonlight. Maya stood beside him, her own sword at the ready, but Luka knew they were outmatched. He was still getting used to his prosthetic, and it had been years since Maya had held a sword.
