Free Traitor's Chase by Stuart Gibbs Page B

to face him, her eyes glowing in the firelight. “Do you think that, just because I’m a lady, I’m a fool?”
    â€œNo. Of course not.”
    â€œThen don’t treat me like one. I have great loyalty to the king and future queen, and therefore I make it my business to stay abreast of anything suspicious that may be of danger to them. And you and your family are very suspicious. You arrived suddenly in the palace just over two months ago. To this day, no one knows how you got in. And then, at the very same time, Dominic began to act very differently.”
    â€œHow do you mean?” Greg asked.
    â€œFor one thing, there were suddenly two of him,” Milady said.
    Greg let the statement hang there for a moment, unsure what his response ought to be. “That’s his twin brother,” he said finally.
    â€œI never heard of Dominic having a twin before he suddenly showed up,” Milady said.
    â€œThat doesn’t mean it isn’t possible,” Greg said.
    â€œNo,” Milady admitted. “But there’s something strange about this twin, wouldn’t you say?” She looked Greg directly in the eye, challenging him.
    â€œYes, there is something strange about Dominic’s twin,” Greg agreed. “But I don’t know what it is.”
    â€œThat’s very disappointing,” Milady said. She took a few steps toward Greg, keeping her eyes locked on his, until they were less than a foot apart. “I was hoping you’d be of more help. You’re not the only one here charged with protecting the royal family, you know. But rest assured, I intend to find out what is going on with Dominic—and what your family’s connection is to all of it.”
    Staring into Milady’s eyes, Greg suddenly felt himself wanting to tell her everything. Why was it so important to keep everything a secret? he wondered. It’d feel good to get it all out in the open. And yet, he had this nagging feeling that, for some reason, he shouldn’t trust her....
    â€œAm I interrupting something?”
    Greg turned and found Aramis standing close by. He was staring at the two of them, trying to be casual about finding them so close together, but obviously quite jealous.
    â€œNo!” Greg scrambled to come up with a suitable lie. “We were just talking about, uh …”
    â€œThis.” Milady produced a folded piece of parchment from her clothes. “I was about to call you over to discuss it as well.” She lied with such ease that Greg almost believed her himself.
    â€œWhat is it?” Aramis came and took the parchment.
    â€œIt belonged to Dominic, I believe,” Milady replied.
    Aramis and Greg examined the parchment in the firelight. It was a rough map of Paris: only the outline of the city wall was drawn on it, along with some wavy lines to represent the Seine and a small oval for the Île de la Cité. There were several strange marks on it, however. Three random points on the wall were indicated with arrows. And beneath the Île de la Cité was an odd collection of symbols:
    To στέμμα της Mινέρβας
    â€œWhere did you find this?” Aramis asked. “We searched Dominic’s office and living quarters a dozen times over after he was imprisoned.”
    â€œNot well enough, apparently,” Milady said. “Although I’m not the one who found it.” She pointed across the campfire to Catherine, who had wandered close again. “ She is.”
    Greg and Aramis shifted their gaze to Catherine, who shrank, as though uncomfortable being the center of attention. “A few days ago, I was told to clean out Dominic’s office,” she explained. “It’s being given to someone else. And while I was cleaning, I noticed a loose stone in the wall. When I pressed on it, it slid aside, revealing a secret compartment. This was inside. I thought it might be