She pulled her dagger from her belt as she dashed through the maze of halls, halting at the far wooden door. Her chest heaved. She needed to take Carys up on her offer to go on more runs. Bri preferred training with weapons, and, though she had stamina for hours, sprinting was not her forte. She took one last gulping breath as the door was thrown open.

Arms wheeling, the runaway’s eyebrows shot up as he skidded to a stop. Bri grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and slammed him into the wall.

“Before you go,” she said, pinning him with her dagger at his neck, “we’ve got some questions for you.”

Bri’s eyes widened as she recognized him—the one she and Lina had followed to the brothel that night, the one who’d stolen Tem’s necklace. Her lips curled up into a smile. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

“Gods!” A hiss from down the hallway had them turning. Saika stood at the end of the hall, a basket of dried flowers resting on her hip. “So they are hiding in the castle.”

Carys tucked the golden mask behind her back. “We’ll figure out what he knows, don’t worry.”

“You can’t just question him here in the halls,” Saika whispered. “Take him to the dungeons. I’ll go warn the guards.”

“No,” Bri cut her off, lifting a hand and halting her steps. “Speak of this to no one,” she warned. “I have questions that need answering.”

Saika narrowed her eyes at the three of them but nodded and kept walking. Carys and Bri exchanged glances, wondering if they could trust her to keep this secret. If any other guards showed up, they’d know Saika had tipped them off.

“Take him to the dungeons,” Bri muttered, shoving the cowering suspect into Carys’s grip. “I need to go find Lina.”

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

The brown-haired fae sat on a narrow canvas cot with his wrists shackled together. As he stared down at his hands, his face was unsettlingly neutral. Carys and the fae hadn’t passed a single soldier as they reached the far end of the dungeons; there were no prisoners to guard in the dark catacombs. Carys had waited outside the cell for Bri and Lina to arrive. Bri felt the anticipation buzzing through Lina’s body. She hoped this would be the person who would unravel the rest of the answers they’d been circling.

“You,” Lina snarled as she strode into the room. “The thief. What is it you do in the castle?”

“Stablehand,” he muttered, not meeting her gaze. His tone was eerily calm for someone just caught with a lion mask.