“Ferdinand, cover your ears,” I said desperately, but the elderly witch was in a similar state. So was the rest of the auditorium.
I should have known it wouldn’t be that simple. Breaking the suspension cord wasn’t enough to delay the show, much less buy Giselle time to destroy Celeste’s enchanted object.
Lurching from my seat, I rushed out of the box, making sure to duck so the singer wouldn’t notice my presence. Past the backstage stairs and protesting stagehands, I burst into the back hall where Celeste’s room was. The red door was ajar.
“Where in the blazing fires did she put it?” Giselle muttered to herself as I barreled in. She whirled around. “Narcissa? What are you doing here?”
Maddox was with her, frantically flipping through drawers.
“Celeste is singing,” I said between breaths. I stared at them both standing in a mess of bottles and embroidered pillows. “Have you found the object?”
Maddox shook his head. “No luck yet.”
Giselle held out a knotted charm. “This is supposed to track enchanted objects, but it’s not sensing anything.” She waved her hand around the variety of vials and bottle around her. “Do you have any idea what this container looks like?”
I cursed again. We should have asked Dominic when we had the chance, but somehow it slipped our minds. Those witches in the auditorium would suffer for our negligence.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Wait,” I said, hiking up my skirts to Celeste’s vanity. I recalled the large iridescent container on the top shelf. Sure enough, it was there. I pointed it out. “Is it that?”
Maddox climbed onto the tabletop and retrieved it, knocking over a few vials. He inspected the glossy surface and pulled on the diamond stopper. It did not budge.
For a second, the center flashed gold. Maddox yelped, nearly dropping it.
“Ha! I knew it,” Giselle said, taking the container from him. “She concealed it from tracking charms.”
“Hurry and destroy it.” I didn’t mean to sound so snappy, but my anxiety made my voice harsh. The echo of Celeste’s singing drifted over from the auditorium. I slammed the door shut.
“In a moment,” Giselle said, tucking the glass under her arm. “We’re going to have to take this outside. Enchanted objects contain a great deal of magic, especially one of this size. Destroying it could be explosive.”
I gritted my teeth. “If we walk out we’re going to hear Celeste singing. You can’t afford to lose your magic.”
Maddox furrowed his brows. “One second.” He unsheathed his dagger and hacked into a velvet cushion. I was going to ask him why he was gutting a pillow until he picked out a pinch of stuffing and took Giselle’s chin, turning her to face him.
“Really, this is hardly the time to kiss me,” she said.
“I was not going to kiss you!” Maddox jerked his hand away, cheeks turning bright red. He shoved the fluff into her hand. “The guards stuff their ears with cotton when they don’t want to hear each other’s snoring. Pack it in as densely as you can.”
Giselle took the fluff nonchalantly and put it into her ears. “Kissing me would’ve worked just as well. Then I wouldn’t be able to hear anything but my own gagging.”
Maddox scoffed, muttering something about despicable women. I found their exchange rather amusing, but the smile on my lips died when the three of us exited the room and Celeste’s song rang through the halls loud and clear. Giselle pressed her hands to her ears. We increased our pace.
Patrick the stagehand stood with his arms crossed as we emerged backstage, mouth parting. I motioned Maddox and Giselle to go on. They slipped off. The stagehand paid them no mind. No doubt he thought I was the threat.
“You may have escaped King Maximus’s guards but you won’t escape mine,” I said before he could speak, giving him my best condescending glare. I hoped I looked intimidating. Like a proper princess.
He paled, but didn’t move. “The mistress will get rid of you. She’ll get rid of you all.”
I raised a brow. “Will she?”
I began to leave, but Patrick grabbed my wrist with a large, bony hand. He couldn’t have been older than fifteen. There was a mad panic in his eyes.
“Not so fast, witch,” he spat. “King Maximus and the crown prince left you here. You’re no longer under their protection, are you?”
My jaw clenched, but I forced a smile. “Perhaps not. But I can order the sewer rats to eat you alive if you don’t get your hands off of me.”
Patrick’s eyes widened. He didn’t know Celeste had taken my magic away, then. He stepped back, letting me go. Somehow, his fear did not ease the knot in my stomach.
He was just a boy who thought his livelihood was being threatened, like all the other rioters. They were desperate because their ruler had failed them.
