In the shuffle of the crowd leaving the arena, I searched desperately for Ezrah. While Kael and my father were occupied, I ran through the throngs of demons, begging to see his face among the others.

I nearly cried when he appeared near the east exit.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Thank God I found you,” I said, out of breath. “I need something from you, and don’t tell me you can’t do it or that it’s too dangerous. We’re beyond dangerous now. This is life and death and the future of our people.”

He looked directly into my eyes and nodded. “Tell me what you need,” he said.

“My bag,” I said. “The one the guards took from me when they first brought us here to the castle. And my bow. I have a feeling I’m going to need it before this whole thing is over.”

His face went ghostly white, and he swallowed hard. “I know where it’s being kept,” he said. “I think I can get to it, but it won’t be easy. What’s happened, Lea? Are you in danger?”

“We all are in danger,” I said. I glanced around at the demons leaving the arena. “Maybe the entire city. I don’t have time to explain, but get me that bag as soon as you can. Whatever it takes, Ezrah. I need something from inside it.”

“I’ll make up some excuse to come to your chambers tonight,” he said. “Something about your safety at tomorrow’s battle. Wait for me there.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Anything for you, my queen,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “Now, go, before anyone from the council sees us talking.”

I wanted to hug him. I’d been expecting a fight, but maybe he heard the seriousness in my voice. I had to find out what was hidden behind that door, and as soon as I had the answers I was looking for, I intended to figure out a way to get us all out of here before it was too late.

Watching Aerden go through that battle had nearly killed me. He had won, but there were still two more battles to fight before he would have a chance at his freedom. I wasn’t sure I could sit there and watch him go through that again.

I made my way back to my father and the rest of the council, and Kael narrowed his eyes at me, questioning. I simply smiled at him and took my mother’s arm, walking with her back toward the castle and not bothering to glance back.

He had his secrets, but not for long. As soon as I had that key, I had a feeling his secrets would come tumbling out of the door he kept hidden in the darkness.

---

Later that night, I paced the floor of my room, anxious for word from Ezrah. If he couldn’t find the bag, or if anyone saw him bringing it to me, Kael would most certainly hear about it.

Ezrah’s true identity could not be discovered without ruining everything Andros had set in place here. He was a member of the Resistance, and having him here in the castle had been extremely important over the years since my father closed the city’s gates.

But knowing what Kael was hiding in the dungeons was more important. We couldn’t afford to play it safe any longer. If the Resistance truly wanted to know what was going on in the council’s meeting and who was controlling this kingdom, I was their best hope.

When someone knocked on the door an hour later, I jumped and ran to answer it.

“Let me answer it,” Presha said, moving in front of me, as if I’d offended her by trying to do something for myself.

I bit my lip and nodded, watching anxiously as she opened the door to my suite.

“I need to speak with the princess about her security tomorrow,” Ezrah said. “Please, give us a moment of privacy and wait outside.”

Presha’s hand fluttered to her face. “Of course,” she said.

She motioned for the other handmaidens to join her in the hallway, and when the door was closed, I nearly tackled Ezrah in a hug.

“You got it?” I asked.

“Just barely,” he said, pulling the leather bag from a larger sack he had slung across his back. “One of the other guards came in and asked what I was doing in the king’s safe, but I made up some story about needing to retrieve something for the queen. As long as he doesn’t ask your mother what I was doing there, I should be in the clear.”

I took the bag over to my writing desk and opened it up, checking to make sure that everything was still there. Relieved, I touched the diamond key and closed the bag. I trusted Ezrah, but I didn’t want him to know everything until I had more answers.

“Thank you,” I said. “And my bow?”

He sighed and removed it from the sack.

I giggled like a teenager and snatched it from him. Holding it felt like coming home again. I held it to me and twirled around.

“What exactly do you plan to do with that?” he asked. “If anyone sees that you have it, I don’t know that I’ll be able to help you escape the dungeons a second time.”

“I’ll keep it well hidden until I need it,” I said, and when he raised a doubting eyebrow, I smiled. “I promise.”

“I know you’re only doing what you feel is right, but your position here is as a spy for now,” he said. “Not a warrior. The more we can find out about the council’s plans, the more we can help the Resistance.”

“The council is a sham,” I said. “There’s more going on here than any of us ever suspected. And I promise that as soon as I have the answers I’m looking for, I will tell you everything. Do you think you can get word to Andros for me?”

He frowned. “It won’t be easy,” he said. “One of our men is going on patrol tomorrow, though, so if I can get word to him before he leaves, he might be able to send a message to Andros. What do you want me to tell him?”

“Tell him to start making plans to get us the hell out of here,” I said. “The sooner the better.”

“If you manage to escape, your father will not stop looking for you,” he said. “You realize what kind of danger you’re putting yourself in even suggesting this?”

“I do,” I said. “But we can’t stay. We need to be back with our people, fighting the Order. After tomorrow, I hope to have all the answers the Resistance needs to overthrow my father and restore this kingdom. Ezrah, this is everything we’ve been fighting for. We can’t let fear hold us back.”

“I’ll find a way to get your message to him,” he said. “Find me after tomorrow’s battle in the arena. I’ll wait for you at the same exit if I can. In the meantime, hide those things in a place your nosy handmaidens wouldn’t think to look.”

“I will,” I said. I grabbed the bag and my weapon and walked toward my bedroom. “Give me two minutes, then open the door. And thank you. I owe you.”

“You owe me nothing,” he said.

I nodded and disappeared into my bedroom, shutting the door. I searched for a place to hide these things. Presha was always going through everything around here, but since she hadn’t discovered the axe when I’d had it under my bed, I decided that was the safest place for now.

I slid my bow under the bed, tucking it near the mattress where it wouldn’t be seen unless someone was specifically looking for it.

But before I hid the bag, I opened it one more time. I removed the diamond key and tucked it into my bra. I wanted it with me at all times, so that when the opportunity came, I wouldn’t have to return to my room to retrieve it.

As I grabbed the key, though, something else glittered inside the bag that nearly made my heart stop. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I reached inside to wrap my hand around the ruby communication stone. I had completely forgotten about it, but this stone was a direct line to Mary Anne and Jackson.

I wanted to use it now, but I heard Presha’s voice in the outer room and knew I was out of time. I tucked it into my bra beside the key and quickly stashed the bag under the bed.

A moment later, Presha opened the door to find me standing on the balcony, staring out across the city, my heart racing with a new kind of hope.