Kingdom of Scourge and Shadow (The Sightstone Series #1)

Chapter Nine: Max

"They said she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and people came from all around the world to admire her or hate her. So, for her protection, when he gifted her the necklace, Sankt Aleksandr imbued it with the power to protect her from those who might do her harm."

-from the Spiritiy Sanctiy (The Saintly Spirit, or the Lives of Saints, depending on the translation)

***

"Please, tell me you have some idea of how we're going to pull this off," Natalie muttered.

After their visit to de Jong's manor, they'd gathered in Jan's office for a late–very late–dinner and a drink, as was often their custom. Unlike most nights, however, they ate and drank in silence, and only when a serving girl had cleared away their dishes and left them alone with a very nice bottle of whiskey that Max had helped to liberate from a ship returning to Saroviya from Kenland, did Natalie finally put voice to the question on everyone's mind. Well, he assumed it was on everyone's mind, at least; it was certainly on his.

As he waited for Jan to answer, Max absently considered the drink in his hand. The Kenish, he thought, made the best whiskey, though the Caedish would probably disagree.

"I have a plan," Jan said, staring down at his glass as he swirled it around and around, making the amber-colored liquid slosh up the sides. "Or the beginnings of one."

"Really?" Natalie asked dryly, arching a dark eyebrow. "Please, do share with the class!"

Max snorted, then quickly turned it into a cough as Jan glared at him.

"Do you two ever take anything seriously?" Jan asked dryly.

"Plenty," Natalie said airily. "But, just now, I've had too much to drink."

Max heard Zoya's soft chuckle and resisted the urge to look around for her. She'd melted away into the shadows after the serving girl left, and she'd stayed there since then. She was the only one of them not drinking, not that she ever drank. It was ironic, to Max's mind, that she was the most knowledgeable poisoner he'd ever heard of, that she had no qualms about using any drug or toxin on others, yet never drank or smoked. There was a joke in there somewhere; he just hadn't thought of it yet.

"So," Max pressed, leaning forward reluctantly. Curiosity notwithstanding, it seemed a shame to bestir himself. The drink, the cozy room and the meal had all conspired to leave him pleasantly sated, and he was almost too comfortable to move. Almost. But he did anyway. "What's this plan you've masterminded?"

"Beginnings of a plan," Natalie corrected brightly, and Max knew she was doing it expressly because it would drive Jan mad. The sparkle in her eyes and the little smirk she wore gave the game away. She'd never been particularly good at hiding what she was thinking, though, somehow, she was a brilliant liar. There was a joke in that, too.

To his credit, however, Jan didn't take the bait, just took a long gulp of whiskey and stayed silent.

"How do we get in?" Max pressed, a bit more agitatedly. He was starting to get annoyed by Jan's coyness. Max knew he liked to play his cards close to his chest, but if they were to be expected to break into an embassy with him, they deserved some answers.. Whiskey slopped from his glass and splashed onto the expensive carpet underfoot. "Oops."

"If that stains, de Haan, I kill you," Jan said, a promise, not a warning.

Max rolled his eyes, deciding his best course of action was to ignore him. "It's an embassy, Jan, not some merchant's manor," he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "If we breach the walls, we've invaded Saroviyan territory. How the hell are we supposed to get in?"