Glint (The Plated Prisoner 2)

“King Midas—”

Rissa cuts me off. “King Midas is just that, a king. And kings love one thing above all else. Power.”

The pessimism seeping from her tongue is a strong poison without any antidote.

“Gold, Auren,” she reiterates quietly, barely taking a step. “If you want me to keep your secret, I want gold.”

“I can’t make you gold.” I rub at my eyes, watching the hems of our skirts brush through the thick snow.

Her shrewd attention refuses to leave me. “So you can tap into his power but not very often? That makes sense. You clearly exhausted yourself the other night. I thought you were going to pass out after you gilded the captain with his pants stuck around his ankles.”

“I very nearly did.” Only pure adrenaline and fear kept me going.

She thinks quietly for a moment as we do another lap, passing Lu and the guards. My escort gives me a pointed look, letting me know my time is dwindling.

“Can King Midas tell when you’ve used his power?” Rissa asks.

“Shh!” I say hurriedly, looking back to make sure they didn’t hear. None of them are looking our way. Lu is too busy gloating that she won the round, while the other two are grumbling about beginner’s luck.

I relax slightly as we round the corner, though her lack of discretion is unsettling. “You should’ve carved a piece out from Highbell Castle if you wanted gold so badly,” I mutter.

“Do you have any idea how often the guards inspected every inch of that place?” Rissa scoffs and looks at me like I’m an idiot. “I’m not a fool. The few saddles who ever dared to take a single, tiny piece were always caught. Always. And believe me, their fate wasn’t worth it.”

I swallow hard, my mind conjuring up all sorts of punishments. I never considered what inspections Midas must have put into place to ensure no one stole anything from inside the castle, or even pieces of the structure itself.

“The gold you get me has to be new, completely separate from anything the king owns or touches. Turn the damned spoons gold, I don’t care. Just get me enough.”

The idea of smuggling gold to her fills my stomach with unease. “Enough for what? What will you do with it?”

“Buy out my employment.”

She answers so quickly and succinctly, it’s clear that she’s been thinking of this for a while. “But...the royal saddle contract is incredibly high. You’d need—”

“A lot of gold to buy it,” she finishes for me with a nod. “I’m aware. That’s where you come in.”

I shake my head vehemently. “There’s no way you could have that much gold without raising suspicion. The king would find out.”

“He won’t if I do it right, which I will. Believe me, I have no intention of getting caught and having my head on a golden spike.”

“This is ludicrous, Rissa.”

“It’s not completely unheard of for saddles to be given extra coin if they’ve pleased the rider enough,” she says. “And I’ve been tipped before.”

“But—”

She waves me off. “It’s simple. Whatever golden bits you give me, I’ll trade for coin. I’ll buy out my contract when I have enough. If the king makes inquiries, I’ll explain that I’ve been saving every extra bit of coin I’ve earned over the last seven years. I’ll even say that Captain Fane himself was so pleased with my performance that he gave me a hefty sum,” she smirks. “The king will believe it. I’m his best saddle.”

I can’t argue with her confidence, because it’s true. She’s been with Midas for years, and she’s the best, most poised, most seductive saddle I’ve ever seen.

“I’ll finally be my own master,” she whispers, stopping at the back of the tent. Her voice rings with the clarity of deep-seated want. I can tell right then that there’s no hope of trying to talk her out of this.

Rissa’s eyes glitter. “Freedom, Auren. I’ll finally have freedom, and you’re going to help me get it.” She takes a deep breath in through her mouth, like she can already taste it. “You help me buy myself out of the royal contract and ensure I have enough coin left over to start fresh somewhere new, and I’ll keep your secret. Forever.”

“That’s a hefty price.”

“It’s a fair price,” Rissa counters.

“Some would say that you should keep my secret out of loyalty.”