“Were you able to find her last night?” I asked.
“No.”
I'd assumed not or he might know about the child. Would Laphira tell him if the boy was his?
He settled back in his chair with a sigh. “I looked everywhere for her, but short of knocking on doors, I couldn't find her. But I did find other things.” Dorion's expression darkened as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “Things that confirm what we suspected about Naveer.”
Lore straightened. “What kinds of things?”
I caught Moira's sharp inhale from across the room. She and Calista had gone still in their chairs, their faces pale but attentive. Part of me wanted to send them away, back to the relative safety of Evergorne where they belonged. I'd tried before, but they'd insisted on staying, on helping. If I were in their position, I'd probably make the same choice. Still, watching the fear creep into their expressions as we spoke made my chest tighten with worry.
“A storage room in the lower levels. Locked, but locks don't mean much to someone with my skills.” Dorion's jaw clenched. “It was full of personal belongings. Jewelry, weapons, clothing, all tagged with names and dates going back about five years. Some of the names…” He shook his head. “I recognized them from court gossip. Nobles who supposedly traveled here and then simply disappeared from society.”
Calista's knuckles went white where she gripped the arms of her chair. Moira pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
My blood chilled. “How many?”
“Dozens of tags. Maybe more. The room was larger than this sitting area.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “There was aguest registry too, hidden in an office near the main hall. Pages and pages of arrivals, but…” His eyes met Lore’s. “Not an equal number of departure records.”
The implications hit me like a physical blow. She must’ve held other contests over the years, where people came to compete for whatever prize Naveer dangled in front of them. Some remained behind forever.
“She's been doing this for years,” Lore said, his voice deadly quiet.
“That’s not all.” Dorion's hands clenched into fists. “I noticed something strange about the castle's cleanliness. Most of it is filthy. I’m sure you’ve seen the dust, grime, neglect too. But certain corridors, specific rooms, are spotless. Scrubbed clean.”
Calista nodded, her servant's eye for cleanliness clearly recognizing the pattern he described. She exchanged a meaningful look with Moira, some silent communication passing between them.
“And despite being clean, they still smell…” He grimaced. “Like death. Decay. Faint, but unmistakable once you notice it.”
I thought about the pristine dining hall compared to the grimy corridors we'd wandered through. “She cleans up after herself, but only where it matters. Leaves the rest dirty to maintain the illusion of a neglected, harmless court.”
“Smart,” Lore admitted grudgingly. “Selective cleaning draws less attention than a spotless castle. Makes it look like normal upkeep rather than evidence removal.”
The weight of what Dorion had discovered settled over us like a shroud. We weren't just dealing with a queen who enjoyed deadly games. We were dealing with a serial killer who'd perfected her methods.
“Anything else?” Lore asked.
Dorion grunted. “Not so far, but I’ll keep looking.”
Since there wasn’t anything else they needed to hear, wedismissed Calista and Moira, telling them to bring breakfast early in the morning.
Once they’d left, I met Lore's eyes before speaking with Dorion again. “We know where Laphira’s room is.”
He leaped to his feet. “Tell me.”
I pinched my lips together before smoothing them. “I think we should take you there. I want to?—”
“I need to speak with her, let her know I didn't abandon her.” He shook his head, and a half-smile rose on his face. “I could have a son. I can't believe it.”
“We'll have to play our parts well,” I said.
“And if Naveer tests you again?” Dorion asked.
“Then we'll have to decide how much we're willing to reveal to stay alive,” Lore said grimly.
We had to find that talisman before she gathered enough evidence to act on her suspicions. Naveer was suspicious enough to test us, which meant we were walking on a blade’s edge. One wrong move would confirm her doubts and seal our fate.
We only had three days left, and every hour we spent under Naveer's suspicious gaze brought us closer to exposure.
