She took a few steps, still thinking, and finally shook her head. “The munitions aren’t at the arena anymore. They moved them to Tor’s Watch.”
“What are you talking about?” Questions erupted around the room. Even Paxton questioned her. This was news to him.
“Underground,” she added. “They’re somewhere underground. Here.”
* * *
We reconvened in the study—behind closed doors.
While she was on the run, Kazi had seen Zane making an oddly timed delivery on the road behind Tor’s Watch—with an armed escort. She hadn’t had time to wonder about it because she was running for her life. But after she had been captured, while she was half delirious with the poison and pain, she overheard the king tell Zane to finish moving the last two loads from the arena. That it was too dangerous to keep something there.
I remembered the armed caravan we encountered on the road escorting two wagons piled with hay. Now it all made sense.
Unfortunately, this changed everything.
Blowing up warehouse seventy-two behind the arena in the light of day was risky—maybe even a suicide mission that could reduce all the warehouses to rubble. But blowing up the entire store of munitions beneath Tor’s Watch might accomplish exactly what the king was trying to do, but faster—destroy the vault. And finding the ammo was another trick. There were large cellars under every house and outbuilding on the property. There was more storage beneath the stables. And we had an icehouse too that was mostly underground, not to mention Greyson Tunnel itself and the tunnels that branched off of it, like the one that led to the vault. We no longer had one place to search but many.
Paxton leaned forward and blew a puff of air through his hand. “With something worth guarding, they aren’t going to have just a small contingent of soldiers posted at Tor’s Watch anymore. They’ll be everywhere.”
“We can’t all waltz in and search the grounds in the light of day anyway,” Gunner said.
“Or wait for night and use torches,” Aram added.
A louder boom sounded through the room. Dust sprinkled down onto the table between us. Waiting for night wasn’t an option at this point.
“Dammit!” Priya pinched the bridge of her nose, then madly swiped away the dust.
Kazi cleared her throat. “There is someone who could waltz through Tor’s Watch in the light of day.”
I looked across the table at her. She had been silent until now, conspicuously quiet, almost as if composing a riddle. Now I knew the riddle she was trying to unravel.
“No,” I said.
“But—”
“No!” I said more firmly. “Rhea would never allow it either. You just—”
Kazi stood. “Listen here, Patrei. I’m part of this family now, and I say yes.”
Brows rose around the table.
Synové grimaced. “She’s got you there, Patrei.”
“She’s Rahtan too, don’t forget that,” Wren added.
“Not to mention,” Kazi continued, “I’m the ambassador around these parts, and ambassadors trump Patreis.” She put her hands on her hips. “There! I guess everyone knows everything now.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
KAZI
Jase stood at the end of the tunnel, his hand running over the smooth metal of the vault door, as if searching for a flaw. It was the first time I had noticed how perfect it was. Still shiny, not even a scratch, and it was centuries old. His hand ran along the seam next, where the frame was embedded in the granite mountain, like he was a tailor checking for the craftsmanship of a coat—a very old coat. His fingers lingered. I saw the weight on his shoulders. Protect. It was in his blood.
The ground shook again. I imagined Montegue up on the mountain setting off the charges himself. He had been robbed of the pleasure of watching me hang.
“We have to go, Jase,” I said. Though Tor’s Watch was just on the other side of that door, the route we would have to take would be much longer.
He raked his hair back and turned, his eyes meeting mine. He nodded. I knew what he was thinking. It would have to hold. The Ancients had built it to hold. But was an old vault door any match for the magic of the stars and the wrath of a king? Jase had warned that, depending on where the explosives were stored, blowing them up could mean leveling all of Tor’s Watch. There might be nothing left.