Chapter : 1513

  "It is a distraction," Lloyd said calmly. He poured himself a cup of tea, checking it for poison out of habit before taking a sip. "And we are going to use it. How is the patient?"

  "I am... steady," she said. "I practiced the breathing. I practiced the flow. But my brother... he is in a foul mood. The reports of the unrest in the provinces have him on edge."

  "Good," Lloyd said. "An angry enemy makes mistakes. An anxious enemy makes bigger ones. We need him to make a colossal one tonight."

  He set the cup down.

  "Tonight is the heist," Lloyd said. "But we cannot rob the bank while the guards are watching the vault. We need to move the guards."

  "The Orchid House," Seraphina said. "You said we need to strip its defenses."

  "Yes. And the only person with the authority to command the elite units... the Obsidian Eye heavy infantry... is Cassius. Or the King. Since the King is 'indisposed', we need Cassius to move them."

  "He won't move them," Seraphina shook her head. "He is paranoid about security. He keeps them there to guard his... his project."

  "He values the project," Lloyd agreed. "But he values his image more. And he values control over the court above all else. Tonight is the Festival. The court expects a show. They expect the Royal Family to host the Grand Ball."

  "There hasn't been a Grand Ball in three years," Seraphina said. "Not since Mother died. Cassius says they are frivolous. A waste of resources."

  "That is exactly why you must demand one," Lloyd said.

  He leaned forward.

  "You are going to go to him," Lloyd instructed. "Not as a sister asking for a favor. But as the Princess Royal demanding her right. You are going to tell him that the people need to see the monarchy. That the rumors of the King's weakness are spreading. You are going to tell him that to silence the whispers, the Palace must shine tonight."

  "He will refuse," she said.

  "He will try," Lloyd countered. "But then you will play the card we discussed. Fear. You will tell him that you feel 'unsafe' with all the strangers in the city for the festival. You will demand that if there is a ball, you require absolute security. You want the best. You want the heavy infantry. You want the Obsidian Eye standing in the ballroom, watching every guest."

  Seraphina’s eyes widened behind her mask. "I... I demand his own guards?"

  "Exactly," Lloyd grinned. It was a sharp, predatory expression hidden by his fox mask. "Cassius thinks you are weak. Fragile. If the fragile Princess says she is terrified of assassins and needs the big, scary soldiers to hold her hand during the party... he will believe it. It fits his narrative of you."

  "And if he moves them to the Palace..."

  "Then they aren't at the Orchid House," Lloyd finished. "He can't be in two places at once. If he wants to keep an eye on you, and keep an eye on the nobility, he needs his best men at the ball. He will strip the facility to a skeleton crew because he thinks the facility is a secret no one knows about."

  Seraphina took a deep breath. She looked at her hands. They were trembling, but she forced them to stop.

  "I have to lie to him," she said. "I have to look him in the eye and play the scared little girl."

  "You have been playing that role for three years, Seraphina," Lloyd said softly. "Tonight, you play it one last time. But this time, you are writing the script."

  He reached out and tapped the table.

  "Can you do it?"

  Seraphina looked up. The painted tears on her mask seemed to mock her, but the eyes behind them were hardening.

  "For the children," she whispered. "For the ones in the cages."

  "For the children," Lloyd agreed.

  "I will do it," she said. Her voice was stronger now. "I will make him move them."

  "Good," Lloyd said. "Because the moment the music starts... my team is going in. And we need that door open."

  ----

  The meeting with Cassius took place in the War Room. It was a stark contrast to the festive streets outside. The walls were covered in maps of the border, marked with troop movements and supply lines. Cassius stood over a large table, moving wooden markers representing legions. He looked tired, irritable, and dangerous.

  When Seraphina entered, flanked by her usual guards, Cassius didn't even look up.

  Chapter : 1514

  "I am busy, Seraphina," he snapped. "Go play with your flowers. Or your doctor."

