Page 13 of Alchemy of Souls

I always thought what all Laborers do—that the Chancellor was a typical arrogant Mage, his only redeeming quality that he had exceptional magic to protect us from the Lawless. But in this moment, I hate him with every fiber of my being.

“Wait!” I say, not caring if I have to beg. “They don’t know anything. My sister is only six. Ask me anything and I’ll tell you. Ask me to do something to prove my loyalty. Please, just don’t involve my family.”

“I’m growing weary of this conversation,” the Chancellor replies. “I’ve already given you the opportunity to explain or admit your guilt. You’ve done neither.”

He stares at me expectantly, the stillness of the air sucking all the life out of the room. And I actually consider lying. “Okay,” I say slowly, my mouth suddenly dry.My life for theirs. “I—”

“The Archive Key,” Grayson says, cutting me off. But he’s not talking to me, he’s talking to his uncle. “I’ll make you a deal.”

Wait,what?

The Chancellor’s gaze whips to his nephew.

Grayson’s easy smile returns. “As an expression of our loyalty and to prove to you that we did not in any way create a distraction for the Lawless, we’ll call the Archive Key.”

My stomach plummets to the floor. What the hell is he saying?

CHAPTER 9Grayson

I only have one shot to convince my uncle not to kill everyone. I’m fairly certain he already intended to take Eloise out with the dog.

“Are you claiming you have some method of calling the Key?” my uncle asks, his tone carefully neutral. “You know very well that it appears when and where it wants.”

“It’s appeared for me and Eloise before,” I say smoothly, because anything less than total commitment and my uncle will pick out the lie. “Only I wasn’t actually sure what it was until it showed up on that stage today. My theory is…” I lean forward for this part. “That there’s something about us being together that triggered it.”

My uncle’s gaze flits to Eloise, who’s staring at me like I just suggested waltzing naked down Main Street. But when his gaze meets mine, he seems to understand my communication—that I saved her from the dogs, not because I had anything to do with the discernment spell, but because she’s integral to calling the Key.

I can scent his greed—a deep desire to possess that Key.

“We’ll call the Archive Key and we’ll hand it over to you,” I continue. “But only if you agree that when we do, you’ll clear our names of all things Lawless.”

“You do not make the conditions,” he says with a hard tone.

“I do if you want that Key,” I continue, walking a dangerous line.“Unless you know someone else who’s called it in the last hundred years?”

Warning flashes in his eyes. “Careful. Or you might find yourself in a hole until you learn to speak more politely.”

“Is that a yes or a no?” I ask, and Eloise sucks in a sharp breath.

“If you’re so confident,” he replies icily, “then call the Key now.”

I lean back in the armchair. “I would, of course, but with its uncontrollable nature, it’ll take time.”

My uncle’s silent for so long I almost doubt the way I’ve played this. “Two weeks,” he bites out. “You have two weeks to produce that Key. If you succeed, your names will be cleared of all wrongdoing. Otherwise, you’ll both be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

“Deal,” I say, before he changes his mind.

“There are four Guardians outside that door,” my uncle says, looking from me to Eloise. “Two of them will escort you to your home, Miss Belrose, and will stay with you while you pack your belongings.”

“Pack?” she asks, and the word sounds forced.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, I’m traveling back to the University with the new graduates. The wards there are second to none. Once you cross them, there is no way out unless I so decide,” he says, letting her know that her life is still very much in his hands. “You’ll tell your family exactly what everyone knows, that you were admitted to the Alchemy Guild, and nothing more. If either Guardian gets the sense that you’re violating this simple instruction, I’ll scrap the deal and they’ll bring your entire family in for interrogation. Is that clear?”

He doesn’t wait for her acknowledgment; he doesn’t need it.

His gaze lands on me. “Given yourclaimthat the Archive Keyappears when you and Miss Belrose are together, you’ll remain that way for these next two weeks. Until further notice, Grayson, you’re also admitted to the Alchemy Guild, where you’ll be assigned the same schedule.”

My jaw flexes. “I was markedGifted.”