IO'S PLAN WAS going perfectly. That was the thought that went through Irina's mind when her horse started to tremble. Her grip around the reins instinctively tightened, and she casted Malcolm a quick look. He nodded and leapt off his horse, slowly making his way over to grab the rein of her horse as well as his own. Irina sucked in a quiet breath.

  She really did not want to be tossed off a horse.

  They moved into an area with slightly more people, but still sparse enough that no one would get hurt. She could feel her friends' eyes on her all around, even though she was acutely aware that they were spread far across the field.

  This was a performance, and the entire world was watching.

  "This horse..." Irina started, doing her hardest to seem as natural as possible as the horse shuddered and neighed beneath her. "What on earth...?"

  Malcolm's brows furrowed. "Do you want to get off? It's being..."

  "Holy—" the horse's front legs buckled for a split moment, and Irina was tossed frontwards, but she managed to retain her balance. "I need to get off. Someone—"

  Everyone around was staring now, some with confusion, some with horror as the horse began to shake. And by that she meant shake.

  She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared. This was still a horse that was out of control, and she couldn't get off now, not yet. She needed something bigger. Something more dramatic.

  "Princess Irina," a new voice started, "I think it'd be safer if you get off that horse." It was Stoneworth, who'd just gotten off his horse and was nearing.

  Irina said, "I think so too, but, ah, the horse isn't exactl steadying."

  "Colonel, hold on, let me see if I can help." Stoneworth got even closer, but that was when everything happened. The horse slammed his rear into Stoneworth, who let out a howl as he was knocked off balance and onto the ground. Malcolm's eyes widened as the horse continued buckling and shaking.

  "Irina, you have to get off—"

  The horse did it for her, swinging again. Knowing Malcolm was there and that he could probably catch her, she let herself fly free. The moment she landed, though, she was immediately filled with regret. She should most definitely not have done that, as the horse almost trampled over her as it ran off. A group of stableboys instantly rushed forward to stop it.

  Irina could almost feel Io's proud smile from somewhere in the stands.

  Fuck you, Io. I'm never listening to you or your stupid plans ever again. Her back hurt like wildfire, the throbbing pain rendering her unable to move for a few seconds until the hurt started to subside. It was then she stood up wobbly, with help from Malcolm. But Stoneworth remained on the floor, hand over his ribs. "General Stoneworth! Are you alright?"

  "I think..." Stoneworth wheezed as his head was lifted above ground, "bone broken, I think."

  "You're alright, though?" Malcolm demanded, letting Irina go to check on him. "Nothing fatal?"

  "Just the bones," Stoneworth said, wincing. "That horse... has a kick."

  Someone had ushered the other guests of the field, and Asteria had rushed over, as had Myrina with a small team of physicians behind. Two went to her, the rest to Stoneworth, who was obviously more fatally injured. Irina's body hurt, but she didn't she'd actually broken or wounded anything, though perhaps part of her skin was torn. Stephen was crouching over Stoneworth, muttering things to him to keep him distracted from the pain.

  Lady Katharine stood a distance away, eyes big as saucers. Miss Valeria and Miss Jocelyn stood next to her, trying to calm her.

  She hadn't been expecting that. Because she'd only put the nail in the horseshoe. This was Io's work. She had conducted this, and the rest of them were just actors and actresses in this glorious play, willingly or not.

  One of the stableboys had come running back, face pale white. He knelt, out of breath, and announced loudly, "Sabotage! The horse was sabotaged!"

  Loud murmurs went up all around. It didn't take a genius to piece everything together. But Irina still furrowed her brows and asked, "What do you mean?"

  "The horse's food... it had been messed with. There's some kind of strange white powder mixed with it. We don't know what it is, it's still there! And there was a nail in the horseshoe earlier—we thought someone had accidentally left it there, but it might have been on purpose! Your Highness, I'd heard about the poisoning—"

  Asteria cut him off with a look of severity. "That is enough."

  The stableboy's mouth went slack. Asteria turned to Myrina. "I think we need to get General Stoneworth and the Princess out of here, don't you agree? Physicians?"

  "Yes, my lady. We can bring them to the infirmary right away."

  "Thank you. But one of you, one of you go with me and... what's your name, boy?" Asteria asked, turning to the stableboy.

  "Di Wu, my lady," the stableboy said, looking rather nervous.

  "Di Wu, bring me to the stables and show me the food. Physician Ma, come with me."

  "Yes, my lady."

  Asteria and Io had definitely planned this out just now. Malcolm and Stephen helped lift Stoneworth onto a carrier as some apprentice physicians ran in with one, and Irina was carefully led to the side. A group of nobles rushed in, murmuring their sympathies and wincing at her visible pain—which she was most definitely playing up.

