"Sometimes the most manipulative thing you can do is tell the truth."
***
"There are dozens of other ways."
I moved to the window overlooking the academy grounds. Let the cool night air wash over me. Distant lights showed students preparing for tomorrow's spectacle. The announcement had spread quickly, exactly as I'd intended. A challenge match between a House Aurum enforcer and the Leone disgrace.
Everyone expected entertainment.
No one expected significance.
I turned back to Lyra, letting her see the weight of thought in my expression.
"I could have you poison him. A word in the right ear. A vial in his evening drink. He'd wake tomorrow too ill to fight, and I'd claim victory by forfeit." I shook my head. "But that risks exposure. Investigation. Questions neither of us can afford to answer."
I held up another finger.
