Phoenix kept her focus on Eric, not letting herself get distracted as they climbed an elaborate staircase in the castle, heading up to Bainon's study. Her heart thudded in her chest, loud enough for her to worry someone in the sleeping castle might hear it and catch them.

"How do you know he'll be in his study?" Phoenix whispered, walking on tiptoe. "Won't he be in his rooms?"

"He always goes to his study after a feast to write any thank you notes he deems necessary."

Thank you notes? Phoenix knew if Eric turned to look at her he'd see complete and utter shock. Bainon wrote thank you notes? A memory of Claire flashed through Phoenix's thoughts.

"He was my favorite brother."

The more Phoenix learned about Bainon, the lest she understood the turmoil in the western portion of the kingdom, the executions, and the need for a Militia. If Bainon was so kind and genial, why were people killed for saying even one word against him?

"Here we are." Eric cut into her thoughts, turning to a door on the right hand side of the hall. He sucked in a breath, steeling himself as he reached for the doorknob. "Ready?"

Phoenix nodded, and Eric pushed the door open, not bothering to knock.

"Eric, my boy." Bainon's surprise increased as Phoenix stepped in behind Eric. The King's brows arched, his body straightening. "Well what's this? To what do I owe the late night pleasure?"

#

Maverick supported Gwen, her arm over his shoulder as they moved her back to her own room. She'd recovered just enough strength to walk a few steps on her own, but Maverick wouldn't embarrass her by carrying her.

"Why'd you come by my room that night?" Maverick asked, each step painstakingly slow as Gwen concentrated on her feet.

"I didn't want you to be doing this just because you have too," she said through gritted teeth. "I wanted to make sure at least part of you wanted the job." She stumbled, and he braced her. "All my life my mother told me I had to take my place on the throne - that I didn't have a choice, it was my birthright. When we found out Clarice had a son, I saw it as my shot at freedom."

"And your mother?"

Gwen grimaced. "At first she saw it as another threat, but when I insisted I wouldn't take the throne - well, I left for the Militia and we haven't spoken since."

"Will you stay here when we leave?" Maverick asked. Part of him thought it might be best if one of the heirs wasn't on the battlefield.

"No. Especially not if we haven't discovered who poisoned us. I won't be able to defend myself with everyone gone."

They'd been packing supplies for three days while Gwen recovered in Maverick's room. Noelle hadn't been around, buried in some list she was convinced would help her solve the mystery of the poisoner. According to Helena, they'd be able to leave first thing in the morning.

"You'll stick with us, then," Maverick said. "Ride with me. I don't want you out of my sight."

Gwen chuckled. "Without everyone realizing that I'm your cousin, they'll think you're taking me as your queen."

Maverick snorted. "I don't care what they think. As long as the people I care about are safe, I'll take the gossip."

"Aw, you care about me, you big lug?" Gwen gave him a feeble sock in the arm.

"You're the last blood relative I have."

"Not the last." Gwen's mouth flattened. "There's always Uncle Bainon."

#

Noelle crept around the kitchens, thankful for her petite stature for the first time in her life. She'd hidden inside one of the empty crates, folding herself into the tiny space and waiting until the kitchen cleared out.

A few people lingered, and Noelle waited until they began hushed whispers before removing herself from her hiding place. Now, crouched down inside the pantry, she squinted through the crack in the door.

"...not the way it was supposed to happen!" someone hissed. The speaker wore a cloak, the hood drawn up over their face. By just the whisper, Noelle couldn't tell if it was a higher voiced male or a lower voiced female.

"It should have taken care of them both," the other speaker, facing the door, was all too familiar to Noelle. She covered her mouth to keep from exclaiming anything. Yoro, the Guardian who could mask signatures and make you see things that weren't there, stood with his arms folded, his wispy blond hair feathered back.

"Well, it didn't." A third voice, someone blocked by the person in the cloak, joined in. The voice was familiar, and definitely female, but Noelle couldn't pinpoint the whisper. "They both have survived. It didn't even kill the baker."

"The baker was the main target," Yoro snapped. "She's the first born heir. The hope was to get Maverick as well, but we knew it'd be difficult with strength like his."

"How did they both survive?" the cloaked person asked. "How did Gwen survive?"

"They found them too quickly, I think." The woman behind the cloaked person shifted, but Noelle still couldn't see her clearly. "They were able to purge the poison. If that stupid little girl hadn't been snooping around Maverick's room, no one would have found them until morning, when it would have been too late."