  Seraphina felt a spike of fear. The old instinct to apologize and retreat rose up in her throat. But then she remembered the ledger. She remembered the word Incinerator.

  She walked up to the table. She placed her hand flat on the map, right over the capital city.

  "We are hosting a ball tonight," she said.

  Cassius stopped moving the marker. He looked at her hand, then up at her face. His expression was one of mild, baffled amusement.

  "Excuse me?"

  "The Festival of Masks," Seraphina said, her voice wavering slightly before firming up. "The people are celebrating. The nobility is in the city. If we hide in the palace like frightened rats, they will think the Crown is weak. They will think Father is dead."

  "Father is resting," Cassius said coldly. "And we are at war, sister. Or close enough to it. We do not have time for dancing."

  "We are losing the people, Cassius," she countered, reciting the lines Lloyd had helped her prepare. "I hear the whispers. They say the Altamiran Lion has lost its teeth. They say we are afraid."

  She stepped closer.

  "I am the Princess Royal," she declared. "And I say we open the Grand Hall. We show them we are not afraid. We show them wealth. Power. Stability."

  Cassius studied her. He looked for the strings. He looked for the influence of the doctor. But what he saw was vanity. He saw a young woman tired of being cooped up, wanting to wear a pretty dress and be adored by the masses.

  "You want a party," Cassius sneered. "Because you are bored."

  "I want to do my duty," she lied. "But..." She let her voice drop. She let the old fear bleed into her tone. "But the city is full of strangers. Masked strangers. I... I do not feel safe."

  Cassius rolled his eyes. "You are in the most secure fortress in the world."

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  "It's not enough," she insisted, clutching her hands together. "I had a dream. Assassins. In the crowd. If we host this ball... I need protection. Real protection. Not the ceremonial guards. They are useless."

  She looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

  "I want the Obsidian Eye," she said. "The elite units. The ones you keep for your... special projects. I want them in the ballroom. I want them surrounding the dais. I won't step foot in that hall unless I know the best killers in the kingdom are standing between me and the crowd."

  Cassius stared at her. His mind worked through the logic.

  Hosting the ball would be a good political move. It would quell rumors about the King’s health if he could be propped up for an hour. It would allow Cassius to keep an eye on the restless nobles all in one place.

  And Seraphina’s demand for the elite guard... it was pathetic, but it was useful. It showed she relied on him. It showed she acknowledged his power.

  "You want the heavy infantry," Cassius said slowly. "In a ballroom. It will look like an occupation."

  "It will look like strength," she argued. "Please, brother. I... I can't do it otherwise. My nerves..."

  She put a hand to her forehead, feigning a swoon.

  Cassius sighed. It was a sound of supreme annoyance.

  "Fine," he said. "Have your party. Wear your crown. Wave to the people."

  He turned to his aide, a severe-looking man with a scar.

  "Commander," Cassius ordered. "Pull the Second and Third Phalanxes from Site B. Redeploy them to the Grand Hall for the duration of the evening."

  "Highness," the Commander hesitated. "Site B will be left with only the perimeter sentries and the internal wardens. If—"

  "It is a secret facility in the middle of a forest," Cassius snapped. "Nobody knows it exists. And who is going to attack it tonight? Everyone who matters will be here, drinking my wine."

  He looked at Seraphina.

  "Are you happy now?" he asked. "You have your guards. You have your ball."

  "Yes, brother," Seraphina said, lowering her head to hide the triumph in her eyes. "Thank you. I feel... much safer."

  "Go," Cassius waved her away. "Get dressed. Try not to embarrass us."

  Seraphina turned and walked out. She kept her pace measured until she was around the corner. Then she leaned against the cold stone wall and exhaled, her legs shaking.

  She had done it. The Phalanxes were moving. The Orchid House was exposed.

  Chapter : 1515

  She touched the communication stone in her pocket. She squeezed it three times. The signal.

  The trap is set.

