I exchange a look with Meredy, then leap out of bed and pull on my cloak and slippers as Meredy does the same.
Sword in hand, I lead the way down the hall, tiptoeing past the kitchen.
“Sparrow!” someone hisses. “Over here!”
I turn to find Jax standing in the kitchen doorway, his dark hair messy from sleep, though his eyes are bright and alert. He motions Meredy and me forward, into the kitchen itself, where he’s lit a candle. Ten of Noranna’s metal soldiers stand in various positions around the room. There’s one with its hands on a large stove and another posed as though peering into a pantry. Shivering, I notice that one of them has its hands placed on either side of a knife block where the butcher keeps some of his smaller tools. The soldier nearest us is in a heap on the floor, making me think this is the one that made the crash we heard.
Not yet lowering my blade, I whisper, “What in Death’s name is going on?”
Jax points to the soldier on the floor and, as I expected, whispers, “I tripped over this bastard on my way to get a snack. All the training’s been making me extra hungry. Who put these in here?”
He looks ready to hit someone, while I’d like nothing more than to run out of the room.
“Karston could’ve done it,” I say slowly, thinking aloud. “But only if he’s awake, right? I’ve never heard of anyone using their magic in their sleep, and it is awfully late.”
“It could be someone’s idea of a joke,” Jax suggests. “I can name five people who would find this entertaining and have the strength to move these things without any magic. Of course, none of them live at the palace, so...” He frowns at the soldiers again. “All I know is, when we find whoever did this, I’m going to have a chat with them that they’ll find absolutely hilarious. At least,Iwill.”
I shake my head at him as he makes a fist and slaps his other hand against it.
“Well, we should go find Karston, anyway,” Meredy says thoughtfully. “Even if he had nothing to do with this, he can move the soldiers back to their proper place a lot faster than the three of us.”
As we linger in the doorway, talking in low voices about who within the palace would have the strength and sense of humor to pull off this prank, Jax moves deeper into the kitchen. The soldiers creak as he moves one behind another, bending them both over the stove in a back-to-front position that leaves no room for questions as to what they’re up to.
“Jax?” Meredy asks warily. “What in the world are you doing?”
“Making them look less creepy,” he grumbles, arranging three more figures in a curious position I wouldn’t have imagined.
I shake my head. I don’t think anything could make the soldiers look less eerie, short of covering up their eye holes. “Come on.” I take Meredy’s hand, pulling her away from the door, and Jax follows a moment later. “Let’s go see Karston.”
We hurry toward his room, leaving a scene worthy ofThe Baroness’s Secret Heartachein our wake.
Despite Jax banging on his door, it takes Karston a long moment to get up and undo the lock. His violet eyes are half-closed, as if sleep hasn’t quite shaken its hold on him. He clearly hasn’t been sleepwalking tonight, or using his magic.
As I hastily explain what happened, confusion and surprise twist Karston’s smooth, even features. “What? Someone moved our soldiers? They’re pretty heavy... that would’ve taken someone the better part of the evening, carrying them without magic. Why bother?”
“To scare one of the cooks, or someone else who frequents the kitchens, I expect,” Jax growls.
“And they wound up scaring you instead,” Karston says, catching on. He looks slightly more awake with each passing moment. “I can see how they wouldn’t be fun to run into in the dark. Are you all right?”
Jax frowns hard, leaning in toward Karston until they’re close enough to kiss. “I don’t get scared. Of anything. Ever. And don’t you forget it.”
“Sure.” Karston’s lips twitch as he fights to keep from smiling. “Understood.”
My shoulders shake a little with the effort of not laughing outwardly at the pair of them. “Listen, Karston, would you mind coming with us to the kitchens and moving the soldiers back where they belong? You’d be saving us a lot of time.”
“Of course,” he agrees, pulling on his boots.
“Thank you. And, Karston—you’re doing an amazing job with them,” I say, giving him what I hope is an encouraging smile. “Seeing as you’ve been working so hard, you should really take tomorrow off. Valoria won’t mind. We have somewhere to be with her anyway, and she’ll need all her focus on making sure our little adventure goes well—in fact, you should join us. If you dare.”
Meredy meets my gaze and grins. Unlike me, she’s not dreading the ride in the air balloon. The twisted girl I adore so much is actually looking forward to it.
And judging by the grin Karston gives Meredy as she describes what we’re planning to do, she’s not the only one excited about hovering Vaia only knows how high off the ground in a flimsy basket, possibly accompanied by a man who rebels against change.
We talk in whispers about our plans to meet with Valoria the next day at sunset as we all head back to the kitchen, Jax in the lead and not paying attention to anything we’re saying. Meredy and I get so caught up in talking about Valoria’s inventions that neither of us remembers to breathe a word of warning to him about the soldiers’ curious positions, courtesy of Jax.
His laughter spreads swiftly among us when he sees them, firstcatching on to Meredy, then me, and finally a reluctant Jax, until we’re all doubled over gasping for breath.
I decide I like the prankster, or at least the soldiers. Eerie as they look, they’re certainly good for something besides fighting. For making Meredy laugh, for making Karston look less exhausted and Jax less surly, I could practically kiss a metal cheek in thanks. That is, until I remember what awaits me tomorrow: the dreaded air balloon.
