“Why did you agree to Kane’s plan?”
“Oh.” Jules handed her the revolver so that she could fit the primateria into the metal casing. “Because as much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s a decent one. If what he says is true, thenprisonis on the table, Zaria. I might not trust Kane as far as I can throw him, but he obviously has a knack for staying out of custody. Don’t give me that look—you’re letting your feelings about Kane cloud your judgment.”
“Myfeelings? You hate him.”
“Yes, but not enough that I can’t be logical about the situation. Kane is good at devising and executing a plan. You just don’t like it because you’re mad at him and protective of me. Which I appreciate.” Jules laid a dramatic hand over his heart.
“Need I remind you how his last plan turned out?”
“Technically, though, we were successful. Also, none of us died.”
“That’s a fairly low bar.”
“Maybe, but it’s true.”
Zaria sighed. “I’m the one who got us into this mess. It’s not right that you’re the one who has to get us out of it.”
“It’ll hardly be a solo job,” Jules said. He pulled away from the table, coming to stand at her side. “I’m more worried about how you plan to steal this ledger.”
“I thought about trying to create a key similar to the one we used to open the Waterhouse display. One that will adjust to fit the door to Kane’s office.” Her previous creation hadn’t exactly worked as intended, requiring some intervention from Kane’s lock-pickingtools, but getting into an office would be far easier than cracking open the display’s complex permutating lock. The only problem was her constant shadow. Zaria inclined her head to where Elijah stood guard outside the workshop, lowering her voice. “Buthe’salways watching me, or else guarding my rooms at the manor.”
“So you need a distraction,” Jules said, grinning slyly. “Someone to cause a disturbance at the perfect time.”
She lifted a brow. “Are you offering your services?”
“I’ve been known to raise havoc every once in a while.”
At that, Zaria couldn’t help but return his smile. “Well then. It looks as though we have some work to do.”
In the end, the plan was this: Jules would launch an explosive into the shed behind the manor. The resulting noise would draw the attention of everyone close enough to hear—including Elijah, who, keen not to disappoint Kane again, would almost certainly sprint to investigate. While Jules made himself scarce, Zaria would bypass the lock into Kane’s office.
This time, creation came more easily. She was quick to retreat into her consciousness, tightening the threads of her focus and picturing what she wanted to make. The workshop around her faded. She was entirely too aware of her body: each pump of her heart, each expansion of her lungs. When the anticipated rush finally washed over her, it was accompanied by a sense of relief. As if her subconscious had been waiting for this, craving it, and she’d only now realized it.
All at once, darkness came hurtling toward her, the weight of it crushing. She didn’t know which way was up. It was as though a wall had slammed down in her mind, trapping her somewhere far too deep for comfort. Panic fastened skeletal fingers around her throat. She wasdrowning.
“Zaria?” Jules’s voice speared through the quiet. Suddenly thefingers were his, and the world began to right itself, swimming back into startling focus.
Her face felt hot—too hot. Her stomach churned, and she bolted for the workshop door, barely making it past a perplexed Elijah before she doubled over, dry heaving. Although nothing came up, she couldn’t seem to stop, and she continued retching until she felt Jules’s warm hand against her back. It grounded her, that touch, and she forced herself to swallow, gasping.
“What happened?” Jules’s tone was rife with worry. “Are you okay? I’ve… never seen you react quite like that.”
Zaria collapsed to sit on the gravel-strewn road, not caring that Elijah had come to stand behind Jules’s shoulder. The other boy’s arms were crossed, his gaze discerning. She ignored him. “I think I let myself go just a little too far. I’m fine.”
Jules wasn’t convinced. “We’re done for the day.”
She didn’t bother arguing. They had Lombard’s revolver, as well as what they needed for tonight, and that was what mattered.
“Would either of you care to explain what’s going on?” Elijah demanded. To Zaria, he said, “Do you need to see a doctor? Durante will want to know if you’re unwell.”
“She’ll be fine,” Jules answered for her. “She just needs to rest.”
“Then I’ll escort you back to the manor.” After a moment of hesitation, Elijah offered Zaria his hand.
Grudgingly, she let him pull her up. “Please don’t bother Kane about this.” An interrogation was the last thing she needed to contend with just now.
Elijah continued to study her with that searching look, eventually giving a curt nod. “Fine.”
“Thank you.”
