Sly

Chapter Forty Nine

The halls were crawling with soldiers. Hired blades most likely, but still a big problem. But my goddess quickly found a way to aide my efforts. She made sure the mark she left on my neck flared to life, prickling my skin when someone was nearby. It was plenty helpful in allowing me to sneak back down the halls and reach my own rooms, though it took some time as I had to wait for footsteps to pass.

Silently, I was finally able to open my own door and close it with a sigh, my forehead resting on the door once I was safely inside.

"Hey!"

Thwack. Before my brain could catch up, I'd spun and thrown the knife in my hand at the noise. My eyes widened to see a slack-jawed Bricker holding his hands up, a knife embedded in a bedpost a finger's width away from his cheek.

"Gods, Sly," he managed to say, his eyes still wide.

"Bricker! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, you cob-witted coin filcher!"

Footsteps outside had us both shutting up. Only our heads moved to angle ears at my door until they passed, and then I broke the silence.

"The royals are being collected in the dining hall. Girault is back, and I think he's going to execute them."

Bricker paled. "No."

"Have you seen Pettypiece?" I asked. "Prince Rorik? Anyone?"

"I know where Dirk and Jexa are," he offered. "I don't know of the others."

I cursed, this wasn't going well at all. "They have everyone lined up in the dining hall except Prince Rorik and Princess Olianne. The princess is safe, I was just with her, but Rorik is missing. We need to do something."

"This seems a bit above our pay grade, yeah?" Bricker had a nervous laughter to his voice. "We should get the hell out of here. What would Davery say?"

"Don't," I hissed. "Don't you talk about him like that. Davery risked everything to make this city a better place. Are you really trying to tell me right now that my brother would want us to flee and leave Unays to Girault?"

Bricker's face fell, and his eyes dropped to the side. "Sorry."

"The pricks in the council may have run the districts down worse than they already were, but in the weeks since the war ended and the king and his sons returned, how many things have already turned back around? I have no love of nobles, Bricker, but fleeing now makes everything worse. The people are the ones who will suffer."

He took a deep breath, then met my gaze. "What would you have me do?"

My heart was pounding. More plans, fantastic. Why were these things falling to me? I hated them.

"If you know where Jexa and Dirk are, get them into position by the dining hall. I'll think of the next step when we get to it."

"Reassuring."

"Go!" I hissed. "Go, I'm getting a few things and I'll meet you there somehow. Take one of those soldier's clothes if you have to fit in."

He nodded, then reached out to grab my shoulder as he passed. "Be safe."

"You too, Shadow keep us." And with that, Bricker left through the window. I glanced out long enough to see that he had dropped onto one of the decorative ledges below, allowing him passage to much of the palace from the outside.

"Fuck," Bricker hissed. My stomach dropped as I witnessed the ground far below. Bodies in the mixed clothing of the intruders and the palace guards were strung along the gardens, connected by smears of red.