“All excellent questions,” Iannis said as dinner arrived. “But I suppose only time will give us the answer.”

The servants set out racks of lamb, and large bowls filled with salad, grilled asparagus, and new potatoes. Hunger took over, and I put my worries aside as we dug into the meal. Dinner was a surprisingly comfortable affair, despite the tension between Fenris and Iannis, and the fact that Chen was here. We all managed to be civil, and even had some pleasant conversation.

“Well, I must be going,” Director Chen said when our plates were cleared. She rose from the table and bowed, her eyes meeting mine as she straightened. “I trust you have found your social secretary to be satisfactory?”

“Yes, so far.” I gave her a real smile. “Thank you for finding her for me.”

“You’re welcome.” Director Chen’s stern expression softened into a smile.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that you and Director Chen are finally beginning to get along,” Iannis said as we walked back to our rooms. Rylan trailed behind us at a respectful distance—he’d been waiting for me outside the banquet room.

“It might be a little early for you to jump to that conclusion,” I said, twining my fingers with his. “But I’m willing to give credit where credit is due, and Nelia seems competent.”

“I am happy to hear that.” Iannis squeezed my hand. “You two may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Director Chen has an excellent track record. I would not have chosen her for her position if I did not feel she could be trusted.”

“Sure.” A thought entered my head, and I checked that no one was within hearing distance before turning my head to look at Rylan. “Hey,” I called.

Rylan lengthened his stride to catch up with us. “Yes?”

“Any chance you were provided with a list of the spies who were planted here, or in any other areas of the Federation?”

“No. That information was need to know, and I, sadly, did not need to know. I know for sure that at least one spy was planted here in the Palace, but for security reasons, their identities were closely guarded.”

“Of course,” I muttered under my breath. That would have been far too easy.

“However, just because those three have fled the Palace, doesn’t mean you’re out of danger, Sunaya,” Rylan continued, his eyes sharp. “In my experience, deep-cover operatives are not so easy to spook. The three staff who ran off might have something else to hide that has nothing to do with the Resistance, while the real spy still lurks among us, waiting for another opportunity to strike.”

“Indeed,” Iannis said, his voice hard. “That is why you must not allow Sunaya to leave your sight, unless she is either with me, or Fenris.”