In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

17. Rose

17

Rose

A ll thoughts of the trial fled my mind. I knew I was on a time limit, but how many opportunities would I get to see where the emperor went in his spare time? Lark had stressed to me the importance of this task, of using my freedom and protection in the palace to do what others couldn’t. I had to find his Grimoire.

Plus, I was curious.

Tucking the atlas under one arm, I reached into my satchel, grabbed a small amaranth stem and a pinch of hellebore root, and placed them both on the tip of my tongue.

“ Vellus ,” I muttered.

There was the normal tightening sensation in my lungs as the invisibility spell snapped into place—the same spell my father had used all those years ago to cloak me from his murderers. Slamming my eyes shut against the oncoming tide of memories, I bit down on the amaranth and hellebore and let the potent magic on my tongue ground me.

Slowly opening my eyes, I crept down the hall. Neither the emperor nor the guards so much as looked in my direction as I swept closer. Gayl was accompanied by a short, balding man in black robes. The two of them strode toward the opposite end of the corridor from me, but I could still hear part of their conversation drifting back.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the robed man said, his nasally voice grating against my ears. “We will send them out immediately.”

“And have we received word on the Sentinels?” Gayl asked, the quiet power of his tone once again jolting me, like a rolling wave at the height of its crest, readying to crash. I felt myself inching toward them, not wanting to miss a word.

“Not anything more than last time, I’m afraid,” the other man answered. “My sources tell me they’ve spotted them in various locations throughout the city over the past week, but there have been no attempts to mobilize, that we can see.”

Gayl nodded as the two of them reached the end of the hallway. “Good,” he replied, moving his arm in a pattern I couldn’t make out and throwing open a heavy door.

Was that door there a moment ago? I could’ve sworn there had only been a portrait occupying space on the wall.

Hoping the thick rug masked my footsteps, I picked up speed and slipped through the door right before it shut with a click . It took my eyes a second to adjust to the dim lighting. Hardly any sconces lined the walls, and the hallway was much darker and colder than the previous one.

I tried to keep up with the two men. My eyes took in the numerous doors dotting the hall. Gayl stopped in front of one in the center, his gray cloak swishing as he turned. “Keep an eye on them, Daye. I want to know the instant they make a move.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Daye said, then scurried back down the way we entered. I barely had time to push myself against the wall to avoid him brushing me as he passed. I held my breath, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Gayl reached for the handle of the door, then paused. Slowly, his head twisted in my direction, his mismatched eyes of blue and white trailing across the floor. They swept up the length of the corridor, my skin tingling with anticipation when suddenly—they stopped .

His eyes met mine.

He hummed softly, letting his gaze fall back to the door as he opened it. A shiver erupted along my spine.

“You are clever, young Alchemist,” he said, so faintly I had to crane my neck to hear him. “But did you think you could hide from me?”

Stomach plummeting, my hand shook against my dagger, lungs bursting with how long I had gone without taking a breath.

“I will let you walk away this once,” he murmured as he glided through the open door into a darkened chamber beyond. It shut behind him, but the whisper of his voice carried on the wind in his wake.

“Remember my mercy, for you will find no more of it within these walls.”