“Maybe you can ask the king if you can take a temporary leave,” Bess says with an arched brow. I know she tries to offer whatever help she can, frequently suggesting more options.
I huff with a shake of my head, knowing that King Elion would never allow me to leave to search for my parents. Not unless he intentionally sends me north on a mission for fear of said distractions.
Luke, Malrik, and Ren are typically the ones sent on missions that long, since they’re some of the few full Aetheri in the brotherhood. Their tracking capabilities are superior as two Healers and a Stone Shaper, but they haven’t been on missions that long recently.
“I know what the king would say if I asked. Plus I need the money. I can’t be gone for that long without work.” I shrug.
“You’re right. Even if you are a house maiden, I’m sure he’d deny your request just because he could and then withhold your pay,” she says with a disgruntled huff.
Money’s never been a problem, as King Elion requires hefty payments for his services. But I know why he pays us so well—he craves information. And as long as the brotherhood exists,he’ll continue to collect secrets and requests from the realm’s most elite.
The dukes and duchesses of Elderheim are the same high-ranking families on Elion’s council. They help run the cities, but when it comes to dirty work, they keep their hands clean by paying Elion to send hisguards. Though none of them have actually met us or knows who he sends—it’s always private. And because of that, King Elion has become the greatest threat to Elderheim.
Bess sets her glass down with a clink, facing me as she settles herself deeper into the pillows.
“Here’s what I think,” she says, tucking a pillow beneath her as a devious grin lines her mouth. “I think we should set this aside for a while so you can relax and take your mind off it, because I want to know who that male was in the hall.”
A carefree laugh suddenly bubbles out of me as I playfully nudge her even though I know just as much as she does. “How much detail do you want?”
She chuckles. “All of it.”
A few hours go by with what feels like only a blink when I finally bid her goodbye. The wine’s buzz courses through me, head heavy, feet stumbling as I exit Bess’s chambers with a small giggle while she waves.
I only make it a few steps before something dark and shiny catches my attention on the floor. My eyes flick to the ground. A black coin, looking as if it might have belonged to the male that was with me earlier as it rests right where we were lingering.
I bend to pick it up.
The coin feels solid in my grasp—perhaps heavier than it should be—made of a heavy material similar to stone. Though I’ve never seen a coin quite like this one, it almost feels warm to the touch. Like an energy is imbued within the material itself.
I stride down the hall and flip it through my fingers a couple of times before mindlessly placing it in my pocket.
3
A tired groan escapes me,eyes squinting as they open. Streaks of light stream through the arched windows just a little after dawn, and I realize that I forgot to close the drapes before flopping on the bed last night.
Running my hands over my breasts, I glance to find I’m still wearing the outfit from the brothel. Another groan. My head is pounding and I throw an arm over my face to shield myself from the beams of light. I arrived a few hours before sunrise, sauntering back to the castle drunk off wine, without Ezra. I find myself wondering where he ended up.
Sitting upright, I rub my eyes and instinctively glance at the door, spotting the white envelope shoved under it. I grind my teeth, knowing exactly what it is as I climb out of bed and snatch it up.
The king’s golden seal rests in the center—another mission, and with as little information as possible. There are two rules to the missions we receive: eliminate the threat and ask nothing.
My target is to be taken care of tonight at the Silver Lily—an inn for high-ranking families from all over the realm, including wealthy merchants.
A place where they can conduct business and socialize without having to mingle with the common folk, making them feel superior. But I scoff, knowing the real reason King Elion has the inn: to keep the elite in one centralized location where their movements can be observed and watched closely. A private location, meaning I’ll have to find a way in.
Target: Alec Thorne.
For tonight only, and I’m to end the missiondirty.
And by dirty, I know he means bloody and not to find a place to bury or burn him like we typically do. He must be a high priority if it needs to be done on such short notice, as I’m usually given a few days to get it done. But not this one.
My eyes close on a long breath. Requests are being placed at an all-time high, seeming like Elion accepts all of them.
Of course it’s tonight, the one night I want to sneak back to the Painted Bird, but it looks like I’ll be occupied for the evening.
I bite my lip. Thinking back on the male last night has my stomach turning in the most exhilarating way. It’s almost tempting to stroll straight to the brothel instead, interested to discover what that male is like between my legs.
But I know how that would end—a beating handed out by Theron, King Elion’s personal guard.
