Page 141 of Secrets of Graves and Gold

It’s a simple, straightforward question, no pleading or cajoling. But I can see in the strain on her face how much she needs me to stand by her right now.

And I know down to the core of me that I’d follow this woman right over the edge of the world if she asked me to.

“Yes,” I say. “Whatever it is. Just tell me what you need.”

Before she can answer, footsteps rustle outside. Stavros appears in the doorway, his hair rumpled from his ride, his expression unreadable.

A flicker of hope rises in my chest—that maybe he’s seen thousands of royal soldiers already arriving to defend the king or evidence of some other response that’ll make whatever danger Ivy’s planning to hurl herself into unnecessary.

“Any news?” I ask.

The twist of his mouth makes my heart sink again before he even speaks. “The local forces are clearly more on the alert, but with the numbers currently stationed here, I’m not sure how much of a defense they’ll provide. From what I overheard, there are reinforcements on their way, but they’re more than a day out.”

“Too far,” Ivy murmurs, and focuses on him. “The scourge sorcerers are attacking before dawn tomorrow. But Casimir was just reminding me that sometimes enemies can become allies. I think we can set a trap that could mean the end of the Order of the Wild—or at least, of any chance of them harming the royal family tomorrow.”

Stavros lifts his eyebrows. “What’s that?”

Ivy’s gaze slides to me. She takes my hand. “I’m going to need all your skills for putting people at ease, Cas. We’ll have to win a little trust from both the scourge sorcerers and a bunch of Darium soldiers.”

A different sort of glow forms in my chest. I have no idea where she’s going with this, but my answer remains the same. “Any talent I have is yours as well. What’s this trap we’re going to lay?”

Thirty-Nine

Stavros

The sight of the Darium words marching across the paper makes my skin tighten up even though I know it was a friend and not one of the enemy who wrote them.

I fought the pricks who want to take our country for themselves for years—trying to think as if I’m one of them is nauseating.

But right now, they could be the key to destroying a much more immediate threat.

With his scholarly knowledge of the language, Alek was the obvious choice to write the false letter. I coached him through the content with my understanding of the Darium forces and their interest in Silana, while Casimir guided the subtler aspects of our phrasing.

We need the letter to sound convincing but also not overly pointed. Anything too blatant might raise suspicions of it being a fake.

We accept your appeal in exchange for the stake we’re owed in Silana. If the flag on your fort a mile west of where the three pines stand at the Seafell’s bank is burnt by the second bell of the morning, we’ll cross to the pines and convey the item by the means you requested. Any deviation from your promise, and the deal will be forfeit.

Emperor Tarquin looks forward to reestablishing a partnership that benefits us both. In this alliance, you do the continent proud, King Konram.

Ivy paces at the other end of the abandoned outpost’s main room. “Julita knows that at least Borys can read Darium, so the Order of the Wild will figure out what it says. Would their army definitely write to our king in that language?”

I nod. “I don’t know if any of the Order members are familiar enough with our former conquerors to be aware of this fact, but the empire has always presented their own language as superior to all others. They wouldn’t want to deal with King Konram unless he was willing to engage with them on their own terms.”

Casimir pokes his head through the doorway. “The horses are saddled. Are you happy with the letter?”

Happy isn’t the word for it.

“I think it should be convincing in combination with the show you and Alek will put on,” I say, and hand it over to him. “Make sure you’re careful about how you drop it—it has to look completely accidental.”

Casimir grins. “Ivy may be our expert at stealth, but I can pull off a little slight of hand. It’s unfortunate how a bit of wind can snag on a piece of paper that’s jostled from a pocket with hard riding.”

Ivy rubs her hands together. “All right. You’d better go so we have as much time as possible to catch a scout.”

She glances at Rheave, who’s been watching the proceedings with quiet curiosity. “And you have to make sure they don’t see you fire the arrow.”

He hefts his bow eagerly. “I’ll climb so high up a tree it’ll soar right over the tops.”

Alek tugs at the hood of his cloak. He’s got it draped particularly far forward so it’ll hide the scarred side of his face, but I can tell he’s nervous. “We’ve worked out all the details. It should be simple enough.”

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