Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,41

were staying, but by the time I got to that inn, they had already left. I staked out the inn all night, but they never returned.”

She ate a bite of oatmeal before continuing. “I nosed around this morning and even bribed a few chambermaids, but Wexel and his men were pretty tight-lipped about what they were doing here. As far as anyone at the inn knew, they were merchants conducting business, although they never mentioned what that business was. The chambermaids said this was the first time they had seen the Mortans. Wexel must use a different inn every time he comes to Blauberg. I’m sorry, Gemma, but it’s a dead end.”

Frustration filled me. “It’s okay. Wexel doesn’t strike me as the kind to be reckless. If nothing else, at least we know how careful he is and that he’s able to keep his men in line.”

Topacia nodded and returned to her food. I ate a few more bites of my own oatmeal, but I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, so I pushed my bowl aside.

Despite everything that had happened, we were still no closer to learning why the Mortans suddenly wanted so much tearstone, and especially what they were planning to do with it. All Topacia and I had done the past few weeks was chase whispers that had led us nowhere.

More frustration coursed through me, turning the oatmeal in my stomach into hard lumps, as though I’d just eaten a bowl full of opals, like Grimley was so fond of doing.

Spy the storm brewing, and you won’t get struck by lightning. Ignore the clouds, and you’ll get burned to a crisp, Xenia’s voice whispered through my mind.

The ogre morph and spymaster had said that to me more than once over the years, including when we had been fleeing from Bellona after the Seven Spire massacre. Well, I could clearly hear the rumblings, and I could definitely sense the danger, but I still couldn’t quite see the shape, size, and scope of the storm rushing toward us.

But chasing whispers until they congealed into louder, more distinct murmurs and then hard, concrete evidence was a spy’s job. I might not know what the Mortans were up to, but I had seen Conley’s treason. Perhaps the foreman would cough up some answers when he was arrested and interrogated by the royal guards—and Princess Gemma.

Topacia waved her spoon at my coveralls. “Going back down into the mine today?”

“Yes. I should maintain my cover for as long as possible, and I want to find out exactly how many people are stealing from the mine. So far, it’s Conley, his six men, and Penelope. I want to make sure we nab everyone at once. Otherwise, someone might start up Conley’s scheme again after we leave.”

While Topacia finished her food, my thoughts turned back to the tearstone. Two wheelbarrows of tearstone was enough to make at least a dozen swords, or twice that many daggers, but those were drops in the proverbial bucket given the thousands of pounds that had already been stolen from other places. Or perhaps the Mortans were planning to do something else with the ore—something worse.

Worry and uncertainty filled me, lumping with the frustration and the oatmeal in my stomach. Despite everything I’d learned, I still felt like my time had run out and that it was already too late to stop whatever horrible thing the Mortans were plotting.

* * *

I cleaned up the kitchen, petted Grimley again, and left the cottage. I also grabbed the wheelbarrow and rolled it back toward the city. Conley was sure to be suspicious about my not returning to the mine yesterday afternoon as ordered, but I would just have to endure whatever punishment he might dole out.

Topacia and I went to the same alley we had stopped in yesterday. Miners trudging to work, merchants hawking their wares, the gargoyle fountain bubbling in the plaza. Everything looked the same as before, but the longer I glanced around, the more uneasy I became.

I reached out with my magic, skimming people’s thoughts, but no one was thinking anything suspicious, and I couldn’t put my finger on what was bothering me. Perhaps it was simply my own guilt at having to work with Penelope today. Now that I knew she was part of Conley’s scheme, I would have to tell the royal guards, and she would be arrested, along with the other miners involved. At least her motive hadn’t been pure greed. Perhaps Grandfather Heinrich would pass down a