  But the plan had worked, no matter how much physical pain and many unwitting bystanders were harmed in the process. Everyone with a brain could put together recent events and figure out someone was trying to kill her again. And that the someone was most likely one of them.

  When Io skipped by the infirmary forty minutes later, she was grinning. "It worked."

  No one was around. Irina said, "The powder..."

  "Conveniently located in Lady Katharine's bag. We spent a few minutes trying to calm her down from her hysteria, convincing her that we didn't actually suspect her but still needed to ask her a few questions for her own safety." Io's smile was vicious. "She's separated from everyone else right now, awaiting questioning. We're making her as comfortable as possible."

  "You can handle it?" Irina asked.

  "Of course I can." Io seemed offended. "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

  Irina shrugged, but then winced. "Well, your last plan ended up with Stoneworth breaking a couple ribs and me with a body full of bruises, days away from my wedding."

  "Oh please," Io shot back, "your wedding dress covers your entire body airtight. The only person who'd be aware is your dear fiance, and I'm sure he won't mind."

  "Io."

  Irina rolled her eyes. "Asteria's going to be with Lady Katharine in a moment, don't you worry. You, just stay here and make sure you're alright. We haven't gotten her accomplices yet, and they might pick now to attack. I'm sending Malcolm to watch over you."

  "Get Danna. Malcolm was already watching me during the horseriding, don't want to raise suspicion."

  "Suspicion?" Io asked incredulously.

  "He's a man with a reputation, Io. And I am a woman about to be wed. Let's not start anything we don't want."

  "Of course, of course," but Io was snickering. "I think you just have a death wish, wanting Danna here."

  Irina sighed. "She's not going to be of much help outside anyways, might as well bring her in. And if someone does try to kill me, they're more likely to attempt it with her here rather than Malcolm."

  "Fair enough." There was still an accomplice out there, and accomplice who'd be worrying for their life right now. If Lady Katharine talked, they were dead.

  That reminded Irina. "And post more guards around Lady Katharine. To keep others out."

  Io's expression sombred. "Already did, don't worry. No one will be getting to her without us stopping them first."

  "It doesn't seem their style," Irina mused, "outwards aggression directly to finish anyone off, but who knows? People do desperate things when cornered." Poison and sabotage. Both spoke of someone relatively more... passive, lacking physical prowess and relying on their brains instead.

  It was why they'd guessed a women almost immediately after. That, and the fact that it seemed more personal.

  "Don't you worry," Io repeated. "Everything will be fine."

  "I know." Irina smoothed her hair. "My body hurts like a bitch, and it's all your fault."

  "I'm slightly more concerned for General Stoneworth than for you, if I must be honest," Io said apologetically. "He was not part of the plan."

  "If he was, I'd be terrified. He's alright, though."

  "He was an... unexpected casualty. I didn't foresee anyone walking into the horse, you see, when it started showing clear symptoms of not being okay."

  "He's a general," Irina winced. "You think Justine wouldn't have done the same thing?"

  Io shrugged. "Fair enough. Well, I'm glad you're alright. I'll go get Danna and then check on Lady Katharine. She's still a bit hysterical, and I think she realises her game is up. I'll be back."

  Irina nodded. Most likely the events would still be going on, but the mood and atmosphere had already been dashed and there was no going back from that.

  Io left, and Irina was left to her own quiet. Stephen was with Stoneworth in another room, and Irina didn't particularly want to face him until this whole fiasco was done and over with. For starters, she did feel sorry for Stoneworth's injury. Besides, she wasn't particularly certain she could stare into his eyes and lie about Lady Katharine's involvement, or assure him that she'd be alright.

  Because she wouldn't be. This was the Court of Bones, once considered the most dangerous royal court in the entire world. A few dynasties ago the drama in the harem of the Emperor itself would be enough to put this little spat in shame.

  And they always got answers when they wanted to.

  The door swung open then, and Irina glanced up, expecting it to be one of the physicians who'd been coming in and out for the past hour, checking up on her and applying ointment when she started to get sore. But this was no doctor. Instead, Stephen strolled in, his eyes landing on her, sat on a cot, hands gripping the platform. Irina steadied, but Stephen shook his head, saying, "You are well?"

  "Perfectly alright. Is General Stoneworth alright?"

  "Broke a couple ribs, but he's had worse. The horse..."

  Irina feigned grimness. "Sabotage. Same person, no doubt, unwilling to give up. Well, I suppose it was what we'd been expecting, but it wasn't in the way we saw coming. We'd been expecting something like poison again."

  "It was poison," Stephen pointed out. "Just your horse, this time around. I heard Kate was taken away."

  Irina grimaced. "Yeah, I just heard about that. We don't actually think it's her, but the powder was found in her bag. Even if it's not her, it's still safest to keep her away for at least a little while, in case the killer decides to try and silence her."

  "I'm not blaming anyone," Stephen said. "It's what I'd have done as well. You're just being fair, that's all."

