Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Kerrigan groaned. “Right. I hadn’t considered that.” She bit her lip and forced down a yawn. “I don’t feel like me sitting through more Red Masks murders would be that beneficial anyway.”
Valia nodded and crossed her arms. “I suppose not. So, what is our next step?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
She ran a hand back through her hair and tried to piece together the night in her mind. Sleep dragged at her, making it difficult to concentrate. Something was nagging at her, but she couldn’t quite place it.
She snapped her fingers. “The Collector.”
Valia arched an eyebrow. “What about it?”
“It has a memory of all the Red Masks who have touched it. If we could get our hands on it, then we could find a way to extract that information.”
She looked skeptical. “How?”
“I don’t know. We could figure it out together, but we need to get it first. Imagine what it would be like if we had a full list of everyone who agreed with the Father. Imagine if the Father touched it, Valia. We would have proof to take to the Society about all of this.”
“Yeah, but how are we going to steal it?”
“That’s where you come in. You have to figure out where it’s being kept. I can do the break-in.”
“You didn’t even hear me come into your room,” she argued.
“Well, are you going to steal it?”
Valia bit her lip. “No. No, you’re right. If I was caught …”
“We need more information first before we move forward. The Collector feels like the key to everything. If we can get our hands on it, even for an hour, it could change our entire mission.”
“I’ll see what I can do. What are you going to do in the meantime?”
“I’m on research duty.”
“Miss Kerrigan,” Benton said from the other side of the door. “Are you awake? Should we call for breakfast?”
“Yes, please,” she called back.
Valia blended in with the shadows again. “I’ll sneak out later.”
Kerrigan nodded and then brashly banged the door open. She spoke with Benton and Bayton, drawing them into the bathing chambers to help with her bath. She hoped it was enough time for Valia to get out, unseen.
Even though she preferred bathing herself, it was a relief after the night she’d had to let someone else take over. By the time she’d bathed, changed into fresh clothes, and eaten a proper breakfast, she was feeling worlds better. A catnap still would have been preferable, but she didn’t have time.
Her apprenticeship meeting was to take place any minute. She dashed down the halls, evading passing guardsmen and innocuous servants. She shot a smile at Audria as she slid into place. Roake snorted and leaned against the wall.
“Almost late,” Audria called.
“Almost.”
“I heard you had an eventful evening.”
Kerrigan’s smile wavered. What exactly had she heard?
“The Season event,” she offered with an arched eyebrow. “I heard the king and queen invited you to have the wedding at Belcourt.”
“Oh.”
Audria stepped forward. “Still no word from Fordham?”
She shook her head. “I’ve heard nothing.”
“I’m sorry,” she offered, touching her hand.
“It’s fine.”
They both knew it for the lie that what it was.
Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of their mentors.
“Master Bastian,” she said with a wide smile.
“Walk with me, Kerrigan.”
She fell into step beside him as they headed out of the training area and toward the exit to the mountain.
“Where are we going?”
“I prefer the air in the greenhouses,” he said easily. “Do you not?”
Her heart constricted. That was one of the first places that she and Fordham had been together. They hadn’t confessed feelings, but things had gotten heated. She couldn’t even think about the greenhouses without thinking of him. All those years she’d snuck in there with Darby, Hadrian, and Lyam, and now, it was all overlaid with that one beautiful memory of Ford.
“Of course.”
They traversed the lower corridors until they came upon the eastern exit from the mountain grounds. They stepped into the vast greenhouses, containing every manner of plant from all of Alandria. Ancient Fae masters had created the enormous glass windowpanes that made up the main structure of the greenhouses. The air was cooler than it was outside, and a dampness permeated everything.
“What would you like to get out of your apprenticeship, Kerrigan?” Bastian asked, inspecting a flowering bloom.
“Honestly, I want to do good for the people. I want to find a way to help others.”
He nodded approvingly. “Which was why you wanted to work with me.”
“Yes,” she agreed easily. “Your work to get more healers throughout Alandria and a system to prevent fires from taking out whole districts, among so many other endeavors, has shown me how much a council member can do.”
“And you want to be on the council?”
“I wasn’t sure.” She knew Bastian wanted her to speak freely. He’d always been that way. “But I see the value in any modicum of influence. I didn’t ask for all of this to happen to me, but it would be foolish not to accept it as a gift.”