Page 63 of Wicked Sea and Sky

The monocle was still there.

I dropped my head against the wall, dizzy with relief.

He’s got you so twisted up. No more careless mistakes. Get the seeds and get out.

Pushing to my feet, I followed the directions Cass and I had gone over during our planning and made it to the vault without being spotted.

The wallpaper had changed. Instead of peonies, there were swaths of purple wisteria intertwined with leafy vines. Wall sconces lit the space around an iron door, with a horizontal locking bar welded across it. The hallway ended just beyond the vault. No other way in or out.

I squinted into the shadows. Two of the sconces near the end were extinguished, leaving that stretch in darkness. Cass swooped from the cavity like a ghost with an axe to grind, and I flinched back on my heels.

“Where have you been?” she hissed. “I’ve been hiding in the dark for almost an hour.”

I kept my grim retort to myself.What’s an hour in the dark compared to three years?I folded my arms.

“Sorry,” I said, voice dripping sarcasm. “I stopped to share a dance with an old friend. That led to an illicit moment in the garden. Followed by a dagger-wielding confrontation. Don’t worry. He’s still breathing.”

Cass made a face, pulling back her lips like she’d bitten something sour. “Yikes. I probably should have seen that one coming.”

“You think? Why didn’t you tell me you spoke to Gavin?”

“Because I knew it would upset you. And you already haveso much to deal with.”

I sighed and rubbed my face. “Don’t keep things from me, Cass. I’m not porcelain.”

She put her hand on my shoulder. “You’re steel, Marin. I know that. But even steel can shatter. We’re—” She cleared her throat. “I’mjust worried about you.”

Her slip gave me pause. “Worry in three weeks. Or less, now. We need to keep moving. Forget about Gavin. He’s not…”

I searched for the right words.

He’s not getting under my skin. Making me feel. Making me question my conviction.

“He’s not important.”

Cass looked like she wanted to say more, but let it go. She held up the bell-shaped flower instead.

“You’re right. This is what matters. Did you get the monocle?”

I pulled it from the hidden seam and handed it to her.

She held it in her palm, then squeezed the flower in her fist.

Nothing happened.

“Did it work?” I asked.

Cass frowned. “I don't know. I can't see air. Maybe if the monocle was activated by tears, we'd have a confirmation.” She tapped her fingernail against the glass.

“Stop. You're going to make it angry.”

“I am not! It's sentient, not sensitive.”

The monocle glowed to life, and a golden eye blinked open in its center. It glared at Cass. If sentient eyeballs could kill.

“No feelings, huh? That is so creepy,” I muttered.

“It really is.” She shrugged. “But the infusion worked. I’m going to make a killing.”