  She hadn't been expecting that. So she said, bowing her hand, "Thank you for understanding."

  "Well," he said, "I guess I hadn't expected this to all go smoothly. But still. Two assassination attempts in a week, rather astonishing, is it not? Where are they even getting the poison?"

  They hadn't. But he didn't know that. This attempt hadn't been sloppy, not precisely, but it had been wholly unreliable. The horse could very well have only injured Irina rather than kill. It might have not affected the horse at all, and they could have found it far too easily. It showed desperation. A clear lack of planning. The first attempt had been thought through. This one hadn't, and it was obvious.

  "We need to find out who they are," Irina said gravely, "before it affects the wedding. That would be disastrous."

  "I'm hoping the killer would be found today," Stephen agreed. "This has dragged on for a bit too long. Do you have suspects, past the ones I've already been told about?"

  Yes. Your best friend. But she didn't say that, instead saying, "We'll see, won't we? Once I'm cleared for discharge, I'll go ask my friends. I'm perfectly alright, just a bit sore, there is no need to worry about me. Do send General Stoneworth my sympathies and apologies that he was involved in this horrid accident."

  "It was no accident, and even if it was, he wouldn't blame you. It is the fault of the murderer. Twice they've accidentally harmed innocent bystanders, and I am only glad no one has fallen to their lethal attempts on your life yet." Stephen wiped his brow. "When they are found..."

  Would he still be saying that, if he knew who it was? Probably not. It wasn't him being a hypocrite, it was just human nature. People usually put relationships above all else. They could forgive their friends and family doing truly horrid things, as long as they cared for them enough. That was how most of humanity worked. It wasn't anything to be particularly ashamed of.

  Not everyone could be her. Not anyone could slice out what might as well be a piece of their own flesh for a cause.

  (Sometimes these days, she couldn't even tell if that was a good trait or not. Most people told her no, and she was tempted to agree.)

  "They will be found sooner or later," Irina assured. "And—oh, there you are."

  The door swung open, and Danna stormed in. Upon noticing Stephen, she flawlessly dropped into a deep curtsy, no bit of her anger from a moment ago visible on her face. "Your Royal Highness, Your Highness."

  "Ah, Miss Pang." Stephen offered a slight nod. "I'll leave you two alone, I think. It seems you have some things to discuss in private."

  Irina shot him a grateful glance, and he dipped his head in silent acknowledgement before leaving. The door slammed shut. Neither woman said anything for a moment until Danna walked over, opened the door and glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before closing it again. "I heard you asked for my company. I'm touched."

  "Give me some updates," Irina deadpanned.

  Danna's hand went over her heart. "And here I was, thinking I was invited because you wanted to talk to me! How wrong I was."

  "If I wanted company, Stephen and Stoneworth are plenty enough."

  "They're Arecians. You can't be fully honest with them." Danna rolled her eyes and pulled up a chair, sitting down. "The events are continuing on through very half-assed efforts from Myrina. She's trying to make this seem like as big a problem as possible, I'm sure."

  "That's what she was told to," Irina confirmed.  "Lady Katharine?"

"Questioning should be beginning... now." Danna glanced at the clock on the wall, mouth twisting into a sneer. "I cannot believe I'm missing it because of you."

  "What, you wanted to leave me alone here where I could easily be picked off  by our assassin?"

  "Your assassin," Danna corrected. "Yours and yours only. And you can keep them to yourself, no one else wants them. I am here only because duty demands it."

And that was it, wasn't it? The reason Danna even remained in the Palace. Duty. Because once upon a time, the Court of Bones showed her mercy. When her father fell, when her surname became disgraced, she'd managed to seek sanction here. And she thought she owed them, she thought she owed them all because of it. And Irina had used it to keep Danna grounded even though she wanted to fly free.

  Duty.

  It was a trap, and one Irina had wielded efficiently.

  Irina felt her expression crumbling, softening. "You know you're my friend, right?"

  Danna was staring at her, as if this was all an act, a performance she was watching. She didn't say a word.

  "You know that, right?"

  Danna's eyes rolled upwards, the way she'd expected her to react. "You haven't been treating me as one."

  "I'm sorry."

  Danna let out a little snort. "You think that's enough? Just a sorry? Do you know how many close calls I had with death or worse in Melique? Did you think about what you were subjecting Io to?"

  "I didn't think about your feelings."

  Danna shook her head. "You did, you just didn't care." She gave a shrug. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm over it."

  "No you're not."

  Danna pinned her with a stare. "And since when did you become so knowledgeable about my feelings, able to tell me what I feel and what I don't?"

  "If you were over it, you wouldn't act like this, would you?"

  Danna said, "This is what I am. It has nothing to do with Melique or anything else."

