"I've got this weird feeling that I've done this before," muttered Tahni, staring intently out the carriage window yet registering nothing of the view.

"Maybe because you have?" suggested Ederra unhelpfully.

"At least I'll be able to walk this time around."

"Will you?"

Tahni scowled at her supposed lady-in-waiting, then recognized the truth in her worries and winced. Her midriff had given her the most trouble while dressing up, her ribs smarting and surely one push away from outright breaking, but her legs hadn't escaped unharmed from the ferocious scuffle with her brother either. And when she began thinking of her other brother...

She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and leaning her head back against the jostling carriage wall. She had done everything she could the night before to seek a distraction from the overwhelming feelings whenever she remembered what she had done. But the problem was, she still didn't know what that was, not to mention how to fix it. Ederra's forays into an investigation had borne no fruit, and she knew better than to rely on Steppo in matters involving any degree of subtlety.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered morosely, still not daring to open her eyes.

"Wait until you're five minutes in and let it drip."

Tahni's eyes snapped open with the express purpose of glowering at an unruffled Ederra. And even though she had never met them, she was beginning to feel for the girl's stepfamily, and the pains they must have gone through in their futile attempts at instilling some feeling into her. She had her outbursts, that was sure, but they were rare and unpredictable, while her usual nonplussed attitude could very well be seen as tiring. But Tahni knew better; her self-appointed attendee liked to carry out her schemes in the wings, letting everyone else see the main show while keeping the real act - and her intentions - away from any prying eyes.

It occurred to her that Ederra might be trying to play her as well, but she dismissed the thought at once. Not because there was no logical merit in it, but simply because she refused to believe it. If she were to give in to the most catastrophic scenarios, she might as well give up on all her plans, head back home, confess the whole debacle with Meyo before her grieving parents, and accept her punishment with resignation. But while there was still breath in her body, she knew she would keep fighting.

Back in the present, however, all the fighting she felt inclined to do was related to Ederra's pragmatic, but woefully unoriginal ideas.

"This is such a worn-out trope!" she complained, checking the hidden compartment lining the edge of her right sleeve. "It's almost laughable."

"Laughable, maybe. Realistic, definitely. And believable, which is what you're aiming for."

"No, you're aiming for that! I wanted excitement."

Ederra sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between two slender fingers.

"Pretending to see a ghost will not help here. It will make you seem insane and suspicious."

"But I thought you'd be flattered. I got this from you, you know."

"To each situation, one must adapt accordingly. Then was the right time to try that approach, and now it is not."

"Where did you get that first part?" inquired Tahni. "It sounded a lot like what Steppo usually spouts at family dinners when Father lectures him on his failures."

Ederra shrugged.

"Does it matter? You might get it in an expensive philosophy book or from a fortune teller at the neighborhood summer festival. And that's because common sense is suitable in all situations."

"Common sense is boring," complained Tahni. After a pause, she added hopefully "You still brought the sheet for the ghost, right?"

"Of course not."

"You're no fun." She paused for a second, adjusting the tangled pleats of her dress, fortunately not of the ceremonial kind, but still quite uncomfortable. "Should we go over the plan again?"

"I'm not sure you could call it that. Besides, we've almost arrived."

Tahni swore under her breath, then ran her palms over her ridiculously complicated coiffure. It would have been even worse, had her mother had more of her hair to work with, but fortunately, Tahni favored a medium length that just about reached her shoulder blades. She had escaped the dreaded prospect of hair extensions her mother had threatened her with when Ederra had the good sense to remind them they would be late if they dallied. Still, with all the preparation they had to see to, it was well into twilight hour when they finally emerged from the house. Now, looking out the carriage window at the ostensibly ornamented and generously lit Main Gate, Tahni wished they hadn't come at all. She wished her parents' estate had provided enough for her to start her venture overseas, with none of the added complications of pretending to compete for a position she did not want, attempting to steal from the most well-guarded building in the nation or accidentally turning her brother into an edible drinking vessel.

Letting out a small breath, she once again checked the secret compartment in her sleeve, then raised her head to look back at her accomplice.

"If anything happens," she began in as somber a voice as she could manage, "I want you to run away as fast as you can. You shouldn't have to pay in case I fail."

"Right," replied Ederra sardonically. "Because there's nothing more innocent-looking than running away from a potential crime scene."

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," protested Tahni.

"I'm happy to hear that. Now, make sure not to sweat or else you'll smear away the makeup and everyone will see just how peaceful you are when you resolve your conflicts."

Tahni winced, already feeling a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"If only I'd specialized in treasury, or art, or even jewelry," she complained. "This might have been over so much quicker."

