Caylus didn’t seem to notice. “I work in exchange for the rooms.” He dusted his hands off on his pants, coating them with flour. I waited, but he didn’t say anything more. He wouldn’t look directly at either of us, and he shifted his weight in a constant fidget.
“Right,” I said at last. “I’m assuming you know why I’m here?”
“Catternon,” he said, speaking the old language password from the flyer. It was an ancient name for the yearly festival the Ambriels held in honor of their sea god, Duren.
Kiva slowly canvassed the room. Besides the kitchen, there was a closed door to our right and a set of stairs that led to another closed door. She peered up the stairs, then pushed open the downstairs door to reveal an empty bedroom.
Caylus watched her silently, not interfering. Once Kiva seemed satisfied, I said, “You’re a rebel.”
He shook his head, then stopped as if reconsidering. “Sort of. Not really.” I raised an eyebrow, and he explained, “I know the leader, the one organizing the raids in the Verian Hills. She asked me to get a message to her contact in the castle, but when I saw you…”
“She has a contact in the castle?” Kiva asked. “Who?”
“And how did you know who I was?” I added.
Caylus shifted his weight again. “There aren’t many Rhodairens around here. Not any, I don’t think. And you were with the prince.”
So he had recognized Ericen. Yet he’d still intervened last night, knowing full well who he risked angering. An image of his scarred, shaking hands surfaced. Where had those scars come from?
He glanced at Kiva, then away again. “I think you should talk to her about this, not me. I owed her a favor.”
“Can you set up a meeting?” I asked. “Here, preferably. And soon.”
“Tomorrow evening? At sunset?”
I nodded, my heart rate rising. This was happening. “What about the assistant position? Is that real?”
He bit his lip. “It, um, doesn’t pay…”
Kiva snorted, but I said quickly, “That’s fine. I need a reason to come here, or the queen may be suspicious.”
At first, I thought he didn’t hear me, but then I realized his eyes were focused through the window over my shoulder, where the two Vykryn who’d accompanied us stood across the street.
“Something wrong?” Kiva asked, her tone low. “You look worried.”
“I—No. I’m fine. Anthia, right?” His eyes fell on me. His lilted Ambriellan accent turned my name into a song, and I half considered letting him call me by my full name just to hear it.
“Just Thia.” I jerked my head to the side. “This is Kiva. Don’t mind her. She wouldn’t trust a chair to stay still long enough to sit in it.”
Caylus blinked, his head tilting, the puzzled look on his face suggesting he hadn’t noticed Kiva’s insinuations at all.
“Do you know who I am, Caylus?” I asked. “What it is you’re involved in?”
“Unfortunately.”
I glanced at Kiva, but a small smile tugged at Caylus’s lips. He was joking.
Kiva hooked her arm through mine. “Right. See you tomorrow,” she said.
I waved as she jerked me toward the exit, closing the door behind us. As we descended the stairs, I heard the locks click.
We waved to the woman behind the counter and left the shop, the two Vykryn mounting as we climbed into the carriage.
The moment the door shut, Kiva said, “He’s weird.”
“I think he’s cute.”
“I don’t trust him.”
