After waving goodbye, Rory turned back to the house with a groan. She jumped onto the porch railing and clung to a pillar, climbing until her fingers grabbed the awning’s edge.
There were no gutters on this house, and while dangling in the air, Rory wondered if that was bad for the roof. She used a pillar to push off with her feet, and her arms had never ached so much in her life.
Picking up anything tomorrow would be impossible. When she tumbled through her bedroom window, she stayed sprawled on the floor, huffing. Even with herFeystrength, that was hard.
She wouldn’t be surprised if her heavy breathing alone woke her father. Would it be ridiculous to crawl to the shower?Yes.
Rory managed to get up and dragged herself to the bathroom. Once in the shower, she stood under the stream until the water ran cold. She practically fell into bed, but instead of sleeping, she lay awake and hoped the potions would kick in, eventually.
They didn’t.
21
Fiona always tooka hearing-enhancing potion before setting up her booth in the market. It helped target potential customers or sort out those who thought to swindle her, but tonight, it instilled such hatred in her heart that she may never recover.
Her daughter, Nina, had been sentenced to a few years in Vincula for scamming men out of hundreds of thousands of moedas, but a week ago, she received word they executed Nina for treason.
Devastation didn’t describe what Fiona felt when she learned of her daughter’s death.
Rory’s early release had piqued her curiosity. She’d been happy to see the girl, but now, here the little bitch was, whispering about needing to remember killing a woman named Nina. She would have no such luck retrieving her memories with the potions she bought. They were useless bases that Fiona had not yet mixed.
Fiona didn’t believe in coincidences, but what shedidbelieve in was revenge. The girls also mentioned Rory’s guards were spying on the Lux King. It was precisely the type of information he wanted, and Fiona knew, without a doubt, he would bring Rory in for questioning.
She hoped for a long, tortuous execution, but if the king left the girl unharmed, Fiona would take care of it herself.
22
Sam stoodin the back courtyard with Lauren as she explained why Caius needed him back early. They agreed to search the Lux Palace before Sam returned to Vincula. He would look for more information on the planted guards while Lauren searched for Gedeon to see if he said anything of worth.
They glanced around to ensure no one saw them open the staff entrance, and Lauren transformed into a small bird, flew inside, and signaled that it was safe for him to enter.
He couldn’t risk being scooped up like last time and transformed into a cat the same pale color as the walls. Once at the end of the hallway, he gave Lauren a slight nod, and they split up.
As he approached Gedeon’s office, he saw a non-Aatxeguard keeping watch. Sam assumed the king would have his trusted spies guarding places he deemed important, and if they were here, then something inside was noteworthy.
What he did not expect was to see Stassi appear around the corner of an intersecting hallway. Something made her pause and whip her head around. Her eyes widened when she sawhim.
He saw her gulp, and before she could say anything, he trotted over and hopped onto the bottom shelf of her cart, knocking over afew bottles. He peered up at her, but when he heard the guard approaching, his fur stood on end.
“Clumsy today, I see,” the man teased. He didn’t sound menacing, but as one of Gedeon’s spies, he couldn’t be trusted. The guard’s legs bent to pick up the bottles on the ground, but Stassi dropped beside the cart, shielding Sam from view.
“It’s okay, Tag, I’ve got it,” she said, stumbling over her words.
She grabbed the bottles quickly in her arms and stood. Concern filled the guard’s voice. “Are you okay, Stass? You’re jumpy.”
Sam tensed at the familiarity in his tone and released a low hiss. Stassi laughed nervously to cover up the sound. “Yes, just tired.”
The man shuffled his feet, and Sam’s irritation grew. “I was wondering,” Tag started to say, but Stassi grabbed the cart handle and pushed.
“I’m sorry, Tag. I have to finish my duties before my shift is over. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
The disappointment in the guard’s tone gave Sam a sick satisfaction. “Yeah, okay. Do you need into the king’s office?”
“No,” she replied a little too quickly. “I… I have to clean his quarters tonight. I’ll see you around.”
She grabbed her cart and whipped it around so fast that Sam almost fell out. When she was far enough away, she pushed her cart into a random room and flipped on the light.
Her head popped into his line of sight as she peered under the cart. “Is it you?” Pressing her lips together, she righted herself. “I’m going crazy. Of course, it isn’t him. His fur was black.”
