“That was the only reason I had a chance. I don’t think she practices.”

“The Red Queen’s dangerous. Hold still.” The stuff he was smearing on me smelled nose-numbing

weird. “This will sting if I get it in your eye.”

Like it matters—what’s one more thing to hurt? I had a better question. “What exactly do you

know? Was I, like, the only person not to know who she is?”

Shanks shrugged. He tilted his head a little, listening to the hall. “Benjamin’s gone back to his

room. Thank God, that was starting to bug me.” A little bit of the tension in him bled away. “I don’t

know much, really. Just that the head of the Order’s the Red Queen. She’s been pressing for renegotiation of some Treaty terms for a long time. She gets a lot of what she wants; the Council just gets

worn down. My parents used to talk about it after the cubs went to bed.” A shrug. “There’re just . . .

rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?” I shut my eyes when Dibs murmured at me. He was so gentle, and I began

to feel a little less battered. At least here with him and Shanks, nobody was messing with me.

“Just rumors. Nothing I can put my finger on, just saying that it’s better not to be in her way.” He

gave me a long, measuring glance. “I can see why.”

So could I. “I didn’t know she hated my mother.”

He let out a laugh that was like a bark. White teeth flashed. “You sounded pretty sure.”

“It was a guess.” Or it was the touch blurring in my head, showing me other people’s business. Gran

was big on minding your own business, but sometimes you just can’t. “A pretty good one, I suppose.”

Thinking about Gran made my head hurt. Her owl had pretty much saved my bacon so many times.

I’d always thought of it as her owl because it showed up the night she died.

Now I wasn’t so sure.

“Why would she hate your mother?” Dibs finished smearing goop on my face. “Okay, that’s it. Let

me take another look at that wrist. You’re not healing right.”

“I don’t know.” I tried not to sound fretful. “What do you mean, not healing right?”

“Too slow, especially if your aspect is rubbing through. Could be because you’re not fully bloomed

yet. I wish I’d thought to bring that textbook. Maybe we should call Benjamin in—”

“No!” I yanked my hand away. Dibs squeaked a bit. “He’s already going to ask me what happened!”

“What would be wrong with that?” Shanks peeled himself away from the wall. “I’m a witness. She

hit you first.”

I didn’t think I’d have to explain it to him of all people. “She’s the head of the Order, right? Who’s