“See? You know it’s close to sunset too,” Melaena said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her worried eyes.
Someone pounded on the locked door.
I froze, whipping out two of my knives before Melaena called out, “Yes?”
A boy’s voice spoke. “Miss Melaena? I’m sorry, there’s a woman?—”
“Melaena? It’s Lady Helene! Please, I need to speak with you.”
Melaena flew off the couch and flung the door open.
A woman and a young girl burst into the room past a flabbergasted Elias.
My heart sank. Lady Helene and little Lady Isabel. Garyth’s family. Isabel clutched a wooden box with holes in it. She’d brought her gods-damned lizard.
The beautiful, laughing woman I’d spied on was now a mess of panic. Strands of auburn hair flew from her tight bun. Hereyes were red and watery with tears. She clutched a satchel in one hand, and her daughter’s hand in the other.
“That will be all,” Melaena told Elias, and shut the door in his face. “Please sit, Lady Helene. What’s happened?”
Helene and Isabel took the seat I’d vacated with barely a glance in my direction. I quickly sheathed my knives.
“It’s Garyth,” Helene said, her voice cracking. “Renwell is arresting him.”
No, no, no.
“Gods help us.” Melaena sank to the couch.
Helene uttered a dry sob. “One of Garyth’s allies tipped him off, said R-Renwell was coming for him with a unit of those awful guards of his. He told us to come here. That you would help us get out of the city. He—he—” Helene started to cry in earnest. But she opened her bag and shoved a handful of papers into Melaena’s hands. “Th-those are everything he has from our allies. We c-can’t let Renwell find those.”
The letters. More than what I’d found in his hiding place. This was what Renwell was looking for. Evidence of those who wanted to bring back the People’s Council—the same people who wanted to see my brother named king in place of my father.
These letters were going to be the death of Garyth. Just as the heist had been Asher’s.
“Renwell was crashing into the house as we left,” Helene said. “The Noble Quarter gate was barred and guarded, which means he’ll know we’re still here and will come looking for us any moment. We have to leave!”
Melaena nodded as the letters trembled in her hands. “I have to hide these. But if he comes here—if I’m not here?—”
“I’ll take the family,” I spoke up.
All three of them stared at me as if remembering I was even here.
“Who are you?” Helene asked in a shrill voice.
Isabel studied me with suspicious eyes. Did she recognize me without my mask?
“Kiera...” Melaena breathed. “You don’t know Renwell like I do. You weren’t in the city when he was ferreting out rebel sympathizers. That tunnel you use”—she gestured behind me—“is the one my parents used to smuggle out the few sympathizers he didn’t find first.”
My heart twisted. Why didn’t Julian use it then?
“I know what Renwell is capable of,” I gritted out. After Aiden’s story on the roof of the Temple, I wondered what other sort of dirty work my mentor had done for his king. “But you need someone to get these two out of Aquinon. You stay. Hide the letters and stall Renwell as long as possible.”
Gods, what was I doing?What was I doing?Renwell would kill me for this.
My gaze dropped to the little girl clutching her ill-gotten pet.
But I couldn’t live with myself if I let him take them too.
I stabbed the sun button with my thumb, and the panel creaked open. “Let’s go,” I snarled.
