I must have had a panicked look on my face, because he placed his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Nic’s team is one of our best.”
“I trust your abilities,” I said. “I’m worried about my privacy.” And about my illicit nighttime plans.
“No need. After our guard ensures no one is hiding in your rooms, he or she will leave, taking a position outside.” Alden nodded with satisfaction before returning to the station.
“Don’t glare at me,” I said to Nic. “I’ve been doing fine on my own. I didn’t ask Councilor Moon for this.” I gave her extra points for intelligence. She now had an excellent reason to keep track of me.
“Considering all the odd orders Moon’s been assigning us, at least this is what we’re supposed to be doing,” Eve said.
Nic’s face relaxed as he conceded. “Sorry.” He jabbed a finger toward the ground. “Stay here until I set up a schedule. Eve, do you want day or night shift?”
“Do you frequent the taverns at night?” Eve asked me.
“No. I’m a morning person.”
“Day shift,” she said to Nic.
He strode away. I met Eve’s gaze.
“I don’t like the night shift unless there’s some excitement,” she explained.
“You won’t get much more action during the day.”
“I can always hope.” She laughed. “I think I should demonstrate a few more self-defense moves for you. Just in case.”
My life lapsed into a routine. Creating messengers in the morning, training with the guards in the afternoon and walking around Fulgor in the evenings. My “protectors” wore civilian clothes. After a few days, I met them all and noted their habits. I started a friendship with Eve, hoping to obtain information from her.
One afternoon about a week into my routine, I asked Eve, “You mentioned odd requests from the Councilor before. What did you mean?” We had been sparring and had stopped to catch our breath.
“She’s been…overly cautious since Akako’s campaign against her was exposed. A lot of her requests are probably due to worry about being usurped. She dismissed her entire staff, and hired all new security officers after her sister was…”
“Caught?”
She looked uneasy.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”
“Akako wasn’t apprehended by us. In fact, the Councilor exiled her. We haven’t seen her since.”
“Exiled where?” I asked.
“No idea. All the Councilor would tell us was Akako was in a secured location and won’t be bothering anyone. We think Councilor Moon is keeping her whereabouts a secret so no one can try to rescue Akako.”
“That fits with being cautious. After all, Akako had supporters. I’m sure a few of them escaped.”
Eve gave me another queasy grimace. “That’s the other odd thing. None of Akako’s supporters were arrested.”
“But…That doesn’t fit. Where did they go?”
“Captain Alden believes Councilor Moon’s new security staff handled the cleanup.”
“Cleanup—as in execution?”
“Yes.”
“Remind me not to get on Councilor Moon’s bad side.”
“It set the whole force on edge,” Eve said.
“I noticed the tension before, when I…stopped by on my way to Ognap. Even the townspeople seemed apprehensive.”
“Except for the Councilor, it’s a whole new administration, with new protocols and requirements. Plus, they’re very suspicious. When a local baker wanted to purchase a larger building, they questioned him for hours before granting him permission. Then they supervised the renovations. That caused quite a bit of anxiety.”
“They aren’t as worried now,” I said.
“People adapted. And we’re hoping the new staff will relax with time.”
Gressa supervised the first shipment of glass messengers to the Citadel. She had kept track of each piece throughout the week. Another month’s worth of messengers would finish the debt.
I sat in Councilor Moon’s office with Gressa and the accountant. The man held a thick wad of parchment.
“I’m already getting orders,” the man said. “The Council doesn’t need all the glass messengers at once. We can send a monthly payment until Opal’s debt is paid.”
“No. I want to pay them back before we start selling them to others,” I said.
“What about these orders?” He shook the wad.
“Here,” I said. “I’ll take them.”
He glanced at Tama in alarm.
“Don’t waste your time with paperwork, Opal,” Tama said. “You’re the talent. Let Fenton deal with the hassle of shipping details and time schedules.”
Ah. The first reasonable request. If I balked, she would be suspicious, and giving in too fast would also be viewed with wariness. “I’d like to approve who receives the messengers. We don’t want them getting into the wrong hands.”
“I assure you that won’t happen,” Gressa said. “There are a limited number of people who can afford them and who have a magician on staff. The Council won’t let their relay-station magicians moonlight. I’m sure once the word is out, graduating magicians won’t apply for government positions and will seek employment in the private sector.” Her tight smile failed to reach her eyes. “Opal would be considered a trendsetter.”
“I’d still like to see the list,” I said.
“Fine,” Tama said. “When you’re done with the Council’s order, Fenton will go over the list with you.”
Dismissed, Fenton and I left. He hurried away as soon as we crossed the outer door. I used the opportunity of unescorted freedom to explore the Councilor’s Hall. Eve had been banned from accompanying me into the Hall. Security insisted I would be safe within these walls. By her expression, I had known the slight was another one of those odd developments.
The vast lobby occupied the ground level under the dome, which hung ten stories above. Next to this open area was the core of the building. A grand staircase connected all the floors. The landings on each level had a magnificent view of the lobby.
A large kitchen and a variety of utility rooms filled the rest of the ground floor. I remembered the kitchen door Devlen and I had escaped through. It led to an empty alley and would be perfect for nighttime use.
Tama’s and Gressa’s well-guarded offices spanned the entire first floor. I had seen the third-floor offices when Yelena and Master Jewelrose had been assigned to protect Councilor Moon. My explorations therefore started with the second floor.
As I wove my way up to the tenth level, I found nothing but offices, conference rooms, washrooms and a few “guest” rooms like the one I had been locked in. Workers scurried and labored at desks. No one paid me any real attention until I reached the top floor.
Two guards stood on the landing, protecting Tama’s and Gressa’s suites. They broadcast their displeasure. I apologized, asked for directions and returned to the ground floor. When I left the Hall, security checked my name off a list, which meant I couldn’t hide in the building until everyone left for the night.
Eve joined me as I walked toward the glass factory.
“I was beginning to worry,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
“There have been a few…people who have gone in and have never come out.”
“Do they have holding cells?” My explorations hadn’t been as thorough as I’d wanted.
“Not really, but there is a tunnel underground. It’s supposed to be used by the Councilor and her staff to escape during emergencies.”
“Do you know where it goes?” It could be useful.
“No one except the Councilor and Captain Alden should know where it starts and ends. It’s to keep the staff from fleeing without her.” She shrugged. “But if the Councilor wants to break her own rule and tell her aides, then so be it.”
I considered. “All the Councilor Halls in Sitia should have tunnels, including the Citadel’s.”
“They do.” Eve put her hand on my arm, slowing me down. “This information isn’t well known, Opal. I’m telling you because…” She touched her sword’s handle. “Because I have a feeling you might need to use it.”
A twirl of fear spun up my back. “Have you heard or seen something I missed?”