Courtiers thronged this area of the palace. As she threadedthrough them, she ignored any comments or questions. Word of her arrival was nodoubt already on its way to her father’s ears, another reason to hurry. Shekept her focus tight on her pyramid, though the siren call had dimmed. Even so,she nearly sprinted up the next staircase.
And stopped. No guards stood at the entry to the royal quarters.
That wasn’t right. She sent her senses out again and noted thetrap pyramids nestled in the walls. They hadn’t been canceled or set off, sothe royal apartments might still be safe, but even if the queen and the princeweren’t in their rooms, someone should be on guard.
She turned, frowning, searching, and spotted movement down thehall, turning the corner toward where the council chambers waited. It seemed alikely place to find out what was happening.
Even if her father might be there.
Sylph took a deep breath, spurred into motion when she heardfootsteps on the stairs. She couldn’t linger and be questioned by curiouscourtiers or palace guards, so she rushed for the council chambers. As sheturned the corner, she saw guards on the room, but the door stood slightlyajar.
She drew herself up as the guards stepped in front of the doors,barring her way. “Lady Sylph Montague,” she said archly. “Stand aside.”
They didn’t even look at her, didn’t seem to be looking atanything, not even the pyramid in her hand.
They didn’t even blink.
And she didn’t have time to figure out why. She pulled a block ofstone from either side of the door—making it sag slightly on its hinges—andused the stone to pin the guards to the walls. They didn’t protest, certainlyhypnotized.
She stepped closer and slowly pushed on the door. Her father’sraised voice greeted her, and she paused. He rarely yelled, and she tried notto let it unnerve her as he berated a small group of men and women clustered inone corner.
“You’ve gone too far,” he cried.
Sylph edged closer. Her father stood in front of a group of hispeers on the far side of the table. At the head sat the queen and prince, bothwith vacant expressions similar to that of the guards. Sylph clenched her jawto steel her nerves and took another step. Her father turned at the movement,gawking. She nearly laughed to see him so discomfited, so human. She recognizedall those who stood with him, but the group in the corner were strangers toher.
All but one, she realized as she focused on a lone woman whostood to the side of the queen’s chair. Lady Lucia, the queen’s current lover.
* * *
Thana stepped back from the capstone, not happy with the hastylock, but it would have to do. At least the rumbling had stopped, so shesupposed she’d accomplished something. She didn’t want to detect the rogues’pyramids again, not wanting them to know they’d been discovered…if they didn’tknow already. The last thing she needed was for them to try to cancel herpyramids.
Or, spirits forbid, the capstone.
She needed more pyramids than those she carried. She’d have toraid her office. She could check on Sylph, too, escort her upstairs if she wasstill waiting on Gunnar or collect him if he’d made it.
She raced out of the cavern and up into the secret passages. Whenshe rounded the corner to find Sylph gone, she wasn’t even that surprised,though she’d been hoping for a better outcome.
“You did tell her to find the Order if they didn’t show,” shemumbled. Maybe she’d get lucky and run into all of them in the royal quarters.
She had to exit the passages and go up the main stairs, hopingagain that one day, she could travel the entire palace within the walls. Thehalls were buzzing with the news that Lady Sylph, dressed all in black like amummer, had appeared out of nowhere. As Thana wound her way through gossipingcourtiers, the story grew from simple gossip about Sylph’s purpose to morebizarre stories, with everything from a murderous gleam in Sylph’s eye to theimage of her screaming about wild Fiends.
It seemed no one had seen her pyramid. Or perhaps they hadn’tcared to see a noble with peasant magic. And it wasn’t snobby to think so. Shewas trying to give more nobles the benefit of the doubt, but these werecourtiers, deserving of scorn, especially when the comment she heard most wassome variation of, “Did you see her hair?” followed by mocking laughter. Thanawas tempted to shout the truth about noble pyradistés and give them somethingreal to talk about, proving that Gunnar had been right not to tell her.
She turned away from the stairs that led to the royal apartments,not wanting to bother with the guards or give any watching courtiers a reasonto follow. Instead, she ducked into an empty alcove and slipped behind apainting, entering the secret passage that led to her office. Once there, shetook a moment to breathe in the scent of leather and old books, catch herbreath, and gather her courage. People needed her, and she wasn’t going to letthem down.
After stuffing her satchel with useful pyramids, she hesitated atthe Fiend pyramid that linked with the capstone, then packed it, too, keepingit in the box so she didn’t accidentally grab it and help the rogues destroythe city.
Now she’d have to risk the royal halls, but at least she’d be onthe other side of the guards and away from prying eyes. She opened her officedoor and hurried toward the queen’s apartment. Gunnar had to have explainedthings to her by now. He was probably with her at that—
The door to the queen’s apartment stood open. It was never leftthat way. Earnhilt valued her privacy too much.
Thana slipped a hand into her satchel and readied a flash bomb.The rogues couldn’t have gotten in here. She glanced at the traps in the wallsthat she hadn’t disarmed earlier. They were still clear, gleaming