Page 142 of Secrets of Graves and Gold

I hold out my fist for the others to knock theirs to it. It’s a simple ritual, but the resolve in the air firms as our knuckles tap together.

“Off we go, then.” Casimir gives Ivy and me a playful salute and heads for the horses with the scholar and the daimon at his heels.

The moment we hear their steeds clomp off through the woods, Ivy resumes her pacing. “Between the dropped letter and the conversation we’ll arrange for the scout to overhear, the Order will have to believe it, won’t they? That Darium soldiers are coming to give King Konram a means to escape the uprising? If they don’t go to confront the soldiers…”

“It should work,” I reassure her. “And if it doesn’t, we can send the Darium forces after the march. There are multiple ways to play the scheme. But you have your own role too. Let’s go over those lines in Darium again.”

Ivy grimaces at me. We’re lucky she knows enough spoken Darium to be able to understand basic questioning and know how to respond. Not what you’d expect from a street rat thief, but I suppose nothing less would be fitting for the Hand of Kosmel.

All I needed to help her with was some minor adjustments to her accent and a few more specialized words of vocabulary. Boating isn’t one of her regular pastimes.

I toss out the questions a regular patrol might ask her, and Ivy volleys back her answers with a casual air. I don’t know if her Darium would be convincing in an extended conversation, but I can’t criticize anything in the few sentences that are all she should need to speak.

When we’re done, I rest my elbow on the makeshift desk we’ve formed out of chunks of rubble and a larger slab of stone. “Good. I already know you can keep cool under pressure. As long as you act as if you have every right to be there, you shouldn’t have any trouble.”

“With that part, anyway,” Ivy says dryly. She sits down by the wall and tips her head back with a sigh. “I guess you have your own letter to write.”

I suspect she’s more concerned about the plan as a whole than her own part in it, which plays to her strengths. The entire idea was hers. Crazy but brilliant, really.

If it saves her from the insanity of her magic while also saving the kingdom I’ve sworn to defend, I’ll go with crazy. Even if the thought of this final letter makes my stomach clench around a fresh twinge of queasiness.

I retrieve the paper and the ink we acquired for our purpose. “Yes. King Konram will need to be informed of what’s going on and why so he doesn’t make any rash moves.”

“He isn’t going to be happy about this tactic.”

“Most likely not,” I admit. “But as long as he’s pleased with the ultimate outcome, that’s what matters.”

And that has to be all that matters to me as well. Never mind that carrying out this plan is the closest I’ve actually come to real treason.

I stare at the paper for a long moment, grappling with the fact that I’m going to have to inform my king of that treason. But if he doesn’t understand what we’ve set in motion, it could be disastrous for all of us.

I simply have to hope that he eventually sees that everything I’ve done, including this, has been for him and Silana.

Struggling my way through writing the letter at least gives me something to distract myself with while we wait for the others to return. Ivy gnaws on our last apple and goes out to stretch her legs with a stroll around the building.

I’m sure she’d have wanted to be right there with the other men if discretion weren’t so important.

I hear the distant bells ring for one hour and then the next before I sign my name at the bottom of my missive. I fold it firmly and tuck it into the inner pocket of my cloak.

If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be setting it on its course late tonight.

As I get up from the makeshift desk, Ivy reappears. She takes one look at my face, and hers falls. “I’m sorry. You must hate this.”

My heart stutters. She and I are going to have to be apart for more of this scheme than I like. If something goes wrong, we may not make it back to each other, as much as I loathe to think about that.

The last thing I want is for us to part ways with her imagining that I resent what she’s asked of me.

“Ivy.” I walk up to her, holding her bright blue gaze. “This is a fantastic plan. I doubt I could have come up with anything more likely to work if I’d had weeks to consider it. And you’re the one who put all the pieces together. I’m grateful to get another chance at destroying the scourge sorcerers.”

“By turning your worst enemies into sort of allies?”

I make a dismissive sound. “They’ll face their own dire end. What’s a little more treason after everything I’ve already been accused of?”

Before she can do more than wince, I draw her into my arms, my voice dropping low. “The real treason is that King Konram hasn’t yet seen how inspiring you are.”

Ivy manages to form an incredulous sort of huff. “I guess even Signy faced plenty of doubt before she proved herself.”

“And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve proven yourself a hundred times over already.”

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