Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain, #3)(51)

“Nothing,” Sage bit out. “The notes aren’t in Gideon’s handwriting. I checked.”

Gideon frowned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”

Sage turned her anger on her brother, and Trystan had the absurd urge to grab a snack, kick his feet up on a chair, and watch her deliver one verbal blow after another. “I used to trust everyone who cared for me. You’ve cured me of that ailment, along with every other member of our family.” She paused. “Except Lyssa.”

Gideon folded his lips inward, pressing them until they turned white. “Brutally put, Eve, but right as always.”

Trystan didn’t like the way Sage folded her arms around herself, hunching like she was trying to become smaller. “What did you want, Gideon? This is a private meeting.”

Gideon unfolded a piece of paper that he’d had in his pocket, the crinkling sounds loud in the quiet room. He spread it out on the table and gestured to it with a puff of his chest. “Behold, my map of the Gleaming Palace.”

Becky stared at it as if it were a dead cockroach on the table. “Is this an official map? Why does it look like that?”

The directions were somewhat clear, but the map was obviously hand drawn and nowhere near official.

“I worked off my memory,” Gideon said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“A miracle, coming from you; we know memory isn’t one of your strong suits,” Trystan said smoothly. “Or is it easier to recall points of architecture than family members?”

Trystan didn’t hate Gideon. But he hated that Sage had scars that would never go away because her brother had been too selfish to come back after his memory returned.

Someone pinched Trystan’s thigh. “Ow!” He glared down to see Evie was whistling next to him, looking at the window whose repair was still in progress. “Sage!”

“What?” She threw her hands up in surrender.

Gideon watched them, as did the others, with a morbid amusement. “Can you two finish this later?”

Trystan answered on reflex. “Yes, fine.” And then nearly slapped his face into his palm when Sage gawked at him. “I mean—there’s nothing to finish. Walk us through the map?”

Gideon shook his head and pointed to various spots marked in red. “These are the tunnels. They’re traditionally not used unless there’s a security threat, but they lead underneath the castle and come up against the walls in one of the sitting rooms. This one”—he pointed to a long, straight line on the far right of the paper—“is adjacent to Benedict’s office, where he keeps Rennedawn’s storybook. And this one”—he pointed to another line at the far left of the bottom—“leads to where he kept the female guvre before.”

“Moving a guvre is no easy task,” Blade added.

“Agreed,” Gideon said. “It’s likely where he’s still keeping her now.”

“You really think he’d be foolish enough to hide her in the exact same spot?” Becky asked, rolling her eyes at the men and leaning back in her chair.

Gideon laughed. “Doubt me on everything else if you must, but I worked for the man for a decade, and I know his greatest weakness.”

“Ego,” Trystan said.

Gideon nodded. “Exactly. He believes he’s winning this battle now. He will get careless. But in reality, we have my mother, The Villain, and the frog-prince thing, too.” He gestured to Kingsley, who was blinking on the table. He jotted something on his sign.

Ass

Sage struggled for breath, and Rebecka slapped a hand against her back.

Roland, who’d been watching the entirety of this exchange quietly up until that point, waved his hands around like a madman. “Wait, I beg your pardon? Nura Sage is alive, Rebecka?”

“Later.” Rebecka rubbed her temples, and Trystan had the strong urge to do the same. There was nothing the lot of them could initiate like a pounding headache.

“Did the Curse Consultant say anything else about Kingsley after I left?” Sage asked. “Is there a way into the southern kingdom? Or an alternative to the enchantress?”

Trystan shook his head. It was a long shot, but their options were limited, and unless they miraculously found Kingsley’s true love in a matter of a few weeks, they had only one choice. “Only the enchantress who cast the curse can undo it. The southern kingdom’s our only choice. Lionel said we could get past the wards…with the use of a magic wand.”

Clare licked her lips, looking paler than she normally did. “Magic wands are dangerous and rare. Where would we even find something like that?”

Trystan sighed. “We’ll have to visit an old friend of mine.”

Tatianna frowned. “Who?”

“One of Rennedawn’s most powerful lords.”





Chapter 33


Kingsley


Alexander Kingsley was worrying.

Not a common action for a frog, though neither was writing on signs or hiding under desks. The latter of which he was currently doing in Evie Sage’s office. Normally, he quite enjoyed the space: it was airy and excellent for sunbathing. It had quickly become a favorite napping spot.

It had been frustrating for Alexander to watch Trystan intercept every shipment of vanilla drop candies, getting up before dawn or at midnight to clip white roses from the courtyard.