“Stick close to me, lady,” said Faye. “Don’t run unless I tell you to.”

Crier nodded.

They set off along the edge of the lawn where it bordered the gardens; there was a low stone wall, and it felt a little less like being right out in the open, even though the wall only came up to their waists and didn’t offer any actual protection. Crier kept waiting to get caught, kept waiting for someone to shout There she is!, but she and Faye reached the stables unhindered. Probably the guards were still searching the palace. Probably they hadn’t even started searching the grounds. Probably Hesod assumed Crier was upset but still his obedient child and was just hiding somewhere in the palace, waiting to be found. He’d never thought her capable of anything. He definitely wouldn’t think her capable of running away.

The stables were divided into two sections: one for the sovereign’s horses, all of them thoroughbreds and warhorses of the finest stock, and the other for the servants’ horses, used to pull plows and carry messengers. Faye led Crier to the servants’ section and together they pushed through the heavy wooden doors into the cool dark, where the air smelled like hay and the musky scent of animals. All the stableboys were occupied with the guests’ horses; Faye and Crier were alone. Quickly, they saddled one of the messenger horses—a young, strong mare who would be used to traveling long distances.

“Where are you going, lady?” Faye whispered as she slipped the bit into the horse’s mouth. “You owe me that much.”

Crier wasn’t sure yet. She had a half-formed plan in mind: First she would go to Rosi’s estate, wait for Rosi to return from the not-wedding. Rosi fawned over Kinok. If Crier could convince her that Kinok had planned this, that her disappearance was part of a top-secret plan and he trusted Rosi, above anyone else, to protect Crier, maybe Rosi would harbor her until she figured out what to do next. Where to go next.

Deep down, Crier already knew where she’d be going next. She just didn’t want to admit it.

“To find the one person who can stop Kinok,” she said, and swung up onto the horse. She’d barely slipped her feet into the stirrups when the doors at the other end of the stables burst open.

“There!”

The guards had found her.

She and Faye looked at each other at the same time, exchanging a horrified glance. Crier started to say, Quick, get up here with me, come on, but—

“Go!” said Faye, and struck the horse hard across the flank.

The horse startled, whinnying, and leaped forward through the open stable doors, out toward the sunlight. Crier gasped, turning back to look at Faye—the guards had already reached her, no, no—but Faye didn’t even look frightened. She was standing stock-still, staring after Crier, even as one of the guards caught her by the throat. The other guards started after Crier, and they were Automae, they were fast, they’d catch up with her and make all of this for nothing if she didn’t just go.