But it didn’t feel like the right time to discuss it.
Over the next few days, it never seemed to be the right time.
Kiera threw herself into rehearsals as if making up for lost time. She stayed with Melaena most of the day, running errands with Ruru less. But she did practice pickpocketing with him late at night. She was already fairly adept at it—given how easily she’d stolen that key from me in the prison.
Ruru showed her a few more tricks for stealing a necklace from someone’s neck, and she quickly perfected them.
I suddenly hated how she was going to have to steal the vault key. If there were any other way...
The night before the heist was stiflingly hot as the four of us crowded together in my room. Ruru sat on Maz’s cot, playing with one of Kiera’s old knives. I paced the room while Kiera and Maz sat at the small table. She wore the purple silk scarf I’d blindfolded her with around her neck. She said she’d been using it to practice outside of rehearsal. It seemed strange that she kept it around her neck instead of in her pocket like I had, but I didn’t question her.
Maz was shirtless and sweating as he laid out his new darts and cleaned his whistler.
“Is this for the vault guard?” Kiera asked, reaching for one of the needle-like darts.
Maz seized her wrist before I could. “No touching, lovely. That’s a death dart.”
Her wide eyes blinked at me. “You’re going to kill him?”
“No,” I said, raking my sweaty hair away from my neck. “Maz has sleeping ones as well.”
“Like the ones you used in the sea cave?”
Maz nodded. “Skelly brought me both. See, the death darts have little red feathers, and the sleeping darts have little green feathers.”
Kiera studied them, biting her lip as if she were still concerned. “What happens if the guard wakes up or remembers who shot him with a dart?”
Maz waved his hand. “He won’t. Aiden will be in a guard’s uniform, and I’ll be in a servant’s uniform. We’ll drag him back to his post when we’re done and give him a half-gone tankard of ale to make it look like he was simply drunk.”
Tension simmered in the room like heat over the cracked clay buildings.
I ceased pacing and faced them. “Let’s go over the rest of the plan one more time.”
Maz groaned, but Kiera and Ruru nodded wearily.
“Kiera, after your dance, you’ll get close to Asher and steal the key.”
Her fingers tapped on the table. “Without him noticing, yes. Then I’ll meet you and Maz in front of the vault. After I unlock it?—”
“And you’re positive you remember which lock?” I interrupted.
Irritation flashed over her face. “Yes. After I unlock the vault, I’ll stand watch while you and Maz load up the barrels and cart them toward the servant’s entrance.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “And if you hear someone coming before we’re done?”
“I’ll knock on the door. After you two have closed the doormostof the way, I’ll pretend to be lost until whoever it is leaves.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Remember, don’t close the door, or you’ll have to wait for me to unlock it again.”
My skin crawled at the idea of being locked inside a vault. “Trust me, I’ll remember.”
“Once you two are clear,” she continued, “I’ll return the key. Then I’ll go with Melaena toThe Silk Dancer, where she’ll send me through the tunnel.”
“To the warehouse, where we’ll be waiting,” I finished for her.
“I don’t have much of a job,” Ruru muttered, flipping the knife end over end.
Maz looked up from his work. “You’ll be keeping a lookout on our escape, little brother. That’s extremely important.”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “We can’t have another incident like we did last time.”
