Page 125 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

“If he sees us—”

“Then we hope he doesn’t.” She finishes rolling the parchment and tucks it back inside her jacket. “Shade is on interior detail this week. He will be in the throne room and private quarters. The gardens are handled by regular guards and other Grimsbanes. We should be clear.”

Should be. Not will be.

“I’ll meet you at the east market,” she continues. “One hour before sunset. We need to move fast and quiet.”

She moves toward the door, then turns back to look at me.

“This is your third strike. If Garrett dies and we fail, they won’t just kill us. The guild will make examples of us,” she says flatly.

“I know,” I mutter quietly. If we run we’ll be hunted for the rest of our lives. Every Grimsbane in Tiamat will have our names on the kill list. We’ll never be able to go back.

Kitty loosens a long breath. “The crypts will look like mercy compared to what they’ll do to us.”

I know that too.

“He must be worth it,” she says quietly. “Garrett. He must be worth giving up everything.”

I think about Garrett’s hands on my injured leg. His laugh in the pond and the way he looked at me in his study this morning.

“He is,” I say.

Kitty nods once, sharp and decisive. “One hour before sunset. Don’t be late.”

Then she slips out of the room as quietly as she entered. The door clicks shut behind her, leaving me alone with the weight of what we’re about to do.

I turn back to the window. The sun is starting to sink toward the horizon now, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold. In less than two hours, I’ll either save Garrett’s life or damn us both.

My hand finds the wolf carving in my vest pocket. The small wooden figure Garrett left at the Kvatosh shrine all those weeks ago. The one I took and kept like a fool. My fingers trace the rough edges.

I should go to him and tell him what I’m planning. Maybe I should say goodbye properly in case this goes wrong.

But if I see him now, I might lose my nerve. I might confess everything, the plan and fuck even my feelings for him, all of it. Garrett would try to stop me and forbid it.

Better he never knows. Better he thinks I’m off coordinating with Grimsbanes who will never arrive.

I pull out the wolf carving and set it on the windowsill. If I don’t come back, maybe someone will find it. Maybe Garrett will understand what it meant that I kept it all this time.

One hour before sunset.

I have preparations to make.

Kitty and I crouch in the shadows across the street from the Wiolant compound, watching the guard rotation.

The cobblestones beneath us are still warm from the day’s sun, radiating heat through the thin soles of my boots. I can feel the rough texture of the stone wall at my back, centuries-old mortar crumbling slightly under my fingertips.

I count the seconds in my head.

One. Two. Three.

The rhythm is steady, mechanical. It’s the same count I’ve used on a hundred different jobs. This internal clock has kept me alive this long.

Four. Five. Six.

I watch the guards’ movements, noting the exact moment when they shift their weight or turn their heads. The third watch has been on duty for eleven hours. Their shoulders sag with exhaustion. One of them keeps rubbing his eyes. The other stifles a yawn so wide I can see it from across the street.

Long shifts make people careless and careless people make mistakes. Mistakes are exactly what Kitty and I need.