Hurtling after them, Angie and I reached the steps that went down into the gardens just as Navan barreled into Yorrek, knocking him to the ground behind a row of bushes. Yorrek removed the stopper of a vial he had seemingly retrieved from nowhere and threw the contents in Navan’s face. Navan dodged, and the curious liquid landed on the gravel pathway with an almighty hiss, smoke rising from the earth. I stared at it in horror, wondering what it might have done if it had hit Navan. Already, I could see tiny spots where some of the fluid had splashed against his clothes, boring holes into his suit jacket.
Taking advantage of Navan’s surprise, the alchemist got to his feet and bolted. Navan followed as Yorrek darted toward the nearest ice sculpture and toppled it with one savage push, causing the whole thing to come crashing down on Navan’s head. He managed to knock some of it to the side, but the rest hit him square in the skull and shoulders, and his knees buckled as he sank down beneath the weight.
Partygoers stopped, looking at the scene in horror and disgust, their hands raised to their mouths as they tried to decipher what was going on. Was it a family dispute? A quarrel over love? Something to do with money? I heard every kind of gossip on the lips of the revelers, but my mind was elsewhere.
Feeling torn, I glanced between Navan and Yorrek. I wanted to check that my boyfriend was okay, but I knew there were more important things at stake right now. No matter what happened, Yorrek could not be allowed to reach the high table where Queen Brisha sat. Right now, the alchemist was staring down at his aggressor, apparently taking a moment to catch his breath.
Seizing the opportunity, I bolted along the sheltered pathway that led toward the dancefloor, sprinting down a narrow track sandwiched between two high walls of hedgerow. I waited at the end, knowing it was one of only two paths that Yorrek could take. I just had to hope he wouldn’t take the main route, especially not after the commotion he’d caused with the ice sculpture. No, this was the way Yorrek would come if he wanted to reach the queen quickly. It had to be.
A moment later, I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps on the gravel path, the pace hurried. Within seconds, Yorrek would pass by the spot where I stood.
Taking a deep breath, I jumped out from my hiding place and landed a savage kick to the backs of Yorrek’s legs. It was an Aksavdo move I’d learned in training, though it had never worked against my fellow trainees. Now, I realized it probably worked better with the element of surprise.
Yorrek stumbled, crumpling to the ground with a heavy thud. Dipping low to the ground, I used another Aksavdo move, gripping his arms behind him and jerking them upward, right up to the back of his head. He fought hard against me, but I sat on his spine, rendering him immobile.
Fortunately, I had managed to floor him in a spot that was hidden by the hedgerows. Here, we were secluded. Yorrek tried to cry out, but with me pressing his face into the dirt, the sound came out strangled.
Turning, I saw Navan and Angie running up the pathway behind me. Thank God. I was holding Yorrek for now, but I knew he had greater stamina than I did, and I was already beginning to tire.
“Nice work!” Angie whispered. Navan knelt beside Yorrek and held his head, exposing his neck.
“Inject the serum, now!” Navan ordered.
Nodding, Angie whipped the syringe out from the bodice of her gown and bit the cap off, injecting the serum into the alchemist’s neck before he had a chance to struggle.
For several moments, Yorrek continued to thrash around, the serum working its way through his body, until at last, the alchemist went still, his muscles relaxing, his body collapsing beneath me as Elysium’s oblivion took over. Even so, I was reluctant to let him go, just in case he was pulling another stunt like last time.
“You can get off him,” Navan said, offering his hand to help me up.
Slowly, I stood, keeping one foot pressed into Yorrek’s spine. When he still didn’t move, I relaxed, stepping away from the splayed-out figure on the ground.
“That was close,” Angie muttered, putting the cap back on the empty syringe and burying it deep in the foliage of the outer hedges, where no one would find it.
I whirled around at the sound of more footsteps thundering down the narrow pathway behind me. It was Lauren, her purple dress shimmering in the dim light of the garden lanterns. Her brow was furrowed in distress.
