Page 83 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

Crux seems to know where he is going, and it would not surprise me if he had already been here, scouting the area for ways in before we met.

We quickly make our way to the house, and he rounds the corner, leading me to a low, one-story building that looks as though it was a later addition to the house. Crux scales the building, standing on the roof of the squat structure. As I get closer, I get a waft of clean, fresh laundry, and I realise these are the servants quarters. I listen closely and hear the sounds of someone washing dishes, confirming my thoughts.

I think about what he said as we break into the Oakenstram house. I hate that he said it—not because of his doubt, but because now I have to acknowledge the small, niggling part of my brain that is trying to get my attention. A part of me is reluctant to hurt anyone who was so close to my family. My father and Lord Oakenstram were good friends, and he was loyal up until the very end.

Now he seems to be involved in trying to kill the king, and I want to know why. From what I remember, he was a family man and always kind to me as a child. I do not relish the fact that I am probably going to have to hurt or kill him, but I have to protect Joha.

Thanks to the aid of a drainpipe, I join Crux on the roof, glancing at him to find him pointing to an open window on the second floor of the main structure. Removing my daggers from my thigh sheath, I stab them into the brick and begin climbing, using them to gain purchase.

Getting into the house is easy. No one in the Uppers expects to be broken into, especially not a family as large and influential as Oakenstrams. The hired guards outside would be a deterrent to most too. The rich never learn, comfortable with their perceived sense of safety. What they never realise until too late is that money does not buy their safety. By leaving a window wide open, they are practically begging to have their house burgled.

We are not here to steal anything though, unless stealing secrets counts.

Inside the building, we start with the bedrooms. At this time of night, most people will be fast asleep. When we reach the master bedroom, however, we only find a sleeping woman, the other side of the bed still untouched. Wherever the lord is, he has not come to bed yet.

I tilt my head, recognising the quiet sounds of a crackling fire downstairs. Crux hears it at the same time I do and gestures for me to go down the large, grand staircase. He turns in the other direction, and I know he means for us to split up.

Light on my feet, I tiptoe down the steps, my dagger raised as I stalk the hallways. Light and warmth guide me until I find myself outside a study. It’s a huge room lined with bookshelves and a large, mahogany desk facing the marble fireplace. There are many different ways I could enter the room, but stealth is not the aim right now, so I simply walk through the doorway as though I own it.

It takes Lord Oakenstram a few moments to realise he’s not alone, and when he spots me, his face pales. Slowly, he reaches towards his sword, which is leaning against the desk, but it’s too far.

“Take whatever you want, just leave my family and me in peace,” he says quietly but firmly, as though that is going to deter me.

Clucking my tongue, I continue to walk towards the desk. “What I want is information.”

He seems genuinely confused by the comment. “What information could I possibly have that someone like you would need?” Is he so sure of himself that he didn’t think the assassination attempt would be linked to him?

I snort at the comment. Someone like me? If only he knew.

I don’t bother to beat around the bush. “The attacks on the king. I know you are behind them.”

His face pales as I speak. “I know nothing of that.” His voice shakes, giving him away.

“Liar.” Jumping over the desk, I knock him from his chair and press my blade against his throat. “I will hurt you to get what I need, but we can do this without bloodshed, your choice.”

It’s easy to kill and hurt bad people, but with good people, especially ones you are familiar with, it’s harder. It doesn’t mean I won’t do it, especially for Joha, but it does cause me to twinge.

His hands come up as though he plans to grab the blade, but he thinks better of it at the last moment and drops them. “My family?—”

“I will kill your family to get what she wants,” Crux croons, standing in the doorway with the terrified, sobbing woman we found upstairs not long ago and a tall, young man who must be his son. He looks just like his father, and despite having just been dragged from bed, he holds himself like a lord, standing tall and proud, refusing to cower despite the threat.

“Please, let my father go,” the boy asks, surely no older than seventeen. I have not seen him at court yet, so I’m guessing he has not yet reached adulthood.

“Why are you trying to kill the king?” I ask again, pressing my weight against him and making him lean forward. “Or are you just the dogsbody who organises the attacks?”

“If I speak, I’ll put my whole family at risk.” He shakes his head adamantly, and I have to admire his balls. His family is at knifepoint, yet he won’t say anything because his family would be hurt? Find the logic in that one.

“Look,” I coo, lowering my voice as though I’m sharing a secret. “My friend over there likes to play with knives, and if I don’t get any information, then he’s going to start cutting. Once he gets started, it is difficult to get him to stop.”

“I think I’ll start with the woman,” Crux remarks, ignoring the shrill cry of Oakenstram’s wife.

That woman once chased me through our back garden, playing hide-and-seek with me. She’s older now, with more lines and grey hair, but it’s her. The memories keep on coming, and I force them back. I cannot afford to be weak.

The lord’s eyes widen, and I see genuine love and fear for his wife, but he presses his lips together and squeezes his eyes shut. From the corner of my eye, I see Crux examining his blades, letting the light gleam off the sharp metal before lowering it to the woman’s skin.

“Wait!” the son blurts out.

Crux pauses, looking over expectantly.

---