was locked. I could probably have unlocked it magically, but with so many magisters about, I was afraid to risk them noticing the magic. With another glance up and down the hallway, I pulled a pin from my hair and inserted it in the lock. I’d become an expert on unlocking doors that way when I had a young pupil who had a habit of locking himself in his room to avoid lessons. With a satisfying click, the door opened for me, and I returned the pin to my hair, hoping I hadn’t ruined the elaborate arrangement of curls.
The room was dark, but moonlight and lanterns in the garden shone through the window, casting a silvery glow that enabled me to find my way. This study was far neater than Henry’s. The giant mahogany desk was clear, except for a large blotter pad. A single sheet of paper, creased as though it had been folded, lay on top of the blotter. I moved over to the desk and bent to read the message on the page, but then a noise from behind startled me. I whirled to see a masked man climbing through the window—the masked bandit I’d encountered on the train.
He froze when he saw me and blurted, “Verity? What on earth are you doing in here?”
IN WHICH WE ENTER THE LIONS’ DEN
It was Henry’s voice, but that only confirmed what I’d suspected from the start and known for a while. “I’m doing the same thing you are, helping the rebels,” I snapped. “Now, Henry, get in here before someone sees you.”
He climbed the rest of the way through the window and pulled the mask off, revealing a sheepish expression. “You knew?”
“I figured it out long ago. But this isn’t the time to discuss it. I think the message the governor received is there on his desk.”
Henry conjured a small light in his hand and moved to the desk. Even as close as I was, I could barely sense his magic, and I admired his control. We bent over the pieced paper together and saw that the message was from a downtown garrison. The rebels had struck that night while the officers were at the ball and many of the soldiers were attending the theater, and the situation had become desperate.
“That would explain the rapidly disappearing officers,” Henry whispered.
I ran my fingers lightly over the blotter, feeling the indentations from a pen. “It looks like he’s written something here recently—his orders in response?”
“Let’s find out.” He waved his hand over the blotter, and letters became visible, glowing against the paper. “Forget about fighting the people,” the words said. “Seize the machines. I don’t care if they’re technically legal. Tear up every building in that area to find them. It’s the only way to end rebellion.”
Henry and I looked up from the page to each other. “Oh, no,” I breathed. “He’s right, though. The machines are what give us a chance against magic. If they take the machines, it’s over. We have to warn them.”
“I’m assuming you know how to get to them, and that they’d trust you?”
“Yes, I know them, and I think they trust me. We just have to get to them in time.”
“And then find a way to hide the machines or get them away. How many do they have?”
“I don’t think I’ve seen them all, and I don’t know where they all are. But there are a number, and they’re not the sort of thing one could slip under one’s coat and walk off with. They’re large and noisy.”
“We’ll get away from this ball as soon as possible, and then we’ll go warn the rebels.” He pulled out a pocketknife and carefully slit the top page off the blotter, folding it and tucking it away in his pocket before returning the message to its original position.
He tied his mask back on, speaking as he did so. “Get back to the ballroom. I’ll join you soon, and when we can leave without looking suspicious, we will.” With a wry smile, he added, “When all this is over, you and I have much to discuss.”
He headed for the window, and I followed him. “Are you going to dismiss me for being a rebel spy?” I asked.
He paused with one leg over the sill. “Heavens no. I think it’s excellent.” Then he disappeared over the side.
I listened at the door, determined that it was safe to leave, relocked the door with my hairpin, and hurried back to the ballroom,