to mask the noise of the explosion, and as poor luck would have it, it fell on the same day as the new moon. If I can’t rescue Ailesse by tonight, I’ll have to lead my famille on the land bridge myself and ferry the souls of the departed into the Beyond. But I can’t. Ailesse is the only person alive who knows the song that opens the Gates of the Underworld and Paradise. She was meant to be matrone, not me.
I scoot off of Bastien and offer a hand to help him up. He hesitates, then exhales and takes it. Despite our bickering, I want his assistance. We’ll find Ailesse even faster if we work together.
We stand side by side and stare into the hazy gray light shining in from the blasted hole. I inhale a deep breath. After fifteen long days, we finally have access to the Beau Palais.
“Everyone ready?” Bastien cautiously rubs his injured back.
Jules nods and adjusts her cloak. I tighten my fists. Marcel settles into a comfortable position. He’s going to serve as watch. If the tunnel is compromised, he’ll light a small explosive filled with sulfur and pepper seeds. The stench will warn us not to come back this way. Meanwhile, Jules is going to guard our point of entry into the castle above.
Bastien waves Jules and me forward. The three of us advance to the end of the tunnel. I reach the wall first and climb the rubble. Through the blasted four-foot hole, I stare inside a dry castle well lined with river rock. Its construction isn’t yet complete. King Durand, Casimir’s father, commissioned it to replace a more vulnerable well outside the castle keep.
While Bastien and Jules have been spying in Dovré and gleaning these facts about Beau Palais, I’ve been forced to spend most of my time at Château Creux with my famille. The Leurress are shaken by the news of Odiva’s death. All I told them is our matrone died ferrying alongside Ailesse on an ancient bridge in an underground cavern. If they knew what she really did, it might spark anarchy. Once Ailesse comes back and rightfully replaces me as matrone, I’ll let her decide what to reveal about our mother, and I’ll retreat to the comfort of her shadow once more.
I leap to the opposite side of the well, grab an iron rung, and climb a ladder built for the well diggers. They’re not at the castle today. No one labors during La Liaison except entertainers and those preparing food for the three-day festival.
We’d hoped to sneak in through the main entrance, but King Durand isn’t holding a public celebration. According to rumor, he’s too ill. But he was ill before Ailesse was taken captive, and the castle gates have only been locked since Prince Casimir brought her here.
Jules leaps onto the ladder after me. I envy the leather leggings she’s wearing. My shoes keep tangling on the hem of my dress.
Bastien follows last, and the three of us rise sixty feet to the top of the well. It’s covered by an iron grate that scrapes loudly as we slide it off. A clap of thunder muffles the sound. For now, the rainfall doesn’t reach us. We’re in the tight quarters of the castle well tower.
I creep to the tower door and peek through a small window on top. I can’t see much of the castle courtyard beyond the pelting rain, even with my nighthawk vision, but I make out the blue and gold striped awnings that line the perimeter. They provide shelter for a few servants who scurry across the wet cobblestones to reach the other side. One awning caps an arched passageway that leads inside the castle—the entrance we’ll use.
Bastien removes his dusty cloak and tosses it over to Jules. Beneath it, he’s dressed in the simple garb of a castle dungeons soldier. I also throw off my cloak and tuck a few stray black curls into my servant’s cap. I slip my grace-bone necklace beneath the neckline of my dress and hide my bone knife in its sheath under my apron.
Bastien turns to Jules. “See you soon.”
She sits on the rim of the well, still a little breathless from climbing. “Promise to keep your head, all right? If you can’t pull this off today, don’t be reckless. We’ll figure out something else. We still have ten-and-a-half months before—”
“This will work.” He flexes his jaw muscle. “Come on, Sabine.” He slips out the door before Jules