Page 33 of His Noble Ruin

“What was the point ofthat?” he hissed.

Heat filled my chest, and I hoped it wouldn’t make its way to my face. “I don’t know! I wasn’t thinking—”

“Then that’s your problem right there,” he said.

I crossed my arms and turned away from his insufferable frown, but he was right. That was what made me so ashamed. I had put my plan and the people I cared for in jeopardy. All for reasons I couldn’t understand.

He grabbed my shoulder. “Are you taking this seriously? Or are you just some entitled—”

“Please! I would’ve preferred jail.” I wrenched away from his grip and took a step, but pain stabbed through my foot. My sharp inhale gave me away before I could hide it.

“I’ll keep that in mind next time,” said Cael. “And if there is a next time, I’ll tell your father to get a new man for the job.”

“You’d give up your reward that easily?” I asked.

“I was referring toyourjob.”

I rolled my eyes. “If only. I wouldn’t be doing this myself if there were anyone else I trusted. But there’s not, is there?” I didn’t even trust Cael, but dragging more people into this conspiracy wasn’t an option. So here we were. Stuck with each other.

“Here.” He pulled the stolen book from his belt and tossed it to me. “Keep your prize. I don’t want this thing.”

I stared at it for a moment before tucking it into my bag. I didn’t want him to know I hadn’t intended to steal it. It would only make me look more incompetent. I turned and stepped away, more delicately this time. Just then, bells rang throughout the city. I closed my eyes and counted the tolls. Nine. The gates to Quarter C would lock in an hour.

I didn’t stand a chance.

With my injured heel, I couldn’t possibly run—or even walk at a normal speed. Getting caught in the streets after curfew would take me to the very place I’d just managed to avoid. Citizens and carriages still passed by at the end of the alleyway, but they’d become far less frequent than before.

“Time to find somewhere to hide for the night,” said Cael.

I bristled at the satisfaction in his voice. With his uniform, he wouldn’t have to worry about being out after curfew. “Or you could use your costume to get me a carriage.”

“Won’t work. If we get caught, we’ll both go to jail.”

I left the alleyway and started down the main street, with no idea of where to go. I couldn’t focus on anything but the throbbing in my heel.

A carriage came barreling down the road.

I jumped to the side, barely getting out of the way in time. Bolts of pain shot through my foot and I lost my balance and fell. The wheels flicked off a stream of muddy water, splashing my hair and clothes when they’d just begun to dry.

A nobleman stepped around me, disdain on his face as he passed by without a word.

I braced myself for the pain and managed to stand as another horse-drawn carriage lumbered toward me.

The nobleman lifted his arm to wave it down. The horses halted and the man showed his rank card to the driver before climbing inside. I shook my head and sighed, wishing I’d forged myself a high enough rank card to hire a carriage.

The horses’ hooves clicked rhythmically on the cobblestones as they trotted away. Just before the carriage disappeared, my eye caught the platform on the back where a footman would stand.

My breath quickened and I turned around, a new excitement kicking in. There would be more carriages. And though none of the passengers would be going to Quarter C, the drivers might. Wherever it took me, it was guaranteed to be farther from the Academy and its Enforcers.

It was worth a try.

Cael stopped a few feet away, watching with a raised eyebrow.

The clatter of more hooves alerted me to my next chance. I stepped to the right side of the street, as close as I could get without being trampled. The carriage wasn’t stopping, but I crouched, getting ready to spring.

Just as it passed, I grabbed hold of the footman’s handle and jumped, my feet landing on the edge of the platform. The carriage bounced under my weight and I tried to ignore the shock that coursed through my feet and into my bones.

“What in Irvine’s name was that?” a woman’s frightened voice asked from inside.

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