Chapter 137

Dressed in a rose-colored gown, Kit took a seat on the stool in front of the mirror and let her mind wander as her hair was brushed out. She hoped she’d kept the mud out of it and imagined she must have since there wasn’t any on her pillow. Thoughts of mud brought her back to her trip to the village. She was certain Avinia, Isla, and Seph would already know about the state of the citizens. There was no reason to highlight her own ignorance, but as they began to pin her hair up, Kit said, “Le atsa.” All three ladies stopped what they were doing and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Kit wanted to swivel around to look at their true faces but couldn’t, so as she continued, her eyes flickered from one likeness to the other. “What does it really mean? With you—with who?”

The ladies remained silent for a moment before Avinia slowly began to comb again. “Where, uh... where did you hear that?” she asked, her voice shaking a little, which she attempted to cover with a giggle.

“Yes, whoever would’ve said something like that?” Isla asked, but she was an even worse actress than their oldest cousin.

“Tem’s wife said it to me, in secret.” Kit was done playing. Clearly, Jate hadn’t been completely honest either. “It means something, doesn’t it? With who?” Despite her hair being pulled in two different directions, Kit managed to turn around and look Avinia in the eyes. “With who, Vinny?”

If Avinia understood why she had called her that, she ignored it. Instead, she drew in a deep breath and replied, “With you, Princess.” The duchess’s nostrils flared slightly, and for once, Kit felt as if someone was finally telling her the truth. “With you.”

“With me?” Kit’s eyes enlarged as she thought about what that could mean. “But... with me... how?”

Seph stepped forward now, walking slowly but deliberately as she approached the princess’s stool. “It is a call sign, Princess, a secretly spoken phrase to let the others know, to signal one’s loyalty.”

A chill went down Kit’s spine and her entire body began to vibrate in recognition of what it was Seph was telling her. The picture still wasn’t quite clear, but she was beginning to understand. Everything Cassius had disclosed to her, the remarks Jate had made, what she’d seen for herself... it all came together. “Revolution?” She didn’t even whisper the word, only moved her mouth, much as Pim had done when she’d opened Kit’s eyes to more than just the dedication of one frail widow.

Seph’s head rocked back and forth, and when Kit shifted her eyes to Avinia and Isla, they were doing the same. Swallowing hard, Kit also nodded and then turned back to face herself in the mirror as her cousins continued, only the slight shaking of their hands letting her know things were different now.

She could see it in her own eyes, though. This new information had sparked a change deep within her. No longer an ignorant little girl, Kit could see within herself a confident woman, ready to do whatever she needed to in order to protect her people, even if doing so meant standing up to the woman who’d given her life. It was odd how the person she owed so much to had taken everything away from so many.

“We must be careful.” Avinia’s voice was low, her words chosen carefully. “We must take our time. She mustn’t know that you are any the wiser. At the moment, she has no idea how many of us there are or how far we have infiltrated. We take no action unless ordered to do so, and for the time being, I would say that goes for you as well, Princess. Until you completely understand the situation in its entirety, do nothing to alarm her. She must continue to see you as one of her pawns, as a means to an end.”

It was difficult to accept Avinia’s instruction. Part of her wanted to fly down to the throne room now and declare to her mother she was asking the council to bring her up on charges for all of the crimes Kit was aware of, meddling with her Choosing being the most obvious one. But she bit her tongue, considering Avinia was likely right. As much as Kit had discovered in the course of a few hours, she didn’t know the half of it.

“Who do you take your orders from?” She tried to keep her tone nonchalant but it waivered slightly. Deep down inside, she had an idea that she already knew the answer to the question, but part of her didn’t want to know.

“That is a discussion for another time.” Avinia’s smile was hard, the sort of grin that Kit knew not to question. “If we do not hurry, you shall be late.”

“Very well.” Kit was willing to accept that answer for now but mostly because she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew who must be in charge of this operation. She’d be shocked if it turned out to be anyone other than the man she had in mind.

“At dinner, I would suggest you be as suspicious of Seph as possible,” Isla recommended. For once, her cousin didn’t seem nearly as cheerful and ditzy as she normally did. “It will give credence to Seph’s story that she attempted to seduce Eli.”

“My mother knows of my riff with Eli, though,” Kit reminded them.

“Good. Let her know it isn’t that you want him yourself, it’s only that the lady is supposed to be loyal to you, and clearly she is not.” Avinia’s smile shifted, increasing in wickedness with each word.

“You said Eli was in with the queen. Do you think she’ll release him?” Kit’s heart caught in her throat as she thought about the seriousness of the situation.

“I don’t think she’ll have much of a choice. She has a few council members in her throne room as well, some that would not allow her to keep him.” Seph seemed confident in her answer, and Kit wondered if perhaps there were members of the council who also supported the princess as queen.

“There. That looks lovely.” Avinia smoothed the gown on Kit’s shoulders and admired her work. “Don’t worry, Kit. It’ll be fine. Just because you are aware now doesn’t change anything.”

“Keep your wits about you, and it’ll all go smoothly,” Isla agreed, though she could see in all three of the women’s eyes they were questioning whether or not the princess should’ve been told.

She’d have to make sure they didn’t regret telling her. So much was riding on their plans, plans she didn’t fully understand yet, which circled around her. “No pressure at all,” Kit thought to herself. With her head held high and her shoulders back, she headed for the door, praying to the goddesses she would be able to control her tongue and not un-do everything the others had been working on for however long it had been since they’d decided Kit should be queen.