Page 103 of A Dance of Shadows

In fact, whatever edict Linus announces for one group or another’s “failure” will probably beworsethan she could guess. She’s only just getting to know him.

Other conversations must be going on at the fringes of the crowd, because Lorenzo’s illusionary voice speaks as if he’s right at my ear, reporting on one.“Raul can use his gift to feel how dense the cave-in is. He’ll be able to tell when the people outside are getting close to removing all the rubble. He says he can track down your sacred spring too, if you need any help with that.”

Right. We have plenty of talents on our side too, even if I can’t reveal some of them to the rest of the group.

My mind scrambles for a reasonable solution. What exactly did Linus say?

Whoever fails to complete their task before the other…

I raise my voice to carry through the nervous murmurs, taking as light a tone as I can manage. If I can make it sound as if my spirits are high, perhaps my companions won’t see the mess I’ve gotten them into as such a horror after all.

“His Imperial Majesty made it a race, one he expects to have a winner and a loser. But there are only two groups competing. If we succeed in our tasks at the same time, then it’s a tie—we’ve all proven ourselves capable.”

My friend Cataline shifts her weight from one foot to the other, hugging her thin frame. “How will we know when the other group is nearly done to time our arrival right?”

“We’ll find our way out quickly but keep our distance and send someone ahead to quietly watch. They can let us know when we should emerge.”

That someone can be Raul, who’ll be able to monitor the situation without getting anywhere near enough to the clearing for Linus to spot him.

Of course, it’s possible my husband will decide that we all lost rather than that we all won. I’ll do whatever I can to swing him in the latter direction.

One of the Accasian noblemen speaks up in a hesitant tone. “Are you sure we should risk it? If the emperor sees that tactic as breaking his rules…”

He trails off, but his anxiety prickles over me.

He’s already seen enough of my husband that he doesn’t trust my judgment. Having served as their princess for twenty-one years hasn’t earned me even that much trust in the face of Linus’s sadistic insanity.

I thought at least the people of my home country would have faith that I can guide them through whatever comes.

I square my shoulders. “I’ll take full responsibility for our strategy. If my husband objects to the decision, I’ll be very clear that it was mine.” I let the corner of my lips tick upward. “But there’s no reason he shouldn’t assume it’s mere coincidence.”

As long as no one informs him otherwise, I think goes without saying.

There’s a moment of pensive silence, broken by a clap of Bianca’s hands. She lets out an airy giggle. “What an adventure! We can all be as explorers of old with our empress leading the way. Far more thrilling than hauling rocks, I’d say.”

The trickle of laughter that follows her assessment steadies my nerves. If we can turn the potential terror of this challenge into a triumph, I may find myself with more allies rather than fewer.

Father lets out a light chuckle of his own. “I’d put my mind to a plan, but my daughter, our empress, has already come up with quite a clever one. So let’s set off. It may take time to work our way through the tunnels, but I promise you, we’ll see you out of here before too long.”

That last statement will be mainly for the benefit of the Darium figures who’ve joined us. Those of us born in Accasy have faith in the caves and the godlen who once guided our people through them.

Father takes a step forward and then pauses with a nod to me. Bianca did suggest that I’d be taking the lead, as little as he’s used to that order.

Girding myself, I take the lantern he offers me and set off down the passage.

The rest of our party streams along behind me. A few uneasy murmurs reach my ears, but the light and the confidence my parents and I have shown have cut off any panic.

We shouldn’t even need the stash of food the palace servants will have hidden along with the lanterns. At least it’s there in case the test proves more difficult than we expect.

Nica falls into step beside me. My other closest friend has her mouth set in one of her familiar wry smiles. “Quite the husband you landed. He’s certainly ambitious… about what all of us should be accomplishing.”

My lips twitch with a matching smile even as my stomach sinks. She doesn’t know the half of it.

“He has a distinctive temperament,” I agree, and pause. What else could I tell her that wouldn’t sound like treason to the Darium nobles among us?

What else would I even want her to know about the life I was bartered off to for the greater good I might be able to accomplish? Do I want my friends picturing me living in misery and under constant threat?

The life I’ve been dragged into is so different from the days we spent here in Accasy, where the Darium forces were generally only a simmering frustration in the background. Their presence never tainted the palace and court.

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