I rolled my eyes. “You seem to forget that I’ve been stealing and dodging guards longer than you have, and they know I brew illegal potions. The last thing we need is for me to be charged with a crime on the day you get released. And besides”—I lowered my voice conspiratorially—“Rahil never leaves the house. Once he goes to sign the paperwork to free you, I’m going to break into that secret room. Once I take a peek, I’ll run and we’ll meet at the worship center.”
“No! Are you crazy?” Nadia hissed. “Just stay there and I’ll come to you! Alia, you can’t give up unlimited money; that’s insane. Who cares what’s behind some stupid door? You can’t give up all that wealth. Don’t you remember how we were always scraping for food and begging for a place to sleep?”
“I remember, I remember,” I grumbled. It was easy for Nadia to dismiss my wanting to know. She wasn’t the one who had to stare at the door each day.
“Promise me you won’t look,” she told me. “You finally have some good luck. Don’t throw it away. We don’t want to end up on the streets again.”
“No, we don’t want to end up on the streets again,” I said, nimbly sidestepping promising anything. “And Rahil said he’s planning to give you some money and take you shopping before you come back here. You can get clothes and whatever food you want. It’ll be your best birthday ever. Isn’t that next week?”
Despite the dim light in her cell, her eyes shone. “It is. I can’t believe it! Tomorrow, I’m going to dress like a princess and eat until I burst. Then I’ll come to your manor and you can show me the entire thing, and next week we can celebrate my birthday properly.”
“Deal,” I said with a smile. “Enjoy your last night in prison. Tomorrow’s the day.”
“Tomorrow,” she breathed happily, then the mirror went foggy.
I ran my finger along the mirror’s cool edge.
I had to know what was behind that door. I couldn’t standnotknowing. Who knew when I’d get another chance to look? Anytime I got close to the door, it always seemed like Rahil would be nearby.
All that night, I couldn’t sleep. Every time my eyes closed, I could only see the forbidden door and my mind began playing tricks on me, conjuring up images of things that could be behind it, each worse than the last. It wouldn’t ruin anything if I just took one quick look. All I needed to do was swipe Rahil’s keys, look, then replace the keys before he returned.
I would have plenty of time.
“Didyou not sleep well last night?” Rahil asked the next morning. He was pulling on his suit coat near the front door.
“Not really,” I said truthfully. “I was thinking about my sister.”
“I’m sure you’ll be glad to have her back. You’re certain you don’t want to come along?” He put another jeweled ring on his pinkie finger, as if determined to flaunt his wealth to the world anytime he left.
“Positive. My sister isn’t the only thief in our family. The guards know my face too well.”
He chuckled. “I can bribe any guards you want so they turn a blind eye. Just say the word.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I like doing things myself. Besides, Nadia will want time alone to shop. I think she likes the idea of actually having money to purchase things instead of stealing. That was generous of you to offer.”
He donned his hat. “I try to be a generous man. I’ll be back soon. Would you like me to bring you anything while I’m out? Do you have any letters you’d like me to deliver or something you want from the market?”
“No. I’ll just wait here for you and then for Nadia. There is a new potion I wanted to try to make in the alchemy room.”
“You and your potions,” he said fondly. For a moment, I thought he was about to lean in to kiss me goodbye and was glad when he held himself back. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll see you in an hour or two.”
“Goodbye.”
I watched him leave the house and stood at the door, waving until the carriage disappeared around the bend. The moment he was out of sight, I ran back into the house. I didn’t have long. As much as I knew that curiosity made people careless, I couldn’t stand waiting any longer.
It was time for answers.
CHAPTER 6
Iattempted to pick the lock on the door using my normal methods, but the moment my hairpin touched the lock, I knew I was outmatched. The tumblers shifted in too complicated of patterns for my mediocre lockpicking skills to handle. No amount of jiggling hairpins would open this door; I would have to find the key.
I bit my lip. Rahil most likely had taken the keys with him, which meant I’d have to wait until he got back and lift the keys while he was sleeping. Unless… Would he have left them in his bedroom, thinking I wouldn’t want to enter?
I ran to the only other room I hadn’t yet explored. Cautiously, I eased the door open, which swung inward without so much as a creak.
The floors were polished obsidian tile, so dark they reflected the glow of the blue-flamed lanterns. A massive canopied bed dominated the center of the room, its carved posts inlaid with gold filigree shaped like curling vines. It was beautiful at first glance, until I realized the leaves sharpened into blades. The bed linens were rich and heavy,layered silks in deep crimson and midnight blue, without a single crease out of place, as if no one ever sleptthere.
It was simply the magic of the place, I reminded myself. My bed did the same thing each day, and I’d gotten used to it in my own room.
