“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Katsa said. “I’m only looking for a space to practice my exercises.”

The boy climbed from his stool and fled. Katsa threw her hands into the air. Well, at least she had the stable to herself now. She moved bales of hay, saddles, and rakes to clear a place across from the stalls and began a series of kicks and strikes. She twisted and flipped, conscious of the air, the floor, the walls around her, the horses. She focused on her imaginary opponents, and her mind calmed.

AT DINNER, Oll and Giddon had interesting news.

“King Murgon has announced a robbery,” Oll said. “Three nights past.”

“Has he?” Katsa took in Oll’s face, and then Giddon’s. They both had the look of a cat that’s cornered a mouse. “And what does he say was robbed?”

“He says only that a grand treasure of the court was stolen,” Oll said.

“Great skies,” Katsa said. “And who’s said to have robbed him of this treasure?”

“Some say it was a Graceling boy,” Oll said, “some kind of hypnotist, who put the king’s guards to sleep.”

“Others talk about a Graceling man the size of a monster,” Giddon said, “a fighter, who overcame the guards, one by one.” Giddon laughed outright, and Oll smiled into his supper.

“What interesting news,” Katsa said. And then, hoping she sounded innocent, “Did you hear anything else?”

“Their search was delayed for hours,” Giddon said, “because at first they assumed someone at court was to blame. A visiting man who happened to be a Graceling fighter.” He lowered his voice. “Can you believe it? What luck for us.”

Katsa kept her voice calm. “What did he say, this Graceling?”

“Apparently nothing helpful,” Giddon said. “He claimed to know nothing of it.”

“What did they do to him?”

“I’ve no idea,” Giddon said. “He’s a Graceling fighter. I doubt they were able to do much of anything.”

“Who is he? Where is he from?”

“No one’s said.” Giddon elbowed her. “Katsa, come on—you’re missing the point. It makes no difference who he is. They lost hours questioning this man. By the time they began to look elsewhere for the thieves, it was too late.”

Katsa thought she knew, better than Giddon or Oll could, why Murgon had spent so much time grilling this particular Graceling. And also why he’d taken pains not to publicize from where the Graceling came. Murgon wanted no one to suspect that the stolen treasure was Tealiff, that he’d held Tealiff in his dungeons in the first place.

And why had the Lienid Graceling told Murgon nothing? Was he protecting her?

This cursed rain had to stop, so that they could return to court, and to Raffin.

Katsa drank, then lowered her cup to the table. “What a stroke of luck for the thieves.”

Giddon grinned. “Indeed.”

“And have you heard any other news?”

“The innkeeper’s sister has a baby of three months,” Oll said. “They had a scare the other morning. They thought one of its eyes had darkened, but it was only a trick of the light.”