If he thought he could trap her?—
No. He’d claimed she wouldwantto marry him. Did he think enough of this kind of behavior and she would be tempted enough that she would forget about the rest of him that came attached?
The ghost of his embrace whispered that might actually work.
Alternatively, was this display purely for his parents?
A warning to leave her alone?
More importantly, she needed to find out what they’d wanted from her in the first place. As the last of the tea was finished, and Aimilia could feel some of her energy having returned thanks to its properties, she formed a tentative plan. It might not work. She might not get anything useful. Getting caught could get her killed.
Still, she was going to try.
Aimilia watched as the last of the tea was finished and her excuse to make her exit came.
Temporary exit anyway.
Nikias was midsentence as she began packing up the cups back onto the tray and he cut himself off. “Let me help. I need an official report from you anyway about yesterday.”
Aimilia was half out of her seat, grabbing the handles of the tray. He wanted to escape with her? Well, that wouldn’t do.
She wanted to know what they would say when he confronted them about cornering her; specifically she wanted to hear if he already knew what it was about or not.
Time to think quickly on her feet. “I’d be happy to write my report. I admit, even with the tea replenishing me some, I’m still quite exhausted and for accuracy’s sake, it’d be much better if I had a little bit of time to collect my thoughts on paper.”
“That sounds like a much better idea, doesn’t it?” Clelia rose from her seat and moved to the door. “Besides, there’s still much you need to report to us about, son. You might as well stay and we’ll take dinner here. A more intimate style, but after such an attack it’s important to keep family close, son.”
Nikias’ expression shifted into that cold marble Aimilia always hated. Completely unreadable.
“Of course, Mother.”
He stayed where he was, just watching Aimilia go.
Chapter 22
AIMILIA
Aimilia slipped through the door, waiting until it shut behind her before hurrying down the hall, cups rattling slightly until she found the spot. She hadn’t used it since the day she’d sedated the king, but she would never forget its location.
She set the tray on the ground, casting a quick illusion to hide it and as long as no one kicked it, they’d never know it was there. Her hands flew in a new rune and she pressed them against the marble. The runes were the key to the hidden lock and the marble shifted slightly, parting just enough to reveal a tiny, narrow passageway. Aimilia slid inside, using the same runes to close the passage behind her as she started making her way down the hallway and back to the king’s suite.
She could hear the murmur of voices as she approached and she took care to soften her footsteps and breathing as she came to the end of the passageway.
Gavril had told her it had originally been built in case any intruders reached the king’s suite, a place for the king and queen to hide or escape. Only the royal family knew the runes necessary to enter and exit, until Gavril had taught her.
It was the perfect way for a woman to slip in and pour a sedative tea into the king’s nightly wine without being seen.
Gavril had told her that in order to ensure the king was the only one in the room, there was a loose stone she could remove to see through. As long as she was careful to cast an illusion beforehand, no one would notice it vanishing.
So Aimilia knelt on the ground and watched as much of the room as she could see through it.
She could see Nikias was still in his seat, but only barely. All she could see was his arm on the chair’s arm. Clelia was at the door, sending a servant to bring them dinner there. She could see the back of Nero’s head where he sat lounging on the sofa.
Once the door was shut, Nikias’ arm shifted slightly while Clelia’s feet echoed loudly as the only sound in the room.
As she returned, Nikias cleared his throat. “I was… Right, the current timeframe is a month to get the stadium back in working order. That ought to give enough time for the novices to recover?—”
Nero clearing his throat silenced Nikias.
