Page 188 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“Let’s find out.”

Kierse gingerly opened it all the way up to reveal…an empty box.

She deflated. She’d known it was a decoy—she hadn’t been able to feel the cauldron inside the box—but a part of her had still hoped forsomething.The only thing she could sense was a lingering scent of lemon and pine. The Curator’smagical signature.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Gen said with a laugh.

“All that work for an empty box.”

“Yeah, but you proved to yourself that you could do it.”

“A for effort,” Kierse grumbled. “Now, I just have to reset it. At least that won’t be the same as dismantling it.”

Walter glanced up. He’d taken up essentially permanent residence in the seat opposite them. The computer systems ever-expanding across the table. “We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“A big one.”

Kierse sighed. “Should I get Graves?”

“I’ve already alerted him. He should be here soon.”

“Is this better or worse than Schwartz being kicked off the security team?” Gen asked.

“Worse.”

Graves threw the door to the library open. “A manual switch on the cauldron system and youjustfound out?”

“It looks like it was added recently,” Walter said with a shrug. “We’re going to need someone inside security to dismantle it if we want to get Kierse inside.”

“And we fucking lost Schwartz,” Graves grumbled.

Gen raised her hand slowly.

Graves shook his head. “You don’t have to raise your hand.”

“No. I was volunteering.”

“For what?” Kierse asked.

“To turn off the security system,” Gen said.

“Do you know anything about security systems?” Graves asked.

“Well, no, but everyone else has a job to play tomorrow.”

“No,” Kierse said automatically.

Gen sighed. “You don’t get to make the decision.”

“You’re not part of this.”

Gen whipped around to face Kierse. “I sat through every meeting. I live here. I am every bit a part of this as you are. I have magic, and I can handle myself. I want to do this.”

“Why?” Graves asked before Kierse could object further.

“What do you mean, why? That’s an artifact of my people’s history, too, right?”

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