Tug marches me back through the fort, stars twinkling in the darkness above, the Duke's guards following us. I drown him in a torrent of insults and cutting speculation about the Duchess, and why she chose the Duke over him, dredging up the cruellest things I can think of, though I must be far off the mark because he barely reacts.

We are almost at the royal guest tower when I notice the unusual bustle of the fort. Lanterns burn in a dozen of the tower's windows. Boots stomp, swords clang, and through the myriad of stone tunnels, come echoes of orders given in raised voices.

Tug releases my arm, and we hurry towards the guest tower. A vaulted archway opens into the circular courtyard. Taking in the Prince on the steps by the entrance, panic circles through me. I cannot explain why I am wandering about Lyndonia at such an unsociable hour with Tug, or the state of my dress, or the stolen room key.

Wooden torches blaze in the curved courtyard walls, creating two arcs of light around the grand entrance. Jakut's face is lit up in a blaze of orange flames. His gaze is fixed on our approach, the hostility and warning in his eyes so sharp, I check to see if he is wearing his sword. Gloved fingers curl and uncurl around the bejewelled hilt. He widens his stance to block our way.

Tug offers the smallest nod. "Your Royal Highness," he says, voice grave and cautious. I give a stiff curtsey. The Prince allows Tug past, but when I try to follow he lays a hand on my arm.

"I wish to speak with you."

In the dimly lit corridor, Tug glances back. His look says he does not trust me alone with Jakut. Gritting my teeth, I pretend not to notice. After everything I've been through, does he really think I would do anything to divulge my brother's existence and risk Kel's freedom?

The Prince's eyes settle on my face. "I suppose I should thank you for leaving the key where I could find it."

A brittle wall has gone up between us. All trust and goodwill he had for me has gone. I accused him of condoning the attack on his escort and murdering those who helped him, and now he doesn't despise me. It is worse. I am nothing to him, just a nuisance. I am the dirty soil beneath his fine boots, which he must tread on to reach his destination.

An uneasy sensation wraps around me, like a thick fall of hushed snow, temporarily smothering my guilt and hurt over seeing Kel.

"Something in particular you were looking for?"

Anguish catches in my throat.

"No matter," he says, lips twitching. "News has come of my father. The Duke sent a messenger to wake me. We must go to him at once."

I grow conscious of my dirty dress, which will be blindingly obvious in a lit room. "It would seem odd if I were to go with you after last night, Your Royal Highness."

"I do not care what they think," he snaps. "You have forgiven me. That is all they need to know."

"But they would never—"

He leers in my face. "Your dress is creased and soiled. Your eyes are puffy. You are sneaking around the fort and stealing room keys. If you think I will let you leave my sight for even a minute, you are very mistaken!"

His unmasked fury suddenly reminds me of his confession in the great hall moments before we were presented to the Duke and Duchess. I wonder if he is jealous again, or pretending to be, because I was with Tug. What does he imagine we were doing together?

We stride through tunnels and dark courtyards, headed for the Royal Hall. I realize Jakut will continue our charade of awkward sweethearts in front of the Duchess while she will know him for a liar. I dislike giving the perfidious Duchess an upper hand over the Prince. But I don't have the luxury of picking sides.

In the royal gardens, beside an aisle of potted berry shrubs, Jakut comes to a standstill. He pulls off a leather glove and rubs a hand across the back of his neck. A small fleck of blood sits on his jaw where he has nicked himself shaving. I wait for him to say what licks like flames on the tip of his tongue.

"I will need you in the Ruby Court," he clips, pulling his glove back on. "Duke Roarhil sent a messenger this morning to report I am alive and well, and now news has come of my father, I will be expected to return home."

I bow my head in understanding, then examine the cobbled stones beneath his boots.

"When you have discovered what really happened to my escort, I will have you taken wherever you wish to go. You will be free, and you will be rich."

"Rich?" I ask, disbelief creeping into my voice. "I care nothing for money."

"Then what? Name it, Mirra. It will be yours."

The question is a gouge, cutting deep into me. If I live through this, when it is over, I will either have won or lost the only thing I care for. With all his wealth and position and freedom, the Prince cannot give me what I value most.

I clear my throat. "What will happen if I discover you were behind the attack on your escort?"

"To escape marrying a Rudeashan princess?" he retorts.

"Will you still wish my freedom, knowing I could tell someone of your crime, and you would be hanged?"

"If you discover I am responsible for the murders of my men, they will not need to hang me. I will do it myself."

