That was an understatement. During the four years we spent in Durc, I lived with a near-constant fear that I’d left behind the one place where I truly belonged. “As soon as this job is over, I’m taking me and my sister back to Aligney.”
“I see,” he said. “Does your sister want to go back?”
“I . . . of course she does.”
He arched a brow. “Have you asked her?”
“Not exactly. I just . . . I . . .” I sputtered, and lost my train of thought as more questions bubbled up, filling my mind until it felt close to bursting. I opened my mouth and said the first thing that came out. “Why did you lie about that orange?”
Bel leaned so close I could feel his breath on my skin and my pulse fluttered. “Our ma?tre tends to be overly concerned with the oranges. I think if he knew you broke one, he’d never let you leave. Now don’t say anything more.”
But the curious candles, the endless magic. The questions felt like knives cutting their way out of my throat. They needed out, now, else I might explode.
This wasn’t me.
I wasn’t secretive, but I was never this forthcoming with a man I barely knew, and certainly didn’t trust. In fact, I never told anyone how hard my life was in Durc. I wasn’t exactly proud of it.
Down the bar, I caught Yrsa’s eye. A thought cropped up. An alchemist’s trade was in potions to alter minds.
“What was in here?” I sniffed the dregs of the juice.
“If you’re to be my hire, I had to know a few things.”
That meant spilling the details of my life was planned. By him.
“You had her drug me?”
“I’m sorry, but there was no way around it. Yrsa usually handles the questioning, too, but I doubt you’d enjoy that option. So I talked her into allowing me the privilege,” he said flatly.
He thought he did me a favor.
“Besides, it was merely a single drop of Truth mixed into the juice,” Bel went on. “The drop allows Yrsa to uncover a potential hire’s best ability in order to find perfect candidates for our open positions. It’s usually dripped onto your tongue at the final stage of the interview.”
Apparently I never got that far. But Zosa had. In the teahouse, she’d signed her contract so quickly. It must have been the drop of Truth affecting her—I could see how easy it would be to do something rash, with a feeling like this running through my veins. “How long will it last?”
“A few minutes, sadly.” The hint of a smile flickered on his mouth. “In all honesty, this has been the highlight of my morning.”
“You’re despicable.”
He cocked his chin. “You know, you’re the first person with enough guts to call me that.”
“You seem surprised.”
“I guess I am,” he said, almost to himself. “I’ll find you about your contract later. If you want to work here past two weeks, you shouldn’t be late for orientation.”
Right. I rushed away clutching my throat, as if that would help keep any more unwanted words from spilling out.
The Blue Room was a sweltering space on the service floor, its only redeeming quality a sky blue ceiling painted with fluffy clouds.
I looked for Zosa. She wasn’t in our room so I’d assumed she would be here, but I didn’t see her. My worries only grew as I replayed everything Bel had told me. I pictured the maggot wriggling from my skin last midnight. If using an old invitation was strong enough to nearly kill me once, having something wrong with my contract could easily cause something worse to happen.
“Quiet, everyone!” A sharp voice sliced the din.
“Who said that?” whispered a worker behind me.
Someone pointed to a large, gilded mirror on a side wall. The ma?tre’s reflection appeared in it, but the spot in the room where he should be standing was empty.
“Welcome, everyone, to my hotel,” the reflection said, and all the workers gasped. “My name is Alastair. And while I would love nothing more than to give you this orientation in person, I’m afraid I’m just too busy.”
His mouth remained in an unwavering smile as he spoke. It reminded me of the too-perfect smiles painted on marionettes.
“What do you know of Hotel Magnifique?” the reflection asked the room.
“It’s the only place in the world where magic is safe!” A fair-skinned boy in a doorman’s getup shouted. “And it only stays one day in each place.”
“Very good. Anything else?”