“Guards! Coming this way!” she said breathlessly. “They saw the ice sculpture and they’re coming to investigate!”
Navan flashed me a look. “Riley, you, Lauren, and Angie need to get out here and distract the guards while I move Yorrek elsewhere. We can’t risk being seen with him like this, so I’m going to have to sneak him through the hedge or something. Go and buy me some time!”
Angie, Lauren, and I headed back through the narrow passageway, making a show of giggling raucously as we stumbled onto the main path that wound through the garden. I clutched my ribs, howling at some imaginary joke Lauren had just told, while Angie doubled over in hysterics, clinging to Lauren’s arm. We were three ordinary girls, having fun at a garden party.
It was only when we looked up that the amusement disappeared from our faces. Pandora and two other guards, one male, one female, stood in front of us. None of them looked amused by the state of us, but that only sent us into further hysterics—real ones, this time.
“Nice to see you dressed up for the occasion!” Angie joked brazenly. Pandora was in her usual, all-black military fatigues, her hair up in the same ponytail as always.
Pandora frowned. “What’s going on down there?” she asked pointedly, gesturing down the darkened pathway, to the spot where Navan and Yorrek were.
To my surprise, it was Lauren who answered. “A run-in with a particularly delicious young man—said he was a soldier or something. Turns out he was one of the waiters!” she began to explain. “Anyway, you know how it is. He said he wanted to show me something I’d never seen before, so I followed him, thinking it might be a diamond tree or a glowing toad or something. Before I know it, he whips out his you-know-what, so I slap him in the face and my friends come running! We taught him a lesson, but he’s fine now. I think he’s gone back to whatever he was doing before, no doubt harassing some other poor soul. A shame he was a colossal asshat, but then the handsome ones always are, am I right?” She doubled over with laughter, prompting Angie and me to laugh with her.
“What did he look like?” Pandora asked, her face a blank canvas. I had no idea whether she believed Lauren or not.
Lauren shrugged. “You know, tall, handsome, gray skin, coldblood-looking.”
If Pandora had been unamused before, she was downright irritated now. Fortunately for us, the unexpected arrival of Bashrik distracted her attention, her focus turning to his concerned expression.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, looking at the three of us with wide eyes.
Lauren nodded. “Just a run-in with an unruly waiter. We were just telling Pandora here what was going on. I think we caused a bit of a scene, made too much noise,” she said apologetically.
Bashrik frowned, evidently trying to piece together what was happening. With Pandora there, we couldn’t exactly tell him. “But you’re all okay?” he pressed. His eyes fixed on Angie, who nodded, a small smile upon her face.
“What is everyone doing here?” Queen Brisha’s voice cut in, silencing us all in one fell swoop. She had clearly followed Bashrik, wondering where he was headed. Now, seeing us all standing here, she didn’t look too pleased. It was just a shame that her presence attracted the attention of every single other partygoer in the garden.
Bashrik turned to her, grinning. “Queen Brisha, do you remember that woman I was talking about, to whom the stars paled in comparison? The woman with more light in her soul than a thousand burning suns? The woman who held an entire universe in her eyes?” he asked, as my heart began to race.
What the heck was he doing? Was he going to kiss the queen here, in front of everyone? It certainly looked like it. I didn?
??t know whether to stop him or let it happen, my eyes wide in shock as the queen gazed back, adoration written all over her face.
“I remember, Bashrik,” Queen Brisha whispered.
“Well, I have been waiting all night for the right moment to express my feelings toward this woman,” Bashrik continued, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “I’ve been looking everywhere for her, but I couldn’t find her in the crowds. I wasn’t even sure she was here, but now I’ve found her again, and I am never letting her go! Love is a precious thing, and must be sought out, even in the strangest of places!” he shouted, as he whirled around and scooped Angie up into his arms.
My jaw dropped. Angie looked at him as though he had sprouted a second head, but she didn’t pull away when Bashrik leaned down and met her lips in a passionate kiss. Looping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back, leaving the whole party reeling.
