The following day, I sit with Will and Jules in Will's flat, my head aching from hours of regurgitating information. After nearly a month of learning customs, manners, names and history, there is nary a detail that I can't recall at the drop of a hat. As Will paces before us, I reach up a hand to touch the elaborate hairstyle I put together under Jules' supervision. Despite my complaints, I'm grateful to the Cains for all the work they've put into making sure I can pass myself off as a courtier. The skills I've learned in this shoddy flat may prove useless out on the streets, but Will has promised they'll be akin to an arsenal of weapons within the Court.

Will finally ceases his pacing, running a hand over his close-cropped hair before he sinks down into his usual place on the couch opposite. "We should go over the plan for tomorrow."

I suppress a sigh, twisting my hands nervously in my lap. "Go on, then."

"Kay, you will meet us here first thing tomorrow morning. Jules will be helping you get dressed and I have a carriage coming by to pick us up." Will transitions seamlessly from instructor to drill sergeant, his voice clipped and his gaze intense.

I nod my understanding. For once, his bossiness doesn't annoy me. Tomorrow I will be completely out of my depth and am more than willing to accept any offer of assistance.

"I have arranged an interview with the Princess' chief of staff. If she is satisfied with you—and she will be—then you will be brought straight into the ladies' quarters. I expect they will have some questions about your history and lineage." He speaks calmly, but I can sense the underlying tension. "Do you remember everything?"

"Yes." I recite confidently: "I am your cousin, Abby Fellows. After the tragic death of my parents, I spent a year living in a care facility, before moving on to study pre-Burn literature at the Outer City Academy."

"Perfect." Will nods his approval. "I have taken the liberty of having a friend forge your certification and release papers, so if anyone looks into your background, we'll have you covered."

"Good." I release a breath. "Is that everything? Any more last-minute lessons?"

"No, you're ready." His grey eyes search my face. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm going to be right there with you the entire time."

"Until they accept me," I remind him.

"I'll still be in the Palace. You can't get rid of me so easily." He sits back, raising his eyebrows. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

"You'll do wonderfully." Jules pats my leg. "The Princess' entourage is just a bunch of shallow kiss-ups, anyway. No one will suspect anything is amiss about you."

I know I couldn't be more different from those Palace nobles, but Jules sounds so certain that I find myself relaxing, ever so slightly.

After a warm dinner and several more forced recitations of tomorrow's plans, I manage to slip free of Will's apartment and run along the roofs to the depths of the Commons. My jog is slower than usual, with only the moonlight and my memory to direct me on a safe route.

I pause on the roof of the Beacon, ruffling my hair loose from its braid and smearing the leftover makeup around my eyes before I drop down onto the street and swing through the door.

The air inside the pub is thick with smoke and I have to blink to focus my vision in the dim light. No sooner have I gathered my bearings than a familiar, beefy arm is draped around my neck.

"There she is!" Harry's inebriated voice bellows in my ear.

I shove him aside playfully. "Get off, you giant oaf—you're spilling ale all over me."

"Apologies, allow me to make amends. Samus!" he shouts over his shoulder. "A draft for our Kay, please! Now, tell me where you've been, girl. My cart has been piled too high lately without your sticky fingers clawing at it."

I laugh, grabbing my tankard off the bar and taking a healthy sip. "Here and there, Harry. I'm always about. If I had known you would miss me so much, I would have made a point of robbing you blind."

"Aye, no doubt you would have, you common thief." He claps my shoulder hard enough that I sputter on my drink. "The lads are all this way. Come on!"

Harry's large figure clears an easy path, leading me to the back of the room. Our usual table is surrounded by people, Edmun and Lara among them. I release an internal sigh of relief when I find Gordy missing.

"Hey-o, boys! And my lady." Harry makes an attempt at bowing to Lara and I reach out a hand to steady him. "Looky here who I found!"

"Kay, darling! Come sit by me." Lara motions for the man next to her to move out of the way. He grumbles, reluctantly giving up his seat.

"Comrades," I say formally as Lara wraps her skinny arms around my neck and gives me a hug.

"Kay-kay! I was wondering if you would ever be gracing us with your presence again!" Edmun has his arm around a diminutive woman with garishly painted red lips.

"I figured your ugly faces could benefit from the company of at least one beauty, so I decided to stop in," I reply.

Edmun and I clank our tankards together while Edmun's girl purses her mouth and huffs.

"Speaking of ugly faces, what have you got around your eyes?" Edmun drinks his ale and stares at me. "Did you get in a tussle?"

Lara grabs my chin in her hand and tilts my head this way and that, trying to get a good look at my face.

I swat her away, saying, "It's nothing—probably just a bit of soot."

"Ah, she's been out fightin' fires," Harry teases.

"Starting them, more likely," someone else chimes in, instigating a round of laughter.

"You lot are a nosy bunch, you know that?" Lara cuts in, glaring at Edmun. "Our Kay has been out working, same as any of you. You don't need to be knowing the hows and wheres."

I give her a grateful look and she throws me a wink.

I made Lara swear that she wouldn't tell anyone what I have been up to, sparing her as many specific details as possible. Will stressed the need for extreme secrecy and for once, I agree with him.

"Well, you've missed some action." Edmun removes his arm from around his companion and leans in over the table conspiratorially.

A barmaid comes to clear the empty tankards, bringing fresh drinks and laughing with Harry when he compliments her.

"What's that?" I ask.

"The biggest story is that there was some action outside the City gates the night before last. Did you hear about it?"