  "You've always had a temper," Irina agreed. "But never in this way. You're purposefully acting out." Her gaze softened.  "You're angry at me. I get that."

  "I'm very happy you do. But nothing can make up for what happened now. It's too late. The damage's been done. What's done is done, there is no going back. Yi qu bu fu fan. Move on."

"I can't move on if I know you haven't."

  "I have," Danna insisted, even though they both knew she was lying. "In fact, I'm almost thankful. Time away from here gave me time to think, time to be on my own and not have to worry about anyone else—" her sisters, who she'd always seen as her responsibility even though Megara Pang was older and perfectly capable "—and away from all of you. Time for me to look inside."

  "And what did you find?"

  "I'm trapped." She looked up, meeting Irina's eyes. "Not just because of you. With or without you, my wings are bound. I've never been given freedom, and it's never been written in my destiny. I'm tied here, to the Court of Sai. Even if I move out, semi-retire, all of that, my roots are still here. It's my responsibility, and my heritage. My mother wouldn't like what's happening in Melique."

  "You never talk about your mother."

  Maria Sanchez wasn't someone mentioned all that often. In the grand scheme of things, she was simply... irrelevant. A Meliquean socialite, the daughter of a baronet. She'd died young and Danna had never expressed much sadness about it. Simply a fact of life, much like how Irina treated the early demise of her own parents. There was no use lingering on it.

  "She's not important." Danna raised her chin. "But as her daughter, I do owe her some. I've never cared much for Sai. But it birthed me and it raised me, and therefore I will stay. I will fight for it, though perhaps not with my life. It's not important enough for me to do that. I don't care about countries and their wars."

  "I know." Irina had never understood that. But now she got it. She didn't have to understand the decisions her friends made. She never would understand them, most likely. All she had to do was accept them. Acceptance was the best help she could offer, even if she didn't get or support them. It was what they wanted, and she needed to trust their judgment.

It was too late now for some of them. She'd already irrevocably hurt so many. But it wasn't too late for damage control, to try her best to tie up the loose strings before she had to go.

  And she'd start here. Today, with Danna.

  "I don't hate you."

  "I know."

  "I don't dislike you either. I know why you did what you did and I don't like it. I hate it even more because I was the chess piece put into place. But I know why you did it. You thought it was the best choice. I don't think it was, there are plenty of other agents, and you didn't need someone with Meliquean blood. It didn't help me all that much either. People here look at me and see a Meliquean girl, people there look at me and see a Saian girl. That's how things work."

  "I am sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything, but I am sorry."

  Danna tilted her head, curiosity seeping into her expression. "What caused the change of heart? Justine?"

  "I had an argument with Myrina. Well, more of, she broke down in front of me. And it finally hit me, just, just how much damage I actually did. I always thought your grudges were things that would just pass, but it's not. I need to stop being a passive bystander in this mess I created and, well, do something about it."

   "Have you said anything to Io?" Danna mused, rubbing her thumb against the seat of her chair. "Or Myrina? Or am I the first?"

  "You're the first. I... I didn't plan this out."

  "That's a first," Danna said with a small "huh" sound, leaning back. "You never run into anything without a plan."

  "Not my style."

  "Well, I don't think you need to grovel for Io's forgiveness. She's changed, but not necessarily because of you." Danna's eyes took on a glassy look as she stared out of the window, licking her lip. "It was something else. It's her privacy and I can't share, and I don't think she wants to talk about it either. But Io wasn't your fault. I think... the moment she chose this life, she'd have become like this sooner or later."

  "She doesn't have to be. Cassalyn Diao isn't like this. Neither is Ciri. And both of them did this for just as long, if not longer."

  "They're different," is what Danna responded. "Yes, similar experiences. But everyone copes and deals with it differently. Some people manage to find healthy ways. Ciri, for example. Some people go down the wrong path for a little while, yes, but they make their way back eventually. That's Cass. Io?"

  Danna paused, turning back to face Irina. "Something... happened. She's emotionally scarred. I'm scared for her. She's going down the wrong path. I'm trying to drag her back, I really am, but I'm terrified she's going to do something drastic that will hurt everyone and that she'd regret."

  "She doesn't seem that bad," Irina said with a frown. "Just a bit of attitude." It was true. Io and Danna seemed to be on par with each other these days. Io didn't show any sign of anything... traumatic having happened. Just a temperament that had slowly built throughout the past few years.

  Danna let out a pained laugh. "You have no idea. Io's always been a good actress."

  That thrust the two of them into a silence, neither of them quite sure what to say. Irina said, finally, after a long while, "I'll go talk to her. Sometime within the next few days. And then Myrina. I don't want to leave this place with so much bad blood."

  "That, and some kind of effort at reconciliation and accepting your mistake is long overdue." Danna raised her chin. "This isn't forgiveness. But. I want us to be at peace."

  "Truce?"

  "Truce."