Tearing my eyes away from the scene, I saw the world-shattering sadness in Queen Brisha’s eyes, and felt instantly terrible. True, Bashrik didn’t love her, and she had become a little obsessive, but humiliating her like this didn’t seem right, either. I wanted to put an arm around her, or something, but she was the queen. How was anyone supposed to comfort the ruler of a nation?
Her gaze shot to me. I knew why. I had told her Bashrik wasn’t in love with anyone else, and though I wasn’t sure how much truth there was behind what Bashrik had just said, and what he was doing—given that he’d been trying to come up with a way to end the queen’s advances for a while now—I knew how it looked. Even to me, their kiss seemed genuine.
“I didn’t know, Your Highness,” I whispered in apology, moving to her side.
“At least he saved me from humiliating myself,” she hissed back. I could hear the unspoken sentiment in her words: unlike you.
“Your Highness, please believe me. I didn’t know about this,” I repeated, but she was already walking away from me, returning to the solitary throne at the far end of the garden.
It seemed the party was over for her.
She paused in her tracks as Navan came hurtling down the garden steps, his wings outstretched. He flew haphazardly, swinging from side to side, a giddy expression on his face. I’d seen that expression before, when he’d taken strong painkillers what seemed like a lifetime ago. Spiraling downward, he landed with a flourish, stretching out his hands like a gymnast who’d perfected a dismount.
“What did I miss?” he asked, feigning drunkenness as he chortled to himself.
Queen Brisha turned and shot him a sour look, but Navan seemed determined to make her laugh. I was grateful for that. No matter what the queen had done to try to woo Bashrik, she deserved to smile, and not feel like a fool for the way she adored him. I nodded to Bashrik and Angie, who were still canoodling in front of everyone.
“Bashrik, get away from her this instant! You don’t know what you might catch!” Navan joked, drunkenly nudging Bashrik in the shoulder. When that didn’t work, he tried to pry them away from each other, only to get a smack in the head from his brother. “I think they might be glued together.” He hiccupped. “Maybe we need to get something to cut them free before they suffocate!”
A small smile lifted the corners of Queen Brisha’s lips.
“Speaking of glue, Your Highness, please accept my heartiest apologies. I was trying to show off my flying moves, and I may have broken a few things in the process. An ice sculpture here, a priceless vase there, a couple of chandeliers… but who’s counting? It’s all in the name of a good time, right?” he blabbered, dropping to his knees in front of the queen. “Say you forgive me, Your Highness. Say I’m not for the executioner! Say you’ll let me see another dawn!” he begged, hiccupping through his words.
Queen Brisha chuckled, patting Navan on the back of the head like he was an unruly child. “I forgive you, Navan. I imagine the headache you’ll have tomorrow will be punishment enough,” she said kindly, before turning to me. “Perhaps you should get him to bed?” she suggested, most of her former animosity gone. I could still see the hurt in her eyes, and a heartbreak that would be difficult to shake, but she was a strong woman. She would get through it. I hoped so, anyway. There had to be someone truly worthy of her out there.
I nodded. “Of course, Your Highness.”
With that, I put my arm under Navan’s and pretended to help him to his feet, his body leaning against mine as I led him back toward the palace. He was still grinning like an idiot, his eyes unfocused, his wings flapping mindlessly behind him. I had to hand it to him. He was a convincing drunk.
“You are so shiny, like a bright star,” he murmured, keeping up the pretense as he smothered me in kisses.
I snorted. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
“Yes, please!” he whooped.
Peering over my shoulder to check on the others, I saw that Pandora was still watching me. There was uncertainty in her eyes, but she made no move to follow us. That was the strange thing about her: no matter what lies we told, or what we got up to, it never seemed to go any further, or find its way back to Queen Brisha. As the queen’s most trusted advisor, I would have expected Pandora to interrogate us, or confront us outright about our behavior, but she never did. Each time, she let it pass. And that, in and of itself, left me with a tingle of suspicion.
