“Move!” I yell, pushing them aside. “Get out of the way.”
The room is ransacked. Clothes strewn all over the floor. The desk drawers flipped over, the closet demolished. All of Elizabeth’s makeup and jewelry are smashed, like someone stomped on them with a boot. The bed linens are slashed, mattresses overturned. The only thing left unbothered is my trunk and the top has gouge marks in it. They tried.
“Gods,” a voice says behind me. I turn and face Elizabeth. Luke is with her. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” I say, skirting around her and slamming the door in the faces of our nosy neighbors—not one that will provide any useful information about who did this. “I just got here. I think they were looking for it.” I swallow. “The key.”
Luke’s eyes bug. “It’s not here, is it?”
I shake my head.
My roommate wanders around the room, picking up a broken bottle of perfume and a shredded shirt.
“We were in the training room when Felipe came in—said something was going on down here.” Luke looks at me. “Where were you?”
“Being distracted.” I walk over to the trunk and touch the gouges. I flip the latch and it opens easily. I look inside and find my things jostled but untouched. The blade Damien forged rests on the bottom. It warms to my touch.
“Why couldn’t they get that open?” Luke asks.
“It’s enchanted, I guess.” I run my hand through my hair. “I’ve suspected. It seems to know when I need something. And right then, I needed it locked.”
“Is—is the key in there?” Elizabeth asks. She’s never asked me where I stashed it before. No one wants to know. It’s a burden I carry alone.
“No. Just personal stuff—nothing even that notable, except my sword.”
Elizabeth sighs. “So they trashed the room for nothing.”
“Looks like it.” I pick up a few pieces of clothing off the floor. “Except they did do one thing.”
“What’s that?” Luke asks, tossing a shredded book in the trash.
“They showed their desperation. Victorine wants the key. Now.”
I don’t say it right then, but I realize other information had been passed to me as well. Marshal showed me the real Victorine—what lies beneath the façade—a terrifying monster. Once again, I’m left with the feeling the knight is playing a different sort of game, one where his lines are blurred. It makes me wonder, is there a chance for me to bring him to our side, and what will it take to get him back over?
I’m bent on my knees and sorting through my trunk, arranging the messed-up belongings, when the door flies open. Elizabeth yelps, surprised, and I lunge for the blade in the bottom of the trunk, spinning, ready to defend our room.
“Oh,” I say, seeing that it’s just the Immortals. I toss the sword back on top of my clothes. “It’s you.”
Armin’s eyes roam over me, assessing to see if I’m physically okay. Miya’s peer into my soul—seeking psychic damage, while Agis’s pretty mouth is turned down in a frown. Rupert steps forward. “We heard Victorine had your room ransacked.”
“She did,” I say, pointing to the mess still on the floor.
“But no one was hurt?” Armin asks. He glances at Luke, who shakes his head. Elizabeth still looks a little stunned. “Why don’t you take Elizabeth down to the dining hall for some tea. We’ll help Hildi sort this out.”
There’s something laced in his tone—a demand. Luke doesn’t miss it. He wraps his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder and escorts her past the hulking men and through the door.
Once they’re gone and the door is shut, I cross my arms and stare at the Immortals.
“What?” I ask.
“Obviously they’re looking for the key. Is this the first time this has happened?” Armin asks.
I wrinkle my nose. Technically, yes. It is the first time they’ve broken into my room, but I know that’s not all they’re asking. “I did get jumped in the hall a few weeks ago.”
“Jumped?” Rupert asks, his voice cracking. “You didn’t tell us?”
“Darius had my back, actually. It was fine.”