Title Page

Copyright

Copyright © 2014 by Livia Blackburne

Cover design by Tanya Ross-Hughes

Cover photographs © Hotfoot Studio and Trevillion

All rights reserved. Published by Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023.

ISBN: 978-1-4847-0628-2

Contents

1. Title Page
2. Copyright
3. Dedication
4. One
5. Two
6. Three
7. Four
8. Five
9. Six
10. Seven
11. Eight
12. Nine
13. Ten
14. Eleven
15. Twelve
16. Thirteen
17. Fourteen
18. Fifteen
19. Sixteen
20. Seventeen
21. Eighteen
22. Nineteen
23. Twenty
24. Twenty-one
25. Twenty-two
26. Twenty-three
27. Twenty-four
28. Twenty-five
29. Twenty-six
30. Twenty-seven
31. Twenty-eight
32. Twenty-nine
33. Thirty
34. Thirty-one
35. Thirty-two
36. Thirty-three
37. Thirty-four
38. Thirty-five
39. Thirty-six
40. Thirty-seven
41. Thirty-eight
42. Thirty-nine
43. Forty
44. Epilogue
45. Acknowledgments
46. About the Author

Dedication

For Mom and Dad

One

O N E

This job could kill her.

Kyra peered off the ledge, squinting at the cobblestone four stories below. A false step in the darkness would be deadly, and even if she survived the fall, Red Shields would finish her off. She stared a few moments more before forcing her gaze back up. The time for second thoughts had passed. Now she just needed to keep moving.

The jump ahead was two body lengths long, so Kyra backed away from the ledge. Ten steps, then she drew a breath and sprinted forward. She pushed off just before the drop, clearing a gap of three strides before softening her body for the landing. There was a slap of soft leather on stone as she hit the next ledge. The impact sent a wave of vibrations through the balls of her feet, and Kyra touched a hand to the wall for balance.

Too hard, and too loud.

Silently cursing her clumsiness, Kyra scanned the grounds, looking for anyone who might have heard her. If she squinted, she could make out faint outlines of buildings around her—some as high as her ledge, some even taller. The pathways below were lined with torches that flickered, casting shadows that played tricks with her vision. Since she couldn’t trust her eyes, she listened. Other than the wind blowing across her ears, the night was silent, and Kyra relaxed. Tucking away a stray lock of hair, she set off, dashing deeper into the compound.

Two days ago, a man had come to The Drunken Dog, introducing himself as James and asking for Kyra by name. He’d moved with a deliberate confidence, and his gaze had swept over the room, evaluating and dismissing each of its occupants. When Kyra had finally approached him, James laid out an unusual offer. There was a ruby in the Palace compound. He wanted her to fetch it for him, and he was willing to pay.

“The Palace is guarded tight,” Kyra had told him. “If you want jewels, you’ll better get them elsewhere.”