"But stealing what most thieves steal would be thoroughly unoriginal," protested Ederra. "And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Tahni's glare was cut short by the sudden halting of the carriage, with both its occupants bracing themselves against the wall to avoid tumbling to the floor.

"What in Channa's-"

Frowning, Tahni poked her head out of the window and had to immediately dart back in when a heavy black carriage thundered by a mere hair's breadth away from their own conveyance. Cautiously, she peeked back out and saw the monstrous thing pull over by the outer garrison house near the gate.

"What was that?" asked Ederra breathlessly, one hand still resting against the wall, the other clutching tightly at her bundles.

Tahni gritted her teeth.

"Jebril," she growled. "Though there's no coat of arms, only they have the nerve to ride in something like that."

"They really don't have one?"

Tahni blinked as she considered.

"You know," she said at last, "they're nobles, so it stands to reason that they do. I always thought it was something like a snake, or a poisoned beetle, or a fly trap, but... I've never actually seen it." She shuddered. "It must be truly vile."

"My lady," called a wobbly voice from the front of their carriage, "I can't get the front wheels moving. Do you think you could-"

"Yes, thank you!" shouted Tahni, then checked carefully outside for onrushing dangers before opening the door and stepping gingerly onto the cobbled square. Ederra followed, gripping the bundles and her dress to keep from tripping.

"What a wonderful assembly this will be," muttered Tahni.

"I suppose there's more belligerence here than at your father's gathering," commented Ederra, gaze riveted on the gate. Tahni might have once been impressed by it too, with its intricate carvings framed by the warm light of dozens of street lamps and foreboding soldiers standing as if petrified at its side. But that would have been before she taught herself to look for mercantile value in all that surrounded her, and the pretty picture of the Imperial Main Gate would have only been worth the trouble if it were painted by a famous and preferably deceased artist. And even then, Tahni wouldn't have been tempted to steal it because Ederra was right and that would have been unoriginal.

Presently, she recounted Ederra's observation and realized she had no idea what the girl was talking about.

"I forget, where is Father going?"

Ederra turned a questioning glance at her, then picked up her skirts once again and started towards the entrance. Tahni followed, albeit a little reluctantly.

"Former military personnel have been invited to Councilor Amster's garden-estate for a tea-party," explained Ederra.

Tahni snorted, grateful there wasn't anyone in their immediate vicinity to witness such offensive behavior from a distinguished candidate for the throne.

"Your mother seemed very excited," continued Ederra. "She would have been even more so if your brother had consented to come, but I understood he was nowhere to be found."

A small tremor overtook Tahni as she thought of her missing brother instead of the one Ederra had meant. But she strove to keep her distress out of her voice as she replied.

"I can't imagine what Steppo would have been good for there. And Mother's happy that Father gets to socialize out of the confines of court life, though I'll bet you most of those «military personnel» serve the King in some capacity. And is it a coincidence that they're having this little get-together while their daughters are headed for this farcical selection process?"

"You told your mother yesterday that this was a foregone conclusion, but she didn't believe you. What did you mean?"

"Well, the two main rivals-"

"Wait!" hissed Ederra, reaching out for her arm and stopping short right before grabbing it. Tahni squinted at the way ahead - they still had quite some way to go - then noticed the silent retinue partly hidden behind a row of thin statues converging on their own path. Slowing down, Tahni stared at the elegantly clad red figure who could only be another candidate - one with far better chances and preparation than Tahni herself.

"Walk in front of me," whispered Ederra, "and let them first, then we'll follow at a distance." After a pause, Tahni heard her mutter. "It wasn't as if your mother told us where to go this time around."

They did just that, and what a good decision it proved to be. If it hadn't been for their unwitting guides, they would have been thoroughly lost in the honeycomb maze of the palace receiving rooms, some cramped and stuffed to the brim with antiques and ornaments that made Tahni's palms itch, some opulent and airy, all tied together via ridiculously long, uncarpeted corridors and countless staircases.

"Where the hell are we going?" hissed Tahni after she'd lost track of the rooms they had passed through and her feet were starting to ache again.

"Do you want to holler at them and ask?"

Tahni would have been inclined to do just that if it meant she could dispense with this foolish creeping around. They were both taking pains at disguising the sound of their passage, and her leg muscles protested at their unnatural motions. This all proved additionally cumbersome by the need to adopt a stately walk as they passed by several liveried servants, who might have feigned indifference, but who didn't fool Tahni in the slightest. They were perhaps the sharpest eyes and ears in the palace and must have known where all the good stuff was kept. And she would see that she found out as well.

