Page 61 of If The Crown Fits
“That one written all over your face. It’s not like I take that much pleasure in it. It’s a means to an end.”
“You don’t seem particularly sad about the fact that you still have my necklace.” I managed a chuckle and then cringed at the pain from my ribs.
“First of all, if what Lance says is true, this thing is dangerous and shouldn’t be in the hands of someone who would abuse it.”
“And secondly?” I raised an eyebrow.
“And secondly, you shouldn’t be giving away magic necklaces to women you don’t know.”
“What can I say? I’m too trusting of people. It’s my weakness.”
We reached a small stream and Lara stepped into the ankle-deep water, gesturing for me to follow. We walked in the stream and I realised this was her making sure they wouldn’t be able to track us easily.
“So why did you do it?”
“Why did I agree to work with Lance?”
“Yes. I assume he held something over your head?”
“It was more than that,” she said. “He offered me my freedom.” We stepped over rocks and puddles and brushed past tall grass.
I listened for any strange noises coming through the night air, but all was fairly quiet.
“Your freedom?”
“You see, my parents died when I was just a baby.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” I offered my condolences, but Lara brushed it off.
“It’s the world we live in. You can’t miss somebody you never knew. I was raised by my uncle, who also happens to be the leader of a group of bandits. He raised me to be like him. Raised me to fight for my survival, even if it sometimes meant doing questionable things. But Uncle Arthur has been busy with something else these past few years and I always thought he would never really get far and eventually give up, but I was wrong. He is planning something and I’m not sure I can be part of it.
“He gets messages from people, suggestions as to where a rich party will be travelling, or where something valuable is hidden, like aristocrats’ family heirlooms. Sort of like the common folk helping each other out, helping the cause.”
“The cause?” I dared to ask.
“It’s no secret that many in the kingdom are suffering, all while the nobility sit in their fancy homes and couldn’t care about anyone but themselves. My uncle—” She sighed. “Myuncle uses some of the money to help those in need. But he’s had many things to take care of in the last few years, so I’ve taken on more responsibility in this area. Especially with the bigger stuff.
“I received a message addressed to the Masked Bandit, saying they would pay a large amount of money if I could steal this particular necklace from the princess. I thought I would take the money and run away. Needless to say, it didn’t go as planned.”
“Because Lance caught you.”
“Because Lance was the one who wrote the letter and hired me,” she said and my eyes widened a little. “He wanted to test my skills and get the necklace with little effort.” Her story was starting to add up, but it still didn’t explain what I thought I had known after seeing the painting in the library. And it was starting to sound like Lara knew even less than me. I kept my mouth shut until I could be certain I was no longer being lied to.
“What does he do with the rest of the money?”
Lara looked at me then, her eyes dead serious. “He’s planning a rebellion, Cai.”
My fist clenched. This wasn’t good. Civil wars were never pretty and it could cause a lot of trouble for Norrandale as well, considering we were trying to make an alliance with Everness. Then again, it could mean something else entirely if the Evernean monarchy was overthrown.
“And you’re in favour of the monarchy?” I questioned.
“Not at all. I hate them, for everything they’ve done to the people of Everness. It’s probably why I don’t feel bad for driving a knife into Lance’s torso. But stealing some earrings isn’t the same as a war with blood being shed.”
I would know.“Where were you going to go with the money?”
She chuckled. “I was actually planning on going to Norrandale. I heard you have the most exquisite beaches there. I might have bought a cottage and settled down somewhere.”
“You don’t worry about what will happen to your uncle and the rest of them?”