Words I cannot say thunder through my mind. They have Kel! Tug must have told the Duchess I am only with you because I am a shadow weaver!

Jakut's hand reaches for my waist. I look to the Royal Hall, certain we are being watched. Commander Fror waits outside the grand doors, but the Prince is not pretending to flirt as he lifts the torn cloth of my dress where it snagged on the crumbling passage wall.

"I have forgiven you," I say, echoing his earlier words. "We have made up." Understanding flashes in his eyes. He nods.

Side by side, we stride through the gray stone gardens, two pretenders, engulfed by the secrets we carry.

Commander Fror leads us away from the Royal Hall, through a long arcade towards the royal tower. We wind up stairs to the third floor where an open door greets us. Inside the round tower room, the Duke stands by the large table where I saw him poring over a map of the land yesterday, when we arrived in Lyndonia.

He is accompanied by two advisers, Chamberlain Velequez, and a soldier. My eyes search out the darkest corner. I am relieved to see the armchair where the Duchess sat yesterday is empty.

"Lady Mirra will wait outside with Commander Fror," the Duke informs us. Lines of tension appear on Jakut's brow, but clearly my attendance under any circumstances would be inappropriate. As I curtsey, Jakut addresses Commander Fror.

"I would appreciate it, if you would make sure Lady Mirra waits for me until our meeting has finished."

"Your Royal Highness," Fror answers with a nod, but one eyebrow arches in an unspoken question at the Prince's request.

The Commander leads me around the small landing, past two archer windows to a third with a cushioned stone ledge. I do not sit to wait, but lean forward and gaze out across the land. We are dizzyingly high. I concentrate on the horizon. The moon has set, and in the starlight, vague shadows of the wide forest touch the sky.

Fror leaves me to stand guard outside the meeting room, knowing I cannot reach the stairs without passing him. I send my awareness into the room and enter the first mind I brush against.

He holds a paper weight of a girl pirouetting. The girl's face is tilted to the heavens. The weight of the Duke's body pulls towards his feet. He stares at the Prince. The men are of a similar height and the higher angle alters my impression of Jakut's face, softening the angles of his chin and cheekbones.

The Duke clears his throat. "It is not good news," he announces.

Jakut folds his arms across his doublet. The Duke's reconnaissance officer steps forward. Grime and dirt smear the edges of the man's skin trousers and gray tunic. The fabric is crushed. There is a small tear in one of the pockets, the result of hard travel and few opportunities to wash or change.

"We were staying in the town of Midlay to the south west, in the Peltik district when the news came to the Lord of Peltik."

The officer wipes his sweating hand on his trousers. "Word arrived in the Red City a week ago. The Carucan army was attacked while they hibernated during the long-sleep. The Eteans knew precisely where to strike. They destroyed the Watch in one swift blow, every post covering fifty miles. Soldiers sleeping in the underground barracks barely had a chance. Over half the army was wiped out."

Jakut bends over as though he has a pain in the stomach. "What of my father?"

"There are reports of his capture." The officer does not meet Jakut's eyes. Duke Roarhil sucks in his breath and nods for the man to continue. "There are other reports that he was slain and died with his men."

The Prince pales, hands pressing into the round table.

"It is bad news for all of us," the Duke says, reaching across the table and resting a palm on his nephew's shoulder. "But that is not all. Other news has reached us."

Jakut's eyes twitch. Tidings considered important enough to impart after announcing the King's capture and possible death could only mean more trouble. Tendrils of fear twine together in my chest. Could the Duke's men have discovered something we do not know about the Prince's trip to the north?

"Queen Usas is pregnant," the Duke says. "Her due date is close at hand. With the King's capture, an attempt on your life and now this... it raises grave suspicions against her."

For a long moment the Prince does not speak. I imagine he is relieved evidence points to the Queen's treachery, rather than his own.

"When did your messenger leave to inform the Ruby Court I was safe in Lyndonia?" he asks.

"Just before the reconnaissance arrived."

"Then we must catch him up. We must prepare to leave for the Red City at once and intercept the messenger. If the Queen intends to name her child successor and herself regent until the baby is of age, she will do it while the confusion over the army's defeat is at its greatest and my survival unknown. We must take her by surprise. We will arrive when she least expects it and discover the truth behind my father's death."

"You have my utmost support and the support of my men."

"Thank you, Uncle."

THANKS FOR READING; NEXT UPDATE ON TUESDAY XOX