It was a simple matter for Aun to change out of her own dress and into a borrowed frock from one of the kitchen servants. Somebody found her a red scarf, which she knotted over her hair. She tied a clean apron over her clothes and then tucked a small kitchen knife into the deep pocket of her dress, sliding it in handle-first so that it would not slice through the lining of her clothes and be lost.

Then, her heart already racing, she stopped by Norra's room to look in at her son.

He was sleeping, curled up beneath the quilt. He was still young, so young, but as he had grown older he had stopped sprawling out in sleep. He lay on his side, his hands loosely furled right before his chest, and he looked so like his father that Aun's vision blurred with tears.

He will be safe, sweetheart. I will make sure of it. They all will be. She leaned down to kiss Kaolo's warm brow, smoothing his hair back from his face. And if the worst should happen, be strong and be brave. You will be just fine. You will do such wonderful things.

Aun closed the door as quietly as she could on her way out, loath to disturb the boy after his traumatic night. She hurried back to the kitchen, where breakfast preparations were in full swing. Despite the evening's disturbance, they would serve the morning meal in the dining hall as they always did, preserving the illusion of peace that Koren seemed to desire.

Baking and brewing was not all that had happened in the kitchens that morning, and Aun was departing under slightly different and more optimistic circumstances. Oanara had relieved Danya at her post, and the senior guardswoman was now in the kitchens, grim and tired but with renewed determination.

"They're ready," she was explaining to the few guards who had remained below, "I told them I do not want a single hair out of place until it's time. If Koren suspects he's been discovered, he might harm the empress—and he has the archmage among his number. We can take no chances."

"How many men are standing by?" Samni asked. "Isn't there—"

"Two dozen. I want every other one of them focused on the bloody horizon. I don't know what he's got planned, but he won't have dragged his sorry self all this way without support to undergird his arrogance. Something will happen today, and soon. I'm sure of it."

Samni nodded, looking a bit green. "All right, so I should—"

"Yes. You, and you—" She pointed to the second guardsman who had been left in the kitchens— "Watch for the cart, and when it arrives, I need it backed right up to this door. A glimpse of a man from the roof, from a window, and you'll put us at risk. Do you understand?"

They nodded, grim. Samni said, "I'll draw the driver away and have a conversation."

"Good. An animated one. Laugh, joke—and meanwhile—"

"The men will slip from under the canvas and into the kitchens," continued the other guard, reciting his instructions with the frowning concentration of a schoolboy. "And I'll handle the casks and the crates that traveled in with them."

"That's it. Nothing but a routine delivery. Now, go and watch. And you." Danya turned to Aun as the young men dashed away, frowning at her costume. She indicated the tea cart with a jerk of her chin. "Are you sure this potion of yours will work?"

Aun nodded, tightening the ties of her apron. She was not at all sure that it would work, but she had to believe that it would. "It won't be immediate, but that's a good thing. It will give them time to drink and to eat before they drowse."

"You realize they will keep you with them."

There was a call from the other end of the kitchen, and both women turned to see Samni jogging toward them. "The cart's already at the gate," he announced in a loud whisper. "They're opening the gates now!"

"Well?" Danya waved a hand, dismissing him impatiently. "Go and handle it, man!"

"Yes! Yes, I'm going!" With a cheerful grin, Samni hurried back the way he had come. He was as bright as a new penny, thought Aun. This was a boy who had not yet seen a real battle, a boy who was scared but who was also enjoying the intrigue and excitement this night had brought. It broke her heart to think that his joy would be dimmed by the morning. One taste of true danger—one glimpse of real blood spilled—

Danya cleared her throat. "Aun."

"I know." Aun blinked away her misty musings, putting Samni out of her mind. She turned her attention to Danya. She had already considered the fact that she would not be coming back to the kitchen, and she had accepted it. She was glad of it, in fact. If Koren and his men did not want their arrival to be announced, they could not intercept a breakfast and then send the servant back to the kitchens to crow about their coming—and if they took her into custody, too, she would be able to ensure that Mhera, Kaori, and Eovin did not sample the breakfast pie. She would be far more useful there than she could be down here.

"They might kill you." Danya folded her arms. She still looked grim, but there was a softer note in her voice now. "You realize this. Do you honestly think this is worth the risk? If we wait until they break cover—"

"If we wait until they break cover, you might be focused on an army crashing over the palace walls," Aun said. "And if you try to storm them where they stand, they could hurt Mhera and the others—you've said that already yourself. I will do this, Danya. I will take this potion to them. I will watch them succumb to it. Some of them, anyway. And, once their numbers are smaller, we will be better positioned to rescue the empress."

Danya sighed, shaking her head. "You remind me of Matei, running right into the enemy's arms."

With a soft laugh, Aun stepped back from Danya. The first of their reinforcements had just emerged from the far doorway, a palace guard well-armed and alert. She stepped immediately to the side to make way for another, raising a hand in salute to Danya, who didn't see it. "And that's where you're wrong. Matei would have charged in at the first hint of danger, hands burning—and how do you think that would have gone? We've bided our time, made our plans, and lain our trap, Danya. Let us be glad that he is not here to lead us, just this once. Let us hope that our patience and cunning will be what saves us."

Danya was wearing a slight smile at last, a knowing smile. "Be safe, Aun."

"And you. All of you."