Page 89 of Apprentice to the Villain

Which meant she wouldn’t rest until she knew what it was.

“For one thing, the fortress is completely inaccessible to the public. And…”

She sat up on her elbows. “And what?” she prompted.

He looked uncomfortable, but it was a toss-up as to whether it was due to her presence in his bed or whatever it was he was hiding in that damn armoire. “It’s not my place to say. Let me make some inquiries, and we’ll go from there.”

Suddenly, Marv stormed in the room, causing Evie to startle so badly, she fell off the bed. “Problem—big problem—hugeproblem!”

It was too much to hope that Marv hadn’t seen her. And he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. Fantastic.

“A fire has been deliberately started in the courtyard!” Marv yelled.

The Villain furrowed his brow but otherwise kept his composure. “It isn’t the first time, Marv. Use one of Sage’s prized hoses and put it out.”

“They’re not prized,” she said, affronted. “They’re safety precautions!”

Marv shifted nervously. “Sir…I fear the Valiant Guards are behind this.”

The blank expression on The Villain’s face morphed into a determined set of his jaw as he sailed from the room, Evie following hot on his heels.

Marv could be right; there had been knights sniffing around the barriers of the manor. But Evie had her suspicions as well, and none of them were aimed at the Valiant Guards.

No, she had a terrible feeling the person responsible was someone else entirely.

Chapter 53

The Villain

Trystan used to like being in charge.

Ordering people about and having them bend to his control was his duty, his destiny; the one thing he could strive to be good at was evil-doing, committing crimes against the kingdom. But if he were being truthful, he thought as he and Sage raced through the manor, if he allowed himself to acknowledge that long-held hope he’d pushed off to the corner of his mind so long ago, he could acknowledge that fulfilling the prophecy, that saving Rennedawn…doing something to save instead of destroy…might make him deserving.

Of peace, of friendship, of family, and maybe even of—

“Fire!” The word left his mouth rather without warning as he and Sage ran into the back courtyard to find the trees ablaze.

Sage startled, clutching her side, out of breath, panting, skin dampened from the exertion— His mind went to a horrid place, and it involved his bed…and a few of his pillows. “I think it knows, sir,” she gasped out. “You don’t have to scream at it.”

Trystan gripped the sides of his head. “Just get out the hose. So I can find—andseverelypunish—whoever is responsible for this.”

She tried to lift a cement slab in the floor of the courtyard. It didn’t budge, and so she frowned at it. “Huh. I was sure that was the one I put it under.”

He gaped at her. “You don’t know where it is? You, the rubber hose enthusiast?”

She pointed a finger in his face. “Planning for safety in case of an emergency does not make me an enthusiast, Evil Overlord.”

Trystan lifted a brow and crossed his arms, contemplating her. “Did you buy a book about it?”

She looked away guiltily. “…Yes.”

“Ha!”

She threw her hands in the air. “I did a little reading on safety! It’s a palate cleanser after my last bodice-ripper book.”

He didn’t need to be a genius to surmise what those books entailed.

“Wh-What was the title?” he asked.