  Across the city, in the back room of the teahouse, Lloyd felt the vibration in his pocket. He pulled out the stone. It pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light.

  He looked at Ken. He looked at the mask on the table.

  "She did it," Lloyd said. "The heavy guard is moving to the palace."

  Ken stood up. "Then we move to the quarry."

  Lloyd picked up the fox mask. He ran his thumb over the painted grin.

  "Tonight," Lloyd said, "we dance."

  The safe house was no longer a place of rest. It had become an armory. The table was cleared of food and covered in a black cloth, upon which lay the tools of their trade.

  Lloyd stood over the gear, his hands moving with the precision of a surgeon as he performed the final checks.

  "Flash-bangs," he muttered, checking the pins on the silver spheres. "Three for each of you. Smoke grenades. Two. Grappling lines. Checked."

  He picked up a strange device. It looked like a jagged rock wrapped in copper wire, with a small, glowing Lilith Stone embedded in the center. It hummed with a low, dissonant frequency that made Jasmin’s teeth ache just looking at it.

  "This," Lloyd said, holding it up for Ken, "is the key. It is a prototype Mana-Jammer. I built it based on the principles I deciphered from the Golem Heart research."

  Ken took the device. It was heavy. "How does it work?"

  "It emits a chaotic spiritual frequency," Lloyd explained. "Think of it as... screaming very loudly in the language of magic. When you activate it near the perimeter wards of the Orchid House, it won't break them. Breaking them triggers alarms. Instead, it confuses them. It creates a blind spot. A static interference. For about three minutes, the sensors won't be able to tell the difference between a person and a gust of wind."

  "Three minutes," Ken repeated. "To breach the fence, cross the yard, and enter the drainage tunnel."

  "It is enough," Lloyd said. "For you."

  He turned to Jasmin. She was dressed in a tight-fitting black tunic and trousers, her hair braided back. She looked pale, but her eyes were steady. She looked less like a maid and more like the weapon he was forging her into.

  "Jia," Lloyd said, using her cover name even now. "You have the hardest job. You are the guide. You have to identify Risa. There will be many children. You cannot save them all. Not tonight. If we try to lead a parade of fifty kids through the forest, we all die. We grab Risa. We grab any intel we can carry. And we leave. We come back for the rest with the army Seraphina is going to raise."

  Jasmin swallowed hard. "Just Risa. I understand."

  "It is a cruel calculus," Lloyd said gently. "But it is the only way."

  He picked up a second Mana-Jammer, smaller, more compact. He handed it to her.

  "This is for the collars," he said. "If Risa is wearing a suppression collar, this will short-circuit the locking mechanism. Touch it to the latch, press the button, and pull."

  She took it. Her hand closed around the cold stone.

  "I won't fail," she whispered.

  "I know," Lloyd said.

  He stepped back. He looked at them. His bodyguard. His handmaiden. His friends.

  "I am splitting the party," Lloyd said, his voice tight. "Rule number one of tactics: never split the party. But tonight, we have no choice. I have to be at the Ball. I have to be the alibi. I have to keep Cassius looking at me, so he doesn't look at you."

  "We will be fine," Ken said. His voice was a solid wall of reassurance. "I will keep her safe."

  "I know you will," Lloyd said. "But Ken... if it goes wrong. If the trap snaps shut. You get her out. You leave the mission. You leave Risa if you have to. You save Jasmin."

  Jasmin opened her mouth to protest, but Lloyd silenced her with a look.

  "That is an order, Kasim," Lloyd said.

  Ken hesitated. He looked at Lloyd, then at Jasmin.

  "Understood," Ken said finally.

  Lloyd let out a breath. He hated this. He hated sending them into the dark while he went to drink wine. It felt like cowardice, even if it was strategy.

  Chapter : 1516

  "The signal," Lloyd said. "When you are clear... when you hit the fuel depot... I will see the fire from the palace balcony. That is my cue to start the chaos in the ballroom. To make sure no one can leave to chase you."

