Page 50 of Song of the Shadow Prince
I nodded. “Anything else?”
“I heard rumblings about the fae…” she said cautiously, nibbling her bottom lip. “But I don’t know how accurate this information is.”
I peered over at her with a raised brow. “Oh?”
“There are whispers from the Faelight Forest.” She lowered her voice as if someone might overhear. “They’re saying the iron surrounding the forest is not being changed as frequently as it’s supposed to be.”
I whipped my gaze to her. “What?”
“It has not been reported to the court yet; it’s just… rumors as of now,” she whispered.
Rumors always carried a hint of truth. The Ryder family was in charge of iron in Elaria. If something was wrong with the iron mines and Lord Zacharia had not reported it to the emperor, trouble would befall their family.
I turned to her with a serious expression. “I need a favor, Lysandra.”
She gave a bright smile and straightened. “Of course! Anything for you, love,” she purred.
I ignored her sultry undertone. “First, I need you to find the root of this rumor, and second, put a stop to it.”
She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Why?”
“Do you need to know why?” I snapped. “If you can’tstopthe rumor, reroute their attention elsewhere.”
She opened her mouth to say something and then wisely shut it, nodding when I sent her a pointed glare. “Of course, my lord.”
“I’m serious, Lysandra. This is of the utmost importance—”
“But why, my lord?”
“It doesn’t matter! Just get it done,” I said angrily.
She swallowed and nodded again. “Yes, of course. Anything else?”
I shook my head. “No. Where’s the token?”
She reached a hand into her bra and pulled it free, then grinned as she handed it to me. When the token, warmed by her skin, touched my hand, I had to hold back a grimace. I quickly stuffed it into my pocket and stood to leave.
“I’ll be back this weekend to hear what your inside girl in the Citadel has to say.”
She grabbed my sleeve to stop me. “Wait, my lord!” she pleaded. “Is there anything I can do to… service you tonight?” She peered up at me, openly begging for my affection.
I snatched my arm back with enough force to knock her backward. “No!” I growled, then stormed out of the room and away from The Gilded Serpent before anyone saw me.
I steppedout into a night lit only by a blanket of glittering stars and a half-moon and strode through the dark streets toward the Northern District. When I reached the Ryder residence, I crept around to the back of the courtyard and hopped over the stone wall with ease. There weren’t many patrols in this area, as most of the Northern District was generally safe. But I kept a wary eye out for the guards I knew Lord Zacharia kept around his house.
On silent footsteps, I skulked along the courtyard’s winding walkways, hiding in the shadows and avoiding the servants andguards that bustled in their duties, blissfully unaware of the dragon in their midst.
When I reached Arya’s room, her lights were still on so I waited. And waited. Thirty long minutes later, someone blew out the candles and I watched Maeve walk out of her bedroom. The servant walked in the opposite direction holding something that I couldn’t make out. Once she was gone, I tiptoed to Arya’s room and opened the doors that led to the courtyard, slipping inside and shutting them behind me without a sound.
“Who’s there?” Arya whisper-yelled, bolting up from her bed before I even took my first step.
How she heard me, I had no idea. I knew for a fact she was human, so she shouldn’t have any supernatural hearing. Then again, there were a lot of unexplainable things about Arya lately.
I silently inched toward her bed. Rustling sheets and bare toes on the wood floor told me she was out of bed. She met me halfway and we reached for each other’s throats at the same time. I was amazed that she even aimed correctly, taking into account how much taller I was than her.
My grip on her neck was intended only to hold her in place, but she squeezed my neck like she was ready to snap it then and there.
“Speak!” she demanded. “Who sent you?”