Chapter Fifteen
As I led Navan back into the palace, I realized that an opportunity lay before us. I couldn’t believe it hadn’t come to me sooner. Then again, all we’d been thinking about was getting the information out of Yorrek. Getting the information to Orion had been the next step, a bridge to cross, when we came to it. But now, it seemed the ideal moment had arisen.
“We need to go to the control room,” I whispered to Navan, who was still making a show of being drunk.
He frowned, his face turning serious for a moment. “Now?”
“Not many guards should be there. At the very least, it’ll be a reduced team, considering everyone is at the party,” I explained hurriedly. I was still thinking about the notebook Yorrek had mentioned, which was in the queen’s possession, but that would have to wait. I mean, we didn’t want to feed Orion everything at once. If we did, what further use would we be?
Navan smiled. “I love your mind,” he murmured, kissing me passionately on the lips. For a moment, I wondered if he might actually be drunk.
“We can do this later,” I whispered, pulling away from him.
Navan released me and took my hand with a sigh. “If I didn’t already despise Orion, I’d hate him for his uncanny ability to ruin a romantic moment, even from the other side of the universe.”
We hurried down the network of palace corridors, seeking out a doorway that would lead us down to the queen’s underground control bunker. The secret entrance on the top floor, where Pandora had exerted her impressive might upon the emergency exit, had already been closed back up again. If we busted it open, someone would undoubtedly find it and let the queen know, which was something we couldn’t risk—not after the close call we’d just had. Pandora might not have reported anything suspicious so far, but I doubted she’d be able to ignore a gaping hole in the wall of a palace corridor. No, we were already walking on a knife edge where Brisha was concerned; we needed to tread carefully.
An idea came to me. The wing of the palace that held the ancient galleria, and all the artifacts of the former royals, was abandoned. Nobody went there. Even if we had to kick down a door, we could always cover it up and nobody would notice. A guard doing a routine check would hardly bother to look too closely.
“The old part, with the galleria,” I whispered. “We should check for bunker entrances there.”
“Good idea,” Navan replied as we turned a corner into the main hallway of the palace. Guards were standing around, but they paid us no heed as we passed, evidently expecting us to go up in the elevator to our chambers. By now, our faces were well known in the palace, giving us the freedom to walk around relatively unhindered.
; We darted down one of the side corridors, out of sight of the guards. A short while later, we entered the dusty halls of the abandoned wing. It seemed a shame that all of this had fallen into ruin, when it must have been spectacular once, but I could see how it might trouble the queen. On the walls, the old images were of united royal families, not two sisters tearing a nation apart.
“There,” Navan said, pointing to a blank wall at the end of the long hallway. There was something strange about the way it had been painted, making it look almost false.
I crept forward, following Navan toward the peculiar, bare patch of wall. My eye was drawn to the galleria a short distance away, the shrouded statues and covered paintings just visible through a gap in the door. A creeping sensation shivered up my spine at the sight of the ghostly figures. I found myself half expecting one to swoop out and attack us.
Reaching the patch of wall, Navan tapped it lightly. The sound was oddly hollow, confirming our suspicions: something was hidden behind the façade. Casting a nervous glance backward, Navan turned and smashed his leg through the wall. An enormous hole crumbled inward, revealing a door beyond. With his muscles bulging, Navan tore the rest of the stone and plaster away, before kicking the door open. It swung wide, with a spiral set of stairs leading down into the dark unknown.
“Let’s hope this leads to the right place,” Navan said.
“Where else could it possibly lead?” I reached for a golden tassel that held back a flowing velvet curtain, dyed blood red. The curtain swung across the hole Navan had created. Whether it was a remnant from when the doorway hadn’t been shrouded by plaster, I wasn’t sure, but it had clearly been custom-made to cover this section of wall.
Ducking behind the curtain, we made our way down the steep spiral staircase, our path lit by the dim glow of emergency lighting. The metal was shaky, each step rustier than the last, crumbs of stone falling away with every move we made.
“How exactly are we going to send the intel to Orion?” I whispered, wanting to break the silence of our steady descent.