Eyden grinned in return. “I do remember you tailing me, thinking I didn’t know when I most definitely did.”
Lora waved her hand. “That was different.” A thought flashed across her face. “Karwyn’s fiancée has gone to Carnylen. Rhay wouldn’t tell me why, but there’s something secretive going on.”
Eyden looked away.
“You’re not surprised?”
“No.” Moving to the curtain, Eyden made sure it was in place and no one was listening before he returned his focus to Lora. “El has gone with the princess to Carnylen.”
“What? How the hell did she pull that off?”
Eyden hesitated. His instinct told him not to tell her anything, but it was a bad habit he needed to quit if he wanted to have a relationship built on trust—abusinessrelationship. He decided to tell her about Elyssa’s plan.
“And you let her go?” Lora asked, baffled, when he finished.
“I can’t stop her. No one can stop El. You know that as well as I do,” Eyden replied.
“Yes, but I’m sure you disagreed, didn’t you?”
Eyden shifted his feet on the floor, rainbow confetti sticking to his shoes. “I did, but she was in no mood to listen to anything I had to say.”
Lora looked him over with curiosity. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“We had an argument.” Leaning against the wall, she was waiting for more, apparently. “It’s personal. Notbusinessrelated,” Eyden added.
Lora’s expression darkened, but then she nodded. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it?
“Our main objective should be finding out how to break the protective spell placed around the palace grounds,” Eyden said, getting back on track.
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t drift in. Magic protects the palace against intruders. If we can break that spell without alerting anyone, we’ll have the advantage of surprise on our side. I could drift in anywhere, anytime.”
Her eyes lit up. “How do we break it? How does the spell work?”
“A spell like this can’t be easy. There must be a spellbook in the palace. If Farren knows the specifics, he can figure out how to work against it.”
“Do you think Karwyn has a witch locked up somewhere?”
“It’s very likely.” Some royals liked to bind witches to their bloodline, to use them to do their bidding. From what Eyden knew about the Adelways—excluding Lora—they wouldn’t be opposed to using witches. “The question is ‘where?’”
“Maybe Rhay knows something,” Lora wondered aloud.
“Don’t mention it outright.”
A mischievous light gathered in her eyes. “I’m a better spy than that.”
“That remains to be seen,” he replied, smirking. “Hopefully, this will help.” Eyden opened his jacket and removed a rolled-up piece of paper. He handed it to Lora. “It’s a map of the palace.”
Unrolling it, Lora took in the intricate drawing. “Did you draw this?” she asked, looking up at him.
The fact that she recognised his style warmed his heart in a way he wanted to ignore and never forget at the same time. “El stole it some time ago and I redrew it on a smaller piece of paper for you. Feel free to add to it. It’s outdated.”
Lora traced a finger along the paper, stopping at a room on the first floor. “This is my room,” she said. “And this one is Rhay’s.” She pointed at another set of rooms on the second floor. Eyden bit back the question of why she knew where his room was.Not my concern.
“Good to know,” Eyden replied, his tone sharper than intended.
Lora blinked up at him. “I’ll try to fill in as much as I can.” There was a heavy silence in the tiny alcove. The music drifting to them from behind the thick curtain felt distant.
