2. Chapter 2 #3
"The prince survived the attack," she doesn't miss a beat. "He has been in hiding the last fifteen years as we regroup and grow. It's time for the rightful heir to sit on the Throne of Orlencia. And you will help me put him there."
Leaping to my feet, only to have Salvador grab me by the shoulder and throw me back down to my chair, I snarl, "What do you think I was in prison for, Senora!? I'm a thief, not an overthrower of crowns."
"From what I heard, your sentiments involving the Soberano mirror my own."
"If you are insinuating I despise him, you would be correct" – I growl, attempting to wiggle free from Salvador's ironclad grip and failing – "but that doesn't mean I plot to unseat him."
A sudden seriousness washes over the Dona's face and chills me to my core.
This is the woman we were taught to fear as youngsters.
The shrewd, calculating, and unfeeling madam that would order your throat to be slit and your body dumped in the sea with no remorse.
And the way she is staring at me now causes my stomach to drop, thinking I might be her next victim.
"This is what I will offer you, Ines de la Vega. Join us in putting the prince on the throne, and when all is said and done, I will make sure you have an apartment in the Bronze District. You will never be in need or want of anything another day of your life."
I try and fail to hide my surprise at her offer, but true to form, I press my luck. "And if I refuse?"
She slowly leans forward, her fingers gripping the head of her cane. "I will put you on one of my fastest ships headed wherever you want to go to start a new life. You will have your freedom, and our rebellion will remain secret."
I chuckle. "I believe you got that wrong, Senora. Typically, you are supposed to threaten me with death or torture into doing your bidding, not offer me a new life."
"Threats do not guarantee loyalty." Her eyes soften and my heart beats ferociously inside my chest. "If you choose to join our cause, you must understand if you are caught, I won't be able to save you. Our rebellion must remain secret to protect those who matter most."
"In other words, if I'm tortured, you want me to keep my mouth shut."
"You certainly value bluntness, Senorita." She reclines in her seat, a picture of grace and regality. "So, what is your decision?"
There would be no time for me to truly mull over her offer.
Bottom line is, I can leave with my freedom and start fresh somewhere else, despite being penniless, and finally escape the misery Orlencia has to offer, or I can be instrumental in bringing the Soberano to his knees and live the life of luxury I've always dreamed of.
What do I, an orphan thief from the Brogratto, have to truly offer this woman of means and power?
I tear myself from my thoughts and look her square in her eyes. I see nothing but honesty. No tricks, no pleasant promises without fear of the risks and consequences. Just the ugly, honest truth.
"Why me?" I ask without meaning to.
"Why not you?"
"I'm just a thief from the Brogratto," I shrug, feeling the weight of those words I've never really spoken aloud to hit me. "I'm not wealthy, well connected or influential. I have nothing to offer you."
Otero wags her bony finger with a tsk. "Ah, ah, ah. You do not need any of those things to make a difference, Ines. But your skillset as a thief, hatred of the Soberano, and your likeness to my niece are exactly what I need to move forward."
"What makes you so confident I won't rob you blind and leave?"
She smiles and it oddly tugs at my heart.
"Call me naive but I am a firm believer that above money and power, people want to belong.
We need a purpose. You can deny my request and I will honor my word and get you out of Orlencia tonight, or you can stay and fight for our people and our city.
You can have purpose and serve the greater good. "
No one has seen value in me. I've been shooed away and thrown out of places where I wasn't welcome because I was considered no better than a sewer rat.
But here, in the nicest home in the entire city, I'm invited to sit at the table and told that I matter.
I'm not sure if it's the lack of food in my belly that's making my stomach gurgle or the nerves of agreeing to join Otero's rebellion that makes me want to vomit, but I find myself saying, "I want a rowhouse in the Silver District. "
An amused chuckle slips from Otero's lips, and she nods, extending her hand for me to shake. "Silver District it is then. Welcome aboard, Ines. Salvador will show you to your quarters. You will find a file on your nightstand. Commit it to memory and then burn it."
Once I've taken her hand to signify our verbal accord, she stands and limps toward the door only to stop in the threshold and turn back with a smile. "I would have agreed to give you a house in the Golden District."
I return her smile. "I would have settled for a warm bed and a meal."
The corner of Otero's eyes crinkle in amusement. She glances at Salvador. "Take care of her."
Salvador bobs his head in understanding as the matriarch slips out into the corridor.
What the hell did I just get myself into?