Realm of the Sun

Chapter 23

Solarie quietly maneuvered through the armory, ducking behind racks of shields before arriving at her destination.

After bribing one of the servant girls, Eileen, she was able to procure a full-scale map of the underground portion of the palace. Getting around the train station was tough without being seen, but she managed to pull it off. The tough part was keying the armory door lock- she wasn't exactly a locksmith or lockpick, but with the help of a lily brooch she ripped off her qipao and a pin from her hair, she was able to unlock the door and slink inside largely undetected.

She was just about to grab one of House Cao's new adaptations of a gun, a revolver, but someone yanked back her arm and brought her to the ground with a loud thud.

Her assailant put a gloved hand over her mouth, muffling her outcry. "Shhh,"

Sylas?

"I knew you would try something like this," he set his hand down, slowly letting Solarie back into control of her own body. "And I'm telling you no. Not only is it dangerous, but Nicholas, the prince, forbade you from doing this. You get caught, and you'll be tried for treason no matter how valuable you are to the king."

"But I have to go," Solarie attempted to stand up, but Sylas held her down. "He's my best friend!"

Sylas looked straight into her eyes. "I really didn't want to tell you this, but I'm going to be brutally honest. Jin is probably dead."

Solarie turned her head away, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. "You can't possibly know that."

"I did the math, Solarie, ran every single scenario possible, but the chance of Jin's survival, after this long as a hostage?" He sighed, but continued. "According to Nila and Ariadne, they weren't given any food or water at all, and their hands were bound above their heads. Jin can't even use his catalyst. It's been three days, Solarie."

Three days. Three days without water meant almost certainly that he would be dead. But Solarie could not accept Jin's supposed fate so easily.

She blinked back her tears, and summoned all the courage she could muster. "Remember when you taught me about that Viva mathematician, Erwin Schrödinger?"

Sylas tilted his head. "You mean the Viva physicist, Edwin de Schrökenfeld?"

"Yes, him," she took a breath. "You told me about a theory he had come up with, about dead cats and poison."

"Schrökenfeld's Cat," he answered. "It's a paradox. One supposes after a while the cat should be simultaneously dead and alive, but the cat can only be one once you open the box."

"It's the same thing," she argued, raising her voice. "There's no certain way to tell if he's dead. Your calculations must have some outcome that results in him living. I choose to believe in that."

Sylas closed his eyes and muttered something beneath his breath, leaving Solarie very confused. "Fine. Go. I'll make sure the guards don't catch you." He took Solarie's chin with his hand. "Stay safe. If you die, I'll come find you in the afterlife and drag you back to the mortal world. You're not getting away from our lessons."

And he kissed her.