Alongside her, Ederra hadn't so much as uttered a sound of complaint, and Tahni began feeling reluctant admiration for the girl's natural gift at sneaking around, even if she wasn't as accomplished as Tahni herself. They had left a respectable distance between them and the strangers, and the ladder had given no indication that they knew of their followers' presence. But when the girl suddenly stopped at the foot of another set of stairs, Tahni's heart started hammering wildly and she darted back behind the corner, Ederra in tow. Peeking, they spied the girl conferring briefly with her attendants, before turning away from the stairs and disappearing down a side corridor. Her entourage, on the other hand, started down the stairs, which left Tahni and Ederra with a pressing decision.

They exchange one quick glance, then darted out in pursuit of their chosen quarry, Ederra down the stairs, and Tahni after the mysterious girl.

And it was mysterious, the fact that she couldn't place her. She knew she hadn't exactly involved herself in court life and affairs - perhaps one rare point in which she emulated her mother - but she had attended sufficient ceremonies and events to recognize the most important figures, fellow daughters of nobility included. But this girl was wholly unknown to her.

From the brief glances she had caught of the candidate, Tahni could tell she was of a willowy constitution, with delicate features not unlike traditional Iskarian dolls sold at the bazaar. Despite the subtle complexity of her deep crimson dress Tahni was a little more than jealous of, her hair was simply arranged, even though it was considerably longer than Tahni's.

And most importantly, she looked like she knew what she was doing, and was now casting surreptitious glances to make sure she wasn't being followed. They might have been subtle, but Tahni knew the signs she herself employed often enough, so she summoned all her experience and managed to remain hidden as she tailed the girl. It occurred to her that the corridor she was now traversing was darker and narrower than the more generous ones near the entrance. Furthermore, she hadn't seen any servants in a while, and was growing more intrigued by the second.

As she took another corner, she spied the girl hurrying up a circular staircase. She ducked out, scurried past the stairs and turned another corner, at last stopping before another staircase, this one straight and narrow. It didn't take her long to reach the upper level, but then her progress was halted by an inconvenient locked metal gate placed right at the exit from the landing, blocking her access to what she suspected was yet another corridor, this time barely illuminated at all.

Vexed by the delay, she fished for her lucky hairpin and set about working on the lock. It was not particularly challenging, but one had to be meticulous, so she took her time and barely suppressed a whoop of joy when it gave way. She slunk into the darkness, spotted the twin metal gate at the other end of the corridor, and hurried towards it, gritting her teeth at having to work through the same mechanism again. As she struggled to keep a firm hold of her makeshift lock pick while her palms started sweating, she started hearing the telltale hum of whispering voices somewhere ahead. She didn't need to understand what they were saying, but she at least wanted to see if it was the strange girl or someone else entirely.

At last, she succeeded, but had to proceed even more carefully lest she gave herself away at the last second. Creeping slowly past the metal gate into a shadowed alcove, Tahni brushed her hand against the heavy fabric concealing it, and realized it was a tapestry. Hardly being able to push her way past it without being noticed, she lowered herself to the ground and flattened herself against the floor. Crawling as close as she could get, she gripped the lower edge and eased it up just enough. It was abominably heavy, but she managed to make out the two figures standing a little way away, still huddled in a hushed conversation.

Recognizing the dress immediately, she moved on to study the other person, and he made her pause for a second as she considered his familiar attire. It took a while, but at last it dawned on her; of course, she couldn't say his exact name, but the frail constitution, billowing black robes, the faint hint of a pointed beard and the overall unpleasantness he radiated gave him away as a Jebril, though Tahni was fairly certain he wasn't their infamous leader Heddom.

So the girl was working for those people. Tahni sneered and was more than satisfied at not having followed her up the stairs, since that man looked the type to be even more careful about being followed. She supposed she was relatively safe for now since they obviously didn't know about the secret passage behind the tapestry, or else they wouldn't have met here.

Still unwilling to tempt fate, she let the tapestry go gently, then stood up slowly, intent on the muffled noises from outside. Soon enough, the conversation broke apart, and she heard retreating footsteps, but she wasn't in any hurry to leave. First, because she might run into the girl on the lower floor, and second and most importantly, because the corridor behind her was infinitely more interesting.

It stood to reason that if someone had taken the trouble to obscure its existence and guard it relatively well from outside interference, there must be something worthwhile hidden in it. Grinning excitedly, she went back and tried the first door she came across, which was unsurprisingly locked. Picking it open was not a problem, however, and she soon stepped into the dusty, pitch black room beyond.