The Royal Thief

Chapter 65: Lies and Loyalty

So wattpad updated stuff again... blegh. I fail to see how this "writing experience" has been improved in any way. But moving on, because I have accepted wattpad's inevitable doom as it spirals into the black mist of updates that help no one and make writing harder.

Cover in media made by @-flowered- and it's amazing!

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"You- you-" He couldn't seem to get a word out, pacing across my room, the hem of his robe snapping with each sharp turn.

I could only wait desperately. He needed to make the first move, so I could figure out how much he suspected, if he already knew for certain why the Book hadn't let me touch it.

"You owe the throne your loyalty-" he hissed. "And yet-"

My heart sank. Perfect. He already knew. I couldn't take it- my head still pounded, the tears on my face not even dried yet, my entire body aching, but I had to pull myself together. Somehow I had to get out of this. "I am loyal."

He stopped pacing all at once. "You-? No, you are not! I saw what you were doing. And I know you cannot tell me in all honesty you had a true and loyal reason for looking in that book."

"I was just curious! I just wanted to know- Caer said something in a lesson once that I didn't understand, and I thought the Book might- I thought I could find the answer there!" Lies. Just keep going, one after the other. That was how you defeated Tobias. By burying him in lies until he couldn't see where he was going.

"Just curious? And what did a tutor say that could have been so interesting it was worth infiltrating a locked vault to look in one of the most fragile books in our possession?"

I almost snorted. Whatever that book was, it hadn't felt fragile. But Tobias was glaring at me. I was seconds away from being thrown into one of the very cells I'd hurried past almost an hour ago. My mind raced. "He said- he said- that, uh, a Guardian can't be killed on Solangian soil. That, uh, it causes earthquakes and famines and stuff. And I... I didn't think that could be true, because of all the wars we've had that Guardians have fought in, I thought lots of them must have died on Solangian soil so that would have made lots more earthquakes and famines than there have been in our history. So I... I thought the Book could tell me."

He laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "You expect me to believe that you went through all that trouble for the purpose of learning?"

I winced. It was rather out of character for me. But I could use that, what he assumed was my lack of respect for anything related to learning. "What else do you think I could have used that old thing for? It's not like it'd be useful for anything else."

He nearly chocked on indignation, but quickly calmed himself. "You- you had no other purpose for looking in the Book?"

It suddenly dawned on me that there was some sort of gap in our conversation. I was afraid he knew who I'd been trying to steal the Book for. But he... he hadn't said anything about stealing. He kept saying "looking". What had I been looking in the Book for, why had I been trying to look. He wasn't afraid of the Book being stolen at all. It wasn't a lot to go on, but... could this mean he didn't know about my connection to the rebels?

The door was suddenly thrust open, slamming against the wall, and a panting, out of breath Caer appeared. "I heard- shouting and- something in the dungeons. What's going on?"

Tobias cast a ferociously annoyed look at him. "Really. You just happened to hear."

"Er- yeah, I did. Care to fill me in?"