“That was priceless. Who said murdering a king couldn’t be fun? And we aresogoing to read that, by the way. It's been on my TBR for a while actually.” I chuckled under my breath as my gaze swept the corridor.
“What’s a TBR?”
“Ato be readlist.”
“Oh.” Kohen froze, waiting for my composure to crack. “Wait, you're actually serious?”
“No. But Ihaveread a different book by the author, and it wasn't half bad.”
The dimly lit hallway was empty aside from the flickering lanterns that lined the stone walls. “There's a staircase at that end.” I noticed, pointing to my left.
We scurried up a flight of the marbled stairs, gathering our surroundings at the landing before continuing on. A few civilians roamed the halls, but none gave us a second glance.
“Do you think Beaumont would recognize us?” Kohen whispered, his nose pointed at the floor.
“You? No. Me? Yes.”
There was not a doubt in my mind that Bitchmont would recognize me the second he laid eyes upon me. In hindsight, someone else probably should have accompanied Kohen into the archives. But I needed my shot at killing Beaumont. Plus, I really just wanted to see the library.
A wooden sign hung on the wall by a single nail, letting us know that we were headed in the right direction.
We crept quietly through the infirmary corridors, drawing our daggers when no one was looking. We’d traded our swords with Kade and Sawyer, replacing them with the smaller blades. Two men with swords, who clearly weren’t Draemornian soldiers, were bound to get questioned when parading through the castle. Add a littleDaddy’s Dirty Dungeon Dollinto the mix, and it was downright unbelievable.
We took a turn in the middle of the hall, tucking ourselves in an empty corner. At the end of the corridor was a lone, solid-oak door. By the looks of the over-the-top, silver handle, that room was exactly where we needed to be.
“What’s the strategy here? We can’t just barge into his office.” Kohen scratched his head. “And he might not even be in there.”
I mulled over our options. “We could cause some commotion out here? If he’s in there, he’ll have no choice but to come out. And if he’s not, we can go in and wait for him.”
Kohen nodded, and I could see his brain working as he tried to concoct a plan. “I can flood the infirmary by harnessing a rainstorm. If I get caught, I’ll act drunk and pretend that I lostcontrol of my powers. The healers will give me water and a magic suppressant, then send me on my way.”
“Okay. I’ll hold up around the corner and watch. If I see Beaumont leaving his study, I’ll slip in and wait for his return.” It wasn’t foolproof, but I didn’t see any options that were.
“Okay. But Seb, you’ll only get one shot. And if he brings someone back with him?—”
“I can handle more than one person. I’ll finish the job then meet you at the horses.” I stepped back through the hallway, halting in the darkest area I could find. I ducked behind a pillar that still supplied me with a straight shot view of the study.
Kohen commenced back towards the infirmary ward.
“Kohen, wait,” I whisper-yelled, dragging his attention to me. “If for some reason they make you stay a while, don’t be scared to rip into that book. I know it’s killing you not knowing what smut is.”
His eyes widened, and he blinked so slowly that I thought he would come back and punch me right then and there. Instead, he was dead serious as he corrected me, “I know what smut is, Seb.”
My laugh subsided as Kohen meandered off, mumbling to himself for as far as I could hear.
Forcing my breathing to silence and slow, I waited. Minutes passed and my thighs began to ache from the crouch I held. When I rose to shake my legs out, I heard the chaos break loose in the infirmary. The patter of heavy rainfall filled my ears, along with the screams of the sick and injured. It was kind of fucked up, but it had to be done.
Thunder boomed. I was almost positive that I saw a lightning strike from the corner of my eye. Then the hallway darkened and my eyes fought to see what was happening through Kohen’s carefully crafted clouds.
A sliver of light broke through the shadows as the door to Beaumont’s study ripped open.
He barreled out the door, his eyes bulging past his prominent cheekbones. He sprinted down the hall, nearly tripping over his maroon robe when he turned the sharp corner that led to the infirmary.
I waited a few heartbeats to make sure no one followed him before making my move. I sprinted down the hall and yanked on the door handle.
Locked.
Why the fuck didn’t I think about the fucking door locking from the inside!
