She had been erased from history. And maybe it was for a reason.
A thump outside the archive room made me jump. I looked to the closed door, waiting for it to open, but it didn’t.
“Who’s there?” I called out.
No answer. But a shadow passed in front of the keyhole. Someone was on the other side.
Heart racing, I closed Yara Liliana’s book and shoved it back into its hiding place on the shelf before I crept to the door. A rational part of me thought that maybe an archivist had come to transcribe today’s events, but another part of me thought the worst. Was someone here to hurt me?
I put my hand on the doorknob and wrenched it open quickly.
Half hunched over was Amador, peering through the keyhole. Her head jerked up, and her jaw dropped in shock. She righted herself and smoothed out her blue-and-white dress, the colors of the Sigbin Court.
“Can I help you?” I asked. I couldn’t help the sharpness of my tone. Amador was one of the very last people I wanted to see right now.
“I—” She halted, as if thinking. “I’m looking for Lucas,” she said quickly.
My hand squeezed the doorknob. “Of course you are. Why would you think he’s here?”
Amador lowered her shoulders, stretching her neck to look as poised as possible. “I heard a noise. I thought it was him.”
I could tell she was lying. I could almost smell it on her. “Well, he’s not here,” I said through gritted teeth. “Anything else I can do for you, Grand Duchess?”
Amador’s lips curled into a sneer. “No. I’ll be going now.” Shelifted her nose to me and spun around, disappearing down the row of books, her heels clacking annoyingly as she left.
I let go of the doorknob as my anger ebbed away, but when I did, I noticed the doorknob was dented in, with the distinct shape of my fingers in the brass.
9
I hadEliasarrange for a convoy to escort Qian, Nix, the rest of Jade Mountain, and myself to Mount Makiling, which provided a much-needed distraction. I had one last thing to do before we left to ensure I didn’t hurt anyone while we were away, and no one could know about it.
I changed into a simple linen skirt and a soft cotton blouse and tied my hair up in a ponytail. When I glanced at myself in the mirror, I looked more like I did when I was growing up in the human world, and that was the perfect disguise from looking like a queen. For the finishing touch, I grabbed a cloak and pulled the hood over my head.
I left the palace as hastily as I could, avoiding anyone by hiding in small alcoves or behind large planters until the coast was clear. The heavy rain held most people’s heads down, focusing on not slipping and keeping the mud out of their shoes, so I was able to sneak out of the palace unseen. Sneaking around the grounds, just like how Lucas, Nix, and I had when we solved my father’s murder, used to give me a slight rush. Doing it alone now felt…wrong somehow.
The Royal Dock, despite the rain, was bustling with activity. Most of the ships waited for the storm to pass before they set sail again, so sailors sat under palm-woven lean-tos, playing cards, drinking from brown jugs, or napping until they got orders from their captains. Fortunately, no one looked my way as I headed toward one ship in particular, theParadise. I didn’t know a lot about boats, but it was a big one, with three masts and a sirena carved into the wooden bow. Its sails had been hoisted, and it bobbed in the churning waters.
A long-haired man with an equally long sword sat near the wooden plank leading to the main deck, shielding himself from the rain with a wide-brimmed salakot perched low on his head. He looked up at me from picking some dirt out from under his fingernails with a toothpick. At least, I thought it was dirt.
The man practically snarled at me when I approached, his face twisting a long, pale scar on his cheek. He snorted and then spit a great green loogie at my feet, stopping me in my tracks. He snorted and put the toothpick in his mouth.
“What’s your business?” he asked. He didn’t recognize me.
“I need to speak with Romulo.”
“What for?” He snorted again and swallowed whatever was in his throat. Gross.
Trying not to gag, I said, “That’s between me and Romulo.”
Romulo was a smuggler, one of Lucas’s contacts. While Lucas was in charge of protecting the crown, he had to know of the black-market dealings, and when it came to dangerous and forbidden books, Romulo was his go-to source of information. For a hefty price. Lucas had hired him to findThe Mysterious Properties ofMagical Herbs, a reference for making all kinds of poisons. If anyone was going to have any information, Romulo was my best bet.
Romulo’s man, though, didn’t seem convinced. He scanned me up and down, still sneering. “He’s busy.”
“I can wait,” I said, and folded my arms over my chest, hoping it came off as confident.
“Be my guest.”
So that’s exactly what I did. I sat on top of a few weathered wooden crates, pulling my cloak tightly around me to block out the rain, and waited for what felt like hours, even though it was probably only twenty minutes. I was starting to get used to the smells of brine and fish guts when I heard a voice coming from the ship, getting closer. It was Romulo.
