“No.” Sweyn pushed to her feet. “Katelin, get our new friend a glass of wine. Everest is going to dance with me.”

My heart sank into the deepest pits of my stomach.

Everest stepped aside to let Sweyn walk down the steps in front of her throne and onto the dance floor. He looked to me and smiled. “Sit. Catch your breath before you are dragged back out there.”

“Thank you. And yes, I know where the page is,” I responded in Spanish. I slowly lowered to sit on the step in front of him, my neck craned back to meet his eyes still. “Distract her so I can look?”

He nodded then spun away, hurrying after Sweyn. I’d expected the dance floor to clear so she’d be the only one out there but the opposite happened. Even more people joined them. Hope flared. Is this my chance? I scooted up two more steps so my back was directly in front of that compartment in the arm of her throne. The page was in there. It had to be. Valathame wouldn’t have sent me here if it wasn’t.

As soon as the music started, I was invisible. Not a single person was watching me. Shit, shit, shit. Just do it. Wait, no. Think this through, Frankie. What’s the plan? With everyone’s eyes locked onto each other’s as they danced, they were likely not to see me make subtle movements, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could boldly turn and look. First, I needed to make sure I had my magic bag in position to shove it in there. Which meant I had to subtly open the drawstrings. I had to make a show in case someone was watching so I arched my back and stretched my arms then slowly leaned back with my palms on the stone floor behind me. The rough edge of the throne brushed against my fingertips.

My pulse was beating like hummingbird wings. I slowly slid farther back until my fingers found the edge of the compartment door. But I had to wait in case it made a noise. The music would be my best cover so I watched the dancers to try and anticipate when they would clap in unison again. Except my gaze landed on Everest . . . with Sweyn. The anger and nausea that rushed through me were overwhelming. They were doing all of the same dance moves as everyone else around them yet there was something too intimate with the way she touched him. Not that this was a surprise to me. I knew he’d been with her. I’d known that the moment I met her in Avolire the first time, she hadn’t been subtle about it. Everest had taken his first human pet. So Sweyn had to assert her dominance and ensure I understood she’d had him.