"She's not a little girl," Yoro said with an eye roll. "She's just small. What's her name? Nicole?"

"Noelle."

"Right. But don't forget Roman was with her," Yoro added. "We need to be careful he doesn't get suspicious. If he finds out and goes to Helena with this - "

"He won't find out," the hooded figure snapped. "Now get everything sorted. We're running out of time. We leave tomorrow, and if Gwen isn't dead by the time the Militia and the Army go to war, we'll have two heirs to take care of on top of the king."

The cloaked stranger moved, revealing the woman beyond. This time Noelle actually gasped. All three turned, the cloak shrouding the wearer's face in darkness.

"What was that?" Yoro asked, stepping toward the pantry.

Noelle's heart leapt into her throat, and she back tracked as quickly as she could. She had just lowered the lid on her hiding place when they entered.

"I thought I heard something," Yoro said again.

"No one's here," the foreign voice whispered after a few moments of searching. "Get to work. Find a way to dispatch Gwen without harming anyone else."

They disappeared, and Noelle waited at least a half an hour before crawling out of her box, heart still thumping madly. Peeking out of the pantry felt like opening a door to a lion's den, but Noelle didn't see anyone in the dark kitchen.

Part of her wanted to stay in the pantry all night, but she knew she had to speak to Maverick and Roman, Finny and Youlden.

She ran all the way up to Maverick's rooms, but found no one there. Nerves taut, she spun around and ran right into Yoro.

"Oh my!" He caught her by the shoulders, his eyes wide in surprise. "Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"You-you frightened me," she said, pasting a smile onto her face as she stepped back. "I was looking for Maverick, but..." she trailed off, not sure where to go from here.

"Anything I can help you with?" Yoro asked. "Maybe we can look together?"

The pings of danger shot through her, but with the practiced air she'd learned through years with Aundreya, Noelle grinned up at him. "I'd love that, thank you. We should check Roman's room."

Yoro's smile stiffened, but he offered her his arm and the made their way down the hall. Noelle felt how tense his arm was beneath her gentle touch, and down inside her she knew if he got her alone, she'd be in trouble.

Someone rounded the corner, and Noelle seized the chance. "Pollemius!"

"Noelle, Yoro - having a nice stroll?" He paused, grinning down at her. Noelle sized him up, deciding he was too large to be the person in the cloak.

"I'm looking for Maverick. Have you seen him?"

"Ah, yes. I'm actually searching for him, too. I'll join you. Yoro?"

"Uh," Yoro hesitated. "I think I'll let you two carry on alone. I actually am headed the other way." He gave an awkward little bow and disappeared.

When he'd disappeared, Pollemius's gaze narrowed. "He's behaving oddly. Has been for days."

"We need to find Maverick or Roman right away," Noelle said in a low voice. "It's urgent."

"Are my ears burning?" Roman's head appeared from beyond a door. "We moved Gwen up here to be closer. Come on in."

Noelle pushed past Roman with a purpose, drawing a chuckle out of him. Inside she found everyone she'd wanted - Maverick sat on the edge of a chaise that Gwen lay on; Youlden stood at the window, staring out; Finny had Noelle's suspect notes, going over them.

"I know who poisoned you." Noelle stood tall as all eyes turned to her. Roman shut the door behind Pollemius.

"What?" Maverick's eyes widened.

Noelle quickly filled in the story of hiding in the pantry. Her original plan had been to search for the where the lily plants were hidden, but then she'd overheard them talking.

"A person in a cloak?" Roman cut her off, mid story. "You didn't see who they were?"

"No, but they weren't alone. Yoro was also there."

Pollemius's eyes narrowed, and Finny dropped the notes, a look of rage mottling her face.

"But that's not all. There was someone else." Noelle thought back to the moment when she saw the face of the other woman, and she felt a pang of anger for not realizing sooner that she'd be a problem.

"Who?"

"Mygel. Canya's daughter."

Okay so you know 2 of the 3 poisoners so far!!!! Who is surprised it's Yoro and Mygel? Who forgot about them because they were so not on the radar? That's okay, they weren't on my radar either and then BAM! They poisoned Maverick.

Creeps.

So tell me what you think - do you think Canya is involved? Who do you think is behind the cloak? Can we trust Pollemius? What about Quilla- the other Guardian? Or maybe someone else entirely?
TALK!

Thank you for waiting for this chapter. It was a difficult one to get written :)

Now it's time for the Militia to get a move on!