Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2)(129)

“Where’s Tom?” I demanded.

The shock on his face smoothed to neutrality. “Tom who?”

“You know who!” I stormed forward. “Is he still here?”

The bartender set down the mug and fixed me with a cool gaze. “Miss, I don’t know what you think you’re— Argh!”

I climbed over the bar and kicked him in the chest, doing it much less skillfully in a dress than I would have in Lady Aviel’s pants. But it was so completely unexpected that the surprise gave me an advantage. I pushed him back with a knee jab to the stomach, trapping him in the small space. Another hit from my knee made him double over, and I forced him down by sitting on his back. I weighed less, but he didn’t have room to maneuver. I grabbed a length of rope sitting near an ale cask and bound the man’s hands with knot skills learned from my father.

“Where’s Tom?” I repeated.

The bartender glared up at me defiantly, and I resisted the urge to slap the answer out of him. I had no time for torture or interrogation. If Tom was here, there was only one place he could be. If he wasn’t here, he was probably out of my reach anyway. I located the backroom key, and a widening of the man’s eyes made me think I might not be too late after all. On my way out from behind the bar, I spied the pistol kept on the shelf. I wasn’t familiar with its style, but at least it was a close-range weapon. I fit the gun into my skirt’s pocket as best I could and headed for the backroom door.

Beyond it, I found the stairwell that I’d seen the night Tom and I had argued. This time, the steps were illuminated from lanterns below. With a deep breath, I began my descent. The wooden stairs creaked beneath me, killing any chance at subtlety. But I didn’t need it, not if I could pull off the plan I’d formulated on my way here.

“Barnaby? Has Elijah come back?” called a familiar voice.

I reached the bottom and found myself in an enormous storage area. Marks on the dusty floor showed that a huge number of crates had once filled the room. All were gone now, except for a few in the corner. One had its lid off, and Tom knelt before it, carefully putting in burlap bags that clinked when they bumped each other.

“Barnaby?” Tom glanced over his shoulder and jumped to his feet when he saw me. He tilted his head and looked me over, cautious but not threatened. “Well. You’re certainly prettier than Barnaby. And maybe cleverer, if you made it down here. How may I be of assistance, fascinating creature?”

“I’m here to help you.” I switched to the Belsian accent. “If you still want it.”

Tom stared, speechless for a change, and then a huge grin spread over his face. “Lady Aviel! Is this the real angel at last? In a dress? And here I thought this was turning out to be a terrible day.”

“Things not going your way?” I asked, returning to my regular voice.

He shrugged. “Just a lot of surprises. You’re a good one, though. I can’t believe I didn’t catch on sooner. You do that Belsian accent flawlessly. But you’re Sirminican, yes? Exquisite. And of course I want your help. Looks like we’ll have to get you something a little more durable to wear to Alma, but we can worry about that once we’re out of town. No wig, though. I won’t allow it. It’d be a crime now that I’ve seen your real hair. I’m not even sure about a mask, though I suppose you’ll want to—”

“Stop.” He’d been inching nearer, mostly out of curiosity. I retrieved the gun from my skirt without him realizing it and pointed it at his chest. “Not a step closer.”

“Really?” His eyes narrowed behind the mask as he studied me. He didn’t look frightened in the least. “Is this about the wig? You can wear it if you want.”

“It’s about you and your operations, Mister Courtemanche. Get on your knees.”

He obeyed, grinning. “And she speaks Lorandian too.”

“Not as well as you,” I said, recalling his farewell to Adelaide this morning. “And I can’t hear a trace of it in your Osfridian.”

“As well you shouldn’t. I’ve been in or around the colonies for most of my life. My family came from Lorandy years ago, and I support my homeland’s vision for Adoria.”

“By funding a bloody revolution so that Lorandy can get its hands on the colonies’ resources?”

“I have done a remarkable job,” he said with false modesty. “If I’d only worked this hard in my youth, I’d be living like a king by now.”

“The Osfridian authorities actually think you’re a nobleman—that it’s the only way you’d have so much gold.” I nodded toward the bags in the crates.

He brightened even more, still far too at ease considering his current position. “Well, that is high praise indeed.”

“It’s over now. Lie down and put your hands behind your back.” Some of the gold bags were tied with rope. It was a narrower type than what I’d used upstairs, but I was certain I could get it to secure his wrists—so long as I could do it while holding the gun.

But he didn’t move. “Aviel, I really can’t say enough how much I’m loving this. Not just seeing your real face. I mean: seeing this side of you. It really has improved my day—which makes it that much sadder that I have to be the one to tell you that gun isn’t loaded.”