Darkness engulfed her. Only the tiniest slivers of light came through the cracks around the doorway, and Jade used them to pick her way through the room until she found a lamp, careful not to overturn or disturb anything. She clicked on the electric lamp and broke through the blackness. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for her to see by. She would make it work.
Lord Grannam’s war room was as neat as a pin, as though it was never used. A long table sat in the center, surrounded by chairs. Jade had seen Grannam and many of his advisors and supporters in those same chairs not three months ago, when she had been investigating his role in The Claim. At the time, the table had been laden with papers, maps, and books, but now its surface was clear and shiny. Two long, low cabinets sat on either wall opposite each other, with nothing but a lamp and a few books atop each of them.
Jade had presumed the war room the most likely place to find evidence of Grannam’s poison purchase, but perhaps the study was a better choice. At least she could make easy work of the cabinets and be on her way.
Picking the cabinet on the right, Jade opened a drawer and rifled through a stack of files inside. Her eyes widened at the gold mine before her. If she could take each and every one of these documents, she would.
Some weren’t as valuable, pertaining to things that were common knowledge or had already happened, but then she happened upon a file labeled “A.” Jade pulled it out and scanned over the documents inside. Lists, notes, and a letter. She paused at the letter, separating it from the other documents to read it completely.
You think you flatter me, but you are mistaken, Your Grace.
I am the best choice for this kingdom, and it is not only me who thinks so. I have the support of someone great who will ensure I see victory.
My father is misguided. He may seem noble and good-hearted to the people of the kingdom, but he can be cruel. I know what he was responsible for eleven years ago. I cannot forgive him for it, even if he is my own father.
I believe I have made my position clear, and many people appreciate me for it. I will bring an end to the brutal killings of those unfortunate enough to be born with magic and who are unable to hide it. More sorcerers and sorceresses live among us than we know, but they have become adept at concealing their abilities. The practice my father champions is heartless, and I won’t allow it to continue.
So, no, Your Grace. You cannot expect me to be complacent while I lose my advisors and my people suffer. Every day my father is allowed to reign is another that innocent people will die, and you will be no better.
-A
The letter shook as Jade’s hands trembled. Arabella had written the letter to Grannam; that much was clear. And it was no secret that her father perpetuated the practice of executing anyone found to have magic. Jade thought the population of sorcerers and sorceresses was dwindling with the culling over the years, but Arabella said they were just hiding it. Like the footman. He’d clearly been working in service for a while, which meant he’d kept his magic hidden. How many magic-wielders lived in fear of their lives every single day? How many got away with using their magic on unsuspecting citizens?
But two bigger questions remained that lodged in Jade’s mind: What had Prince Reynauld been responsible for eleven years ago? And who was the “someone great” who ensured Arabella’s victory?
Jade memorized the letter and returned it to the file. It wasn’t what she was there for, and it contained no real evidence when it came to stopping either Grannam or Arabella from attempting their coups. Neither did she want Grannam to realize it was missing later when it was nothing she could use against him.
She picked up another file, moving more quickly now. Marguerite might come looking for her if she wasn’t back soon. The remaining files in the drawer proved useless, so Jade opened the next one.
A small wooden box sat in the bottom of the drawer. She reached inside and retrieved it, then flipped open the nondescript lid, and an acrid scent hit her. Jade’s hand flew over her nose and mouth, and she drew in a deep inhale behind her hand. Definitely poison. She held her breath while she peered closely at the powdery substance inside, coarse and tinted yellow with occasional brown granules.
It wasn’t rienevoir, the killer’s poison of choice, which was a clear, odorless liquid, but that didn’t necessarily mean Reynauld hadn’t provided it to a hired assassin. Maybe his rienevoir supply had run out and he had obtained a different poison to allow his murderer to continue his work.
She pulled away from the box and took a small sniff, not wanting to inhale more than she had to, and the sharp scent stung her nose. An acid, to be sure. Not undetectable like rienevoir, so a killer would have to be more particular about how it was used. The smell alone would give it away. It was an odd choice for a murder weapon.
Jade closed the box and replaced it in the drawer, turning her head over her shoulder and gulping fresh air. Taking the poison wasn’t an option, and it alone had no ties to Grannam once it was out of his home. She needed a receipt of transaction.
A few papers accompanied the box of poison in its drawer, and Jade combed through them, her mental clock ticking. One small slip of paper with only a few lines made her pause, and she took a closer look.
Parathen ------ 25g
Total cost ---- 545 aigres
Paid ---------- Evenshold
That was it. The proof of transaction. Parathen was an acidic poison that fit the profile of the substance she’d found in the drawer.
A low voice spoke outside the door seconds before Jade heard keys jangling. Someone was coming inside.
Eighteen
Jade had about ten secondsto hide without a trace. She shoved the paper down the front of her dress, clicked off the lamp, and dove behind a heavy, patterned curtain that covered one of the war room’s windows. As silently and swiftly as possible, she unlatched the window and stepped out onto the narrow ledge beyond, keeping the window open a crack but concealed by the thick curtain. She found her balance at the same moment that a key turned in the lock, and she heard the door swing open.
“If your information is good, I’m sure there will be no trouble.” Jade didn’t recognize the male voice that murmured as a lamp was switched on.
“Of coursemy information is good.” Lord Grannam, without a doubt. “And you will do what has to be done with the utmost secrecy.”
“Naturally, Your Grace,” the other man crooned,confident.
