Chapter Thirty-Three
“Emrys. What do I owe the pleasure?” I refused to let him spoil my night out with Dris. “Dris, this is Emrys.” I waved between them in introduction. Emrys’s hand touched Dris’s and brought it to his pierced lip for a gentleman’s kiss.
Her half-sneer was comical.
“Two ladies out for a late-night pastry. It’s obvious you are either scheming or gossiping. I am game for both.” He pulled a chocolate cookie out from underneath the little table like it appeared by magic although he had stolen it.
“I hope you’re going to pay her for that somehow.” He grinned while bringing the cookie to his lips slowly and savored it with an actor’s flair of enjoying the morsel.
“I’ll pay her however you were going to,” he said, somehow knowing I was without money.
“How do you know so much about me?” I raised my eyebrow in curiosity.
“I’m a spider.” He shrugged.
Dris lifted her chin slightly as she whipped out the definition from that big brain of hers. “Spider, also known as a spy. They can get into places that others cannot, they hear things that people prefer they not, they have sticky fingers, and are usually loyal to themselves. He is also a goat Fae, which is a very mischievous creature. But they are honorable, curious, and fearless.”
My walking library did not disappoint.
“And she’s smart, too. You are the perfect package of smart and sexy.” He winked at Dris and she rolled her eyes, not impressed by this so-called spider.
“So, what does a spider want with me? There seems to a be a pattern of you barging in on my life.” I took another bite of my pastry and waited.
“I may have been in the woods looking for something when I heard Celestine talking to you when you first arrived. I may or may not have heard about your destiny to save Prince Torin and release Princess Nyx from her onyx tomb.”
That son of a—
“Since I obviously have many talents that can help this extraordinary task, I offer my services to you.”
I scoffed at how ridiculous he sounded. “Why?” There remained so much doubt when it came to considering his offer to be truth.
He pondered over my simple question, eating another piece of the chocolate cookie. “What you’re doing will be written in the history of our people. There’s more to this story than a simple rescue. Something big is afoot, and I want to be a part of it.”
I believed him.
“We aren’t exactly going to be stealing things,” Dris countered, speaking when I couldn’t find the words.
Emrys peered at Dris with hooded eyes, his long black lashes giving him a boyish look, like he was innocent. “You never know. You might need ears in places you cannot be or to get into somewhere you aren’t wanted, like the princess’s quarters, for example. If you’re looking into the mystery behind Nyx, you might wanna take a peek at her stuff, see what she was up to before being trapped in that tomb.”
“We aren’t breaking into her room.” Dris quickly slashed his idea down, hoping I would confirm.
His idea had merit, though.
“You can’t be serious, Sapphira. That room hasn’t been opened since the day she was put in onyx!” Her voice escalated, but she shut her lips quickly once she remembered where we were.
“It does make sense to at least look.” I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to feel remorse or some sort of guilt for possibly crossing over a line of right and wrong. However, my mind became accustomed to the idea the more I thought about it. Emrys relaxed back in his seat and nodded.
“How do we know he isn’t going to double-cross us?” My friend made a fair point. He had to make a compelling argument for us to trust him, even if the idea was his to begin with.
“I’ll make a blood oath, which should appease you that I will do the honorable thing and help you. I may be many things but a liar is not one of them.” He lifted his thumb to his pointed canine tooth and punctured a tiny hole in his flesh. A bead of blood formed on his skin.
Dris gasped, her fingers covering her mouth at the display before us.
“I take it blood oaths are a big deal?” I asked and Dris nodded, then whispered that once made they can’t be broken.
“Do I need to do anything?” I waited for directions. Emrys reached over with his other hand and grabbed my left hand, bringing my thumb to his tooth, as he did with his own. It pricked, and the smallest bit of blood bubbled on top my fingertip.
“I vow to serve you, be your spy, and to never betray you as long as I live.” His gaze honed on my face, willing me to accept every word as truth and believe them deep inside my soul. I did.
He pressed our thumbs together and his vow bound us together, like some sort of magic intertwining our fates together.
My lips parted. “You don’t even know me,” I whispered.
“I know enough.”
I now had a trusted spy on my side. “Well, this is all crazy to me. I might regret these words later when you annoy the hell out of me, but I’m honored.”
He released our joined hands and smirked at Dris. She didn’t blink or move.
“Dris, you OK there?
“Yep. Yep. So, when are we breaking the law and snooping through an unconscious woman’s room?”
The three of us laughed. Nothing like breaking and entering to solidify lasting friendships.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“I really didn’t think we were going to do this tonight,” Dris whispered as we walked back up the stone trail to the palace after doing the dishes. Emrys had helped, too, and it was an odd sort of trio we made—a human, a librarian, and a spy walk into a bakery. Sounded like a joke.
Our plan was simple: Walk up to her unguarded room and Emrys would get us in. Dris said the doors were locked when the princess was entombed, so there was no real danger in this mission. However, the room was around the corner from the queen’s, so the hall might be guarded. Emrys was taking a back way and meeting us inside.
“It’s late. Most everyone is asleep, so it’s the perfect time. . . . covered by darkness.” I was sweating beneath my cape despite the chill outside. I was nervous as hell of getting caught and punished for illegal actions. Being the potential savior of the princess would only get me so far.
As always, the guards didn’t pay me or Dris any attention. What mischief could a book nerd and a human servant really get into?
We walked up the servants’ stone stairs. I had been stuck cleaning the bottom level of the palace, so this was quite an adventure for me, seeing more of the exquisitely designed home of the queen. The hallways were carved with swirls and patterns. Each metal torch handle was custom-made to match the walls they were nailed into. The floor had a purple rug all the way down the hall. My floor was bare basics of stone walls and stone tiles on the floor. The royal section of the palace was lavish in every way.
I heard guards mumbling from the direction of the queen’s quarters, but unless we made a loud ruckus, they wouldn’t be alerted to our visit.
“Perfect timing, ladies,” Emrys whispered behind us. I had to reach my hand over Dris’s mouth to stop her scream from echoing down the hall to the guards.