Kyla heaved a sigh. “Look, Eris, Clo, feel free to be mad at me. But I am in the middle of a shitstorm and fresh out of spies. The records room on Macella is where the Archon keeps the most comprehensive logs on shipments, and we need to access it for information on Zelus’s cargo and what they plan to do with it. Would any of you happen to know how we can get in?” Her gaze shifted from Nyx to Ariadne and Rhea.

Nyx laughed. “Yeah, I’ve been to Macella. Drank with a few of the recordkeepers at the palace there. Let me break it down for you. The way to Records is a maze. The Oracle uses shifting digital projections in the rooms so the way in never looks the same.”

Ariadne plastered a falsely cheerful grin on her face. “I did help design those.” Prove your usefulness. Prove your efficiency.

Nyx glared at her before continuing. “To say nothing of the heat sensors. If you trigger the lasers, the guards will be on your ass in two seconds flat.”

“I can disable those,” Ariadne whispered.

“—and if you approach the door,” Nyx said, her voice rising, “and it scans you and if you don’t have the correct height, weight, body type, and retinal scan of someone with clearance, it releases an airborne toxin that leads to your painful demise in under five seconds.”

Ariadne winced. “I helped design that, too.” Prove your worth.

Nyx side-eyed her. “And then you’d have to weave through laser grids, which are based on Ariadne’s movements.” She put up her hand when Ariadne opened her mouth to say something. “I’m done stroking your ego, kid. Let me finish. Say you find the intel you need and get out of Macella without being pierced with several lasers. The source of these rocks will likely be another secure location. If you destroy it, is there more? You have to find out. It’s a great game, except we’re all fucking losers. Good luck.”

Kyla’s eyes narrowed. Ariadne’s nerves coiled in her stomach. She might not have seen Kyla’s face before today, but from the communications when Ariadne sent intel, she knew the commander well enough to sense when she had a plan. Ariadne had a feeling she wouldn’t like it. Kyla gave a slow, vicious smile.

Uh-oh, Ariadne thought.

“Congratulations,” Kyla said, “all three of you have the job. You’ll be joining Eris and Clo in infiltrating the palace on Macella.”

Ariadne’s mouth fell open. Rhea went pale. Only Nyx looked as inscrutable as ever.

The Oracle knew she had escaped by now. But she wouldn’t suspect Ariadne would still remember how to move through some of the systems.