Page 85 of Captive of the Stolen Empire

He left me alone in his room.

That had been my aim from the start. Finally, it was within my grasp. As much as his absence stung, this opportunity was a balm to all my wounds.

I slid from the bed, shivering as cool air raised gooseflesh along my bare skin. My clothes had been folded and left on a nearby chair, my boots propped together at its base. Warmth from my core chased away the chill. Lucien didn’t allow servants up here, which meant he’d taken the time to show care to my things.

A pleasant thought, even if the man himself was missing.

I quickly slipped into my clothes and began a careful search, keeping my ears open for any sign of return.

If I were to keep important information, where would I leave it?

The desk beckoned me like sails on the horizon. Lucien had been hunched over it when I arrived, studying papers that no doubt held some grain of importance.

A thick blue book lay atop an orderly stack of papers. Another pile of books stood off to the side with a quill and ink. I memorized the layout before touching anything.

Satisfied I could restore the desk to order after I searched it, I moved the tome aside and sifted through the papers one by one. Most were benign—training drills, inventories, and the like.

As I scanned the next page, my hand shook.

Reports of possible rebel movement. Activity in multiple city-states, though none of the observed rebels wore state colors. No captures. Little evidence.

Thank The Four.

The news gave me hope. A bright light for all our people and the end of this joke of an empire. This was the type of information I needed. Something to prove to my allies within the castle that I was on their side.

A sudden urgency gripped me. If the rebels were captured and someone could determine which city-state they belonged to, one of us would die—or several of us. I scanned through more pages, reading over notes about troop movements and planned excursions. Another missive confirmed the rumors we’d heard about a possible invasion of Marsali too. This information could be vital to the rebels. We would need to move fast, find a way to alert them. They might win if the city-states worked together for once. Numbers against magic and might.

Near the bottom of the stack, I came across a slightly older missive from a few weeks ago.This one.Lucien might notice a recent page missing, but surely he wouldn’t go looking for old news.

My heart pounded in my ears as I folded up the paper and tucked it into my boot. The others I placed back upon the desk, the book on top, trying to match their former arrangement as much as I could.

The desk drawers themselves were locked—a pity. And while the bookshelves held a number of interesting titles, none of them appeared to be journals, diaries, or others that might yield information I needed.

Each whisper of leather or parchment set my nerves on edge. Any minute now, Lucien could return. This wouldn’t be my only opportunity in his room. Surely not. Though it might if I got caught.

With that thought, I relinquished my search and fled downstairs.

* * *

“Hello, friends.”My fake smile stretched from ear to ear. I had information to help them, yet they hadn’t bothered to look at me as I approached the table for lunch. Only Elin gave me a shy smile.

Fernand looked me up and down, wrinkling his nose as if he inspected a pile of waste. “Someone missed breakfast this morning.”

“Overslept.” I shrugged.

“Absent, just like all the captains. Convenient.”

My lips thinned as I scowled in return, yet the words struck me. No captains occupied the room, and the number of guards appeared less than average. My throat tightened. Something had happened.

“Ilya is not like that,” Elin whispered, poking at her plate with a fork.

Warmth stirred in my chest. At least I had one friend here.

Gabriel assessed us each in silence as he prodded a pile of roasted vegetables.

“We can’t fight like this. Whatever you think of me, we’re in this together,” I said.

Elin nodded along.

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