"No, what happened?" I'm a bit annoyed. Usually, I am the first to know of any goings-on, but the study sessions with Will have taken a toll on my time.

"Wastelanders, apparently. They were throwing projectiles at our walls: spears and rocks. The guards chased them off but there was some damage done. Some people are calling it an attack."

"Some people?"

"Some are saying it wasn't an attack at all." Edmun leans in closer, widening his eyes. "They're saying it was a test. The Wasters are scoping us out, playing with our defences. They're trying to find a weak spot."

My blood runs cold, Will's warning about the Wastelanders attacking the City ringing in my head. I take a long sip of my tankard to buy myself some time and gather my thoughts.

"That's worrying," I say simply, trying to appear skeptical.

"Naw. Their weapons have nothing on ours, the bunch of savages. Even if they were to make it over the walls, we would disintegrate them in a second."

There is a cacophony of cheers at Edmun's words and the clanking of tankards. I force a smile and join in the revelry.

"Oh! And another piece of news." Edmun sits back again, appearing grim.

The red-mouthed girl is completely oblivious, smiling up at him and scooting closer.

"Go on then, you gossip," I encourage, glad for the change in subject.

"Gordy's been arrested."

I choke on my drink, coughing to disguise my snort of derision. "You're joking. What for?"

"Petty theft."

I immediately regret my laughter. Theft in the City can bring a grave punishment, the likes of which not even a wastrel like Gordy deserves.

"Has he been sentenced?" I ask, more seriously. Thieves from the Commons are usually given the choice of losing a hand or serving in the Wastelands.

"Not sure—no one has been able to get a word in or out of the Palace. They've got that place locked down tighter than a vault." Edmun's jovial mood has sobered and the red-lipped girl pats his arm sympathetically, simultaneously sneaking a sip from his tankard.

"What did he steal?"

"Apparently, he took a shot right in the middle of the Court, the stupid git. He went for an old lady's change purse and they nabbed him." Edmun shakes his head. "He always had more gall than sense."

"Idiot," I mutter, none too quietly.

"I feel terrible about how we razz him for pulling off weak heists. We would compare him to you, but it was only in fun, you know? I didn't mean for him to go out and try something stupid." Edmun's big hands clench into fists.

I frown. "It's not your fault, Eddy."

He nods, taking another drink, seemingly not noticing the smear of red paint left behind on the rim of his glass. "Damn fool."

"I'm sure he'll be out in no time." Lara swoops back into the conversation, her smooth voice carrying just the right sentiment, as usual. "Gordy is more slippery than any of us; they won't be able to hold him for long."

Edmun manages a smile as Harry claps him heartily on the back. "You're right about that."

"Of course I'm right! Now, who's ready for another drink?"

The night drags on, the smoke and flickering lights encroaching on us as we swap stories and jokes. I sip my beer slowly, mindful of the fact that for the first time in my life, I have to be presentable in the morning. Lara slips her arm through mine and rests her head on my shoulder, laughing as Harry regales us with a tale about one of his rich customers. The plump courtier believed the yarn Harry spun him about custard having weight-loss properties and bought out an entire supply of danishes.

I sigh as I take in my circle of friends, all of them good, hard-working people enjoying a night of simple pleasures. My mind flicks back to the image of Wastelanders pacing our perimeter and a small headache begins to throb behind my temple. I clench my jaw, finish my drink and bid my goodbyes, Lara leaning on me as we stumble out of the tavern.

It's easy to support Lara's light frame as we wind our way through the alleyways. She chatters away about the people in the bar, laughing as she makes fun of Edmun's girl. I force a smile but my heart feels heavy. I have made sure to save enough coins for Lara to be able to support herself for a few weeks, but I will have to find a way to send more money back to her if I am unable to get away from the Palace.

"I'm going to miss you, Kay," Lara says, tripping on the train of her dress.

I hold her arm while she rights herself. "I'll take every opportunity I can to slip away."

"Why would you bother with that? You will be living in the lap of luxury." She gesticulates grandly as she speaks, stumbling again and laughing as she clutches me.

I shake my head, smiling. "This isn't going to be a vacation, sweet friend. I'll mostly be trying to keep a low profile. All that courtier junk is so wasteful, anyway. Why would you need anything more than a clean bed and enough food for your belly?"

"Gods, Kay. You can be so unimaginative sometimes." Lara sighs. "I, for one, would relish the opportunity to wear beautiful dresses and eat decadent meals. I would love it if there was nothing required of me but to look pretty. I would spend every day wandering the Palace, dancing and flirting with all the handsome men."

"I am sure that you would make a wonderful noble," I tell her, "were it not for the fact that you have a brain in your head."

"Always so serious," she mock-grumbles, poking me in the cheek.

I laugh and swat her hand away. "At least one of us is," I tease.

"I'm just saying that I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up enjoying yourself, just a little."

"Doubtful, but if on the off-chance I find myself twirling across the dance floor with a handsome man, you'll be the first to know."

"Deal." She giggles, leaning her head against mine.

Our footsteps echo down the dusty alleyway, the moon and flickering streetlights casting long shadows against the crumbling buildings. Tomorrow I will be worlds away from my friends and these familiar streets. The thought turns my stomach. Despite Will's rigorous teaching and Jules' skill with makeup, I still feel about as far from a noble lady as the sand from the stars. Glossy hair and fancy dresses could not possibly disguise who I truly am: a common street urchin and thief.

Doubt tingles in the back of my mind and I have to force my worries aside. Instead, I concentrate on the next most important order of business, which is getting my friend upstairs and safely to bed.