The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves, #1)(25)

A hot pain spread through Séverin’s chest. No physical ache, but the ripping teeth of something cruel. Hope. He refused to show it. Instead, he forced a smile.

“Good. Now. To get the Horus Eye out of the vault, we have to focus on two things. First, finding the Eye’s exact location inside Kore’s vault. For that, we’re going to need the catalogue coin so we’ll be paying a visit to our old friend, the House Kore courier. Thanks to Laila, we know exactly where he’ll be tomorrow.”

“The Palais des Rêves,” said Laila, smiling.

Enrique made a high-pitched sound. “Wait, no! I want to go there! It’s the party of the year!”

Zofia frowned. “What’s so great about a party?”

“It’s going to be lavish,” said Enrique, sighing.

“Who said I can get any of you in?” asked Laila.

“Wait wait wait … How, exactly, are you planning on getting the House Kore courier to part with his catalogue coin?” asked Enrique. “We couldn’t even find it when we needed it for the auction.”

“That’s where the Sphinx mask comes into play, courtesy of Zofia. I pose as a Sphinx. But I’ll need someone dressed as a S?reté officer.”

The S?reté was the detective branch of the armed forces. The only ones authorized to hold an Order member in for questioning. Séverin turned to Tristan, who groaned.

“Why me?”

“You have an excellent face.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” demanded Enrique. “Can I go?”

“He wants to go!” pointed out Tristan. “Why can’t he go?”

“Because I chose you.”

Enrique whined, “Séverin doesn’t think I’m pretty.”

“Séverin, tell him he’s pretty,” said Laila.

Séverin crossed his arms. “Zofia, tell him he’s pretty.”

Zofia didn’t look up from her tea. “I am personally undecided, but if we’re assessing based on objectivity, then according to the principles of the golden ratio, also known as phi, which is approximately 1.618, your facial beauty is mathematically pleasing.”

“I’m swooning,” grumbled Enrique.

“It has to be Tristan,” said Séverin. “It has to be an honest face. The kind that demands trust.”

Séverin heard a thud as Tristan kicked a table leg. A tiny temper tantrum could only mean he was partially persuaded. Tristan glared at him.

“Will it be during the day?”

“Night.”

“What about Goliath?”

Everyone sighed.

“Goliath has a very strict feeding schedule. He likes his crickets exactly at midnight. Not before or after. Who’s going to feed him?”

“Isn’t Goliath big enough?” asked Laila.

“He’s probably the one eating all the birds in the garden,” said Enrique. “Have you noticed they’re all gone?”

Tristan cleared his throat. “Who will feed Goliath?”

Enrique raised his hand limply. “Me.”

But Tristan wasn’t done. “If I do this, everyone has to help me with my next miniature project.”

Everyone groaned.

Tristan crossed his arms. “Fine, then I won’t do it—”

“You win,” said Séverin.

Tristan smugly sipped his cocoa.

“Getting the Eye’s location sets us up, but that leaves us with House Kore itself. Their Spring Festival is in two weeks’ time. Tristan is the only one of us who has been to House Kore multiple times for landscaping Forging, so he’ll handle the external layout.”

“What about the invitations?” asked Enrique. “They were delivered months ago.”

“Hypnos will take care of it,” allowed Séverin. “He has to be good for something.”

“Our instruments can’t get past verit stone,” pointed out Zofia.

“She’s right,” said Enrique. “We’ll get stopped at the front door. The only thing that repels verit stone is verit stone. And it’s not like anyone has a spare piece of verit lying around that would throw off the sensors.”

Séverin popped a clove into his mouth.

“Oh no,” said Enrique. “I hate when you do that. Now what?”

“I seem to recall you mentioning some North African artifact that purported similar properties.”

Enrique’s eyes went wide. “I had no idea you listened to me.”

“Surprise.”

“But, uh, yes … there’s an artifact I wanted to examine, but it’s being kept under lock and key at an exhibition. It’s part of some exhibit on superstitions from the colonies, but it’s not going to open until the Exposition Universelle.”

“Very well.”

Enrique blinked. “Wait. Do you want me to break into the exhibition?”

“Of course not—”

“Thank God.”

“—Zofia is going with you.”

“What?” said Zofia and Enrique at the same time.

“I work alone,” said Zofia.

Enrique rolled his eyes. “Most women kill to be alone with me.”