  He reached out and gripped Ken’s shoulder. He squeezed Jasmin’s hand.

  "Don't die," Lloyd said. "That is a standing order. Do not die."

  "You neither, Doctor," Jasmin said, a small, brave smile touching her lips. "Try not to step on the Princess's toes."

  Lloyd laughed. It was a short, sharp sound.

  "I'll try," he said. "Now go. The night is young, and we have a lot of trouble to cause."

  Ken and Jasmin pulled up their masks. They melted into the shadows of the hallway and were gone.

  Lloyd stood alone in the safe house. He felt a sudden, crushing weight of loneliness.

  "Right," he whispered to the empty room. "Time to put on the monkey suit."

  ----

  Lloyd Ferrum stood before the mirror. The transformation was complete. The humble, dusty robes of Doctor Zayn were gone. In their place was a formal outfit of midnight blue velvet, tailored to perfection in the Zakarian style. Silver embroidery traced intricate patterns along the cuffs and collar. He wore a silk sash of emerald green and a turban pinned with a sapphire that cost more than the inn he was staying in.

  He adjusted his spectacles. They were new, gold-rimmed, and stylish.

  "Doctor Zayn, Royal Physician," he murmured to his reflection. "Arrogant. Successful. Completely harmless."

  He checked his pockets. No weapons. Not a single knife. If he was searched at the palace, he had to be clean. His only weapons tonight were his tongue, his mind, and the signet ring on his finger that contained a single, high-yield flash charge. Just in case.

  He walked out of the inn. A hired carriage, far more expensive than his usual transport, was waiting.

  As he climbed in, he looked up at the sky. Clouds were gathering, obscuring the moons. It was a dark night. Good for thieves. Good for Wraiths.

  "To the Royal Palace," he ordered the driver.

  The carriage rattled through the streets. The city was alive with the festival. People danced in the streets wearing grotesque masks of demons and animals. Fireworks popped in the distance, sounding uncomfortably like gunfire.

  As he neared the palace, the atmosphere changed. The revelry gave way to security. The gates were heavily manned, but they were manned by regular troops. The elite black armor of the Obsidian Eye was missing.

  "It worked," Lloyd whispered. "Cassius moved them."

  He presented his invitation and his Royal Warrant. The guards waved him through with respectful nods.

  He entered the Grand Hall.

  It was spectacular. Thousands of candles floated in the air, suspended by magic. The floor was a sea of polished marble. The elite of Altamira were there, a swirling mass of silk, jewels, and masks.

  But Lloyd didn't look at the beauty. He looked at the perimeter.

  Standing along the walls, spaced every ten feet, were the soldiers of the Second and Third Phalanxes. They were huge men in black plate armor, standing like statues. They were the wall that was supposed to be guarding the Orchid House. Now, they were guarding a buffet table.

  "Perfect," Lloyd thought. "They are all here."

  He scanned the crowd for Seraphina. He spotted her near the throne. She was wearing a gown of pale gold and a mask that covered the upper half of her face. She looked regal. Terrified, but regal.

  Beside her stood Cassius. The Prince wasn't wearing a mask. His arrogance was his mask. He looked bored, swirling a glass of wine, his eyes scanning the crowd with predatory disinterest.

  Lloyd took a deep breath. He plastered a smile on his face. He walked into the lion's den.

  Meanwhile, five miles to the north, the world was very different.

  Ken and Jasmin lay in the mud at the edge of the quarry. The rain had started to fall, a cold, miserable drizzle that soaked them to the bone.

  Below them lay the Orchid House. It was a sprawling complex of low, concrete bunkers built into the side of the cliff. It looked like a tomb.

  Searchlights swept the perimeter, cutting through the rain. But there were gaps. The patrols were thin. The guard towers were undermanned.

  "He did it," Ken whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind. "The heavy guard is gone. It's a skeleton crew."