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NEO

“ W hat do you mean this isn’t over?” Neo demanded, trying to keep the frustration out of his tone as he faced his mother.

Hans had come to collect him for an emergency meeting and now all three of them sat at a round table, one empty chair waiting for his younger sister, Diana. It wasn’t customary for them to discuss things as a family, but matters that involved the security of the kingdom usually involved Neo.

“Don’t be shocked. Of course it’s not over. Why do you think I demanded you bring in the thief? This is a plot that has been in process for years, and she’s at the heart of it. But we’ll get to that in a moment, Neo. We need to discuss who hired her. ”

Neo sat back, foot tapping against the floor. He shifted his gaze from Hans to the vacant seat, then back to his mother, who sat forward, waiting expectantly. This was another moment when he felt like an absolute fool. “I don’t have any information about who hired her,” he admitted weakly. “I didn’t find anyone unusual in the village. The thief admitted to having a boat. She intended to take it downriver, but it had been destroyed. None of my men confessed to it, and I believe them. It’s not like us to destroy property.”

“Interesting. You need to trace the river, find out where she was going and who she was going to meet. We believe this individual, or group of individuals, is responsible for attempting to start a war with the trolls. War is the answer, the treasure from the trolls is a moot point, and whoever wants war will act, and quickly. The masquerade is tomorrow night. Neo, I want you to attend, along with the Blue-Feathered Bard. Everyone will be masked, but it’s an opportunity. It is likely she will try to escape, and the person who hired her might attend the masquerade. They might be high up in the kingdom, eager to start a feud with us. We need to use her as a decoy to ensure the kingdom’s security. ”

“I disagree,” Hans spoke up. “I dislike having a dishonorable thief in court, let alone asking said thief to assist us in confidential matters. She should be imprisoned, punished for all the chaos she’s caused.”

Mother’s face gave nothing away. “Neo, what is your opinion?”

“Hans has a point, but I’m not sure what the best plan of action is,” Neo admitted.

“Make her work,” a new voice added.

Neo lifted his head as his younger sister, Diana, strode into the room. She shut the door behind her, layers of billowing sheer fabric covering her willowy form. A golden circlet set with emeralds rested on her head. Her shoulder-length hair was the same color as Neo’s, with ringlets and beautiful bouncy curls. She was the most tanned out of all of them, perfect skin, no freckles. Once, a group of men had gossiped about her, calling her a temptress. Hans had had them publicly whipped.

Diana took a seat at the table, twirling a dagger between her fingers. “Criminals deserve a chance to reform, wouldn’t you agree? Offer her two choices: work for us and pay off her debt to the kingdom, or we can behead her. Once her debt is worked off, say in five, ten, or twenty years, she must never steal again, or we will find reason to take off her head. It’s fair.”

“Except for the fact that she’s the best.” Hans shook his head.

“Neo is better,” Diana countered. “And what is this thief without her magical ukulele? She may be smart and cunning, but if she crosses us in any way, she will feel the wrath of my blade.”

Even Neo shuddered at the threat. “What is the work she must do to pay off her debt?”

Diana held up three fingers. “First, find this warmonger who hired her to steal from the trolls. Second, work with us to rid the jungle of the gangs of thieves. Perhaps she will not give up her comrades so easily, but rival gangs I believe she will. Third, pay back every cent of the damage she’s caused. Neo, I hear you find her attractive.”

Neo’s cheeks burned. Did everyone know?

Mother spoke up. “Neo might be in love with her, but he has shown that he puts his duty first. He captured her and brought her here as requested. Matters of the heart do not trump duty and we will all work to ensure that will not change.”

Neo considered her words and decided they were untrue. He was certain Hans would ruin a kingdom if his five-year-old daughter were ever in danger.

“A sheriff will never develop a relationship with a prisoner, nor will a prince align himself with a common thief. Neo, you will ensure this never happens,” Mother said firmly.

“Is it not folly, then, to force him to work with her?” Diana challenged, holding up her blade. “I ask because that is the only possibility, seeing as he’s the only one who can hold her.”

Hans snorted. “You speak of second chances, then question your own wisdom?”

Diana glowered at him. “I’m not the crown prince. I will always question my judgment. You’re supposed to be the wise one.”

Mother held up her hand. “There’s a reason I called us all together. The masquerade ball grows near and I suspect danger, perhaps treason, within the walls of this palace. We must be vigilant, question everything, and not dismiss any suspicions. And there is something else.”

Neo waited, his mind racing, wondering if Zula was part of an elaborate trap. What if she wanted to be in the palace? Why hadn’t she tried harder to escape? He could think of a thousand treasures here that she could steal for herself, or sell to someone else.

“Recently I’ve noticed a growing build-up of magic on the edges of the jungle, close enough to the border to make me believe it was the trolls. As you know, their jeweled egg wards their borders, protecting them from magic and warning them should anyone with nefarious intent walk into their territory. However, upon further scrying, I discovered that the mass of magic isn’t associated with the trolls—it’s something else attempting to use the trolls as a mask. For the past five years, the Blue-Feathered Bard has risen to acclaim, and she’s known for stealing treasure, specifically ancient relics that have magical properties. Neo, you followed her and discovered that before each heist, she plays her magical ukulele, which we now have the opportunity to study. ”

Neo should have felt proud of being able to deliver the ukulele to his mother to study, but her words brought nothing but dread to his heart. How had he missed so much?

Hans rested his hands on the table and steepled his fingers. “I know where you are going with this story,” he said slowly. “The magical relics are being delivered to one individual, someone with power who knows how to draw the magic out of the relics and use it for themselves. They are planning something foul, but our interference has delayed them, for now.”

“Why do you say that?” Diana asked, brow furrowed.

Mother held up seven fingers. “There is a total of seven magical relics, but only six have been stolen. Seven is the number of completion; it’s symbolic. The theft of the seventh relic was to ignite something—a war, yes—while the individual who has been collecting these relics steps into their full power.”

“Oh.” Diana shivered. “That is disturbing. Who do you think this person is? ”

Neo felt every eye on him. “You don’t think it’s Zula? Do you?”

Mother laughed. “Heavens, no, but she’s at the heart of it all. She’s conducted every heist.”

Neo frowned. “I asked her who she worked for. She claimed it’s a new person each time, sometimes thieves, sometimes well-to-do merchants or lords. She did not have specifics . . . ”

“Then we need to press her for them,” Diana said. “I have ways of persuasion.”

Mother patted Diana’s arm. “Yes, my dear, you do, and I appreciate your zeal, but that is not the way right now. Neo, stay close to her and get as much information out of her as you can. If she runs, we follow. She’ll inadvertently lead us to this treacherous individual.”

Neo rested his head in his hands, disliking his position. He had to woo Zula and then turn on her. His mother could not have picked a more perfect conquest for him. Either Zula was part of the elaborate scheme or she was being used.

Suddenly, he realized the irony of his situation. He’d just brought in the kingdom’s most notorious thief, his mother had told her he was in love with her, and all this time he’d been restraining himself, holding back, when a well-timed kiss would be the turning point. Either she’d run or she’d tell him the truth. She was tricky, but he could be too. He just needed to bury his conscience.