Page 50 of Of Daggers and Deceit

He reached the rear of the building, facing a section not covered by the thorny red roses that scrambled up the walls. I frowned, craning my neck further over the edge to confirm he was facing an empty white wall.

Firm hands gripped my hips, pulling me back from the edge.

“Riley.” A plea. An edge of fear was evident in his tone, but my hands gripped the petals tighter, driven by gut instinct that urged me to stay focused. I needed to see what was to come. There was so much at stake.

Zander raised his finger to press against the wall, a tiny spot just to the left. I watched the scene in fascination as the wall popped backwards and across, revealing a darkened doorway. He scanned once, twice around him, unaware of his Rose watching on, before stepping into the dark, the door sealing shut behind him.

I smiled triumphantly, leaning back to stare at the sloshing sea on the horizon.

I was right about this building, this container of secrets. This was powerful information, the kind I could wield.

First, I would need to think about what I intended to do with it, how far I might follow it, how I might get beyond the invisible doorway to see what lay beneath the garden’s surface. I turned towards Sly thoughtfully, his hands moving away from my hips.

“Did you know about the hidden doorway in this building?” I asked curiously.

He looked at me, his expression hardening. “I did, and it is not your concern, Riley,” he stated matter-of-factly. Any trace of our earlier, more emotional conversation had gone.

I didn’t like his tone or his dismissiveness, so I persisted.

“Have you been down there?” I retorted, unwilling to let this go. He didn’t truly understand my goal, nor how much effort I had put in, and he didn’t know how much I had given up for the little progress I had made.

His jaw ticked, and his expression twisted further. “I haven’t. Only he is allowed to access that part of the building. We do not question that order.”

I turned away from him in irritation, tired of the secrets Zander kept that we weren’t ever able to question.

“If I found a way to enter, would you want to know what’s down there?” My patience was thin today; time felt like it was slipping from my grip.

I was becoming desperate, too goal-oriented to not pursue the gift of knowledge I had been given today. It was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.

“Yes,” he admitted reluctantly, “But we will likely never know what’s down there. The technology on that door allows entry to only few.

I beamed, knowing regardless I would find a way.

That was the only answer I needed as I came to my decision quickly. Whatever I could use, I would.

I would find my way into that building to see what Zander was hiding, something so coveted that not even I was allowed to lay eyes on it.

Whatever lay beyond those walls, whatever possession he held within, I needed to know. My gut was telling me, shouting at me, that what lay locked away from the light of the day may just be the solution I didn’t know I’d been looking for.

RILEY

Tonight was a night for dangerous decisions.

I’d thought so long on the random appearance of the female in the rose garden, of her power, her ability, how Sly had never seen her. I’d toiled over the whispered words she’d spoken, of Raya’s death foretold like a prophecy, but it seemed more like a warning instead. Then, last night had happened, and I considered everything I saw a gift. Perhaps our goddess Omni favoured me, showing a small bit of mercy for all I had sacrificed to be in this position. Either way, I took it seriously and spent all last night after Sly had taken me back to my room and most of today forming a plan to protect Raya and gain myself an advantage at the same time. The knowledge I’d acquired would be something I could leverage. It may be the only way to keep her safe.

It was why I was now slinking through the streets, keeping to the shadows instead of staying locked away in my room. It had been difficult to leave undetected by guards, even more so to move quieter than the deathly silence that smothered the city on the nights of the thinning.

But I’d remembered so many valuable things in the quiet of this week, even if I dared not touch part of the answer I knew was sitting in the vent of my room. I tried not to think about it right now. Raya might even be proud of my risky solution to our problems, though I didn’t plan to tell her. I couldn’t tell her. The less others knew, the better. It was just the way this city worked. For now, at least.

I hadn’t even whispered a word to Sly, knowing he would hate it. I intended to execute it myself and show him the prize once all was said and done.

Zander had told me that these four nights per year were significant to us here at the Haven, as he had the most potent line of communication with our Goddess Omni. For these four nights, I’d watched him follow the same, pedantic ritual now so enmeshed into my own mind.

Step one was to shower for thirty minutes, washing only with soap that smelled of roses. Then, he would anoint candles as well as his body with rose oil to strengthen his connection through the ambience and tranquillity of his environment. Step three: he would dress in all white, soft linens rather than his usual business suit.

I personally didn’t mind the smell of roses, and their beauty was undeniable, but the aroma wafting from his room was as sickly and suffocating as his obsession with them. I sucked in a slow breath, the smell of spices an instant comfort and sign I’d made it to the Outer Ring unnoticed.

I’d been a good Rose of the Haven and listened tonight as he declared again that roses vibrated with the frequency of love, that there was nothing purer to offer our God Omni for her dedication to our city.

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