“We heard them running north, so we followed. The prisoners still had iron cuffs on their wrists, so they wouldn’t have been able to channel. The other three rebels sent plants to bind us. Then a metal channeler took all our weapons out of their sheaths and pointed them at us. We couldn’t follow, we swear. We were bound tightly and weren’t strong enough to counteract their magic. But… Your Majesty, they went out through the secret passages that open up on the other side of the mountain.”

I nod. “Thank you. I understand. You won’t be punished for their escape.” Carex tries to interrupt, but I speak over him. I won’t have these guards face his wrath when I planned this heist and did indeed send the most powerful metal channeler alive after them. “You’re dismissed. Take the evening off to rest.” Carex glares at me. They leave the chamber, and I sigh loudly, rubbing my temples. “We’ll have to cut off access to the palace through those passages. Can we send someone to blast the tunnels and collapse them?”

Nathaniel nods and leaves the room to execute my request.

“Your Majesty, the Velmarans are clearly behind this,” Carex accuses, anger in his voice. He stands and points aimlessly, as if that will emphasize his point. “They have the magic to have found those passages, snuck the rebels in, and broken the prisoners out. Not to mention, I did not see Prince Hawthorne’s advisors most of the night. They left the ball and only appeared later. I’m sure of it.”

“I saw both Silene and Fionn several times throughout the evening, Carex,” I lie. I hate it, but it’s necessary. “They likely kept a low profile in order to overhear conversations between the court and gather information for Prince Hawthorne. It’s what I would have done in their shoes.” I deliver the last line flippantly, as if it’s so obvious it’s barely worth mentioning.

Carex looks me over closely, eyes narrowed. I feel his scrutiny and suspicion, but I don’t break, keeping my cool mask of neutrality. He continues. “It may not have required the metal channeler to be physically present. He could have bent those cells and held those weapons from the courtyard.”

I laugh, cold and sneering. “I can assure you, Carex, even I couldn’t achieve that.” Not true. It would take barely a thought from me, but he doesn’t know that. I’ve kept the depth of my power hidden from even those closest to me—lovers and friends included—still haunted by the warnings my parents gave me as a young child. “Next you’re going to suggest Prince Hawthorne used light channeling to hide them as they snuck down to the cells and back.” Giving him the truth so sarcastically should redirect him.