“You can’t go anywhere like that,” I said, pointing at her side. Imay be irritated by the whole situation, but I didn’t want the woman dead. “We can help you.”
“I’ve had enough of your help over the last few days,” she spat.
Rissa cursed. “Fates, you two…alright, here’s what’s going to happen. Rose, you’ll let Leo mend whatever injuries your fall caused. Then, you’re both going to tell me how you know one another. Lark and I have worked too hard to make sure the pieces of this mission fall into place, and this is ourbestshot. I won’t have you two screwing it up because of your ridiculous pride.” Her eyes burned into mine at that last comment.
To her credit, Rose straightened, her cheek flinching faintly before she smoothed her features. “I have no idea who you people are. Tell me why I should trust you, much lessobeyyou.”
My eyebrow hitched upward. This time, it was my turn to smirk at my sister, who was unused to having her authority questioned among the ranks of the Sentinels. As the proper heir to the Veridian Empire, she had naturally stepped into the role of a leader, and I would gladly admit she led our covert group of rebels beautifully. It had been quite a while since she’d come across someone who didn’t immediately fall at her feet. I should have guessed Rose Wolff wouldn’t be one of them.
“You shouldtrustme because we’re on the same side,” Rissa explained, calmly but firmly. “While Lark may be the head architect for this Decemvirate,Iam the one she answers to. Not Gayl. We couldn’t care less if you win this tournament, but we’re all counting on you to find the emperor’s Grimoire, and we’re willing to do what it takes to help. And I don’t expect you toobeyme like some mindless servant, Rose.” Rissa took a step toward her. “I expect you to recognize the gravity of this situation and respect the fact that it’s larger than you and whatever personal vendetta you may have against our father, and therefore, us.
“You’re here because your uncle saw something in you, and Lark must have seen it, too. You’re here because you wantchange. You want to see justice. That means you have to workwithus, Rose, not against us. It’s not a matter of obedience. It’s a matter ofchoosing where your loyalties lie and committing to this cause. Do you think you can do that?”
My sister truly was a force to be reckoned with, when she wanted to be. But I had a feeling this Rose was not without her own thorns. I shifted my gaze between the two women, feeling the tension crackling and snapping in the air. Rose’s breaths became louder, more labored, as if the pain from her injuries was becoming too difficult to bear.
“I think I’ve proven my commitment to you,” Rose said, gesturing to her side. “You’re right—we want the same thing. I’ll do what you need me to do, but it’s going to take more than a pretty speech to get me to trust you.”
Rissa considered her silently for a moment. Finally, her face relaxed, her lips almost curving into a smile. “Well, then, I suppose we’ll work on earning it. Let’s start by fixing those broken ribs, hmm?”
Rose wet her lips and eyed us hesitantly, that same suspicion and anger lingering. Her pain and desire to get back into the tournament must have outweighed her reservations, for she gave a swift nod and limped toward the couch. Rissa raised an eyebrow at me and I took that as my cue to begin preparing a healing tonic—one our father had passed on to me before he died.
While I worked at the kitchen counter, I listened to Rose and Rissa talk.
“How do you two know Lark?” Rose asked.
“Lark has been a close friend for more than a decade. She’s been working with us on our plan to use the Decemvirate as a way to get closer to Gayl,” Rissa explained. “When she made a bid for the head architect position several years ago and was appointed, we knew it was fate. It was her idea to involve a challenger in the first place. She’s the one who found your uncle.”
“So, it’s just you three? The masterminds behind this grand plan?”
I smirked as I chopped a bay leaf, and Rissa chuckled before answering. “It may have started with my brother and me, but it’sbecome something beyond our wildest dreams. We created a group called the Sentinels over five years ago after seeing the growing problems here at the capital, and could only assume it was happening across the entire empire, too. We have two hundred faithful recruits spread over the city, as well as a handful in each of the six provinces, all part of a network that leads back to here.”
Rose released a slow breath. “And what’s the purpose of this group?”
“To remove Gayl from power, end the Somnivae curse, and bring this empire back to a semblance of what it used to be,” Rissa answered succinctly.And finally avenge our father, I thought to myself.
Rose scoffed. “Just like that?”
Her question made me falter, my fingers stiffening as I added elderberry oil to my potion. “What do you mean?” I called out, glancing behind me to the couch.
With a shrug, she said, “You make it sound so…easy. Take him down and end the curse—and then it’s over. What about his supporters? His court, the Royal Guard, those who practically worship him across the provinces, especially the stronger ones. Not everyone is like me, you know,” she added. “Plenty of people think hesavedus from your father’s rule. And if you succeed, who would replace him? Would it be someone just as power-hungry, just as cruel? Would they actuallycareabout the provinces?”
“Of course, we’ve thought about all these things, Rose,” my sister answered. “And we have a plan. We’re not ignorant to what’s been going on outside of Veridia City. Trust me, that’s not how we want it to be, either.” She shook her head, blonde curls bouncing, and I went back to mixing the tonic. “This is something we’ve been building toward foryears. I promise you, if we play our cards right over the next month, we have hope for a better future foreveryone. This isn’t some dimwitted plan of a bunch of amateurs.”
“I—I never said it was,” Rose said, her voice more unsure thanusual. “These last couple days have been a lot to take in. I don’t know who I can trust or who’s out to get me.”
I turned at her words, unable to resist seeing her in this moment of vulnerability. Uncertainty crept onto her features, so at odds with the thorns and sharp tongue.
“Well, you can trustus, for one,” Rissa said. “And Lark, of course. There’s a guard at the palace who’s also part of our ranks. You’ve met him—his name is Horace.”
Rose’s mouth gaped open. “Horace? I should’ve known. But…you seemed surprised by all of this, too,” she said, nodding to me as I made my way to the couch with a glass of the lavender tonic. I noticed her eyes were colder when she gazed at me as opposed to my sister, her olive features holding a hint of resentment.
I knew the feeling.
“When you saw me this morning, did you know who I was?” Rose tilted her head inquisitively at me. Dark waves of hair cascaded down one shoulder. My sister turned to face me, and I cursed, running a hand through my hair. She still didn’t know I’d snuck into the palace against her wishes.
“What happened this morning?” Rissa asked with thinly veiled irritation.
At this interaction, Rose’s face went from curious to sly understanding, her lips twitching as her green eyes flashed at me. The little wolf knewexactlywhat she’d done.
