Let them, Noam thought. He knew how to keep his mouth shut.
They’d probably try to turn him against Lehrer. They’d use Dara, their ally, in any way they could.
But if he was careful... he could survive this. Lehrer’s coup would succeed, and he’d get Noam out of here.
Noam just had to live that long.
The door slid open. Noam was up on his feet before he realized he was moving. He didn’t know what he’d expected—some masked man in black with a tray of knives, maybe—but it was Chancellor Sacha. He was alone.
“Before you think about bashing my skull in with that chair,” Sacha said, “recall there are eight highly trained killers standing right behind that mirror just waiting for an excuse to shoot you the way you shot Tom Brennan.”
Stick to the story.
“What?” Noam choked out, grabbing on to the edge of the table for balance. It wasn’t even hard to fake that horrified edge to his voice. Noamwashorrified. “What the fu—what are you talking about? Brennan, is he—is he okay?”
Blank eyes staring at the ceiling. Blood on the wall.
Sacha’s gaze narrowed. “That’s right,” he said, stepping farther into the room. “I nearly forgot. You were close with him, yes? We know you spent a lot of time at that center of his, both before and after your feverwake.” A pause. “Did that make it easier or harder to kill him?”
Noam shook his head, violently enough that it sent a fresh dart of pain shooting through his skull. “No,no, I—what do you mean? He’sdead?”
“Oh yes.” Sacha dragged out the other chair and sat down. He crossed his legs neatly at the knees and looked at Noam, overhead light glittering off his steel circlet. He gave Noam a humorless smile. “Verythoroughlydead. I’m sure Lehrer would be proud, were he here.” Sacha paused. “Or maybe not. You did get caught, after all.”
Noam stared, fighting to keep his heart from leaping into his throat. “I’m not... I didn’t do it. I didn’t. You have to believe me.” He lurched up out of his chair and turned away from Sacha to pace along the wall of the cell. “Fuck.”
Why was Sachahere? Why was he interrogating Noam personally when he had an impending coup to contend with? What was his game?
“We know it was you, Noam,” Sacha said from behind him. “Anonymous tip, an hour ago. Everything all tied up in a neat little package. Location, approximate time, victim, villain. Mechanism of death, just in case we doubted its validity. It arrived a little too late for us to save Brennan, but at least we got you.”
Noam faltered midstep. He didn’t recover quickly enough; he knew Sacha saw.
But there were only three people who had that information. Noam himself, obviously. Dara, locked up in isolation.
And Lehrer.
Noam inhaled sharply and turned to pace back the way he came. That didn’t make sense. Why would Lehrer turn Noam in? This washisplan! Noam getting caught assassinating someone would undermine Lehrer’s whole coup. Everyone would know Noam did it on Lehrer’s orders.
Wouldn’t be the first anonymous tip he’s sent lately, a little voice whispered in the back of Noam’s mind.
“Well,” Noam said, fumbling to reclaim his anger. His ears rang. “They’re lying, obviously. Because Ididn’t fucking kill anyone!”
Sacha watched him with interest, tracking Noam’s progress back across the room to the opposite corner.
No. Lehrer was a lot of things, but he was ultimately rational. He liked risks, but only when he was sure he could control the outcome.
Surely it wasn’t him.
Surely.
“You know,” Sacha said as Noam reached the other wall and spun around again, “if you hadn’t doubled back into the building, you might have gotten away.”
“I didn’t do it,” Noam recited, stomach writhing.
“Mmm. Yes, you said. Please sit. You’re making even me nervous.”
Which... actually, Sachadidlook nervous. Sweat beaded his brow; his tie was knotted askew like he’d thrown it on last minute.
Of course. Noam was down here getting interrogated for murder, but to Sacha he was a weapon—perhaps the only one Sacha had left to resist Lehrer’s coup. This whole time Sacha had been a step behind, realizing Lehrer had a plan only after he’d already carried it out. But now he was in the middle of it, Lehrer’s plot unfurling around him like a black flag. That’s why he was down here, with Noam, instead of out there amid the chaos.
