Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-three

Chapter 53

Quinn’s POV

I didn’t sleep.

By the time the first pale light spilled over Duskwood’s rooftops, I was already pacing the far edge of the courtyard, running through the same calculations again and again. I haven't been to the bookstore in weeks and with the incident that happened with Lia, Edgar had made restrictions on my movement.

Two weeks.

It wasn’t enough time to save Edgar. But it was enough time to make the elders sweat. Enough time to wedge doubt between them and Brie.

And doubt was my specialty.

They've already planned and would execute their plans to eliminate him.

I spotted my target as soon as the council’s morning meeting was over, Elder Thorne, a sharp-eyed man with a sharper memory for debts. He owed me three favors. This was going to be the third.

He stepped into the shade of the veranda, and I followed, casual as a shadow.

“Quinn,” he said without turning. “I was wondering when you’d collect.”

I smiled faintly. “Then I’ll save us both guessing. I need you to hear something… and then ‘accidentally’ repeat it in the right ear.”

Thorne’s brow arched. “Dangerous game, that.”

“Which is why I came to you. You like dangerous games.”

He tilted his head, inviting me to continue.

“They’re planning to overthrow Edgar,” I said quietly. “Stage Four. Two weeks. Maybe less. That's the report they'll use when they are ready to get rid of him with whatever they want to use.”

Thorne’s expression didn’t change, but I saw the shift in his eyes. “That’s sooner than the council was told.”

“Exactly.”

“And you’re certain?”

I didn’t answer, just let the silence stretch until it became its own confirmation.

Thorne finally nodded. “And who should I… ‘accidentally’ tell?”

“The ones who panic easiest,” I said. “The ones who’ll see the clock running out and start making mistakes. Don’t tell them where you heard it. Let them believe it came from the rumors.”

“And your price?”

“Just this: when the panic starts, you don’t mention my name.”

He gave me a thin smile. “Your name will be as clean as the snow, Quinn.”

We both knew that was a lie, but it was good enough.

By midmorning, the whispers had started.

I caught fragments in the corridor:

“Only two weeks?”

“That can’t be right”

“The healers wouldn’t lie”

Perfect.

I was almost enjoying the precision of it when a shadow fell across the hall.

“Quinn.”

Her voice.

I turned, forcing my expression into something bland. “Brie.”

She was dressed in black today, which meant she was either in mourning or in a mood to put someone there.

“I hear you’ve been very social this morning,” she said, walking toward me.

I shrugged. “It’s a public building. People talk.”

Her eyes narrowed. “They talk when someone gives them something worth talking about.”

“Are you accusing me of gossip?” I asked lightly.

“I’m accusing you of knowing more than you should,” she said. “And if I find out you’ve been leaking to the council and causing the rumors”

“You’ll kill me,” I finished for her. “Yes, I know. You’ve said it before, it's not a new threat. Do you have another one?”

We stared at each other for a long moment.

“Stay in line, Quinn,” she murmured finally. “You’re useful to me alive. Don’t make me change that. We both want what's best for us.”

She walked away without looking back.

I didn’t breathe until she was gone.

By noon, Lia found me near the outer gates.

“How bad is it?” she asked without preamble.

“Bad enough to make them sweat,” I said. “The whispers are spreading.”

“And Brie?”

“Suspicious.” I hesitated, then added, “If she corners you, don’t deny knowing. Just redirect. Make it sound like it came from a healer’s slip.”

Lia frowned. “She won’t believe that forever.”

“She doesn’t need to,” I said. “We just need her chasing the wrong trail long enough for the elders to start protecting Edgar for their own interests.”

She studied me for a moment. “You’re good at this.”

“It’s a survival skill,” I said. “One I’d like to keep using, so don’t blow this.”

She smirked faintly. “I’ll say the same to you.”

That afternoon, I saw the first ripple hit. Elder Rowan, usually Brie’s most loyal shadow, was pacing outside the council chambers, muttering to himself.

Thorne passed him a folded note as I watched from the gallery above. Rowan unfolded it, scanned the contents, and his face went pale.

Two more days of this, and the whole council would be looking at Brie like she was holding a ticking bomb instead of a plan.

I didn’t believe in miracles. But I believed in leverage.

And for the first time in months, I could feel the weight shifting.